A Sequel to Adequate Cooling Methods - CPU and GPU
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Your second priority is always to take care of the CPU. An aftermarket cooler of your choice with new thermal paste (preferably Artic Silver 5 or Ceramique) will do the job. Hooking up the new cooler is easy. Read the quick installation guide or manual that comes with your newly purchased cooler! Applying the thermal compound isn't a mystery either; just read SPeeD's article.
Now you might ask why I have categorized ventilation as your first priority and the CPU only as your second. The single most important factor in air cooling is ventilation. It directly or indirectly affects every component that is inside the case from the CPU down to little circuitry components on your motherboard.
Your third priority is graphic processing units. The latest video cards are huge, very powerful and consume and dissipate an enormous amount of heat. In most cases simply average airflow is enough to keep these baddies within the ideal working conditions. But in some cases an aftermarket cooling method might be preferred due to overclocking, very intense and continued usage, or very high ambient temperatures. Some of the GPU manufacturers even allow installation of aftermarket cooling solutions without voiding the card's warranty. There are tons of excellent copper-based heat-pipe heat sinks and high quality fans that offer an amazing noise vs. performance ratio. Read reviews!
As a rule of thumb, an aftermarket cooling solution is almost always better than the stock one. This depends on certain factors, such as installation of the new cooling component, application of the thermal paste, quality of the aftermarket cooler and so forth. A few recommended brands include Artic Cooling, Thermalright, Thermaltake, Scythe, and Zalman.
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