After Market CPU Coolers

[teknology9]

Hello All,

I have a GA-790FXTA-UD5 mobo and was wondering which CPU cooler you would recommend. I have seen on the Noctua site that the NH-U12P is compatible but the fan is very close to the first ram slot. Is it possible to populate the white slots only without any effect on system performance?


Thanks,


Teknology9

[jolphil]

Hi,
There are loads to choose from out there..I chose the Scythe 2100 Mugen HS because it was versatile while still providing maximum cooling.
By versatile I mean the provided Fan is attached by wire clips that allow it to be removed and or rotated 90 degrees if so desired..
This thing is huge, so be careful you have enough room to mount it and position the fan..It is a super passive cooling system for the CPU but be advised that with many after market CPU coolers you must pay attention to how the air flows so as not to decrease air to the
Northbridge cooling heatsink..I can remove the fan and play with my memory slots if I need to, without removing the entire CPU cooler..To me that is a very big advantage..
Goodluck on your quest..
Jolphil

[absic]

Hi there,

I use the Noctua NH-D14 cooler on my own system and I have to say that it does a really good job!

How you can install this cooler or others like it will really depend on your RAM modules. If, like me, you have something like Corsair Dominator modules, the fins on the top of the modules will cause a real problem. Luckily I could remove mine but I don't think that is possible with the newer Vengence modules or with other makes. If your RAM is of a standard design, without fins, then you will normally find no problems keeping the RAM where it is. If, on the other hand your RAM does have a larger profile, due to the fins, then you can safely move them to the other slots usually without impacting on system performance.

If you check out this post: http://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php/topic,3619.0.html about page 6-7 I show how to replace the cooler and it might help give you some idea of what is involved.

Another thing to consider before buying a cooler is..... will it fit in your PC case! I know this sounds silly but believe me, I have seen this kind of basic mistake so often you wouldn't believe it.

[teknology9]

Hello, thanks for the reply.

I have the Corsair Phenom Dominatior memory,8gb, populating the 4 memory slots, I was told by a tech if I take the cooling fins off the memory will burn up. I think I will have enough space as I have the NZXT Phantom case, I like the Noctua coolers and and don't want to risk damaging any components.


Teknology9

[Wonderwrench]

Hello, thanks for the reply.

I have the Corsair Phenom Dominatior memory,8gb, populating the 4 memory slots, I was told by a tech if I take the cooling fins off the memory will burn up. I think I will have enough space as I have the NZXT Phantom case, I like the Noctua coolers and and don't want to risk damaging any components.


Teknology9

How hot is your CPU getting under load aka do you really need a better cooler. BTW DDR 3 normally runs cool at stock voltage so if the heat spreaders are removable it is an option as long as you are using default ram voltage. Will most likely void the warranty though. Another good option would be to use water cooling such as the Corsair Hydro Series coolers. http://www.corsair.com/cooling/hydro-series.html

Bill

[teknology9]

Hello Bill,

The temp is around 45 - 48 acording to easy tune 6.....I think!!! I have considered water cooling, both Corsair and CoolIT, but do water and electrics go together or may be I prefer air. I thought about the Corsair H60 but really want to fit the Noctua NH-U12P.

[absic]

Hi there,

Don't know who is feeding you information about RAM modules burning up but I have been running mine without the cooling fins, without an issue for well over 18 months! Just make sure you have enough cool air blowing through your chassis and you'll be OK.

The AMD Stock coolers do let the CPU's run a little on the toasty side and that was the main reason I switched to the Noctua. I saw an immediate drop in CPU temps and am currently running at around 25 - 30C depending on what I'm using the PC for.

[teknology9]

Hello absic,

What size allen key do you use and where would I get one from? I think I would just have to take the one fin off, though the fan is still close to the ram. I think Noctua recommend a 40mm clearance....but dont quote me on that!!!

[absic]

Not sure what size the key was to be honest but it is about 1.5 mm (just measured it with a ruler!)
Not sure where you are in the world but if you know a friendly car mechanic he would probably have one. If you are looking to buy then any good hardware shop, car, motorbike or cycle spares supplier would have them.

[teknology9]

Thanks for that, I'll try and locate one or lend one.


Best of British

[Dark Mantis]

Somebody was yanking your chain there about the expolding ram! In noraml use memory doesn't tend to get very hot at all, in fact a lot of the lower end modules don't even come with heatspreaders. It is only when highly overclocked that cooling becomes an issue.

[RQuallsJR]

I use a cooler master V8 and have no problems with my memory sticks. If you want to cool your memory sticks at the same time Try the V10 it fits over your prossor and Memory  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103056

[autotech]

Since no one mentioned it i use a zalmann 9700 and rarely get above 30c at an overclock of 3.8 with a 1090t. I used to have it at 4.2 for a few months then took it back to 3.8 as it seemed the performance gain was minimal. Thats a .6 oc on a 3.2 processor and i think staying below 30c is great.


See specs below for a idea of how cramed my case is. Though i still have room for 1 more dvd drive and about 3 hard drives and 1 more video card of the size i have the 6970 video card is huge if i got another one i would have to put it in 3rd slot down to use it.

[Dark Mantis]

Yes the 6970 is a bit of a monster isn't it. I have the same card and without the cowling on, as I watercool mine, it doesn't seem quite so enormous. I have the HAF932 case which is also very big but it only just fitted before I watercooled it.

[RatsAss]

Hello All,

I have a GA-790FXTA-UD5 mobo and was wondering which CPU cooler you would recommend. I have seen on the Noctua site that the NH-U12P is compatible but the fan is very close to the first ram slot. Is it possible to populate the white slots only without any effect on system performance?


Thanks,


Teknology9

I had the Arctic freezer extreme rev 2 on my 790 FXT board. It must be similar to the FXTA board.

I replaced the stock cooler because of the noise it made.

This cooler is huge. The distance between the cooler and the first ram slot must be 2 mm. Tight fit.

You can see if you zoom in on the pic. (sry for darkness)

Temps dropped 8-10 degrees. Also silent at any temp.

Reviews said this cooler wasnt the best for heavy overclocking. I dont need to overclock,all games play extremely well. 

But if you are looking for silence and ease of installation,this one is good.

I have it on my i7 now and it does its job without issues.  Tight fit here aswell,but it fits.