New CPU advice (building a gaming PC)

[rickt]

You sure about using only the supplied fan? Looks like bye bye to overclocking since the E6600 is an excellent overclocking piece of hardware. Though you need a decent 3rd party cooler!

The problem is the massive heatsinks that surround the processor(check out the picture here http://www.giga-byte.com.tw/Products...ProductID=2532 ).

I actually bought a golden orb 2 fan but I cannot mount it unless i remove the heatsinks from the motherboard. Actually the processor seems to run reasonably cool with the normal fan never going above 32C.

[Supergoal]

Yeah my CPU runs about 46C(In a humid enviroment) at the moment with the stock cooler. But I know people who use a different cooler can overclock in the safe knowledge it won't melt.

Anyway if you won't be OCing it's no big deal.

[rickt]

I was hopeing to try overclocking it but as the other fan would not fit and the gigabyte OC windows programing won't work with the recent vista security upgrade I have decided to wait for the moment.

[sj33]

Other reasons to use non-stock cooling might be for noise. I use my machine for media a lot, and I've got a Scythe Infinity on my X6800 - it's almost silent, well worth the £30 extra.

But generally the stock cooler will 'do the job'.

[rickt]

Other reasons to use non-stock cooling might be for noise. I use my machine for media a lot, and I've got a Scythe Infinity on my X6800 - it's almost silent, well worth the ?30 extra.

But generally the stock cooler will 'do the job'.

What size is the cooler is it the same length and width as a normal cooler as I need on that fits in the small space available

[sj33]

No it's a bit of a beast in terms of height,.

[Supergoal]

Yeah the stock cooler does do the job at stock CPU speeds. Of course.