Soybean, I guess I'm going to have to figure out tradeoffs here..lol. I agree, a fresh install would be better but if I can get it working as is, with minimal fuss, I might try that first. I still might end up doing a fresh install but I'll check it out.
Also, I think I'll go with the smaller Zalman CNPS 9500 due to size. The board has a huge northbridge heatsink on it and I want to make sure it fits.