Cooling AM2 recomendations anyone?

DKZS

Hi there:

I'm new to the site and new too to the world of modding and fancy colourful leds.

I always went with the bull crap pc/laptops already built and expensively branded until i had two of my worst nightmares with Fujitsu Siemens pc's.

I just bought few days ago, and mounted with a friend of mine the following pc:

- AMD AM2 Athlon 64 Dual Core 4600
- Asus M2N4-SLI Motherboard AM2 nForce4 SLI MCP ATX
- Thermaltake Armor JR case.
-ThermalTake TR2 420W Black Silent +ATX 12V 2.0 PSU, 20pin +4pin SATA ready
- 2x Asus Extreme 7600GT 256MB
- 4x Corsair 2024MB TwinX XMS2 6400 DDR2 + OCZ XTC MEMORY COOLER
- 1x 80gb Seagate Barracuda SATA II 300 Hard Disk Drive 7200rpm 8MB cache
- Plus some fancy UV lights , Led fans and molex lights (in red, yellow,orange, blue and green xd)

And since i have this rainbow of colours inside my pc now the cpu cooling system that came with the processor has become amazingly boring.

Now, I saw some pretty big bling bling CPU coolers around but i don't know which one to choose. All those with the 120mm fan look like fun, but i'm concerned they might not fit because of the ram at one side with the OCZ XTC memory cooler on top of it. So that might compromise the installation of for example thermaltake blue orb (?)

And here is my question, without more circumlocutions: Which CPU cooler for AM2 (with fancy led's) you guys do recommend?

Btw, I don't mind the noise as i always have the music blasting and the neighbours really annoyed.

Thanks to all for the patience to read all this mental wank . I await impatient for your answers.

Much Cordially

DKZS

Barracas · Posted: Wed, 16 May 2007 01:12:16 Post Subject:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835128014
here is 2 for you to look at.. But please note that these may require you to remove the screws holding down the plastic stock mounts for standard coolers and replace them with their own ...
Which in turn means you will have to remove your motherboard to install.... But read through all the reviews here and at other sites and see for your self what is available and stay away from the Blue orb style coolers as they will most likely as with my system give you memory spacing issues...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106069

DKZS · Posted: Wed, 16 May 2007 03:04:59 Post Subject:

Thanks Barracas, much appreciated the links.

Does someone owe the Coolermaster Mars (RR-CCX-W9U1-GP) CPU cooler or the Coolermaster GeminII CPU+Board Cooler?
what about them? are they good?

So sorry if im annoying, i get as excited as a bunny eating a new and fresh carrot.

Much cordially

DKZS

Hellfire · Rated XXX Joined: 05 Aug 2003 Posts: 3473

I have the CM Mars (actually reinstalled it this weekend too). Good cooler, have it cooling my AMD X2 6000. It's a nice unique looking cooler. It does over hand the ram on my Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard, but I can still easily remove the ram.

I can check the amount of space tonight when I get home if you 'd like. You're only choice will probably be a tower cooler though.

DKZS · Posted: Wed, 16 May 2007 09:51:23 Post Subject:

I think that it will be the only choice, as you say a tower cooler. Im posting here some pics of the huge ram cooler next to the small retail amd cooler. There is perhaps only 2 milimiters distance from one to the other, and the ram cooler is almost as tall too.

DKZS · Posted: Wed, 16 May 2007 09:55:34 Post Subject:

I dont know why i wasnt able to upload the second one even with the crappiest res, anyway here is the second pic, self explanatory i guess.

mrweasel · Posted: Wed, 16 May 2007 10:02:14 Post Subject:

big fan (no pun intended) of the Zalman and the Scythe coolers.

Just out of curiosity, why do you have 8GB of memory? Photoshop much?

Hellfire · Rated XXX Joined: 05 Aug 2003 Posts: 3473

Yea, you'll have to go with a tower cooler.

Several you will have to go with:
Thermalright (can't think of model)
Thermaltake CL-P0373
Ultra Chill-Tec (Peltier cooler, costly, might be a little too big though - Do the contest, might be able to win it)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro (one of my favorites for the longest timeperiod)
Zalman CNPS9500 (maybe can't verify)
Zerotherm BTF80

There are certainly others, check the dimensions to make sure it won't be bigger than your current model.

**Modulok** · Posted: Wed, 16 May 2007 10:16:50 Post Subject:

wow, that's a hell of an upgrade...generic off the shelf PC...to something with 8GB and SLI.

How was that difference once you got it all together?

DKZS · Posted: Wed, 16 May 2007 11:01:07 Post Subject:

mrweasel:

Well, i need loads of performance since im a digital 3d designer. Mostly i use: Zbrush, Wavefront Maya/3Ds Max, VRay, Maxwell, Photoshop, After effects, Premiere etc.... sometimes i need to use some of this programs at the same time and with 2 gb wasnt enough, so i just bought 6gb more to "try"

I know the graphics cards arent as powerfull as for example the 8800 could be, but my flatmate who have it in his Dual Xeon is having loads of problems with the drivers, so i just went for something balanced prize with quality.

I could have had aswell dual nvidia quadro, but it seems it has more or less same performance as one of mine , and you cant easly play games as i really like to do.
Same happens with the processor, never tryed an AMD so i just went with the first one i saw.

Hellfire:
Thanks man ill have a look to those.
And what contest?

Mudulok:

The difference programs open way faster, my work flow is like a stream and not a pond as it used to be ( long hours of waiting the renders to be done- usually they took 8 hours, now same scene, same size, in about 4hours and a half, it is still a lot but hey,i don't need to leave it rendering at night while i sleep so i don't interfear with the rendering process)

Other difference, now im able to play high res in all games( not that i have much time to play but its really nice to know it) In my other computers i could barelly play half life 2, and much more sad quake 3 with the r_picmip 10 (or no textures at all cos the processor that came with the pc was a piece of shi* , was like having a tank with a motor of a stiletto)