Noctua NH-C14 140mm x 2 SSO CPU Cooler

Pros: Plenty of cooling power with fans set @ 900rpm.

Fans blow downward and push air to cool components around/near cpu socket.

Due to offset / overhang of heatsink & fans it pushes air to also cool RAM modules.

Runs fairly quiet. Very slight "whoosh" sound. No buzz, no whine.

Excellent instructions, parts, labeling and packaging.

Cons: At 1200rpm full speed it's too audible for home theater system due to a slight cyclical hum.

Overall Review: Original Core i7-965 Extreme Edition 130 cpu has always run hot compared to most other Core i3's / i5's / i7's. With this Noctua NH-C14 the core temps are approx. 38/34/36/33 deg. C. at idle which is as low as i've ever seen them. After 30 mins. of Prime 95 the temps. are approx. 57/54/55/53 deg. C. - an outstanding result. Looks as though it could handle overclocking the cpu but have not yet tried that as the system performs well at stock speed of 3.2GHz. When playing Crysis 3 the core temps. seem to peak at approx. 50 deg. C. To recap, it won't lower cpu idle temps. down into the 20's but it caps the peak load temps. nicely in the mid-50's. Using the supplied Low Noise Adapters, the Noctua fans run at a steady 900rpm whether idle or under load.

Pros: This is a BIG cooler and diffuses heat very well. The cooler is very quiet too for having two massive fans.

Cons: BIG cooler. Tall RAM sticks won't fit under the cooler. My G.Skill Ripjaw memory won't fit under the cooler.

Overall Review: The cooler allows you to remove the top fan or the bottom fan, but I'd prefer to have both and still have room for my RAM.