Hello fellow msfn-ers!

I am getting a core 2 quad 2.6 barebone kit that obviously doesnt come with a cpu fan.

I am getting this kit from tigerdirect and will eventually get the fan there too before the kit arrives.

So from this list http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/ca....asp?CatId=1588 what would you recomend?

I was thinking either the 34.99 thermaltake or the 34.98 ultra

I will not be OC'ing at all, yet I dont want a cheap cpu fan. The reviews on most of these are mixed since some have had good and bad experiences. Yet I trust the review of fellow msfn members.

thanks again for reading,

ceez

Neither. The selection at TD is terrible. If you want a good CPU cooler, I'd say go with one of the following: ThermalRight Ultra-120 Extreme, ThermalRight HR-01, Noctua NH-U12P, Xigmatek HDT-S1283. The Xigmatek is the cheapest, but still does a great job.

Look at the reviews over at SilentPCReview for some great analysis of the products.

Seconded. I've been thinking about ordering that Xigmatek for a while now.

It seems like a good cooler. However, in one build I did a couple of weeks ago, something didnt' quite lineup. The tension in the LGA775 clips was far higher than it should have been, and the motherboard had quite a bend in it as a result.

For any large-ish sized heatsink, I'd highly recommend using a bolt-through kit, like this one. It will work with just about any LGA775 heatsink after you rip off the pushpins.

ThermalRight HR-01

This is what I'm running. I've combined it with a Noctua fan for heatsinks. The P version, its very quiet, its very cool, even when my dual is overclocked.

If you do plan to overclock your machine, get this heatsink and a beefier fan. Something that pushes more air.