Member Avatar for Epi23

Hey everyone. I'm going to be building a new machine soon, and don't really know what fan/heatsink to go for. It's going to have an AMD Phenom 2 quad core black edition CPU, and I've heard they overheat easily (correct me if I'm wrong), and wanted to get someway to keep it cooler. If anyone wants to know what other hardware I'm getting I can list it. Thanks everyone!

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Dani AI

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As mentioned, the main decision is whether the CPU will stay at stock speeds or be overclocked. Stock use: the boxed cooler will usually keep the chip within safe limits if the case has decent airflow, but it will be louder and give smaller temperature margins. Overclocking: an aftermarket cooler is strongly recommended — it reduces temperatures, noise, and gives headroom for stable overclocks.

Quick checklist for choosing a cooler:

  • Match the cooler to the socket and mounting on the motherboard and confirm it fits the case (height and nearby components).
  • Pick a cooler rated for higher-than-normal heat output (look for coolers marketed for high-TDP or "multi-core" CPUs).
  • Prefer designs with heatpipes and a 120mm (or larger) fan for a balance of performance and noise; dual-tower coolers give more cooling but need more clearance.
  • If case space is tight, consider low-profile towers or a closed-loop liquid unit.

Installation and testing tips:

  • Clean surfaces, apply a pea-sized amount of thermal compound, seat the cooler evenly, and plug the fan into the CPU_FAN header.
  • Configure BIOS fan profiles so fans ramp with temperature.
  • Verify cooling under load with a short stress test and a monitoring tool (use one that shows core temps and motherboard/VRM temps). If temps are unexpectedly high: reseat the cooler, reapply paste, check fan orientation and case airflow.

A few practical notes: replacing the stock cooler is common and normally fine, but physical damage or overclocking-induced failure can affect warranty — check the CPU maker’s policy if uncertain. For quiet but effective aftermarket picks from the era: mid-range single-tower heatpipe coolers or large 120mm-fan designs are a good starting point; if maximum cooling is needed, step up to a large dual-tower air cooler or a closed-loop liquid solution.

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Member Avatar for Xlphos

You may aswell list your intended spec.

Some processors come with a heatsink and fan that should be good enough for normal use. Using a different fan than the one provided voids the warranty(at least for the phemon II one I got it did).

Are you intending on overclocking your system?
I used to have an antec one and that was fine. It would depend if you are overclocking, you can spend quite a bit if you want to do some serious cooling.

Edited by Xlphos because: n/a
Member Avatar for Epi23

I have thought about overclocking, but haven't exactly made a decision yet, but my specs are:

(I'll just copy and paste)
Asus M4A79 Deluxe Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Quad Core
TRENDnet TEW-423PI PCI Wireless Adapter - 54Mbps, 802.11g
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE
XFX Radeon HD 4650 Video Card - 1024MB DDR2, PCI Express 2.0, CrossFireX, (2) Dual-Link DVI
Hitachi 7K1000.B Hard Drive - 1TB, 7200RPM, 16MB, SATA-300, OEM (2 of these)
LG GH22NS50 DVD Writer - DVD+R 22x, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6x, DVD-RAM 12x, SATA (OEM)
Windows vista Ultimate 64 bit
and a media card reader I haven't chosen yet.

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