[quote]While the Zalman certainly would work, I wouldn't touch it.
1.does that mean, i should get it, or are you implying that you wouldn't get it?
2. I suppose i'd prefer my pc to be quiet, but it isn't terribly important to me.
3. once again i'm on the go so i'll look at those fans you suggested later today probably. But from what i make out of what you're telling me, they keep things cool and are quiet?
1. Both. I'm saying it's an overpriced cooler that with worse performance than the competition. You definitely shouldn't get it (unless you think it's pretty or something).
2. Myself, I used to say "who cares about noise? I want
performance" and ended up paying the price. My very first self-built system was incredibly loud (it included an 80x80x38mm high-speed DELTA fan!) and I soon developed a severe hypersensitivity to noise. So keep your PC at least moderately quiet (there's absolutely no reason to make your PC any noisier than it has to be) and noise will remain a non-issue, which is the best way.
3. Fans of 25mm thickness are considerably quieter than 38mm thick ones while still providing more than enough cooling performance for essentially any high-end system (as long as they're 120mm).