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CPU Cooler Recommendation and Hole Pattern Question

paulcall

Member
Hello Everyone,

I am having a very tough time finding a cpu cooler for my Intel i3 2100T cpu with an 1155 socket.

The maximum height I have to work with in my case (Thermaltake Element Q with the power supply removed) is 4" or 100mm and the maximum width and length is 3" x 3". It seems like cpu coolers with this height are hard to find. Note the 4" max. height has to include the entire height of the heatsink, not just the fan height).

I do NOT want a cpu cooler like the stock Intel cooler which sits on top of the chip horizontally, I am looking for a cpu cooler that has a heatsink with a fan that is at 90 degrees from the cpu plane. I am sure that it may be overkill for a low watt cpu but I am okay with this, it is what I am looking for because I am also looking for this fan to blow some air out of the case.

I tried to fit a Cooler Master RR-H101-22FK-RI but it was too tall (about 4.6")

The only one I have been able to find is a 3RSystem Iceage 80 Prima Mini, but unfortunately I don't believe this is sold in the USA.

I tried looking for cpu coolers for different intel sockets such as 755, 1366, etc. but I am unaware if the hole patterns differ between sockets.
I have found a Thermaltake CLP0533 70mm but it is only for the 1366 socket.

Does anyone know of a 4" high cpu cooler with a 3" length and 3" width that they could recommend for my current situation? Any cpu recommendations would be appreciated.


I was hoping my first HTPC build would be fun, but I have been running into many problems with finding correct parts that all fit. I would not have run into this problem if I had only purchased a Lian Li PC-Q07 but I needed the extra 3.5 external bay option that the Thermaltake offered. If anyone wants to recommend a different mini-itx case with a 5.25 and 3.5 external bay I am open to that advice as well. The only ones I have found seem to be the same general shape as the Thermaltake Element Q.


Thank You
 
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Problem is most of those low-profile heatsinks blow down. He wants one that blows sideways. And that frostytech article is only for socket 775; he wants one for socket 1155.

I'm wondering if a water cooling system would work for you, but all their radiators are 120mm. Do you have an external 120mm (4.7 inch) fan you could replace with such a radiator?
 
only coolers that are low and reasonable generally leave you looking at the ones designed for rack mounted cases. You can get them, but take a lot of hunting. The last ones I purchased I had to order in from Asia.
 
A 90° HSF of such a small height will require a small fan, which will be both noisy and somewhat ineffective. A regular downward-facing 80mm Intel fan, or anything of better repute, is a better and cooler option. And judging from these two pics here (source: http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...sk=view&id=535&Itemid=61&limit=1&limitstart=5 )

Thermaltake_ElementQ_Installed1.jpg



Thermaltake_ElementQ_Installed2.jpg


The PSU sits right on top, so if it has a bottom 80mm fan, what little heat the processor produces can be easily exhausted by the PSU. It's like a double-whammy, rather than the half-a-whammy 60mm or lower, 90° HSF.
 
Hey Guys,

Frostytech is where I found that 3RSystem recommendation, I got all excited that I found a cooler at that height with at least a 80mm fan only to find out that they don't even sell in the US.

I actually considered some of the water cooled cpu coolers just based on how they are design because I figured I could just mount the fan at the back of the case, but yeah it was the 120mm fan that stopped that search. That would have been funny though, I would probably have been the only person on the planet water cooling a i3 2100T.

As mentioned I wanted an upright fan to be able to blow the air out of the case, if you look at the case design there are no vents at the top of the case, so I feel like the fan will be blowing hot air straight up. If possible I would rather have it blow toward a vent.

As mentioned I removed the power supply, so I have more room than the picture shown.

Thank you everyone for all of your responses, I will let everyone know if I find anything.
 
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