Heatsinks and a few general questions

[JoeDaStudd]

Heatsink and parts questions
I've got ;
AMD X2 3800+ (AM2 Socket)
Sapphire X1950Pro
1gb DDR2 (667) Corsair Value
in a Antec Sonata II
I was wonderingwhats the best/quietest CPU cooler for my CPU?
I'm pretty sure that you can change the cooler on the X1950Pro, if so whats the best/quietest cooler for it?
Given both of the above would it be cheaper or more effective to buy a water cooling set instead.
Also if i was to buy another stick of ram (same as i currrently have) could i put in the dual channel?

General questions
Whats the best free CD/DVD burning software?
Im willing to pay for something like nero, but i would like to see what free software is out there.
Im currently using norton internet security as my firewall and antivirus (only because it came free with the motherboard.).
Im planning on getting rid of it, because it hogs the ram, and putting AVG on, but which firewall should a use?

Thanks for any help or advice.

[PopeOfDope]

Originally Posted by JoeDaStudd

Heatsink and parts questions
I was wonderingwhats the best/quietest CPU cooler for my CPU?

You need a Thermalright Ultra 120 and a silent 120mm fan (I recommend Noctua, this article says it is good)
Be sure to check the way your heatsink is mounted. AMD retention brackets are not rotatable, so depending on your motherboard, this heatsink may face the wrong way and become useless.
If you are unsure, the Scythe Ninja is the next best heatsink if you want silence. That also needs a 120mm fan.
While they are both good for silence, a Tuniq Tower 120 would be good if you want pure cooling power, however because of the high fin density, you need a lot of airflow for it to work effectivley. Since it looks like you want silence, I won't recommend it.

Originally Posted by JoeDaStudd

I'm pretty sure that you can change the cooler on the X1950Pro, if so whats the best/quietest cooler for it?

I have this Zalman VF900 http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/...x=192&code=013
I am not sure whether it's compatible with yours. I just looked at your card and it looks like it is a new type of cooler. I wouldn't really bother replacing it. Many reviewers said it was very quiet. You can compare your noise with other cards here http://techreport.com/reviews/2006q4.../index.x?pg=10

Originally Posted by JoeDaStudd

Given both of the above would it be cheaper or more effective to buy a water cooling set instead.
Also if i was to buy another stick of ram (same as i currrently have) could i put in the dual channel?

Water cooling will not give you a good price/performance ratio. Stick with air cooling since it is much cheaper and hassle free.
And yes, you can put it in dual channel, remember to insert it into the RAM slot which is the same color as your existing RAM. If they are all the same colour, reffer to your manual.

Originally Posted by JoeDaStudd

General questions

Originally Posted by JoeDaStudd

Whats the best free CD/DVD burning software?
Im willing to pay for something like nero, but i would like to see what free software is out there.
Im currently using norton internet security as my firewall and antivirus (only because it came free with the motherboard.).
Im planning on getting rid of it, because it hogs the ram, and putting AVG on, but which firewall should a use?

Thanks for any help or advice.

I use Nero, CDBurnerXP is a good alternative http://www.cdburnerxp.se/
I mainly use Nero since it can transcode and burn movies in one go. If you just need to burn images and data then CDBurnerXP will do fine. Despite the name, it can handle DVDs.
DVD decrypter is also good for burning DVD images.

As for a firewall, the built in windows one isn't as bad as the mac/linux people would lead you to believe. If you insist on getting something else, I heared this is good http://www.oldversion.com/program.php?n=sygate

[JoeDaStudd]

Wow, all my questions answered in one go, thanks.