I need help finding a great cpu cooler that looks nice and perfoms well. I'm looking for a cooler under 5.5 inches (about 140mm) in height. Hopefully under $50.
I would recommend any Noctua cooler. http://www.noctua.at/ might not meet your $50 mark but It's well spend money.
You really can't go wrong with a cooler master, a nice short and compact one would be the tx3