Hi,
From a purely performance point of view, how much better is a Scythe Ninja than a (brand new) stock Intel CPU heatsink?
At this point I'm not too worried about noise, I'd rather figure out what is better for my CPU, then think about quieting everything.
I don't plan on overclocking, and there is/will be plenty of airflow in the case. Is having the Ninja going to benefit me (CPU longevity maybe)?
Everyone here seems to be all for replacing stock heatsinks, but is there any real merit to that other than from a noise perspective?
Right now, I'm just not convinced that it is worth another $65, but SPCR members tend to know what they are doing (more than me!), so I'd love to hear what you have to say.
Stock CPU Heatsink vs. Scythe Ninja
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
If you aren't overclocking, and you don't really want quiet, the stock cooler will do fine. I don't think it really matters for CPU longevity, as even with the stock cooler, without overclocking you shouldn't come near the kind of conditions that decrease longevity.
The Ninja may be a really well performing CPU cooler that can be used passively, but it it's sort of a hassle (especially on the LGA775 socket). I enjoy the hassle, because I really like silencing my PC. But if you're just in it because you want to make sure it doesn't break down, I don't really think you'll find it too enjoyable, and in the end it may not even be beneficial at all (providing that noise is not a problem to you and you don't overclock).
The Ninja may be a really well performing CPU cooler that can be used passively, but it it's sort of a hassle (especially on the LGA775 socket). I enjoy the hassle, because I really like silencing my PC. But if you're just in it because you want to make sure it doesn't break down, I don't really think you'll find it too enjoyable, and in the end it may not even be beneficial at all (providing that noise is not a problem to you and you don't overclock).