E8400 Stock cooler

[Lob]

Hey guys I recently purchased a E8400 and was wondering if the stock cooler that comes with it will be fine.

From doing a search I was seeing mixed impressions and wasn't really sure what to make of it. This rig will be a gaming rig but I don't plan to overclock this CPU anytime soon or at all.

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS3R P45 RT
Ram: 2Gx2|GSK F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK R
Graphics: EVGA 896-P3-1262-AR GTX260 896M

Thanks for any help in advance!

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

I built an E8400-based system for my brother about 6 months ago, and the stock cooler was OK. I think at least some of the reports of CPU heat-based issues regarding the cooler are from people who did not install it correctly, i.e. did not ensure that the HSF posts go all the way thru the mobo, so they clip on back. He has his E8400 running at ~ 3.375 Ghz in a not well-air conditioned room.

It's not a great HSF, but it suffices.

 

[error8]

For stock clocks the cooler is sufficient. If you plan on doing some overclocking then it must be changed.

 

[Zenoth]

For me, the stock cooler did fine until I over-clocked to 3.60Ghz, from that point and beyond you don't want to OC with that cooler believe me. If you don't over-clock at all you'll be absolutely fine with it, and that thing isn't loud at all, which is nice (you'd think that such a small fan would be noisy but I was surprised by its discretion).

 

[Lob]

Cool, thanks for the replies! One more question that I just thought of.. I didn't buy a sound card for this new rig and was wondering would using my SB Audigy from my old comp be worth it or would the onboard sound be better or just as good?

Thanks!

 

[andrei3333]

Yeah i recently replaced the stock cooler on my e8400 to a AC Freezer 7 pro , the noise is the same as stock - non-existent - if you are not OC the stock is perfectly fine, but for $30 or so might as well get a nice cooler, its not too expensive

 

[cyberfish]

if you fry the CPU at stock using the stock cooler, just send it back to Intel . If and when you decide to OC, get an aftermarket cooler, though. I use the OCZ Vanquisher. $15 when I bought it. Has the same design as AC Freezer 7 Pro, and similar temps, but dirt cheap .

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: Lob
Cool, thanks for the replies! One more question that I just thought of.. I didn't buy a sound card for this new rig and was wondering would using my SB Audigy from my old comp be worth it or would the onboard sound be better or just as good?

Thanks!

Your old Audigy will do a better job then the on board sound. Even my SB Live! 24 bit sounds better then my onboard of MSI P35. In games and music the onboard it's ok, but when I tested it in movies, it made me puke.

Be careful though, the drivers of your Audigy on Vista will create the biggest headache you've ever had.