CPU Cooler for the Xigmatek Elysium

SippyCupXIII

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Aug 25, 2008
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Hello all,

I wanted to post here real quick to get some feedback for choosing a new CPU cooler for my system. Right now I have the Cooler Master GeminII S which has worked pretty good for me in the past but it isn't cutting it. For gaming it keeps my CPU at a good temp ~70c or under at a 4.0ghz OC (i7 950) but I have started doing more video converting and encoding as of late. While doing this I got a couple of BSOD so I decided to check the temps. While Converting video with Cyberlink Media Expresso and encoding with Pinnacle Studio 16 my CPU is hitting ~90c which is causing the BSOD. From this I am looking to get a better performing cooler.

I have the Xigmatek Elysium case and am very happy with it. I was first looking to get the Xigmatek Dark Knight II air cooler off of Newegg for $35 as it has great reviews and it comes with the same fan that I have throughout my case. I however checked right before ordering (good thing I did) because the cooler stands at 158mm tall. The specs of my case state that it can only fit a 155mm tall cooler with the mounted side fan in. I really don't want to loose the fan as I know it does help with the cooling a decent amount. The cooling of my case is as follows:

x3 120mm front intake fans
x1 120mm bottom intake fan (going to be replacing with 140mm version)
x1 200mm side intake fan
x1 140mm back exhaust fan
x3 120mm top exhaust fans (going to be replacing with 140mm version)

Some would probably argue that I don't need the side fan and that may be but it really sets the case off and I really like the aesthetics and the lighting of having it in. This has turned me to possibly going with either the Corsair H60 (new 2013 edition) or the H80i. I have no experience with these closed looped systems and the reviews seem to be good and bad for them.

So my questions are does anyone know if the Dark Knight II will in fact fit in the Elysium case with it only being 3mm taller than what it states in compatible? If not what are peoples experiences with these water cooler systems and is the H80i really worth the price difference in your experience ? Lastly just looking at this air cooler vs the water systems for performance? Regardless of the setup I will be using a push/pull setup using the same Xigmatek fans I have in the case now (65cfm).

I would really appreciate your guys feedback you can give and I plan on trying to contact Xigmatek by phone once they are open today to see if they can give me any feedback on if the Dark Knight will fit. Thank you all for your time!

SippyCupXIII
 

SippyCupXIII

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That is the version that I am going to get actually and I have edited the original post to reflect this. The only thing I am concerned with is whether he is using the side fan or not. With the side fan off it will fit with no problem with 185mm max height but with the fan on it is only 155mm height which the Dark Knight II is 158mm as I mentioned above.
 

SippyCupXIII

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Aug 25, 2008
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I know it hasn't been that long since I posted this but wanted to bump it. I am just trying to make a decision on what to by tomorrow so I can get everything before the weekend. I am going to make that call to Xigmatek on my break here in about an hour and will post back. Thanks for your input guys!
 

SippyCupXIII

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Well I called Xigmatek and the Rep told me it "should" fit with the side fan on it. Not sure if that really make me real confident and I would hate to have to pay for return shipping if it doesn't fit. I might try to call back later today to see if I can get a different Rep that will know for sure.