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#1 Jan 23 2012 at 8:04 AM Rating: Good
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Well the time has come. Building me another computer. Got every thing picked out...except one. For the life of me, I am horrible at picking out CPU fans. This is the only part that sucks for me, I don't know why.

Going be running a Socket AM3+ processor. And by what I read, any fan that will work with AM3, will work with the + version. I don't think I will be overclocking it, as what I play on it I won't have much of a reason to.

Even just hints at what would be better, keep in mind my room gets fairly hot in the summer. Would copper pipping covered by nickle be good, or pure copper, or hollow gas filled. Fans on side of heat sink, or on top. I know about CFMs, and size issues (full tower case, not much a problem with room. Case fans are extended out, not inside.)

Any help, or suggestions, or what not would be much appreciated. Cant wait to finally drop $1100 on my new build.
#2 Jan 23 2012 at 9:17 AM Rating: Good
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my advice is to use the one that comes with it. If you're not OCing It should be fine.
#3 Jan 23 2012 at 10:28 AM Rating: Good
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018

Those two fans and heatsinks always get recommended a lot. The first one is less expensive, but should be fine for what you intend to use it for. The second one is more expensive, but higher quality.

I’m a little curious as to what your needs are from it. Are you concerned about heat dissipation, looks, or just looking for the quietest fans for your setup possible?
#4 Jan 23 2012 at 2:41 PM Rating: Excellent
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Both those fans JKenner linked are great, the Noctua one in particular is about the best fan you can get at the moment, period. Be advised though it is literally Huge! if you have a small case, or ram slots too close to the CPU, you cvan have clearance issues with taller ram sticks.

Some of the Zalman ones are also pretty good too.
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#5 Jan 23 2012 at 9:17 PM Rating: Decent
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Thanks for the advice.

Case issue isn't much of a problem. Full tower gaming case designed to take large cpu fans, and other large items. This is the case.

As for needs, I am just worried about airflow, and heat distribution. Noise I am not all that worried about. Like the fans in that case are all quiet ones, every one of them is going to be replaced with higher CFM fans.
#6 Jan 24 2012 at 9:28 AM Rating: Decent
As for the size issue. Along with having clearance for a big heatsink in the box, its good to look at the motherboard layout and see how close your ram is seated to your CPU cooler. On some motherboards, its not unheard of to need low profile RAM for a big cooler. Some RAM have big heatsinks on them which can get in the way of the cooler. That’s more of an issue with m-ATX boards, for obvious reason, but it is something to keep in mind.

Generally its nice to have fans on the side of the heatsink
(*) over having the fan sit on top of it. That way you can position it to move air towards the rear exhaust fan. That can greatly affect air flow of the whole system over stock heatsink designs. Plus, after market coolers should always be quieter and more efficient than their stock counterparts.

Its hard to give a definitive answer of a systems optimal air flow without just trying out different fan set ups. There are a few ways to go about that to tailor to your personal needs. Your case will definitely have plenty of options in that respect (always better to have options right). I looked at your case and thought to myself, “well that will make a nice tornado in there.” Then I saw in part of it’s the name, “Hurrican.” Well that made sense. lol

Oops, I don’t know why I spaced out that Kao mentioning the RAM slot position issue. It probably doesn’t hurt to repeat it though. It is a major bummer to figure that out while building a system instead of before.

Edited, Jan 24th 2012 10:39am by JKenner

*Edited out the “horizontal to the CPU,” part. They could get confusing depending on you point of reference. Perpendicular would be clearer way to say that.

Edited, Jan 24th 2012 11:38am by JKenner
#7 Jan 24 2012 at 9:52 PM Rating: Decent
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Well this here is the motherboard I am looking at. I might change my mind though when it comes time. I've had good experience with Gigabyte, ASUS and MSI, so will be sticking with one of those three.

For ram I will defiantly be getting one with a heatsink, just haven't picked the exact type out yet. Torn between getting 4x 4gb sticks or 2x 8gb sticks. Either way it isn't to be an issue as 16gb is more than plenty for what I plan to do with it. That being FFXI and some FFXIV, maybe some RTS games(still haven't fully played Supreme Commander, and that bugs me lol).
#8 Jan 27 2012 at 2:07 PM Rating: Decent
Well if you are having worries about using the Noctua and whether you will have clearance / compatibility issues. Who can go to there website here:

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=compatibility_gen&products_id=34&lng=en#AM3+_Gigabyte

And be able to get an idea of certain things. Your motherboard is listed on it and it says it is compatible and doesn’t mention any problems with RAM slot options. But at the top of the page there’s also a link to show compatible ram options too. They even mention being able to adjust the fan closest to the RAM sticks to allow a bit better clearance.
#9 Jan 27 2012 at 5:31 PM Rating: Excellent
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I would almost be willing to bet money that at least 1, maybe 2 of your ram sticks will be under the Noctua. It won't be a problem if you get the ram chips with the shorter heat syncs though. These ones will clear for certain: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233196

These ones won't:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145346

Aside from one of those being a two pack and one just the single stick by itself, those are identical sticks. One just has those aluminum fins on top that are rediculously large. I blame the corsair Dominator series personally. At any rate, something along the lines of the first link should be fine. You can always add more ram easily later, so get the higher capacity sticks now and upgrade later.
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#10 Jan 28 2012 at 8:22 AM Rating: Decent
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Usually I only go with Corsair or OCZ RAM I did find these earlier. Cas latency is really nice. I just have never heard about this brand. And those fins look lower, but might still cause problems.

Doh! scratch those. I just realize they are only 1333. There are some cosair ones that are nice, but $200 for 4x 4gb sticks is kinda much.

Probably will go with those ones you mentioned. 8gb should be plenty for what I plan to do for now, and can always upgrade later.



Edited, Jan 28th 2012 8:28am by Grenger
#11 Jan 28 2012 at 2:40 PM Rating: Excellent
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The ones you just linked there won't fit anyways. they are too tall.

Also, I trust OCZ significantly less than i can throw them. Usually into the garbage. Some people have good luck with them, i never have.
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#12 Jan 31 2012 at 2:50 PM Rating: Good
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Quote:
I trust OCZ significantly less than i can throw them. Usually into the garbage.


Same here regarding OCZ...

G.Skill ive used extensively and havent had a problem.
#13 Feb 03 2012 at 9:08 AM Rating: Decent
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Well, the parts have been ordered. First I want to say, I know alot of you are Intel fans, but I have always had better luck with AMD. Just personal preference, and nothing negative towards intel. Now that is out of the way, and maybe keep some flames down, the specs:

Video Card: EVGA 01G-P3-1460-KR GeForce
DVD drive: SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner (this will probably be switched out later on for a Blue-ray burner once I feel I can make use of one)
Power Supply: CORSAIR Professional Series HX850 (on this I had to sacrifice some. other parts put me close to budget. I was looking at a gold certified one, but this silver and some different ram saved me just enough.)
Processor: AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz (figured for what I am going to do, this would be more than powerful enough. Just couldn't see spending another $70+ for eight core)
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth 990FX (think I went a bit much on this. But #1 it is asus and #2 it just looks mean, along with having some SATA II ports on the board. Found out that Gigabyte one didn't.)
RAM: CORSAIR XMS 8GB (here is where i hope I didn't make a mistake. Even if I did, it is $28 after rebate. Big whoop)
SSD: Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe (this here is where I splurged also. I spent hours upon hours comparing different SSDs, their read/write speeds and everything. This was one of the fastest I found.)
CPU Fan: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus (I went ahead and got the cool master fan that you all recommended. I am leaving my options open though on that other, depending on how hot my room runs this summer.)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue (jury still out on this one. HDDs are just so damned expensive!)

Well there it is, along with the case I posted earlier, it is hovering around the $1,200 mark, will be more when I replace the fans. Also got a g19 keyboard on the way I found on ebay for $124 and free shipping. $50 cheaper than newegg or TD had it.

Also I will be replacing all fans on that case, as well as thinking of doing some small lighting. Just two small lights behind the windows.

Let me know what you guys think!


Edited, Feb 3rd 2012 9:09am by Grenger
#14 Feb 03 2012 at 12:54 PM Rating: Excellent
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SHould be a nice computer for you. That ram should be fine. You probably could have gotten faster ram for a couple dollars more, but it won't really impact performance.
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#15 Feb 03 2012 at 8:59 PM Rating: Decent
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Well, I was kinda limited to around $1100 on this computer. As you can see I still went over a bit. Just means I don't get to buy coffee drinks on breaks at work lol.

As for the ram, I will try it out, and see how it is. If I feel that I could make better use with faster ram I will replace it when I decide to go to 16 or 32gb total. I just know before all is said and done, the ram will be maxed out.

Thanks to everyone for the advice on the coolers.
#16 Feb 04 2012 at 8:54 PM Rating: Decent
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Got another problem here. I bought Windows 7 Pro OEM. Now I am hearing that you cant install it for personal use, and have to use some OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK). Any have idea about this, and am I out $120?

Honestly, if I can still use it, I really don't care if Microsoft gets ******* They need to make it a lot clearer for the hobbyist who doesn't keep up with all this legal crap. Honestly, I just want to know if it will physically work, and the installation will go through.
#17 Feb 04 2012 at 9:17 PM Rating: Excellent
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Windows 7 Pro OEM is the Origional Equipment Manufacturer variant of windows. According to the license agreement, it must be purchased with new hardware. So if you have bought any computer hardware recently, say a $20 DVD burner or some such, you are legally compliant.
The OEM pack comes with a sticker that has a 25 diget serial key in it. Thats your license key. plug that in when it asks for it and you should be good.
If your copy did not come with that sticker, which is required to be afffixed to the back of the case, then it is counterfit.


Edited, Feb 4th 2012 7:17pm by Kaolian
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#18 Feb 05 2012 at 7:33 AM Rating: Decent
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Well it came with the key and all. I actually ordered it seperate from hardware, but ordered the hardware shortly after. So that shouldn't be a problem.

My issue comes up with them talking on the box that I need this OPK software. I have no idea wtf that is, and to even get documentation from microsoft, you have to log into some OEM Partner website.
#19 Feb 05 2012 at 4:14 PM Rating: Excellent
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The OEM preinstallation kit is optional. http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/downloads/pages/windows_7_opk.aspx

Basically, it assumes you are going to be building a tailored custom computer load "image" file, for deployment onto multiple PC's. You certanly don't have to use it though. The OPK just contains tools that allow you to customize, capture, and deploy the image to multiple machines. There are several different licensing scenarios. Smaller computer builders would use the key that comes with the license. Larger manufacturers, such as dell, get different keys that have a certain number of installations on them. Corporate computer building entities often have a different license model that makes use of a Key Management Server, or KMS. In your particular case, the license key that came with your software will be fine and you can ignore all the OPK stuff unless you particularily wish to learn about it. I've installed the Windows 7 Ultimate OEM 64 bit edition maybe 12 times now, and other versions from images literally thousands of times by now, so I think I have a pretty good handle on the process and license requirements by now.
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#20 Feb 05 2012 at 7:42 PM Rating: Decent
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Thank you so much Kaolian for clearing that up. Makes me feel alot better! You guys have been so much help. I've gotten out of my my comfort zone on a few things on this build, hence the questions. Plus the fact it has been about 5 years since I built a computer due to money issues.

Now just to hope my MB's BIOS is already updated for the FX chips. Won't know that until I get the board. If not, no biggie, got a friend with an AM3 processor that I can use to update the BIOS.
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