CPU Cooler recommendations for ATX HTPC case

[JohnnyLucky]

I have a request for a build using the LIAN LI Black Aluminum PC-C60B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112335

The pc will actually be for general purpose use rather than an HTPC.

The total overall height of the case is 7.17 inches. According to the Lian Li web site the maximum height for a cpu cooler is 140mm (5.51 inches).

I can't use any of the tall tower style coolers like the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ so I am open to suggestions.

 

[aebome]

If you can swing the price, this is fantastic: Noctua NH-L12
http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-L12-Low-profile-Quiet-Cooler/dp/B007C861WO
Review: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4677/noctua_nh_l12_low_profile_cpu_cooler_review/index.html

If price is too much for the Noctua, this is a great alternative (but at 144mm might JUST be too tall)
Cooler Master GeminII S524: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103100
Review: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4277/cooler_master_geminii_s524_cpu_cooler_review/index1.html


Xigmatech Durin is more affordable and well liked
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233059
review: http://www.hitechlegion.com/reviews/cooling/heatsinksfans/9130-xigmatek-durin-sd-982-review

This Xigmatech Shuriken is an alternative
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185174

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Thanks for the recommendations.

I've been looking at both the Noctua NH-L12 and the Cooler Master GeminiII S524. Considering the pc will not be used for hardcore gaming or extreme overclocking either one should be adquate for general purpose use.

While visiting the Noctua web site I noticed the Noctua CH-14:

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=37&lng=en

According to Noctua's highly detailed specifications the total height of the CH-14 with 2 140mm fans installed is 130mm. It will fit inside the case but there is almost no room between the upper fan and the top of the case. Lian Li may have solved that problem by including an opening for a 140mm fan in the top panel. If the opening in the top panel lines up with the cpu cooler, then it would be one heck of a cooling solution. If the opening does not line up with the cooler, the top fan can be removed for low profile operation.

Noctua also provides links to a lot of technical reviews for each model. I looked at quite a few reviews of the CH-12. They were very favorable.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

I was looking at video reviews of the LIAN LI PC-C60B case and saw one with the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 cooler installed:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608019

It is another horizontal cooler with a single 140mm fan. It is 114mm tall and fits in the case. It also aligns fairly well with the opening in the top of the case. Hardware reviews were favorable. It can't compete with the monster tower coolers but it can definitely hold it's own.

 

[aebome]

Agreed
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Noctua/NH-C12P_SE14/

 

[Tavo_Nova]

should be all good that case is pretty good.

 

[deadlockedworld]

Just to chime in late to the party -- I have a 100m Shuriken in my Silverstone Milo HTPC and it works great. (on a retired gaming PC with an E8400) The Scythe fans are very quiet too.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

deadlockedworld - The Silverstone Milo is a very good looking htpc case. It should fit in well with any home theater system. Not much height to it which explains using the Scythe Shuriken. Luckily the Lian Li case is a lot taller so I can use a larger cpu cooler. The case should arrive tomorrow and I'll be able to get a better ide3a of what I have to deal with.

The Scythe S-Flex fans have been my favorite for quite a few years. I use 1200 rpm fans for ordinary builds and 1600 rpm fans for gaming rigs. Back in the good old days a lot of us used the Panaflo fans. Put enough of the high rpm versions in a case and the pc would sound like a jet fighter.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The case arrived yesterday evening. It's big for an htpc but that's okay considering this is a mnon-htpc project.

The case comes with two 140mm, 900 rpm fans and filters attached to the right panel. The concept is they blow cool air into the case while perforated panels on the left side and a psu fan also on the left exhaust hot air out of the case. There is a removeable cover near the right rear corner of the top panel that might be located over the cpu cool.

The first thing I noticed was a drive cage at the right front of the case interferes with airflow from one of the 140mm fans attached to the right panel. The drive cage is solid metal except for the screw slots. Airflow from that fan is almost completely restricted.

There is an option to mount a 140mm fan on the left panel that will be free of restrictions. My first thought was to move the blocked fan on the right panel over to the left panel. After thinking about it I decided to just add an extra fan on the left panel.

More parts will arive later today. I also ordered some anti-vibration items to help keep the pc quiet. The anti-vibration items won't arrive for another 2 days.

 

[deadlockedworld]

Since we have this thread going anyhow and im curious ... What else is going in? Blue ray? Cable card?

 

[BlueberryCake]

I have the same case and it's built solid. I installed the Cooler Master GeminII S524 on a ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 mobo. I wish I had seen the Noctua one as I would've gone with that one. However, that 92mm fan at the bottom might've caused an issue.

Height of the CPU cooler was not an issue. As for which direction to position place the CPU cooler, you will have to see what fits best with your mobo. Ideally, I wanted the cooler to arc over my memory slots, but couldn't fit that way.

For me, I had an issue seating my GTX 680 into the PCI slot on my mobo and getting the back of the card to fit through the opening one the back of the case. THE slots in the back of the case are fixed so I had to loosen the screws on the motherboard mounts and reposition it. After that, I was able to fit my graphics card in. As for the length of the graphics card overall, there were no issues.

 

[BlueberryCake]

If I could ask one favor since you're in the middle of building your HTPC, can you please let me know the model numbers of the case fans it comes with?

My HTPC is already put together and in the TV shelf, so I was hoping for this favor to lookup the case fans' model numbers (since I have a long day at work ahead of me ugh). I've been thinking about replacing the fans with something less audible.

Based on what's on Lian Li's website, the 140mm case fans could be one of the following models:

BS-05 (It's most likely this one as it comes with a filter)
60.42CFM @ 20.9dBA (Max 21.94dBA)

CF-1412B
72.88CFM @ 26.95dBA (Max 27.6dBA)

CF-1410B
38CFM @ 25.4dBA (Max 26.67dBA)


I was planning to upgrade the case fans to two Noctua NF-P14 FLX

Norm: 64.96 CFM @ 19.6 dBA
LNA : 49.29 CFM @ 13.2 dBA
ULNA: 41.93 CFM @ 10.1 dBA

 

[JohnnyLucky]

deadlockedworld - It is neither an htpc nor a gaming pc. It is for general purpose home use. AMD A8 3650 based budget/entry level pc except for the case. The customer wanted a nice horizontal case instead of a vertical case. At $169.00 the case was the most expensive item.

Blueberry - No problem but I won't be able to post the fan model numbers until later.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Blueberry -

The model number of the stock 140mm fans that came with the htpc case is LI121425QE-4-A

Model BS-05 is a kit that includes the exact same stock 140mm fan with the same model number. The BS-05 kit also includes a steel fan filter and a chrome wire grill. I just happen to have one right here in front of me.

I have a Lian Li Lancool DragonLord case for my personal pc. I bought it in November 2008. It also has the exact same 140mm fans with the exact same model number.

At full speed the fans run at 900 rpm and airflow is 60 cfm.

 

[BlueberryCake]

Much appreciated. Thanks for the assist!

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Update

I decided to try the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 140mm SSO CPU Cooler:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608019


It fits with room to spare in the LIAN LI Black Aluminum PC-C60B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112335&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=1fn5kd5b8lgqy

I did a little experimenting and discovered the cpu cooler orientation made a difference in cpu temps that were displayed in the System BIOS hardware monitor.

Initially I installed the heatsink with the side having the exposed heatpipes at the rear between the cpu and the rear I/O panel. The top of the heatsink fins extended well over the memory modules. The 140mm fan on top of the heatsink was not aligned very well with the 140mm opening in the case top panel. I let the pc idle continuously for 48 hours.

With an ambient (room) temperature of 29.5C (85F), the System BIOS showed a cpu temperature of 45C. That is 15.5C above ambient air.

I wondered if changing the heatsink orientation would change cooling. I installed the heatsink so that the side with the exposed heatpipes was between the cpu and the memory modules and the heatsink fins extended over the components between the cpu and the rear I/O panel. This time the 140mm fan on top of the heatsink was aligned perfectly with the 140mm opening in the top panel. I let the pc idle continuously for 48 hours.

With an ambient (room) temperature of 29.5C (85F), the System BIOS showed a cpu temperature of 41C. That is 11.5C above ambient air.

When the ssd arrives I'll be able to install a few utilities and run a couple of torture tests to see what the temps are under load.

Right now I have 3 Lian Li stock 140mm 900 rpm case fans installed - two on the right panel and an optional one on the left panel. I wonder if replacing them with Noctua 140mm 1200rpm case fans would make a difference.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Final Update

I decided to replace the three 140 mm 900 rpm case fans with Cougar 140 mm 1200 rpm case fans:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835553007

I read a couple of reviews which suggested the Cougar fans were fairly similar to Noctua fans in performance and noise. The big plus is the Cougar 140mm fan cost $12.00 less than a Noctua 140mm fan. After installation I thought the "sound" of air movement produced by the Cougar fans was about the same as the Noctua. Definitely quieter than the Scythe S-Flex fans I had been installing for the last 5 years or so.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Best answer selected by JohnnyLucky.