Minimum PC case width for Noctua NHD-15 Cooler (the biggest one)

thomas81br

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Oct 3, 2014
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What the minimum PC case WIDTH for Noctua NHD-15 Cooler (the biggest one) (for AM4 ryzen platofrm should be)?
I know the cooler si big/tall.
What should the minimum width of a (cheap case) should be

?

 
Solution


Unfortunately width of the case doesn't always equate out to a specific CPU clearance. Depending on the design, the width might take in to account molding/shaping of the metal, plastic bits on the outside, thicker interior walls, etc. If you're looking at a case that doesn't report its clearance, and even older high end cases may not, look at online reviews and see if people have used that cooler with that case. Newegg Q&A will usually be filled with questions like that. Keyword searches with the cooler and case name will sometimes show if people...
Absolute minimum you need is a tower that has a CPU cooler clearance of 165mm. And thats assuming you have RAM 32mm or shorter. If you dont, you'll need to add the height of the RAM (over 32mm) to the overall height of the cooler, since you will need to adjust one of the fans up to account for the added height of the RAM. This is because the cooler overhands the RAM slot and the fan will interfere with the RAM.

Example:
Say you have a set of Ripjaw V RAM. This ram is 42mm tall. Since the fan will need to be adjusted up 10mm to compensate, you would need a case with a minimum of 175mm CPU cooler height clearance. That's 165mm for the cooler, plus 10mm from the ram to equal 175mm total height.

If you're willing to spend that much money on the cooler, you might want to go for a case that isn't super expensive. Chances are you wont find many cheap cases with 165-180mm clearance.
 

thomas81br

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Oct 3, 2014
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And whats the total width of a case that has 165-180mm CPU fan clearance... i worried i wont find the data "cpu clearanceů in cheaper cases im looking for, just the "width" parametr...
 


Unfortunately width of the case doesn't always equate out to a specific CPU clearance. Depending on the design, the width might take in to account molding/shaping of the metal, plastic bits on the outside, thicker interior walls, etc. If you're looking at a case that doesn't report its clearance, and even older high end cases may not, look at online reviews and see if people have used that cooler with that case. Newegg Q&A will usually be filled with questions like that. Keyword searches with the cooler and case name will sometimes show if people have fitted it. And when in doubt, email the manufacture about the specifics.
 
Solution