Windows 7: new CPU cooler

hey there,

im thinking of buying a new CPU cooler, as my CPU runs quite hot on full load (around 60 degrees C) and according to AMD max. is 62.

what would be a good one, keeping in mind i'd like to try to OC in the summer. my computer is on the top floor which is always very hot in the summers, that'd be a thing to keep in mind to when choosing

i've read about the scyte mugen 2, but im not sure if my case is big enough.

and how about mounting it? how hard is it? howmuch thermal paste do i need to put on the CPU? how do i clean off the old thermal paste?

thanks in advance

DD

The default inexpensive choice is the Cooler Master Hyper 212, which sells for around 30 bucks. Well above average and cheaper than most. Large, but not enormous.

You clean off old thermal paste with isopropyl alcohol and clean cotton rags or q tips.

You don't need much new thermal paste. The standard paste recommendation is Arctic Silver 5. Apply it according to the instructions for your processor at arcticsilver.com. You don't need much.

I know nothing about mounting on AMD, but mounting on Intel is a cruel joke designed by the Marquis de Sade and Alfred E. Newman (their only joint venture).

okay, thanks for your answer

how about the thermal paste that comes with the coolermaster hyper 212? seems kind of unnessecary(?) to buy extra thermal paste while it comes with the cooler

will the cooler spread the paste nicely or will i have to do that myself? i read the instructions on arctic site but that part isnt entirely clear to me. it states in one part that you need to spread it, but i also heard from friends that they did it with just the dot and let the cooler spread it

thanks again

If the cooler comes with paste, I would use it. Some people have nearly religious ideas about paste brands, but they all work quite well as far as I know---only minor differences.

However--you probably ought to buy paste anyway. It lasts forever on the shelf and if you ever have to remount your heatsink because you changed motherboards, processor, or heatsink, you will need it.

As far as spreading the paste goes, I would follow the instructions at Arctic Silver. On Intel processors, the pressure from the heatsink spreads it. Many people spread it anyway and often use too much.

The goal is to get the paste over the major heat source inside the processor. On recent Intel processors, that is a thin spaghetti-wide line down the center. I have no idea about AMD.

great, thanks again.

according to arctic, a dot in the middle will do just fine. i guess ill do that then

you can mark this solved

A big dot in the middle yes.

I clean mine using Alcohol rubs - you can find them for cheap at your local grocery store.

so finally the cooler came in. i've fitted it with the computer off and i found out that the cooler doesnt cover the whole CPU, so i assume i can leave the edges which are not touched by the cooler without thermal paste?

Yup. the thermal paste would be kind of useless if the heatsink isn't covering it... cause well, you know, it's used to transfer the heat faster from the CPU to the heatsink