IGP: Enabled (idle in desktop)
No Overclock
HT: On
Turbo: On (so 3.7GHz with all cores loaded)
Ambient temp: ~20°C
TIM: Arctic Cooling MX-2

This is the 'black' Megahalems - it has some kind of stupid powder coating on it.

The fan is a Noctua NF-S12B on the motherboards auto controller (~650rpm at full load).

Temperature at full load: 58°C, 64°C, 68°C, 66°C

I was expecting better, but then every time I buy a large and expensive cooler they seems to perform like rubbish.

What do you guys think?

Assuming you're running IntelBurnTest or something similar as a load test, those temperatures are about what I'd expect for an IB CPU, particularly with a relatively slow fan like that.

1. That is higher than I would like. But it is tolerable if your regular day to day, non-benchmark temps are reasonable. What temp does it usually run when you are not stressing it.

2. 650rpm is pretty slow, why not add a second fan. In fact why not try two Nexus 120mm fans,

3. Try reseating the cooler and use a TIM that doesn't require a break in period.

4. 58-66 C is well below the 110C that these chips are designed for. 48 - 56C when not loaded, isn't that bad. And the 3770 has a reputation for running hot because of poor heat transfer from the chip to its casing. See:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=64782

5. It would be much worse with the stock cooler.

What's the core idle temps when your ambient is 20C?

Try this cheap trick to get a few more degrees of cooling. Please let us know if it helps:
viewtopic.php?p=563462#p563462

22-33°C (it fluctuates rapidly, apparently normal for this proc) at 19.5°C ambient

The fan runs at ~250rpm during idle.



I need a picture of what you're proposing. You mean basically turning the heatsink into a duct by blanking the sides?