Smallish cooler for 4770K

[Knavish]

I just decided to move my main computer guts (i7-4770, Asrock Z87 mATX, Sapphire R9 280) into my existing (old) Lian Li PC-v351. I really should ditch this case because it is such a pain to work in, but I still like the way it looks.

I've been using the stock HSF on my 4770, but I am frustrated with the push pins. The HSF unseated when installing the board into the case, and so I am in the market for something better. My priority is silence over performance.

Historically, I think people have used the Scythe Mini Ninja in these cases, but it is discontinued. It uses an 80 mm fan and has dimensions of 110 x 110 x 115 mm. Can anyone suggest something similar? The height dimension of ~115mm (~4.5 inches) is the main constraint on size.

Thanks!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I just decided to move my main computer guts (i7-4770, Asrock Z87 mATX, Sapphire R9 280) into my existing (old) Lian Li PC-v351. I really should ditch this case because it is such a pain to work in, but I still like the way it looks.

I've been using the stock HSF on my 4770, but I am frustrated with the push pins. The HSF unseated when installing the board into the case, and so I am in the market for something better. My priority is silence over performance.

Historically, I think people have used the Scythe Mini Ninja in these cases, but it is discontinued. It uses an 80 mm fan and has dimensions of 110 x 110 x 115 mm. Can anyone suggest something similar? The height dimension of ~115mm (~4.5 inches) is the main constraint on size.

Thanks!

This is "just off the top of my head" with no real research. First of all, I'm guessing your 4770 i7 is NOT a K chip? I'll assume as much.

I'd look at Noctua, although there are several other manufacturers that produce a "low-profile cooler. For instance, look at this:


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608025

or this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608029

I'm just a tad skeptical about the second one: it's "highly recommended" for HTPC builds.

Do a bit of research about the thermal energy the 4770 will generate and the cooler that fits both the requirement and your need.

After that, I'd think it's a "done-deal." I wouldn't bother trying to OC a non-K i7-4770.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Now that I look again, it's not certain whether you mean "K" or "non-K." But if you're going to run it at stock settings -- a low-profile cooler should be available and likely the first of those I linked would do the job . . .

 

[Essence_of_War]

Historically, I think people have used the Scythe Mini Ninja in these cases, but it is discontinued. It uses an 80 mm fan and has dimensions of 110 x 110 x 115 mm. Can anyone suggest something similar? The height dimension of ~115mm (~4.5 inches) is the main constraint on size.

According to Lian-Li, the case has 115mm clearance for CPU coolers. I'm super leery of 80/92mm fans, they will probably be neither quiet nor perform particularly well. If you can get something low-profile that's a little larger, like say, the Scythe Big Shuriken for $35, that uses a 100mm fan, but fits into <65mm of vertical clearance, I think you'd be doing pretty well.

Noctua has an NH-L12 for $70 that uses a 120mm+92mm fans and fits into <95mm clearances with both fans, but I just don't know if that will perform well enough, either thermally or acoustically, to justify the nearly doubled cost.

Tom's hardware seems to think very highly of the Zalman CNPS8900 for $27 AR (I'd go with the quiet edition). I've never really been a huge fan of the look, but it did really well in their round-up that included the Big Shuriken and the NH-L12. It also fits into <65mm.

 

[AntonioHG]

I had a Noctua C12P in my girlfriend's case, but it was a bit tall to be able to slide the motherboard tray in without some tilting and twisting without the fan on. After it was in place, I could then add the fan through the open side.

The NH-L12 should be fine even with the fan installed.

 

[Knavish]

Thanks for the advice people! The Noctuas look nice but I'm still wondering if a heatsink can really be worth $70 vs. that sub-$30 Zalman. I did get the 4770K (via Microcenter) so I could play with overclocking, but haven't done it yet. I not planning on trying to get a maximum overclock out of the chip, but I suppose the Noctua is a bit more efficient. Hrm... I'll think about it overnight.

 

[colorblind]

I would go with the Noctua NH-U12 S it is approx. $66 on Amazon now. It also is PWM so you can control the fan speed with your motherboard.

 

[Essence_of_War]

I would go with the Noctua NH-U12 S it is approx. $66 on Amazon now. It also is PWM so you can control the fan speed with your motherboard.

The NH-U12S is a great CPU cooler.

It is also ~160mm tall. The case in question has 115mm clearance for CPU coolers.

 

[AntonioHG]

I would go with the Noctua NH-U12 S it is approx. $66 on Amazon now. It also is PWM so you can control the fan speed with your motherboard.

So here's a pic of the NH-C12P in this case and this is the space/clearance the OP is talking about:

As for whether or not it would be worth it, I dunno. At the time, I had an X58 and a 5770 stuck into this little case and it would get toasty in there. You definitely have a more efficient build, so it might not be worth buying an expensive cooler for a degree or two difference.

That said, you are getting a better heatsink with an easier mounting system, good thermal compound and a really good replaceable set of fans with the Noctua. I typically buy the most expensive thing (heatsinks) and reuse, lol, so the C12P is in my friend's PC still doing its thing after all these years.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Is that the C12P? Or the L12?

Edit: I think your edit answered me, it looks/sounds like the C12P.

 

[Automaticman]

There's also the NH-C14 that has a pair of 140mm fans and a 105mm height, but is a bit more at $84.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-020-_-Product

If you're not overclocking, it might be a bit overkill.

Honestly any of the Noctua's should be fine for stock speeds, I'd don't think I'd worry about noise with any of them.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Thanks for the advice people! The Noctuas look nice but I'm still wondering if a heatsink can really be worth $70 vs. that sub-$30 Zalman. I did get the 4770K (via Microcenter) so I could play with overclocking, but haven't done it yet. I not planning on trying to get a maximum overclock out of the chip, but I suppose the Noctua is a bit more efficient. Hrm... I'll think about it overnight.

It boils down to what your intentions are when you build the system. If you "change your mind," you may spend more money unnecessarily to replace the cooler. The coolers we've mentioned here for their low profile aren't the ones I'd pick for any serious overclocking (although someone mentioned a Noctua "tower" model which proved well in lab tests with high ratings.)

Air coolers are very simple devices, but whether air or water, the measure of effectiveness -- other than load test temperatures, room ambient and idle temperature comparisons -- is "thermal resistance" or inversely thermal conductivity. Those single numbers are manifest in the temperature comparisons.

If I bought parts with intention to "seriously" over-clock, I wouldn't worry about selecting a cooler that was "low-profile," and I'd choose my case carefully for either air or water cooling.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Thanks for the advice people! The Noctuas look nice but I'm still wondering if a heatsink can really be worth $70 vs. that sub-$30 Zalman. I did get the 4770K (via Microcenter) so I could play with overclocking, but haven't done it yet. I not planning on trying to get a maximum overclock out of the chip, but I suppose the Noctua is a bit more efficient. Hrm... I'll think about it overnight.

No problemo. I would believe that the Noctua L12 performs better than the Big Shuriken. I would not believe that its increase in performance was comeasurate with its increase in cost. If your budget is tight, I think the Shuriken or the Zalman are your best bet for price/perf.

If you want to try really push the OC, you'll probably need a bigger case that can fit a nicer tower cooler, or you could consider a liquid cooling solution. You MIGHT be able to a 120mm AIO into this case, but I doubt it, it looks really tight.

 

[AntonioHG]

No problemo. I would believe that the Noctua L12 performs better than the Big Shuriken. I would not believe that its increase in performance was comeasurate with its increase in cost. If your budget is tight, I think the Shuriken or the Zalman are your best bet for price/perf.

If you want to try really push the OC, you'll probably need a bigger case that can fit a nicer tower cooler, or you could consider a liquid cooling solution. You MIGHT be able to a 120mm AIO into this case, but I doubt it, it looks really tight.

It's possible, but mounting it requires some creative work with zip ties. This guy did it with some drilling and Noctua rubber fan mounts. I did it by just letting it sit in the case... That X58 drove me nuts with the temps, but in the end I just settled on using the NH-C12P.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1449816

 

[Knavish]

Thanks for the pic, gradoman. I've realized that spending the extra money on the Noctua is worth it -- I need to do it right the first time due to a lack of spare time these days! Thanks to Amazon Prime, I'll have it on Saturday.

 

[Essence_of_War]

Nice, let us know how the build goes.