Seeking help with dimensions within new build.

[zopah]

Hey all,
I'm currently building my own rig, and the parts should be here the middle of next week. I purchased an i5-750 system, with a compatible board and a GTS 250. My chosen case was the Antec Nine Hundred original. Now, I know this is a mid tower case, and I'm looking to OC the chip at some point. My question is, could I fit a CPU cooler such as the Zalman Extreme in there? I'm aware something like a V10 wouldn't fit my case (nor my budget!) but I'm told the stock heatsink/fan combo is very weak for an OC.
Another issue I'm told about is that apparently, most larger CPU coolers will mean you lose two RAM slots. This isn't an issue for me as I have 2x2gb sticks. However, these have fins. Has anyone got a similar or like build and can tell me if they think it will fit? I'd like to have it built all at once and therefore if I need new components, I really need to order them soon to ensure they arrive with the rest of my stuff.

Thanks,
Zopah.

 

[dndhatcher]

Why do you think a V10 wont fit in there? An antec 900 will fit pretty much any cooler. Its the height for more HDDs/SSDs not the width for CPU coolers that separates most mid and full towers. From a practical standpoint, the V10 and V8 are overpriced anyway (as is the Zalman CPNS10X extreme) . The Coolermaster Hyper 212 plus is almost as good and much cheaper.

You should not loose ram slots if you orient the cooler so it blows air out the back. If you turn it so it blows air up is when it will likely hit the RAM slots. Its also dependent on your RAM. If the RAM has a tall cooling fin on it then its more likely to be an issue.

 

[saint19]

Be careful, the V10 have special requeriments about the size (dimensions) of the RAM.

 

[dndhatcher]

Be careful, the V10 have special requeriments about the size (dimensions) of the RAM.

Thats going to be a motherboard not a case restriction. With so many comparable or better coolers than the V10 that dont have restrictions, makes me wonder why anyone buys it.

 

[zopah]

Thanks for the responses guys. I actually said in my initial post that the V10 (at 120$ on newegg) was out of my budget. I was therefore considering alternatives with equal if not better performance, for less money.

Thus far, I've had the CM 212 Hyper Plus and the Zalman Extreme suggested. I'm quite torn between the two. Tests done by Tweaktown indicate that the Zalman is pretty effective. I'm still confused as to what to buy, however.

 

[dndhatcher]

The zalman extreme is twice as expensive and a couple degrees cooler. Is it worth the extra money? Another option would be the xigmatec s1283 (needs a crossbow connector kit $7). It performs and is priced in between the hyper 212 and cpns10x.

Choose based on esthetics (you will be looking at your computer innards with a 900 on your desk) and how heavy overclocking you want to do.