Newegg has the Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92 92mm Sleeve Bearing Fan CPU Cooler for $20 - $5 off with coupon code EMCJJND45 [Exp 11/12] = $15 with free shipping. Features 600 - 2500 RPM ± 15%, 12.1 - 54.8 CFM airflow, 14.5 - 25 dBA noise level, three 6mm copper heatpipes, and 45 aluminum fins.
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It's a big heat sink and a 90mm fan. Is it better than the stock fans?
^ Yes but how much better depends on what the stock cooler was, some are a LOT better than others. For example on lower end AMD CPUs the stock sink isn't nearly as good, and the linked heatsink pictured is actually larger than what they ship on low end Semprons today (60 x 25mm fan for reference)
http://www.rage3d.com/reviews/cpu/amd_athlon2_lineup_cm_vortex_plus//pics/amdstockhsf.jpg
However there is an issue with low flow heatpipe tower fans in systems with northbridge integrated video, if the chipset doesn't have a fan or heatpipe 'sink on it, it may run on the hot side. On the other hand it is quieter than the typical OEM 'sink, should be fine for the "up to 130W" CPUs it is rated for. Just don't expect to throw a 90W+ quad core in a system and get much o'c with it.+
Good for something better than what say a Intel Pentium G645 would come with and not looking to OC a ton.
Although, for AMD I'd stay away unless your case has bottom PSU/and top fan, as that's the only direction it mounts with the AMD bar. For AMD small and light I like the ZALMAN CNPS5X Performa 92mm its' $12 -AR$10 It has the regugular AMD bracket while permits the fan to blow to the rear fan, plus they wayit done it seems more affixed once locked.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118128
While the next step but still as a small light tower, I like is Xigmatek LOKI SD963 92mm it includes mobo backing plate and brackets that convert AMD to the four point Intel. It's $25 but have seen it for like $20 (no rebate), but because it's held very stable it's a good performer for the size.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233081
You should get much better cooling with a heat-pipe cooler vs. most stock-style coolers. All else equal, the fan should move much more air, and the fan's "hub effect" has essentially no impact. In fact, the nature of multiple heatpipes is to distribute the cooling load to the fin areas best able to handle it.
As far as integrated video, if you're doing anything video-intense you won't be using the integrated video anyway. Turning off the integrated video will reduce the power dissipated by the north bridge -- and thus its temperature rise -- about 40%. Then stick in one of the fanless cards BB's been pimping for $15 - $20 [GF210, for example] and you're good to go. Cool 'n' quiet, just like the man said.
As far as integrated video, if you're doing anything video-intense you won't be using the integrated video anyway. Turning off the integrated video will reduce the power dissipated by the north bridge -- and thus its temperature rise -- about 40%. Then stick in one of the fanless cards BB's been pimping for $15 - $20 [GF210, for example] and you're good to go. Cool 'n' quiet, just like the man said.
Today there are some common uses where integrated video is sufficient, far more common than playing 3D games would be watching flash animations (2D games, youtube, even advertising acceleration) or watching other videos. These aren't "very" video intensive and yet the GPU can offload a large % of the load and do some things faster than (a single core of) the CPU would.
Sure you could buy a card just to move the source of the heat but all else being equal the card will tend to use more power and create more heat getting the same jobs done, so for less than the small cost of an entry level card you can throw a fan on the chipset, buy next tier up in the mainboard hierarchy to get one with a better heatsink, or pick a cooler that blows a fair amount of air at it.
^^
I don't disagree with anything you've said. However, I'm dealing with a combination where I have a 45W dual core on which I have installed a 92mm 4-wire version of this:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=AVC+Socket+AM2%2B%2FAM2%2F939%2F940%2F754+
which came with my son's retail 125W quad core. To say the cooling is ample is a gross understatement; the fan rarely gets above idle. That keeps it very quiet [an objective] but using the integrated video makes the north bridge run so hot that you'll yank your hand back from it. There is no place to put an auxiliary NB fan [besides, I hate those buzzy little 40- or 60-mm jobs] so I just did as I said above, with an 8400GS I had lying around that draws 17W max at full load. Since I'm rockin' an SSD [low power and quiet] a single 120-mm fan running slow keeps the inside of the case within a couple degrees of room temperature.
All this makes for a very low-power and very quiet box quite adequate for everyday use. When I need to do more-serious number crunching [think finite-element] I have a more-muscular, hotter and noisier quad of my own sitting right next.