I have some credit at tigerdirect, so I'd like to pick something from them. It's for an i5 2400, the stock fan seems really loud to me. Case is an antec sonata II, if it matters. 1x 120mm fan in the back

The 2 fans that have caught my attention, which are in my price range, are the Cooler Master Hyper N520, and the Thermaltake Silent 1156

Obviously my cpu can't be overclocked, and the sandy bridge's are quite cool to begin with, so I assume any aftermarket cooler will perform well enough, so my main concern is noise level. Does one of those coolers stand ahead of the other? I'm really not sure how to decide between the two. Thanks!

Pick the one that permits you to swap out the fan for a nexus fan.

corsair a50.

nothing thermaltake makes should be seriously considered, and you really dont need a cooler with two fans.

If you get the corsair a50 use a 120mm Nexus fan on it. If you get one of the other two, use 92mm Noctua fans if you can (otherwise use 92mm Nexus).

The 92mm Noctua fans on low are very quiet (quieter than their 120mm fans on low). You could try the COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520 with one fan on low. If that doesn't generate enough cooling you could add a second fan.

Thermaltake's never seem to be quiet, but they are able to make effective coolers. See:
http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.c ... 523&page=5

The thermaltake you are considering may be an OK cooler or not, but it is unlikely that the fan will be very quiet. But you can fix it by replacing the fan.

I must say the corsair a50 looks like an impressive cooler.
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardw ... rsair_A50/
It seems unlikely that the other two could perform as well as it.

Why not the Corsair A70?

The reason I'm considering the thermaltake is because I've read nothing but good reviews on all the sites I've looked at. The cooler master wasn't too far behind. I guess I'll look at the A50 and replacing the fan.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article924-page6.html

+1 for the A50.

a50 just came in the mail. I hope this mofo fits...