Suggestion for CPU cooler that will fit my Antec NSK2400 case

[Hulk]

I'm building a HTPC using the Antec NSK2480 case. I measured it as about 130mm from metal side to side in the case. I realize that most sites list dimensions for the heatsinks but I'd trust advice on which ones will fit and do a good job more from members of this forum who have "been there done that."

I've ordered everything but the CPU cooler. It'll be a Asus P5VM motherboard and a E2460 CPU. I'm looking for a overclock around 2.66 to 3.0GHz. It's important that the system remain very quiet so I'm not going for a giant OC. So I'm looking for a good cooler that will fit in there and be very quiet as it goes about it's business.

Thanks for any suggestions.

I'm thinking about this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835106061 but am hoping I can find something good that's more around $30 or so.

 

[Zepper]

Is the thermalright ultima 90 too big?

.bh.

 

[WoodButcher]

The way the airflow is setup in that case I would opt for a cooler like zepper suggests, a down draft heatsink will not take advantage of this. I'll bet the ultima 90 if ducted to the side fan could be run fanless therefore more quiet.

 

[Zepper]

Maybe the Zalman CNPS7700-AlCu. I really like radial fin HSFs. Also check out the ZeroTherm line. I think several of those should fit and are quite popular. One advantage is that most seem to be in stock - seems pretty skimpy at Newegg on some brands.

.bh.

 

[DSF]

Ooops, double post.

 

[DSF]

I've heard the Scythe Ninja Mini works well in that case. You might even be able to run it passively.

 

[Hulk]

Originally posted by: DSF
I've heard the Scythe Ninja Mini works well in that case. You might even be able to run it passively.

Yeah that one looks good. Thanks.

 

[tenax]

i'd be very surprised if you could fit in a big typhoon without bending the lid the typhoon with fan is 128cm tall..then add the distance the mobo will sit off the standoffs plus the thickness of mobo and height of the cpu will be a factor as well. then you want space for airflow on top as well i assume. i have a silverstones htpc case that is 40 cm or about 1.5 inches taller than your case and i had a typhoon in it. it fit, but only gave me about an inch of clearance to the lid of the case so not much room for the fan to pull in air and push it down onto the cpu and components.

the mini ninja is a better bet at only 115cm high but is an ok not a great cooler with mixed reviews on it's performance. that's the ah heck with these htpc cases..just not very tall for the most part! don't think the companies have overclockers in mind when they build them

 

[Zepper]

You have to allow for the mobo too. You don't have nearly the entire 130mm for the HSF. Considering the mobo standoffs (1/4" usually), the thickness of the mobo, of the CPU socket and the CPU itself an I'm sure you'll end up with well under 100mm (4" ) of HSF space left...

.bh.

 

[tenax]

yeah, for reference, i have a 170mm high htpc case..my enzotech extreme is 143 mm plus including the heatsink and fan so there's just over an inch clearance to my lid. (it's shorter than my typhoon was so in hindsight, i figure my typhoon must have been right to the lid. i had an antec overture 2 htcp case before this. more the height of yours. a devil finding an aftermarket heatsink that would fit. i can overclock my 6400 from 2.13 to 3.2, but my processor will idle in the low 50s doing so. htcp cases just aren't built for severe overclocking in mind. i tend to run my 6400 at about 2.5 so i can keep the idle temps somewhat lower..and still have a super quiet system. temps at 2.5 overclock are about 42-44 at idle on the cores using coretemp or intel TAT program to read.

 

[WoodButcher]

If you wish to OC, this is the only option for an htpc case. That is an Aopen book pc, w/ a downdraft cooler. If you have cool air to the top of the case your good to go. Easy mod w/ a holesaw although I Installed a window and a second fan to cool the board and vid.

 

[Jhhnn]

The scythe ninja mini may fit, but I'd wait until the processor has been installed on the mobo to measure the clearance- the mini is 115mm tall... lay a straightedge across the case, measure the clearance...

Almost any of the flat radial fin zalmans will work w/o issues- only 67mm tall-

http://www.sharkacomputers.com/zacnled3.html

 

[Hulk]

Thanks for the info guys.

The parts came in for the HTPC build yesterday so after work it was PC building time.

I'm really impressed with the Antec NSK2480 case. There is good routing for the cables from compartment to compartment. Nice silicone isolation mounts for the drives. I also really like the 3 speed fan controller on each of the 120mm fans. I'm building with an Asus P5E-VM HDMI motherboard, 2GB OZC PC6400 memory ($40 hot deal), of course the Antec case which was a $45 hot deal, Western Digital 500GB drive, and an E2460 cpu.

The build went as easy as it could have. Booted on the first try and everything was working. The case fans and PS fan are virtually silent on low speed. The stock Intel fan is the loudest thing in the box even when running at min 1200rpm speed.

I set the Vcore at 1.35 and started messing around.
FSB 266 for 2.4 was no sweat.
FSB 333 and mult at 8 for 2.67 was no problem either.
FSB 333 and mult at 9 for 3.0 was okay but would only run Orthos for a few minutes before a restart. I'm not really concerned about getting a huge overclock since this PC is really meant to be quiet but I have a feeling it wasn't voltage that caused it to restart at 3.0 but rather heat as the Asus thermal monitor was showing about 53C and the Intel fan had cranked up to fill tilt.

The bottom line is that I was thinking of just going with the stock cooler but even if I keep it at 2.67GHz I want a better cooler in there.

 

[Binky]

I believe that the Mini Ninja ("Minja") was designed to just barely fit in this case. I hope this is true, because I have one sitting at home ready to go into my own NSK2480.

My HTPC is almost identical to yours but I have the slightly older (non-HDMI) P5E. Watch your HD temp - mine tends to run pretty warm. The CPU and motherboard both get excellent airflow even with the fans on low. Speedfan controls the CPU fan just fine so you should be able to quiet down that CPU fan.

I'll throw the Minja in this weekend. PM me to remind me to tell you if it fits.

One final FYI - I've run my 2160 between the stock 1.8ghz and 2.7ghz and I see virtually no difference in performance when using the computer only as an HTPC. HD-DVD and Blu-ray performance is about the same. I bought the Minja only for lower noise. If you can quiet the stock cooler enough with speedfan, you should save your cash and keep the relatively good stock cooler.

 

[NicePants42]

Zap confirms that the Ninja Mini fits in the NSK2480.