Q6600 Cooling, Cases

YAYitsAndrew · May 12, 2008, 08:57 AM

I'm finally in the process of building my new machine (thank you, economic stimulus). I'm going with the Q6600, but I've never bought intel before so I was hoping someone could point me in the direction of a good cooling solution.

I'm looking for a regular HSF combo. I'm not much of an overclocker, probably a baby compared to others in this forum. What I really value is a fan that's quiet.

I'm also in the market for a new case. My ancient Beantech Igloo 8 is too worn to carry on for another generation. I've got to fit my humongous ATI 3870 x2 in, so that's definitely a concern. I only run 1-2 HDDs and 1-2 dvd drive devices at any given time, so a mid-tower will probably do me. I just hear these can run into trouble with the lengthy 3870 x2.

Thanks for any advice you can offer, I've been out of the market for way too long! So much has changed.

Kazeko · May 12, 2008, 10:01 AM

Few things I found when doing the same...

I'm sure you've seen all the old stuff on the B3 Stepping vs. the G0. I don't even think that's an issue anymore though. They're likely all G0's.

As far as cooling, I'm more the overclocker so my bias leans on over-kill in your application, I'm sure.

I originally went with the Thermaltake V1, then swapped it out for a Thermalright HR120 Extreme.

I'd suggest the Thermalright Ultima-90 with a quiet 120mm fan on it, but even that might be over-kill for you.

Thermaltake Option
Newegg.com - Thermaltake CL-P0401 110mm Full-Range Fan CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

(Also, I have one of these just sitting in my box o' parts that needs an owner. It's already lapped, all the hardware, was only used for a month. PM me if you're interested.)

Thermalright Option
Newegg.com - Thermalright Ultra-90(P4LGA-775) CPU Cooling Heatsink - CPU Fans & Heatsinks
Newegg.com - Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E 120mm Case Fan - Case Fans

Case wise, I'm currently using an Antec Nine Hundred, but have been eyeing a Coolermaster Stacker 832 recently. Space wise, Coolermaster cases seem to be the way to go, but my Antec Nine Hundred has the space to fit my 8800GTX (which is probably pretty close to the same size as your 3870X2.)

So, just about anything Coolermaster from what I've noticed, and within my experience, I'd also recommend either the Antec Nine Hundred or P180. I've worked with both, both have excellent airflow, and both are very well constructed (as with all Antec Cases, in my experience.) Also, both come with 2+ 120mm three speed fans out of the box, the Antec Nine Hundred comes with a 200mm top fan, that's super quiet even on it's highest settings. Hope that helps!

BurL · May 12, 2008, 10:02 AM

Well for a cpu heatsink the Arctic cooler7 pro is a good simple after market heatsink/fan Newegg.com - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks. As for a case i really like mine its a NZXT Zero it has 8x 120mm fans and 1 spot on top for an 80mm fan also a spot on the bottom of the case for another 80mm fan Newegg.com - NZXT Zero Black/Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases And it'll fit anything you want to put in it.

Chaos · May 12, 2008, 10:02 AM

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro does a wonderful job with the Q6600 and I use the Antec P182 case

BurL · May 12, 2008, 10:40 AM

Ya the AC7Pro is nice i use one too and I can oc pretty nicely with it.

swimtech · May 12, 2008, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaos

Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro does a wonderful job with the Q6600 and I use the Antec P182 case

It's what I'm using as well YAYitsAndrew - Looks like it has quite a bit of headroom for OC'ing as well.

The cooler is quiet, relatively inexpensive ($25-30), and a breeze to install (took me about two minutes - really, and that includes removing the fan assembly to mount the fin assembly on the processor, then reinstalling the fan to the fins - all done very carefully and according to the instructions). It has a six (!) year warranty to boot.

Take a look at some of the pictures of the Asus Maximus Extreme board in DH's Motherboard roundup this past January. The last picture at the bottom right of the page particularly...

I've an Atrix case that is basically a metal screen with foam filters top and side - with two fans to aid cooling. But really, cases are almost as much about style as function. You have to look at it constantly - it should appeal to you. There really are tons of good ones...

OldBuzzard · May 12, 2008, 03:44 PM

Cooler Master CM 690 FTW Andrew.

My 3870 x2 fits in there with about 2" clearance to the HDD cages.

It has all the room you will need, easy to work with, and nice, clean classy looks. OH, and fans...places for fans... lots of fans...BIG fans

Two things I will mention about installing the 3870 x2 in a CM 690.

1. The toolless latches will not work with the 3870 X2. The cooling shroud interferes with it, so you will have to use screws to secure it. I'm going to be water-cooling mine shortly, so that may change.

2. There are 2 itty bitty screws on the mounting bracket that you will need to remove so that the card fits flush against the case. There are plenty of other screws securing the cooling shroud to the card, so removing those really doesn't make a difference.

One thing you didn't mention was a PSU. If your current one is getting a bit long in the tooth, I'd highly recommend that you take more than a passing look at the Corsair line, and use the one that fits your power requirements/budget. I'm using the 620HX, and it seems like that PSU was designed to work with the CM 690. That combo is a match made in heaven

**kris23** · May 13, 2008, 12:09 AM

case? CM 590 chassis....

cooler? how about one thats 0 DB?
Newegg.com - Scythe SCORC-1000 140mm CPU Cooler - CPU Fans & Heatsinks

you just dont NEED a fan for that thing.....

PangingJr · May 13, 2008, 03:55 AM

Lian Li PC-V1010 (Mid Tower Chassis) - Lian Li Industrial Co., Ltd.

YAYitsAndrew · May 13, 2008, 07:16 AM

Wow lots of good advice, thanks everyone I will be looking over all these options when I get some free time from work.

I haven't finalized anything yet (except probably the Q6600), but for those interested here's the specs I've got right now.

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Quad-Core Processor 2.4GHz, 1066FSB, LGA775, 8MB cache Retail
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 Core 2 Quad Socket 775 1600 MHz PC2-9600 (DDR2-1200) ATX Motherboard Retail
CRUCIAL TECHNOLOGY BL2KIT12864AL1065 Ballistix Tracer 2GB PC2-8500 (DDR2-1066) DDR2 Memory Retail
Corsair HX Series CMPSU-520HX 520W Power Supply Retail
LITEON LH-20A1S-15 20X SATA DVD Burner Black DVD�RW Bulk

I need to build a worthy home for that lovely DH video card!

BulletTheory · May 13, 2008, 08:01 AM

Hai Andrew. I recently change my PC also, so here's what I suggest you :

Case : CoolerMaster CM 690 <-- Really nice Simple Case. It can take up to 6x or 7x 120mm Fans. Design is cool.

Cpu Fan : ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT 110mm <-- My friend has one of these on his and he tells me that its a really good fan.

Other fan Option : Noctua NH-U12P 120MM <-- I asked the same question in a topic and DH users told me this was a good on. You can also check in DH Reviews, its there.