Socket 775 HSF recommendations?

[zapionics<alt>]

I've been hunting around the net today, reading review after review, and cannot find anything compact to replace the stock Intel cooler.

There are a lot of super coolers out there but they weigh in at many hundreds of grams, 600, 700 or even 800 is not unusual! And they 'hang' off the board like the proverbial portent of doom with their center of gravity inches in the air.

I dont fancy my board slowly deforming under that kind of load!

Can anyone recommend a light HSF, (say around 400-500 grams including fan), that is more efficient than the stock cooler from Intel?

I'm considering the XP-120 from Thermalright, even tho its pretty old, at least its not too heavy and it has a low center of gravity.

[Underwater Mike]

XP120 works great. I have one in my server.

[polonyc2]

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

I'm using that with my E8400...easy installation, excellent cooling, low price, low noise...you can't beat the price-performance ratio of the Freezer 7 Pro

I'm not usually a fan of the push pin coolers but this one is worth it

AnandTech: Arctic Cooling Duo: Alpine 7 & Freezer 7 Pro Attack Value

[TopDogZero]

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro

Agreed

[yamawho]

I'm not crazy about the push and turn attaching on the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. It's like the std Intel coolers.

Although I have a XP120 on my P4C800, I would not get another.
I find it too hard to fit and since I change things around alot.

I like the Zalman coolers like the 7700Cu since it has fit on every install.
It comes with a lot of hardware to install on many socket types and comes with a fan controller. I also like the 9500 as well ...

[zapionics<alt>]

I dont like coolers like the Freezer Pro because its so heavy and its a tower and as I said I dont want the board under that kind of stress.

As for the Zalman, isnt it close to a kilo? which is crazy...

[polonyc2]

the Freezer 7 Pro is not heavy at all...its almost exactly the same size as the stock Intel cooler...coolers like the Tuniq Tower or Thermalright Ultra are massive

if you want something relatively 'smaller' then maybe the OCZ Vendetta would suit your needs

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by polonyc2

the Freezer 7 Pro is not heavy at all...

...if you want something relatively 'smaller' then maybe the OCZ Vendetta would suit your needs

Well the Vendetta uses a 92mm fan and I think the XP-120 is a better option for the larger fan size (and consequently quieter operation).

The freezer Pro is what, over half a kilo and sits high?

[yamawho]

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

As for the Zalman, isnt it close to a kilo? which is crazy...

The zalman Cu model is all copper and is heavier than the one that is half alum.
However, that have a low center of gravity.

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by yamawho

The zalman Cu model is all copper and is heavier than the one that is half alum.
However, that have a low center of gravity.

Zalmans site says its 600g. I'm just not comfortable with that. The XP-120 is a lot lighter at about 500g. I can also replace the fan on the XP-120 if it fails, however with the Zalman its one unit which means you have to replace the whole thing. But thats just secondary consideration I suppose, really my primary issue is the weight.

[polonyc2]

I think you're worrying way too much about the weight...I could understand the jumbo, giant coolers from Thermalright or Tuniq causing concern but the ones from Zalman, Arctic Cooling etc are perfectly fine...they are not as big or heavy as you seem to think they are and there is practically 0% chance that those coolers will warp your board...look around online and you'll see many people using those coolers for years with no problems at all

I don't think you're gonna find any super tiny CPU coolers...even the stock coolers are medium sized nowadays

[zapionics<alt>]

Originally Posted by polonyc2

I think you're worrying way too much about the weight...I could understand the jumbo, giant coolers from Thermalright or Tuniq causing concern but the ones from Zalman, Arctic Cooling etc are perfectly fine...they are not as big or heavy as you seem to think they are and there is practically 0% chance that those coolers will warp your board...look around online and you'll see many people using those coolers for years with no problems at all

I don't think you're gonna find any super tiny CPU coolers...even the stock coolers are medium sized nowadays

You're probably right. I had a board warp on me a few years ago and they blamed the weight of the HSF at the time (which was all copper), but I suspect it was just a bad batch of boards.

Certainly those tower super coolers being used by overclockers look pretty scary to me as I can imagine an accidental knock ripping the socket out of the board...

I wont worry too much about it. Maybe the Zalman is the way to go if its a much more efficient cooler than the XP-120.

[polonyc2]

those jumbo coolers look pretty scary but in reality I'm sure they too are safe...I've never heard firsthand of any board warping even with those giant coolers...they do come with a back plate, so the cooler is pretty well supported...plus I don't think motherboard manufacturer's would continue to produce those types of coolers if they broke people's mobo's...I'm sure they are tested many times over to ensure quality

I personally prefer the medium sized CPU coolers as I'm not trying to break any overclocking world records but I'm sure the heavy overclockers prefer the 'bigger is better' coolers

[elag99]

I like the MASSCOOL 8WA741. The fan is rated at up to 74 cfm but can also be set to run quitely. I use one to cool my q6600 and it works great. I do not know the actual weight but it is probably between 400 - 500 grams. The hsf uses a backing plate to mount. The heatsink has four cut-outs in each corner which makes it easy to use a screw driver to tighten the hsf down.
Newegg.com - MASSCOOL 8WA741 92mm Ball CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

[yamawho]

Originally Posted by zapionics<alt>

Zalmans site says its 600g. I'm just not comfortable with that. The XP-120 is a lot lighter at about 500g.

The XP-120 may weigh 500g but that doesn't include the fan and has a higher center of gravity. Also, the XP-120 which is on my socket 478 mobo, was very difficult to put on and would only fit in one direction.