Small, light, efficient CPU Cooler... ?

ho72

Weaksauce
Joined
Sep 20, 2005
Messages
119
I have an X2 4400+ which idles at 43 and hits 59 under dual instances of Prime95. No overclocking, now or ever.

Is there an aftermarket cooler that is about the same size and weight as my stock AMD cooler that will outperform it by, oh, say 5 degrees or so? I think I could live with low to mid-50s load temps. Of course, low to mid 40s load temps would be wonderful, but I don't want some 2-3 pound, aircraft carrier-sized hunk of copper hanging off my motherboard.
 
You're definitely going to want one of the Thermalright offerings. They're featherweights compared to the much heavier competition, yet will hold their own. Sure its much larger than the stock thermal solution, but with size, you get efficiency. It is compatible with just about everything out there too.

You will need to purchase a seperate fan, but I see that as a good thing. It depends on your tolerance of noise, but you could get something like Yate Loon D12SL-12 and be done with it. This fan is famous in the silent computing market for it's smooth sound and good behaviour when undervolting.
 
Thanks for the replies. One other requirement: I don't want to have to remove the mobo to add/swap retention hardware or backplates. Does that disqualify any of the contenders?
 
ho72 said:
Thanks for the replies. One other requirement: I don't want to have to remove the mobo to add/swap retention hardware or backplates. Does that disqualify any of the contenders?

Most of them. But the XP-90 is definitely worth it. That thing is a wonder.
 
I'm thinking about going for the Zalman 9500. By the time I add a fan to the XP90, the weight will be about the same. The big plus is that I can (if I read the review correctly) attach it directly to my Athlon's HS retaining bracket without any mods. Is that correct?

Anyone have experience with this cooler?
 
Correct. Just make sure to point the 9500 towards a rear case fan for best performance.
 
I have the heatpipe version, but I am not impressed--see temps reported in first post. Temps are as reported by Everest and Speedfan

I have taken the HS off, applied new thermal compound and remounted it, and it made an improvement (~3C). I want something better.
 
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