CPU fan selection? (heatsink/fan, no exotic cooling)

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
K

Kruck

Distinguished
Sep 3, 2007
54
0
18,530
Hi - looking to upgrade to:
MSI X99A SLI PLUS LGA 2011-v3
Intel Core i7-5820K Haswell-E
Orientation: vertical MB (CPU and cooler will be on the side)

Haven't built a system in years, and having trouble selecting a CPU cooler. I'm reusing a 1990s full tower case that I estimate has *maybe* 140mm clearance from my old MB, but I'd feel better using 75% or less of that. I may do some moderate overclocking, but nothing extreme.

Where I'd like help is understanding if there are any specifications that I should consider "must haves", like PWM, certain types of bearings, etc. Also, do fans today still require mounting a bracket on the backside of the motherboard, and if so, is there anything I need to know/check to make sure that the cooler is compatible not just with the CPU, but with the MB as well.

Thank you!
 
Solution
M

No worries :)


Yeah, that's a bit tight for any tower cooler with a 120mm fan on it - you'd be looking at something with a ~90-80mm fan on it.


The C-shaped ones I listed should be OK as long as you don't use super-tall RAM (e.g. Corsair's LPX DDR4 is normal height, whereas their Vengeance Pro DDR3* is too tall, IIRC), and have the added benefit of pushing cold air at the RAM and VRMs. A colleague has the...
Sort by date Sort by votes
M

martinch

Distinguished
Mar 21, 2014
837
26
19,640

Might be worth double-checking that, as it's going to be limiting - most 120mm coolers (normally recommended) are around 160mm tall, so won't fit. This means you'd either be looking at a smaller 90mm cooler, or one twisted through 90 degrees (C-shaped), although I'd guess you'd have to start paying more attention to clearance of RAM.


Well, PWM is generally recommended for motherboard-based control of fan speed, although I'm pretty sure most/all modern CPU coolers will be PWM (because the motherboard headers are all 4-pin). Fluid dynamic bearings are preferred for long life - others tend to last less long, or go noisy quicker.

BeQuiet's Shadow Rock c-shaped cooler is available in 2 variants, although given the TDP of your CPU, it might be marginal for overclocking:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk012 (130W)
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/be-quiet-cpu-cooler-bk002 (160W)

Noctua's U9S is a short "tower"-type cooler, although whilst it's OK for stock speeds, Vortez.net's review gave it a fail on an overclocked 130W CPU:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu9s

Noctua also do some C-shaped coolers, which are a bit more effective than the U9S:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhc14s
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhl12 < supplanted by the "NH-L12S", but it's not on PC Part Picker (also, TDP caveat)


Most of the larger ones do, due to having to support the additional weight. As far as I know, they're designed to "just work" on any motherboard.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
K

Kruck

Distinguished
Sep 3, 2007
54
0
18,530
Awesome, thank you for the information. I just measured, and the actual total case width is 200mm, but there is a MB mounting plate that creates some offset, and then the height of the MB and CPU as well. Distance from the access panel to the existing MB base is approximately 160mm, which seems a close call- if I measured wrong and am a few mm off, then I wouldn't be able to close the case. I'll look for something just a little shorter, and hopefully something that won't block RAM or other slots.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
M

martinch

Distinguished
Mar 21, 2014
837
26
19,640

No worries :)


Yeah, that's a bit tight for any tower cooler with a 120mm fan on it - you'd be looking at something with a ~90-80mm fan on it.


The C-shaped ones I listed should be OK as long as you don't use super-tall RAM (e.g. Corsair's LPX DDR4 is normal height, whereas their Vengeance Pro DDR3* is too tall, IIRC), and have the added benefit of pushing cold air at the RAM and VRMs. A colleague has the NH-C12 in a mini-ITX Haswell build, and they reckon it's fantastic.

* yeah, I know DDR3 doesn't work on X99 - it's just a comparative example.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom