Hello everyone normaly i would post this on a bigger comunity like OCN but from what i have seen im more likely to get a better awnser here. Im putting together a newegg order for some cooling componets. I have been useing the same $20 cpu heatsink for like 5 years now and I have never really liked my temps so its time for a change. Im considering the Xigmatek Gaia. Has anyone used here used one one? The main pros for me is that it uses 120mm fans and Newegg has a 4 pack of Xigmatek fans. I plan on ording 2 of those packs and putting 2 of them on the Gaia in push pull the rest go into my case. If anyone has experiance with the Heatsink or fans i would love to hear about it! I have a bit more of a budget but really want to keep this on the cheap end. I also plan on getting some Tuniq Tx-4. I have never used that tim before i genneraly get AS5 but the reviews look good. Has anybody here had experiance with it? I read one of the NewEgg reviews and they said its recomended to use the spread method with it. I have always used the pea method since spreading out tim always turns into a mess at least for me. Anyway i apetiate any help on the matter!
The spread method creates pockets of air, which decreased thermal efficiency. The only proper method is the grain of rice/pea method. I don't have any personal experience with the Gaia, but I believe it's similar to the first revision of the Dark Knight (120mm, 3x 8mm HDT heatpipes), which I do have. With that I said, I'm fine with it, but a bit dissappointed. At the time, the Dark knight was a $60 cooler, and it certainly didn't perform like one. the performance is good enough though, as it keeps my 4.5GHz 2500k under 70c, usually 66-68c under Prime95. For $30, it should be a pretty good deal, especially with Push Pull; mine is only running pull.