xskycrasherx wrote:
i dunno i have a q6600 quad core cpu. that's not "low-end" really is it? the vid cards suck, to be sure.
couldnt you just spend the 75$ for that crazy cooler on a better cpu that you dont have to OC?
So, a Q6600 isn't a low-end processor in terms of value performance. That said, do you know your stepping? There's a SIGNIFICANT heat difference between G0 and B3 and that "crazy cooler" would see quite a benefit from it. Next, overclocking nowadays is not the insane voltage-fest it used to be. You can get away with light memory/cpu voltage increases and see a good 400-600mhz overclock on today's boards. Not exactly rocket science and that cooler makes all the difference, even at stock speeds. On the i7? Even more of a difference since Intel introduced the core profiles.
Givin Wetwillies wrote:
One day, just on a hunch I cleaned the shit out of my case, and not with just a can of air. Video card, which I think was a 9800 pro at the time and ran molten hot, I took the sync off, and cleaned it down to the berrings. Same with all case fans, CPU fans and reapplied arctic silver. It never gave another problem again until I finally replaced it.
Yup, and if you're feeling adventurous, you can also do some lapping (sanding the cpu surface) on the processor, which works ESPECIALLY well on the Core2's in reducing heat. I haven't heard much yet on the i7. I guess that really depends on the fab plant.
In the end, Givin's right. You're paying for the piece of mind of knowing heat will NEVER be an issue, and gives you some slack on overall airflow. With the massive size of recent video cards lately, that's a real concern.