CPU Air Cooling for Corsair Air240

[ChickenDipper]

Despite having an i5-6600k: I won't be over-clocking it the yet on my MSI B150 Mortar as it's not an OC'able motherboard; also because this is my first PC build, I want to get around to understanding the nitty and gritty of the whole system. For this I decided to merge both power and affordability into one for now, with good intentions, even if it comes across as a bit of a shoddy build. I'm keen on updating in the future but it was a case of getting parts in and building for now. This is the last hurdle, and it's now turned out to be the hardest.

I've managed to nail down a few CPU coolers, as I've consciously decided to avoid water-cooling: no over-clocking, 120ml kits don't appear to be highly regarded, and water-loops are typically quite expensive. I just can't decide which one to buy, and as I have the air 240 case there seems to be conflicting sizes on the case clearance (120-130mm), I'm stuck on where to go next. So I'll ask you guys. Could you help me find a reasonably priced, decent performance CPU air cooler for 1080p/60FPS gaming and uni work, please?

CPU Fans that could be possible - depending on the varying clearance and motherboard:

- Cryorig M9i
- Cryorig C7
- Noctua NH-U9S
- Noctua NH-C14S
- Noctua NH_D9L
- Noctua NH-L12
- Noctua NH-U9B SE2
- Thermalright TRUE Spirit 90M Rev.A
- Phanteks PH-TC12LS Cooler
- Be Quiet! Shadow Rock TopFlow SR1

I voted the BQ! Shadow Rock but at a - possible 4mm clearance - it is a headache whether or not to buy, especially at a supposed 126mm height. Meaning little-to-no air-flow against the Air240's side window, which I preferably want to keep on for obvious reasons.

Specs if absolutely necessary:
Corsair Carbide Series: Air 240 case
Intel i5-6600k CPU
MSI B150 Mortar Motherboard
HyperX Fury Black 8GB RAM (Dual 2x4GB DDR4 2133)
Palit Jetstream GTX 970 4GB
Corsair TX-650 Watt PSU
2x CM SickleFlow Case Fans (2x mounted on front panel)
3x Stock Corsair Fans (1x mounted on rail above CPU block)
\1x Fan port open for CPU Fan\

TL; DR Got a CPU fan/case size predicament. Please help me find a suitable fan within a possible 120-130mm size clearance

 

[synphul]

You may want to consider the thermalright axp 200 muscle. It's around $40, cools a bit better and is a bit quieter than the noctua nh-l9i. Capable of cooling a 3rd gen i7 so it should have no issue with a 6600k. You're using relatively low profile ram so you should be good there as well. It's under 75mm tall which gives you plenty of room between the cooler and case window.

http://www.nikktech.com/main/articles/pc-hardware/cpu-cooling/cpu-air-coolers/3437-thermalright-axp-200-muscle-low-profile-cpu-cooler-review?showall=&start=5

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/2HzZxr/thermalright-cpu-cooler-axp100muscle

 

[ChickenDipper]

You may want to consider the thermalright axp 200 muscle. It's around $40, cools a bit better and is a bit quieter than the noctua nh-l9i. Capable of cooling a 3rd gen i7 so it should have no issue with a 6600k. You're using relatively low profile ram so you should be good there as well. It's under 75mm tall which gives you plenty of room between the cooler and case window.

Hey; so I would be right in thinking that the CPU cooler that you have suggested would be on par or better than each of the fans I've been looking at? I'm really trying to nail this down. And that goes for anyone else who might stumble into the same issue in the future.

 

[Ecky]

The only problem with the Thermalright cooler synphul listed is that it will be a nightmare to work around. Imaginee trying to plug in power connectors, USB headers, front panel LEDs, power and reset switch, install RAM or an M.2 drive with the cooler covering this much of your motherboard:

I'll be brief: at stock, any of those coolers is massive overkill for a 6600K. Most, if not all of them would likely be able to max out a 6600K with reasonable voltage.