XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler LGA1150 Haswell Compatible

Pros: Big heat sink and quiet cooling fan. The price is good too ($20.00).

Cons: Instruction with pictures is hard to follow. Need skillful hands to install, especially, attaching the fan into the heat sink.

Pros: Fairly quiet, well made, expandable

Cons: HUGE, installation instructions are a mess and parts depicted don't match what was received

Other Thoughts: The OEM CPU fan on my rig seized up, so I did a search for a replacement. I don't OC, so choosing this one would be overkill if it weren't such a good price.

I knew it was big when I ordered it, but I got worried when I actually pulled it out of the box. This sucker is tall! My old case had a CPU duct that I had to remove but otherwise it fits in fine.

The aluminum fins are pretty thin, easy to bend, and potentially a cutting hazard, so handle carefully. This is especially true when installing the rubber fan mounts. A little spit helps lube the rubber when pulling them through the fan holes.

My troubles came when installing the back plate under the mobo. The instruction sheet showed one shape, but I was given a different shaped piece that had foam on one side. No biggie, I figured it out like a jigsaw puzzle. But the instructions fail to mention which side to place against the board. At first I installed it metal side against the mobo which caused the computer to not even POST. After much trial/error, I found out the metal was shorting against some small solder points on the mobo. I had to disassemble my whole rig to flip the plate over so the foam was against the board. To try to remove the pasted cooler off the CPU was impossible since the mounting posts don't let you slide it off. So when I pulled, the CPU came with it despite it being locked into the socket. Thankfully no broken pins.

In hindsight I should've known but didn't notice the tiny points then, but the instructions gave no indication of how to install it and wasn't even depicted correctly...the foam wasn't even shown! I added a layer of Kapton tape between the mobo and plate just to be safe.

Once I got the baseplate installed correctly, everything works fine and no permanent damage. But the instructions are a joke and could cause damage to your rig if you're not careful.

Pros: -Quiet for the most part
-The variation I received was relatively easy to install

Cons: -This is one big mother
-Expected better results from a cooler so large
-Which version will you get?
-Instructions are minimal

Other Thoughts: As I hinted at, there are like 3 different variations of this same product. some people get the mounting bracket, some get the bar, whatever. Do a little research and kind of place it on your case to see how it will go in before putting your thermal paste on and trying to seat it.

The instructions aren't very helpful, I watched a youtube video of the install (a different variation of the mounting bracket, but was helpful) to get the idea. They list the instructions with the different mounts in the sheet, so you just never know which one you will get. Not a big deal, but I think I was lucky and got a better version. I might not be as happy with the others.

This thing is huge. Make sure you will have a case wide enough to accommodate it, as well as enough room for it to clear your RAM. this blocks the first slot I have, luckily I use the second in my current configuration. Shorter sticks will most likely clear the cooler, taller gaming type sticks wont most likely.

My AMD fx-6300 runs about 27-30 degrees Celsius idle. Not that big of a deal.

Pros: It does a great job keeping the CPU cool. It is quiet with the fan at ~950 RPM. Not silent, but very quiet.

Cons: Installation instructions are a little confusing. All you get is some pictures, that's about it. The rubber things you use to attach the fan to the heat sink are a little difficult to finagle into the heat sink. I haven't tried the thermal paste that comes with it, but it comes in a pouch that looks like a ketchup packet.

Other Thoughts: It's cheap, it's quiet and it does a great job cooling. Horrible instructions, and the mounting mechanism is kind of goofy but overall it is a great cooler for the price.

Pros: love it no problems so far, quite, and effective.

Cons: the instructions are sorta of cryptic, and the anti-vibration mounts are difficult to install.

Other Thoughts: the pros in this case still out way the cons

Pros: 1. It fits in my Raidmax Serian at the cost of a 200mm side panel fan.
2. With the stock fan it can move a decent amount of air but im scared if it dies it will ruin my 8350.
3. My idle is around 40 to 45

Cons: It seems to be kind of cheap and i bent a fin installing a fan.
Also its super hard to get the rubber to fit in the hole.

Other Thoughts: Im planning on getting a delta fan 6000 rpm and just setting its speed slow so that i have the option for turbo cool if i want!

Pros: All I have to say is I'm a huge fan of Xigmatek products now. I currently have this CPU cooler with two 120mm Xigmatek XAF-F1255 fans. I ditched the stock CPU fan because lets face it stock fans just don't do their jobs.

This is a very high quality CPU cooler for only $20. The install was simple, the backing plate mounts onto the board first, which I love. I hate other brands and how the make you mount the backing plate and the CPU cooler all at the same time. Make a 5 minute job take 20 minutes, yes you Cooler Master.

Looking for a great CPU cooler? Buy this NOW

Cons: None

Pros: The last 3 builds I have exclusively used XIGMATEK coolers, and I haven't been happier. These coolers are well built with very good air cooling qualities.

With this particular cooler, using a tested design, you can keep even the hottest processor at its lowest temp via an air cooler. With compatibility for most AMD and Intel chips it makes it easy to buy for any build.

Using a Intel i7 3770-K clocked at 4.6Ghz for 3 hours on benchies I was able to keep the processor below 44 C. I was impressed because my last build (Intel Core2Quad Q9450) was idling at around those temps at 3.2Ghz. I even used Best Buys brand, Dynex, thermal paste with these results. I just couldn't wait to pop in this processor and the thermal paste I ordered wouldn't have been in for another 3-5 days.

The fan at >1000 RPM's can barely be heard in my case. The packaging, also, comes with another set of rubber mounts for a secondary fan for a push-pull setup. Wondering about trying that out as my mobo comes with a secondary CPU fan controller.

Another thing I can't help but express is the fact that it doesn't have any lights. I once was a young man who loved to put LED's all over everything. This was until I realized that when I would leave the computer on overnight in my room, I could see it through my eyelids. This one does not come with the flash that most do, but this is exactly what the doctor, and my sleep schedule, called for!

Can't wait to see the results of some real Thermal paste.

Cons: None.

Other Thoughts: Silverstone Raven RV02B
Asus Maximus V Rampage
Intel i7 3770-k @ 3.9Ghz w/ XIGMATEK Gaia Cooler
4 x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws x Series RAM
2 x XFX HD 7870 in Crossfire
128GB Samsung 840 Pro Series SSD
2 x 1TB Western Digital Black in RAID0
SeaSonic X Series X-850

Pros: - Excellent build quality.
- Great price for the product.
- Keeps my FX-8350 Stock Clock at 11 degrees celsius Idle, and 32-48 degrees celsius range while playing games at max settings.
- Max temp reached so far is 50 degrees celsius (Have not done a burn test)

Cons: - A bit big in my DIYPC black steel full ATX case, the copper heatpipes that come off the top of the heatsink almost touch the side window panel.
- Installation instructions were hard to understand(at least for me), had to search online for a good tutorial, will post here later as i do not remember the site.

Other Thoughts: GPU - Nvidia Geforce GTX 660TI (Stock Clock)

Games i've played:
- Skyrim ( With 4k texture mods and plenty of other ones that run additional scripts)
- Metro Last Light
- World of Warcraft
- Rift
- Two Worlds Two
- Chivalry Medieval Warfare
- Natural Selection 2
- Killing floor
- Age of Conan Online Unchianed
- Arma 2 Free (I am aware that max setting on there is not the full potential of it in comparison to Arama 2 Operation Arrowhead)
- Team Fortress 2
- Two Worlds Epic Edition

Pros: keeps my cpu cool. looks cool. fan was easier t instal then everyone makes it out to be.

Cons: fan doesnt push as much air as i hoped. swiched them out with 75 cfm fans and my cpu temp dropped from 30 to 25

Other Thoughts: carefull with the top fin. because of the design, he top fin is loose so it will fall off if you arnt carefull. i suggest if your useing this wih a trinity series processor to get a second fan for a push-pull opperation