Ah awesome shall go for that model after I buy a new larger case at the end of the month as just measured and it seems it may just fit my current case. Cheers for everyones opinion and advice, much appreciated :)

I am running the coolermaster 212 lapped and cracks filled with silver and am getting a top of 56 C at 4.53Ghz on my i52500k. If you run on air with direct heat pipe contact coolers you should lap the base of the cooler, it makes a big difference. I think I will be able to get 5Ghz on air with this one.

Would you please expand on "lapping" and "silver"? TIA

I too run a 2500k @ 5.0 with the "cheap" Coolmaster 212 ($17.00). To the OP: Dude, before running out to buy a new heatsink you should see how far your cpu will clock 1st. If your max clock is is under 1.35 volts you could probably get away with using the stock cooler.Note: Your not going to kill your cpu by testing with the stock cooler <-----assumes you're doing an "easy" overclock.

Check out my pc specs in my sig but I have been using the Thermaltake Frio push/pull cooler. I'm OC"d to 4.8ghz right now but when I was testing I had it as high as 5.2ghz and nary a BSOD. You're probably going to ask how I got the cooler on the P67 Mobo with the ram in the way, I'm only going to say "Google" how to make it fit. I'm reluctant to give out suggestions on modifying RAM cooling fins because it'll probably become my fault if the mod is not done correctly and someone toasts their nice new G.Skill Ripper.

Would you please expand on "lapping" and "silver"? TIA

It is a method used to get maximum area contact between heatsink and cpu for maximum cooling. In simple turms you emery cloth (like sandpaper) the heatsing seat flat (remove high spots). Some enthusiasts also lap their CPUs as well. After this you apply a little thermal paste (The best is Silver based) to both the heatsink and the CPU and then whipe it of. This fills any minute scatches or pits with thermal paste, theoretically giving you 100% surface contact for max. heat transfer.

Loving the NGX with my new i5 2500k chip but still using it at the stock 3.3Ghz - what cooler would everyone recommend for overclocking it? :) Tah in advance.

I had same question and went for a research through various overclocker's websites.. I ended up with Noctua NH-D14 (for HalfX case). If you decide to go for water cooling heatsink, don't forget to commit yourself for regular maintenance otherwise don't cry if one day the leak takes away your expensive Mobo.. If you have good case to fit Noctua NH-D14, it worth to go for it..

Save your money and go with the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ - great cooling for the price. Alternatively, you can probably keep temps in the safe range with the stock cooler up to 4.0ghz +

I had same question and went for a research through various overclocker's websites.. I ended up with Noctua NH-D14 (for HalfX case). If you decide to go for water cooling heatsink, don't forget to commit yourself for regular maintenance otherwise don't cry if one day the leak takes away your expensive Mobo.. If you have good case to fit Noctua NH-D14, it worth to go for it..

BS! The days of leaking cooling systems went out with the Pentium, and the days when the Noctua was the best you could get are also over.

Save your money and go with the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ - great cooling for the price. Alternatively, you can probably keep temps in the safe range with the stock cooler up to 4.0ghz +

Both of these are excellent suggestions

/If you decide to go for water cooling heatsink, don't forget to commit yourself for regular maintenanceotherwise don't cry if one day the leak takes away your expensive Mobo../

Then you haven´t read this:"liquid cooling for your CPU in a quick, easy-to-install package. Unlike traditional liquid cooling systems,this self-contained unit comes prefilled and requires zero maintenance. "/ Leffe

I had same question and went for a research through various overclocker's websites.. I ended up with Noctua NH-D14 (for HalfX case). If you decide to go for water cooling heatsink, don't forget to commit yourself for regular maintenance otherwise don't cry if one day the leak takes away your expensive Mobo.. If you have good case to fit Noctua NH-D14, it worth to go for it..

uneducated post. If you have no experience with water cooling, don't throw around stupid comments like that.

It is a method used to get maximum area contact between heatsink and cpu for maximum cooling. In simple turms you emery cloth (like sandpaper) the heatsing seat flat (remove high spots). Some enthusiasts also lap their CPUs as well. After this you apply a little thermal paste (The best is Silver based) to both the heatsink and the CPU and then whipe it of. This fills any minute scatches or pits with thermal paste, theoretically giving you 100% surface contact for max. heat transfer.

Silver .... figured that out right after the post. Lapping ... just like lapping the valve seats on an engine. Thanks very much, Rick

Note: Your not going to kill your cpu by testing with the stock cooler <-----assumes you're doing an "easy" overclock.

Definitely not true. The stock cooler that ships with the i7-965EE, for example, is completely inadequate, even with "easy" overclock. It's practically a joke, because the 965EE is made for overclockers and is completely unlocked. Point is, I would never assume that a stock cooler will protect your CPU at anything beyond stock clock settings.

In fairness, the 956EE is a three year old chip. Things have moved on since then...

After reading a lot of reviews, tests and benchmarks, I've installed the Corsair H-100 and now OC my i7-2600K to 5.0 GHz without a sweat. Temp at sustained full load on all cores never gets above 60C (room temp 21C-23C). I'm still in the process of determining how far this setup can be overclocked. So far I have only used the multiplier and not tinkered with any of the other parameters on the mobo. So it's gonna take me a while to find the max. stable OC for my rigg.