Heatsink vs RAM

[DeanM]

Hi everyone,

So i bought a prebuilt computer off a guy. He obviously wasnt a very experienced builder because the cable management is pretty poor and doesn't seem to have been planned out very well.

There is obstruction between the cpu heatsink and the ram. the ram are patriot g-series 2gb sticks that have an extended heatsink.

The cpu heatsink is a Scythe Ninja II. The ram was inserted into slots 3 and 4 on my mobo (msi ms-7577) because the heatsink would come into contact with them in slots 1 and 2. they just wouldnt fit in there. the heatsink didnt even have the fan that came with it installed. i just checked and it doesn't fit the side of the heatsink properly cos it is blocked by the ram.

Has anybody got any advice? I want to get that fan on the heatsink. i also would like the option of using all four ram slots and not be limited to 2 slots if i want to upgrade.

So, i'm wondering whether low profile ram would be a better option? or pull the Scythe ninja II and go for a corsair hydro H80? I haven't overclocked yet but have thought about doing it.

Thanks for reading, and sorry if its a typical question!
Regards,
DeanM

 

[xunicronx]

I think the Hydro would be a good idea since you will be overclocking. I guess you could keep the Scythe as an emergency back up if you wanted, too. Maybe another thing you could try out is to get a larger memory module (i.e. a 1x8GB module), and just stick it in the 4th slot.

 

[gary1]

Looking at the board, the RAM is in the correct configuration. You can put it in 1/2 or 3/4. Doesn't matter.

The H80 would be overkill. Grab a 212 EVO. If you really want to put RAM in 1/2, the fan can be adjusted up to acomodate the larger rate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

 

[DeanM]

Looking at the board, the RAM is in the correct configuration. You can put it in 1/2 or 3/4. Doesn't matter.

The H80 would be overkill. Grab a 212 EVO. If you really want to put RAM in 1/2, the fan can be adjusted up to acomodate the larger rate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

Yes, i know its fine as it is in slot 3 and 4. but if i wanted to grab another 2x 2gb i cant install them as they wont fit in 1 and 2. altho i suppose i could just get 2x 4gig and stick with slots 3 and 4. but i will still have the issue of the heat sink fan not fitting due to overlap with the ram in slot 3.

The issue is that if i want to overclock, at the moment i can't use the most efficient cooling setup and am stuck with a large heatsink, but set up for passive cooling. So i'm wondering should i just get low profile ram that will give some extra clearance? or should i get the H80 so that i can stick to ram with heatsinks if i want to over clock the ram? Will low profile ram and a fan on the heat sink be enough or will it be limited or would the H80 and extended heatsink ram give the best options and overclockability?

And why would the H80 be overkill? are you saying anyone with a H80 would have been better off with a 212 EVO? I did mention about overclocking.
Regards,

 

[DeanM]

I think the Hydro would be a good idea since you will be overclocking. I guess you could keep the Scythe as an emergency back up if you wanted, too. Maybe another thing you could try out is to get a larger memory module (i.e. a 1x8GB module), and just stick it in the 4th slot.

One stick of ram will mean its not working in dual mode so 1x 8gig would not perform as well as 2x 4gig. I just read up a lil on it since my last post. I also read that using all four slots will cause more strain on the motherboard and is harder to keep voltages stable when overclocking. So i think the best option for ram would be 2x 4 gig sticks if i was to upgrade from 4>8gig. Don't see any need for 16gig! atleast i can rule out using all 4 slots! So now its time to decide, 2x 4gig low profile ram and be able to use my heatsink and add the fan, or go for the H80. Hmmm. I guess i'll have to decide if i really need to spend the money or if the heatsink+fan would do the job.

thanks for the suggestions!

 

[DeanM]

It wouldnt let me edit.

I had a second look and although the heatsink fan is touching the ram heatsinks, i managed to fit the fan onto the heatsink! I should have made more of an effort before starting a thread! sorry for time wasting!

 

[DeanM]

Wow, since adding the heatsink fan, in HWmonitor i've seen the temps hit a min of 18C! with a heater fan in the room turned on!