Hi all,

I realize that this post encompasses a really broad range of products, but I have recently purchased an E8400 and I'm looking to bring this things temp down for some overclocking.

Problem : I live in an region where it is not uncommon for my ambient(room temps) to hover in the 37-43 degrees C... 100-110 degrees F for those of you familiar with the English system.

I have had problems in the past because my watercooling setups sometimes sweat(? i believe this is the word?)

I am currently examining the brand Noctua.
They have several rather expensive models for sale which seem to receive high reviews.

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show [...] =14&lng=en

Is the item that I think I will buy.
Can anyone offer any insight into a - preferably air cooled setup?

Thank you for your time!

-tav

Thermalright Ultra120 eXtreme
It's the same as this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835109125 but with 2 more heatpipes.

Just slap at least one decent 120mm fan on that beast.

37-43C? You must live in an oven...
About sweating, are you sure you had a liquid cooling system? It looks like you were running a TEC.
If it really was a LCS, probably the issue was with your tubes.
Try Swiftech's norprene tubing and it won't happen again.
If you decide to go for an air cooled system, Ultra120 is great. Spend some extra bucks on AS5 thermal paste.

I think the Noctua is a good cooler, but expensive. Here a a couple references from Anandtech about coolers, showing they range in cooling abilities.

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooli [...] i=3202&p=6

Here is an article concerning the Noctua U12F, slightly different, but similar enough except for the fan used, I believe.

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooli [...] i=2976&p=7

As you can see, there are a number of coolers that do a better job, though some are definitely noisier. I use a Thermalright Ultra Extreme with a Noctua fan. Adding a second fan is possible with the TRUE, though I haven't needed it. I also live in an area that sees similar temperatures that you have. As to the heatsink/fans available and prices of them where you live, I cannot say, but you can look at the charts and choose from them. I like the TRUE myself, as it does an excellent job and is very quiet with the Noctua fan, though Scythe has a couple of fairly quiet fans as well.

Xigmatek plus retention bracket is very popular. Pushpins kind of suck.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233019
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835233003

Top 5 heatsinks:

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

Anandtech does have a review of the NH-U12P too, and I loved it. If money is not a problem then my vote goes to this Noctua.
http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3268&p=2

I think he meant "leak", that's what watercooling systems do when they're misbehaving

Thank you for your fast replies!

And yes! I live very near the equator! I sweat just as my tubes do ^^

My tubes are a no brand name. I actually made my own block (my father is a machinist ). The local hardware store sold me 1/2" plastic tubing.

By sweat I mean condense i believe... The water forms on the outside of my tubing because the water is kept cool while the air is hot! This water drips on my components >

I have looked at the various coolers you have mentioned, I have found that XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 beats the Noctua products by a considerable margin! However this site hardwarecanucks.com recommends I use a different fan with the Xigmatek!

Does anyone know what type of fan I should use?
Sailer recommended a Noctua fan, these are very expensive though!

The Monsoon II seemed to perform best, however this appears to be heatsinkless?
The "thermal electric" term worries me!

Thanks!

-tav

edit : I live in Egypt

yeah noctuas are expensive but they have high air pressure which is great for heat sinks

Again a fast response! You have my thanks!

I see, If that is truly the best option, I will take that road, however, this thermal-electric technology intrigues me.

It appears as though I can cool my chip below the temperatures of my room!

Does this create condensation? Does anyone have any insight into this option?

I love my Noctua. I decided on getting it as soon as I read that Anandtech article. I got the heatsink and fan for around $65, if I remember properly. The Noctua fans are great. Quiet and push a lot of air. I bought an extra fan to draw air into my P182, and I'm toying with the idea of completely replacing the Antec fans with Noctua fans instead. The only problem is that they go for $20 each.

If you cool the chip below dew point in your room (which can be possible with some TEC coolers), any humidity in the room can condense on these cold parts.