CPU cooler for Bitfenix Prodigy and MSI B75IA-E33

Tobias Kristensen

Honorable
Mar 25, 2013
6
0
10,510
Hello :)

I've recently built a new mini-ITX in a bitfenix Prodigy mini-ITX case with an I3-3220. The motherboard is a MSI B75IA-E33: http://www.msi.com/product/mb/B75IA-E33.html

I'm not happy with the noise level though, so I've decided to get an aftermarket CPU-cooler. However, I'm unsure what coolers will fit in the system, so I was hoping for some help on this matter :) The RAM is http://www.crucial.com/eu/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU, which is 30 mm tall, so they shouldn't be a problem, or?

I've read a lot of good things about the Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO, but it seems to be a rather large heatsink, so I am unsure whether it fill fit? I'm not going to overclock or anything, so my biggest concern is getting a quiet cooling solution (that obviously won't overheat the CPU).

I hope some one has the answer to my questions! :)

Best regards, Tobias
 

twelve25

Distinguished
I'd try one of the 92mm fan options in the style of the 212. Something like a Coolermaster TX3 or ZALMAN CNPS5X. They are essentially the same thing, but with a 92mm instead of 120mm fan, which saves a fair amount of height. The Zalman just mentioned is 34mm shorter than the 212 (and it runs cool and quiet on my lightly OC i5).


 
the max height for a cpu cooler listed on bitfenix's website is 175mm, which the 212 evo is like 159mm your set for that one

with the hyper 212 evo, it should clear the ram height, as its a standard size ram with the heatsink not going above the ram pcb
 

Tobias Kristensen

Honorable
Mar 25, 2013
6
0
10,510
Thank you for your replies! :) Okay, so it seems that height-wise, I can pick whatever cooler i prefer. Another concern would be clearing the PCI-E slot on my motherboard. How would I go about finding out what coolers would block the PCI-E slot?
 

twelve25

Distinguished
You'd just have to measure. Take the dimensions of the cooler and measure out from the center of your CPU. If that equals half the width of the cooler, plus a little clearance, you are fine.
 

Tobias Kristensen

Honorable
Mar 25, 2013
6
0
10,510
After having read a lot of reviews I think I'm going with the Cooler master TX3. In this article from TH, this guy puts a Xigmatek Praeton with the following dimensions on the same MOBO as mine: 104 x 93 x 30 mm, and still leaves room for the GPU. As the specified dimensions for the TX3 is 90 x 79 x 136, this should fit, no? (Link to the article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mini-itx-gaming-radeon-hd-7750,3369-4.html).

As with most other coolers some reviews say it's a quiet heatsink, while others say it's a loud one. Even though, the overall impression seems to be that it's a fairly quiet cooler that's not too expensive.

I also considered the H80 or H60 simply because some people stated it was quiet, but that would be money out the window it seems.