Which Case/Heatsink combination is better?

[reignsupreme11]

Hey guys,

I'm about to do a new build on i5-2500K. The Azza Solano 1000 is on sale for 70$ after MIR and from all the reviews i've read it is a great case with excellent aesthetics, airflow and cable management. however, the one downside is that the 230mm side fan restricts the size of the heatsink you can use. With the fan installed, a quality cooler like the Coolermaster Hyper 212+ doesn't fit. I've come up with a few solutions and am wondering which you advise to be best. please feel free to make your own suggestion, though i'd rather you didn't suggest any other cases because those are the best options on the site i am ordering from (NCIX). so:

1) go with a different case:
the antec dark fleet d-35 is on sale for the same price. however, it trails the azza case in every aspect (though is the only comparable case for 70$ CAD), though it does allow a tall cooler to fit.

2) remove the side fan:
i've heard a few people do this. it would leave just a 230mm fan grill on the side panel. it would allow a large heatsink to fit, but i'm wondering if i would sacrifice a significant amount of airflow to let this happen?

3) go with a water cooler:
the corsair H50 water cooler (all in one) is on sale for 20$ more than the 212+. It would give similar performance and could easily fit and allow much more space. however, i'm just iffy about water cooling. i've read that in a cooler like the h50 leaks are almost impossible but still, would corsair be gentlemanly enough to replace it?

personally, i don't want to ditch the solano case because it is better in every respect than any case for around 100$ with the only problem being the heatsink size. but, i'm asking the experts because you know best!

thanks in advance!

 

[maverick knight]

Thats a good case, it has 2 front fans which will give enough airflow. But the drive bays are there so it might block some air, nevertheless air still goes in. You can go with either option 2 or 3, or try to find a smaller heatsink like this one

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/scythekamakazecpucooler/

If you plan on overclocking then get the water cooler. You can mod the side case for a complete window.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

DF-35 is a great buy at that price, grab it.

The H50 is a poor cooler. It's a simple rebrand of an Asetek 500LC
http://www.asetek.com/products/oem-standard-products/120mm-products/550lc.html

and it's performance is rather blah. If you are going to go this route, I'd suggest the Antec Kuhler 620. It's also manufactured by Asetek but not a rebranding of their OEM models. Antec incorporated some distinct changes in the version made for them which result in quite a substantial performance increase.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=694&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=4

With the stock fan, the Antec does 7.2C better ... that's H U G E !

Corsair H50 73.1
Antec Kühler H2O 620 65.9

With a Delta fan, the Antec does 9.4C better ... that's even H U G E - E R E R ! .... new word

Corsair H50 68.1
Antec Kühler H2O 620 58.7

The Corsair H70 and Antec 920 are another option but though they offer better performance (the H70 beats the 620 by a half degree w/ stock fans on high speed), they are real loud.

Your fit issues can be more easily discerned as both the case and cooler are from Antec..... give them a call, telephone support is great, e-mail support not so much.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209049

 

[reignsupreme11]

i will have no more than 3 drives in the drive bays (probably 2 but we'll see). 1 would definetly be an SSD. i don't think this would obstruct air flow too much. and i definitely plan on overclocking as much as i can, both cpu and graphics. i think we've ruled out option 1 and i don't want a heatsink with a 92mm fan (not enough). what would you do personally. the 20$ isn't a huge deal.

option 2 or option 3?

 

[reignsupreme11]

from all the reviews i've read (3), the solano 1000 is a much better case than the dark fleet and i can also get it for 5$ less. in addition, the other coolers you have recommended are too expensive for me (50$ more than the h50 and 70$ more than the coolermaster air cooler). i reiterate that i would much prefer to find a solution that works with the solano case and doesn't cost me an extra 50$.

 

[davcon]

Coolermaster RR-920-N520-GP Hyper N520
http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/227165/COOLERMASTER/RR_920_N520_GP/
Scythe Katana 3000A
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14110AC4616&vpn=SCKTN-3000&manufacture=SCYTHE
Scythe SCRT-1000 Rasetu
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=14110AC0617&vpn=SCRT-1000&manufacture=SCYTHE#specifications
GELID Silent Spirit Heatpipe CPU
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=54408&vpn=CC%2DSpirit%2D01%2DD&manufacture=Gelid%20Solutions%20Ltd%2E
All will fit !
Personally i'd go with the N520 = very close performance wise to the 212+.
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/17512-cooler-master-hyper-n520-cpu-cooler-review-9.html
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers/display/scythe-cm-gelid-reeven.html

 

[reignsupreme11]

hm thank you for the advice. on ncix though the n520 is only 5$ cheaper than the h50 watercooler. how do they compare? i've read a few reviews and most place the n520 as a tad louder than the 212+ and they cool less efficiently.

 

[reignsupreme11]

DF-35 is a great buy at that price, grab it.

The H50 is a poor cooler. It's a simple rebrand of an Asetek 500LC
http://www.asetek.com/products/oem-standard-products/120mm-products/550lc.html

and it's performance is rather blah. If you are going to go this route, I'd suggest the Antec Kuhler 620. It's also manufactured by Asetek but not a rebranding of their OEM models. Antec incorporated some distinct changes in the version made for them which result in quite a substantial performance increase.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=694&Itemid=62&limit=1&limitstart=4

With the stock fan, the Antec does 7.2C better ... that's H U G E !

Corsair H50 73.1
Antec Kühler H2O 620 65.9

With a Delta fan, the Antec does 9.4C better ... that's even H U G E - E R E R ! .... new word

Corsair H50 68.1
Antec Kühler H2O 620 58.7

The Corsair H70 and Antec 920 are another option but though they offer better performance (the H70 beats the 620 by a half degree w/ stock fans on high speed), they are real loud.

Your fit issues can be more easily discerned as both the case and cooler are from Antec..... give them a call, telephone support is great, e-mail support not so much.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209049

thank you for the advice on the antec kuhler h20 620 it is only 5$ more than the corsair. if i go the water cooler route i will buy the antec. should i water cool though?

 

[davcon]

hm thank you for the advice. on ncix though the n520 is only 5$ cheaper than the h50 watercooler. how do they compare? i've read a few reviews and most place the n520 as a tad louder than the 212+ and they cool less efficiently.

That's nice but Ncix owns BestDirect and will also pricematch the N20 which is $30.
Otherwise buy an Antec Kuhler H20 620
http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC4723&vpn=KUHLER%20H20620&manufacture=OTHERS