How capable are Intels stock coolers??

I'm no expert as I'm still learning myself, but I'm fairly they can NOT handle 'serious OC'ing'

They are 'ok' to overclock a small amount, but even then some people say that you should get an aftermarket cooler as the temps will be so much better
 
stock fan is fine for stock cpu clocks,if you want to overclock then use an aftermarket cooler,the difference is night and day
 
I'd say stock fan is okay for a clock of around 4ghz, anything higher and you might want to make the switch to an aftermarket cooler. I run an OC of 4.1ghz with stock cooler and so far have had no overheating problems.
 
nineteenforty4 said:
Figures - anyone used both stock nd an aftermarket ??
Click to expand...

Yes, stock cooler is adequate and reasonably quiet for a stock CPU, easy to install/remove too. For meaningful overclocking it is completely inadequate and the chip may end up hitting the 100*C mark and throttling, not healthy for the chip.
 
If you have one, use it for any situation where you're without a cooler for a short period, RMA for example.

Running stock or a very low OC would be fine, but the OC would be to the point where you might as well not bother.
 
i was using my i5 2500k clocked @ 4.2 on stock had about 50-60 temps from gaming a good few hours, i now have an A70 and clocked @ 4.6 with temps 45-50 gaming
 
that would suggest the stock hsf is perfectly fine for a decent OC?

I've only got my 2500k running at 4ghz under water!
 
Stock cooler on an i5-2500K will be fine upto around 4..0GHz, maybe a tad more if you have good airflow in your case. Anything more and I'd want a better hsf.
 
True but linpack is "worst case scenario".

There's still the chance your CPU could heat up to those levels and that's something I couldn't live with.
 
I have a small 3.8 OC on a stock cooler on my i3 540 Lan box it handles that fine. but I wouldn't go much higher myself.
 
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