well, just got my memory yesterday, waiting for the rest of my components. looking into a better cooling solution for my cpu. here's the specs:

intel qx9650 cpu
evga 780i motherboard
corsair 2x2gig dominator 1066mhz
evga 2x8800gtx sli video
xfi extreme gamer fatality with 64mb xram
2x320gig sata II wd hdd
lite-on super muli blue
antec 1000w quattro
asus 22" widescreen lcd
kds 19" crt

i want to do away with the stock cooler for this cpu. i plan to oc as much as i can. was thinking about the thermalright ultra-120 extreme. can anyone suggest something better? thanks.

Xigmatek HDT-S1283

^+1

The Ultra Extreme is a good cooler, but I would consider either the OCZ Vendetta 2 or the Xigmatek HDT coolers better values for your money. They cool to about the same level as the TRUE but are significantly cheaper. I run the OCZ V2, very good cooler and very quiet. Easy to mount, and inexpensive. If you go with the TRUE, be sure to check the base, a number of people have received units where the base was not level, therefore not making proper contact with the heat spreader. They either returned the units or ended up having to lap them.

the xigatek looks very similar to the 120, i may look into that. anyone have any experience with tec coolers like ultra's chilltec? i may go that route. it's a little expensive, but i wouldn't mind putting it out, seeing how much i put into this system already. remember, i'm trying to get the most out of this cpu, without setting up a water cooling system.

If I had anywhere close to your budget for a PC, I would have gone for a watercooled system rather than the extreme CPU line. You would save money by choosing a Q6600 (OC better than the Q9450) OC it to the max and, by the end of the year, switch to Q9650 (non-extreme) that is due around Q3 this year.

• Q6600 = 215$
• Watercooling system = ~250$
• Q9650 = ~500$

You will get a bit less performance, but, beside maybe changing the waterblock, the cooling system will be reusable in next builds.

Oh, and I hope you know Intel will start to use a new socket by the end of the year and that both ATI and nVidia will release new cards this month?

i don't really have a budget when it comes to my pc builds. when new things come out, i get them. as a jewelry store owner, i can do things like that. thanks for your concern, but i really don't need a lesson in finance.

what i do need is some advice on a good cpu cooler. i'm really leaning towards the ultra-120 extreme with a ys tech fan on it. they're kinda loud (45db), but they push like almost 126 cfm of air. here's the one i'm talking about:
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] 238HB.html

i need to order something this week, so if anyone knows of anything better than this, please let me know.

Lucky bastard

Since money is no issue, then the Ultra-120 Extreme + YS Tech fan will probably be the best air cooling you can get. If you can get something like a fanmate, you can adjust fan speed if you want to reduce noise; at 80% of speed, the fan will still push 100CFM, but probably be inaudible.