I haven't been that active in december as I had hoped I could be, partly because I finally bought new computer parts and put everything together and tested it. I have taken some photos while building it:
Taken with DA 50/1.8 @ f/1.8, 1/60 s
I developed those with DxO Photolab and cranked the CA correction sliders all the way up because there was quite some colour visible where it shouldn't have been. I think I did not remove it from the first picture, though, as there are some green halos still very visible on the edges
Cooler Underside with Sticker CPU in Socket
The amount and distribution of the thermal paste seems excessive compared to what is usually recommended for other coolers, but it's exactly as recommended by the cooler manufacturer
Heatpipes with Thermal Paste Applied
Being a little concerned with the sheer amount of thermal paste I took close looks all around the mounted cooler, but this view nicely shows that most of it will have done its job of filling in the little gaps between the heatpipes, with the mounting pressure of the cooler pressing out all excess to the side. The picture is taken from the side that showed the most excess looking out.
Mounted Cooler with Pressed Out Thermal Paste
Temperatures are great, so I seem to not have done too much wrong when I installed the cooler.