EggXpert

I just purchased a 9850 and the A770 A2+ motherboard (mb was free with Newegg combo deal, gotta love it! ).  Still waiting on the parts to arrive but I noted in one of the reviews for the board a user commented that the stock HSF for the 9850 overhung a DIMM slot leaving him unable to use it.  Since I plan on using all 4, I was wondering if anyone out there (particularly those with the board) could recommend an aftermarket HSF that would be effective enough for me to do a little bit of OC'ing (nothing drastic) and not block any of the DIMMs.

The guy must have installed the HSF with the heat pipes directed at the RAM. If you look at the board, and install it with them in the other direction, the pipes should point towards the NB and the open space on the other side. I mean , look at the board man, look how much space is there for the other direction! The guy just put it in wrong, well not the more optimum way. The stock fan isnt the best and if you plan to OC, you'll probably do better with an aftermarket anyways.

This XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail will do wonders, is nicely priced, and if you aim the fan at the back exhaust, the fan itself should remian above the memory. The base of it is higher than the stock fan.

A XIGMATEK HDT-S963 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail would also do the trick.

The ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail does well, for minor OCing, but if you aim the fan at the back, the fan itself will protrude. If you aim it at the ram it'll fit nice, but you'll have to consider your overall case air flow. Allot fo peopel like this number for its price.

Peace, Penewah!