EggXpert

Of course, it's worth it.

tomshardware:

Many folks prefer building their own PC systems rather than purchasing pre-configured solutions, and most typically go for a retail processor, as the fancy boxes from AMD and Intel typically include a cooler that each respective vendor considers "good enough." While low-end retail processors tend to be bundled with the lightest, least-effecitve coolers for the sake of keeping cost low, upper-mainstream and high-end CPUs do generally include decent cooling devices. Even so, we found that an aftermarket cooler, such as the new Zalman CNPS 10X, can do a much better job of cooling an overclocked Core i7-920.

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Allot of us think they should just discontinue th stock coolers, b/c 1) usually people getting higher end retail CPUs, are into all the extra push and 2) get a after market HSF anyways. So they believe 3) the price of the CPU would go down without the stock HSF. IDK though, would discontinuing them dropped the price, or is it truly that no stock cooler reps an OEM CPU?

They shjould just ditch them though, they're complete junk, I don't even use them the majorty of the time in office boxes, b/c an after market is part of the pitch, and people love the idea of their processor running cooler than an OEm.

Penewah!

Yeah of course that's needed esp for DIYers.

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Depends  depends

Do you really need a cooler for Atom? If the processor runs cool, why bother? 

yup, Ocer, maybe you shall give it a go. But I have heard very good results from Ocer with the stock fan. 

So it depends  it depends .................................

Depends, on my wife's new PC I built, her 2.9ghz Regor core runs quite cool with the stock cooler. My new Propus core was tolerable with the stock cooler at stock speeds, but for an upgrade I grabbed one of the Phenom II heatpipe coolers off of eBay and it is more than adequate even with a 500mhz overclock and I don't lose 2 RAM slots like I would with so many aftermarket coolers. I'd say AMD have a clue with their high end CPUs coming with heatpipe coolers, but Intel really does ship barely adequate and loud coolers with their chips. I put a Celeron E1500 in my Windows Home Server and actually shut it off for 3 days while I waited for my Arctic Cooling Alpine 7 PWN to arrive. The Alpine 7 is not a "high performance" cooler so much as a low noise cooler, but it took 4 degrees off the e1500 and literally killed the noise.

 So Integuy nailed it, depends.

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On my gaming PC, going from stock to a 120mm 'tower'  dropped CPU temps by more than 20C.  

Even if stock cooler is doing the trick, there are other factors to consider.   An aftermarket cooler can provide same amount of cooling with a whole lot less noise.   Upgrading the cooler on my HTPC has really cut down on fan noise.