HSF for LGA 1150 in a mITX case?

[paperfist]

I'm looking for a quiet cooler for a LGA 1150 socket that will fit in a mITX case. The processor is a i5-4570T 35 watt.

I don't know what I was thinking, but I ordered a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO w/120mm fan. I must have read too many newegg reviews and just picked one. No way this monster will fit into the case unless I modify the top.

This PC runs 24/7 as a Quickbooks server.

Thanks for the help!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Did you plan on overclocking it? If not, then what's wrong with the stock Intel HSF? Does it fit?

 

[Termie]

What case are you using?

 

[Yuriman]

Intel stock cooler has great acoustics. Most cheap coolers will have noisier fans at low RPM, even if they can dissipate more watts.

If you want a step up from the stock cooler for whatever reason, Noctua's NH-L9i is a strong low-profile cooler. I've found I can take my i5 to 4.6ghz under Prime95 AVX load with it, which should be close to 150 watts (probably more than 5x what yours will draw), despite the cooler only being rated for ~95.

 

[Termie]

The reason I asked the OP what case he has is that height matters. While the NH-L9i is OK for very small cases, it's really only nominally better than the Intel stock cooler. Also, the picture above, which I've seen many times, is quite misleading. That's far from a standard ITX motherboard, and the angle at which they shot the photo makes the cooler appear to take up the entire board. It's just not a great representation of ITX cooling.

Here is the superior NH-L9x65 on a Z170 motherboard:

 

[Yuriman]

^ That's massive overkill for a 35w CPU, considering the L9i is capable of taking a 22nm "K" CPU to 4.5-4.6ghz under AVX loads.

Noctua only rates the L9i for 95w CPUs if you're not overclocking, but my testing found that it performed 15-20c better than the Intel stock cooler at similar noise levels.

 

[Yuriman]

A chart for comparison:

http://www.nikktech.com/main/images/pics/reviews/noctua/nh_l9x65/temps.jpg

48.7°c for the NH-L9x65
57.3°c for the NH-L9i
79.4°c for the Intel stock cooler

 

[Termie]

I've seen all the reviews. I've also tested it myself. That data is simply misleading, and the L9x65 is not massive overkill, it's the minimum he'd want to get both better temperatures and lower noise levels. The key is the larger heatsink that allows for much lower fan speeds than the NH-L9i.

The problem with the data you provide above is that no noise levels are associated with those temperatures. At those levels, the Noctua is far louder than the stock Intel fan. Essentially, it's meaningless for anyone interested in running a quiet system.

Here's some more complete data:

Full review: http://techbuyersguru.com/noctua-nh-l9x65-low-profile-cpu-cooler-review

Don't believe my data? Tom's Hardware was the first to debunk the common wisdom that Noctua's NH-L9i is vastly superior to the Intel cooler: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/noctua-nh-l9i-mini-itx-air-cooler,3967.html

 

[paperfist]

Did you plan on overclocking it? If not, then what's wrong with the stock Intel HSF? Does it fit?

No overclocking.

I bought a used CPU and it didn't come with a HSF. I guess I could order a stock one.

 

[paperfist]

What case are you using?

Lian Li PC-Q09FNB Mini ITX

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112359

This is basically an upgrade I'm doing to replace an AMD A-10 6700 w/16 GB RAM. I'm keeping the case and RAM and replacing the MB/CPU/HDs.

I'm using a ASRock B85M-ITX MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=ASRock-B85M-ITX-_-13-157-390-_-Product

 

[paperfist]

Intel stock cooler has great acoustics. Most cheap coolers will have noisier fans at low RPM, even if they can dissipate more watts.

If you want a step up from the stock cooler for whatever reason, Noctua's NH-L9i is a strong low-profile cooler. I've found I can take my i5 to 4.6ghz under Prime95 AVX load with it, which should be close to 150 watts (probably more than 5x what yours will draw), despite the cooler only being rated for ~95.

Thanks, I didn't see that fan while searching. All the Noctua's that claimed to fit were $60+.

The AMD I have now uses a Noctua NH-L9a and I can't even hear the thing run.

 

[Termie]

L9a and L9i are identical other than being for AMD vs. Intel. That's a fine option if you don't currently have the stock cooler. It's sure to fit in your Lian-Li case.

 

[paperfist]

L9a and L9i are identical other than being for AMD vs. Intel. That's a fine option if you don't currently have the stock cooler. It's sure to fit in your Lian-Li case.

Thanks.

Is there anyway I can change the latch mechanism on mine to accommodate the Intel design?

 

[Yuriman]

Thanks.

Is there anyway I can change the latch mechanism on mine to accommodate the Intel design?

Unlikely.

Also, thanks for your data, Termie. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are/were two different Intel stock coolers? A bigger/better one (copper base?) that shipped with higher-end parts? I know the cooler that shipped with my Ivy i5 is not the same as the part that shipped with my wife's Haswell i3.

^ Which part ships with the i5T CPUs? And, which one ships with Skylake non-K chips?

I assume those charts are comparing to the better Intel stock cooler - I wonder if anyone has done any comparison of the two.

It's a moot point though, since a "T" 35w CPU is going to be incredibly easy to keep cool and quiet.

 

[Termie]

Yes, I used the better Intel i7 cooler.

And yes, the L9i will be great for the OP, but I'd recommend using the low noise adapter included in the box to limit the RPMs.

 

[VirtualLarry]

^ Which part ships with the i5T CPUs? And, which one ships with Skylake non-K chips?

I assume those charts are comparing to the better Intel stock cooler - I wonder if anyone has done any comparison of the two.

It's a moot point though, since a "T" 35w CPU is going to be incredibly easy to keep cool and quiet.

Pretty irrelevant, since OP stated he bought the CPU used, without the stock HSF.

You can get a copper-cored Intel 115x heatsink for like $6 and up shipped on ebay. That's what I did for my overclocked G4400 CPUs.

 

[paperfist]

Pretty irrelevant, since OP stated he bought the CPU used, without the stock HSF.

You can get a copper-cored Intel 115x heatsink for like $6 and up shipped on ebay. That's what I did for my overclocked G4400 CPUs.

Thanks Larry. I might just do that. This upgrade was just meant as a hold over till PCI-E SSD goes mainstream.

Is Artic Silver still the go to goop for the HSF?

 

[Yuriman]

Nope. It's not bad, but there are better pastes. Idontcare did a roundup a few years back and found that Noctua's paste performed very well.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2285595&highlight=thermal+paste

Regarding SSDs, you can get an M.2 SSD today which will not be limited by the SATA interface. It looks like M.2 is going to be the new standard. I wouldn't bother with something that goes in a PCIe slot, when M.2 is effectively the same.

 

[paperfist]

Nope. It's not bad, but there are better pastes. Idontcare did a roundup a few years back and found that Noctua's paste performed very well.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2285595&highlight=thermal+paste

Regarding SSDs, you can get an M.2 SSD today which will not be limited by the SATA interface. It looks like M.2 is going to be the new standard. I wouldn't bother with something that goes in a PCIe slot, when M.2 is effectively the same.

Thanks for the chart.

That was my dilemma, I wanted to go with a M.2 SSD, but I would have had to go with cutting edge tech (on CPU/MB/RAM) and for something like a QB server it was kind of expensive. So I went down a couple of generations and just bought a SSD drive.

 

[Raduque]

Scythe Big Shuriken?
http://www.eteknix.com/scythe-big-shuriken-2-rev-b-low-profile-cpu-cooler-review/