Starting to purchase parts for a new build. Case is an Antec 900 II (or 902, or 900-2 or whatever), mobo is an Asus P6T with a Core i7 920.
After research, the three coolers I'm looking at are:
Xigmatech Dark Knight
Noctua NH-U12P
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme
I'm also entertaining suggestions that have been made for the Scythe MUGEN-2 and Sunbeam CR-CCTF, though I've reader fewer reviews on those.
Q1: I'm not populating all six RAM slots to start with, but I intend to do so in a year or two. Will any of the above coolers block any RAM slots? The first batch of RAM I'm purchasing is likely to be the OCZ Platinum triple-channel 6GB kit.
Q2: Will any of these coolers not fit in the Antec case? I've found confirmation that the TRUE will fit in the 900 though one may have to remove or downsize the side 120 mm fan.
Q3: Do I need to purchase any additional fans for any of those coolers? It looks like some may come with one fan with the option of adding a second for push-pull, but it's hard to tell from the descriptions.
Q4: Is the TRUE worth the premium price over the Xigmatech ($75 from FrozenCPU vs. $40 for the Dark Knight from Newegg? Similarly, is the Noctua that much quieter than the others...and will I be giving up overclock potential if I go with it?
Q5: More generally: there are a lot of drivebay rheostat fan controls on the shelf at Micro Center. Are these useful additions to a build? The 900 II has tiny switches on the top-back edge of the case to control some of the fans. Can fans be controlled by software (particularly, can they be automatically controlled by the OS) or are hardware switches and knobs the only option?
Thanks very much for any thoughts! These forums are a fantastic resource.
After research, the three coolers I'm looking at are:
Xigmatech Dark Knight
Noctua NH-U12P
Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme
I'm also entertaining suggestions that have been made for the Scythe MUGEN-2 and Sunbeam CR-CCTF, though I've reader fewer reviews on those.
Q1: I'm not populating all six RAM slots to start with, but I intend to do so in a year or two. Will any of the above coolers block any RAM slots? The first batch of RAM I'm purchasing is likely to be the OCZ Platinum triple-channel 6GB kit.
Q2: Will any of these coolers not fit in the Antec case? I've found confirmation that the TRUE will fit in the 900 though one may have to remove or downsize the side 120 mm fan.
Q3: Do I need to purchase any additional fans for any of those coolers? It looks like some may come with one fan with the option of adding a second for push-pull, but it's hard to tell from the descriptions.
Q4: Is the TRUE worth the premium price over the Xigmatech ($75 from FrozenCPU vs. $40 for the Dark Knight from Newegg? Similarly, is the Noctua that much quieter than the others...and will I be giving up overclock potential if I go with it?
Q5: More generally: there are a lot of drivebay rheostat fan controls on the shelf at Micro Center. Are these useful additions to a build? The 900 II has tiny switches on the top-back edge of the case to control some of the fans. Can fans be controlled by software (particularly, can they be automatically controlled by the OS) or are hardware switches and knobs the only option?
Thanks very much for any thoughts! These forums are a fantastic resource.