Legit Reviews

I admin to being a newbie when it comes to putting systems together so I'm trying to get a feel on what I should do.

I bought a Core I7 920 CPU and the unit came without any heat sink compound. The person helping me build the system told me that I would need to get some from the local parts store (no problem). Another person said that the PSU fan already has a layer of film on it that should be used instead of compound. I asked the person helping me and he said that the film is not enough if your going to overclock the cpu (which I probably won't do) and that he applies a bit more compound in addition to the film. Another frield that puts systems together says that this is unnecessary. As a newbie I'm confused as to whom to listen to. Can anyone provide me with any additional insight?

The stock Fan that comes with the i7 cpu..or any processor for that matter, will have some thermal paste on the heatsink already..Yes you can get better compounds..but it's all ready to go out of the box technically. If you're going to overclock that 920 , then not only a better thermal compound will be needed, a better heatsink will be definitely needed also.. Personally, If you're not going to overclock..then I would wipe off the stock paste(with denatured alcohol or similar), apply the newer better compound and install the stock fan..

Also..using both the stock and aftermarket compound at the same time isn't a good idea. one or the other

Yup a new cooler should be in your budget soon. The stock cooler will be ok, but in the long haul its loud and doesn't do as good as an after market cooler.

The stock cooler TIM (thermal paste) is just fine for everyday use, if you upgrade I would switch it out for something like Arctic Silver 5 (referred to as AS5 sometimes) you can get it at any Radio Shack.

Clean the CPU and the Cooler base with 90% isopropyl alcohol (can be found in any pharmacy) and a cotton swab. Let it dry, reapply the new TIM and reinstall the cooler.

This is the chart from my last cooler review, it shows how much an after market cooler helps. ~$50 (to start) can drop your load temps a fair amount.

id strongly recomend a xigmatek cooler, ive had their Red Scorpion RS-1283 cooler for a little less then a year now and its been fantastic especially for its price, you can pick one up for less then 50 bucks. Its one of the "direct connect" hsf's on the market but its kept my q9450 cool and quiet. as far as compound Artic silver 5 is the reigning champ, its cheap and its good stuff.

spending less then $100 to prolong the life of your proc and allow you to overclock is worth it to most folks.