In the middle of my gradual purchase of components for an i7 upgrade. The motherboard just arrived and just ordered the RAM. Decided about now was a good time to start choosing an aftermarket cooler, since I wouldn't trust the stock with an i7.
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118046&cm_re=lga_1156-_-35-118-046-_-Product[/url]
This Zalman horizontal copper-cooler has always impressed me with it's size and looks very popular among power-players and overclockers, but it's very difficult to judge how damn big the thing is.
This is my Tower case.
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068&cm_re=coolermaster_centurion-_-11-119-068-_-Product[/url]
Thing is, I'd normally consider a cheaper cooler than this, but I'd rather not compromise and regret it, and the cooler is about $20 cheaper than it usually is. I just can't buy it though, not without knowing with CERTAINTY if it can fit in the case. I'm aware I'll likely have to remove the case-panel's CPU-exhaust funnel, a feature of the case that normally allows vertically-based coolers and fans to send air from the CPU-fan straight out the side of the case. I'm betting more than likely that on top of being useless to the Zalman cooler's atypical horizontal airflow, the funnel would very easily collide with the cooler.
The specs on the case's width tell me it's 7.95" wide, not factoring in the space for the motherboard itself, but I get no specs on the size of the cooler at all.
Is this enough? Is this worth it? If not, what might you recommend for an i7 870 with an LGA 1156 socket?
It should, since the cooler is 15cm tall (~6in)
But if you have a mATX motherboard you might have some issues with RAM getting in the way
Also if you're not planning on overclocking the stock cooler is fine
Oh, well that's good news...
Nah, both my new and old motherboards are full ATX, so there's shouldn't be a problem. Lots of space to work with. I'll even get to keep my GTX460 on a lower slot due to the dual PCIe 2.0x16 slots I have, well out of the cooler's way.
In any case, I'll be glad to keep this CPU especially cool.
I recommend this, cheaper too. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142[/url]
Not sure if it'll fit in that case though...
Edit: I found this pic, so it should fit: [url]http://www.overclock.net/picture.php?albumid=1150&pictureid=7591[/url]
Whoa, that pic... Did someone take a picture of the guts of my tower without me knowing? lol
Seriously, same case, same motherboard, same PSU, everything else different.
Anyway, re-figured how big six inches was; astounded at how much smaller it was than what I originally perceived. Easily would fit within my case, no question.
Anikilol, thanks for the secondary option, but I think I'll go for the Zalman. That cooler looks impressive, but I hear some reviews complaining about the weight and the installation difficulty. No complaints about it's performance, but for me it looks and sounds like it'll be difficult on a maintenance level. For one thing you can scarcely see past the sink to the CPU below, making installation strenuous to undertake.
For another, I don't much care for how tightly knit and impassible the sink's plates are, nor for the direction they're in from the perspective of an open case. I've come very much to favor easy-dusting jobs, or ideally, coolers and components that are less likely to accumulate dust in the first place. Even the stock Intel cooler has it's sink-plates open-ended to face the case opening so you can easily take some dust-off and blast the dust from every crevice. Until recently, I sported an 8800GT by EVGA, and it was awesome. However, what ultimately killed it, despite regular dusting, was the casing over the card being a dust-trap. There was just some dust I could NEVER quite get rid of until the damn thing started to quit and I removed it. The enclosed design was too much, and inaccessible. Self-fulfilling prophecy.
By contrast, my GTX460 MSI Cyclone uses no such casing. It has metal pipes, a huge fan and a well-spaced sink that is all resistant to dust accumulation and exceedingly easy to clean if ever necessary.
These are things I very much have come to value. Why I like the Zalman design is not merely it's relatively painless installation, but look at those copper plates in the sink. Look at how well-spaced they are. That baby would be EASY to sweep dust from.
Now, is easier installation and easier maintenance worth an additional $15 to me? You betcha.
If you want slim and good performance, this is another good option: [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029[/url]
Woo, baby...
Just received my Zalman in the mail today. An impressive-looking piece of cooling equipment, and DAMN is this sucker heavy. Hehehe, it even warns against transporting the tower while the cooler is in, for fear it's weight might harm the motherboard.
Good deal is, it's definitely the proper size for my case, but I WILL need to do away with the side-panel's air funnel, not that the rear-flow design of the Zalman would have done the thing any good anyway. At least I'll be able to take off the panel without removing the tower from it's station now.
The system for latching it onto the board is delightfully simple. Screws, screws and more screws, easy to install or remove; no stupid barbed plastic spikes making me feel like I'm going to snap my board in half, like the Intel stock cooler. No jarring, no force necessary, just press or lift, and twist it in until firm.
And yeah, the copper tabs are sharp; to anyone thinking of getting one of these babies, handle with care, don't do a lot of sliding with those hands.
Comes with an odd extension to the CPUfan cable that eliminates noise by limiting the speed of the fan. Personally, I think it's pretty pointless unless the thing is unbearably noisy, but it's got a wide fan, so I doubt it'll be too bad. Either way I'd much rather have the thing capable of cooling as much as possible.
Came with some thermal paste, but I bought some ArcticSilver5 to go with it instead. Had to laugh upon seeing the tube. Barely an inch long, yet costs ten bucks. That's some expensive stuff. Bet it'll be worth it though.
Got work in a bit, but I'm going to test out the locking procedures when I get back.
Hey, just curious, but how would I figure out the bus speed of my motherboard? I've already bought it, but nothing I can find ever tells me anything about the bus speed of motherboards these days. Does that have a different name now? Is it irrelevant due to some improvement in technology? Is it linked with the RAM speed?
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.