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Mini ITX CPU Cooler

18K views 84 replies 18 participants last post by  davidm71 
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

Over the last few weeks I've been trying to find a CPU cooler for my new ITX build and I'm having some trouble with this. The case is the Silverstone sugo SG13 which is a tiny case. The case allows for the installation of an AIO unit but I do not want to go this route as I plan to transport the PC as a carry-on on a plane. Thus, I want to resort to an air cooler. I have about 70 mm in height of clearance for a cooler. In terms of the set-up, I will use a Noctua NF-F12 120 mm Fan for intake at the front. The air will then travel across the case to the CPU cooler. I plan to reverse the orientation of the CPU cooler fan so that it pulls air up into the PSU fan which is located directly above the CPU cooler. The hot air is then exhausted out the back of the PSU. A few members with this case and cooling set-up reported a nice decrease in temperature using this method. They used the Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B cooler with the fan flipped around. However, here in Canada, this cooler is around $120. I want something more in the $50 budget. For the CPU, I am using the i5 6600k but I do no not plan to OC the CPU. I just want it to stay nice and cool during gaming. I am also using a Silverstone SFX PSU to reduce the amount of clutter in the case to try and make the airflow from the intake fan as direct as possible. I am also going to use low profile DDR4 ram and either a GTX 970/980.

This is a picture of the planned set-up (taken from the SG13 thread here on OCN):

Code:

Code:
+-----------------+----------------------+
|  <= PSU airflow |                 <= | |
|  <=             |                 <= | |
|-----------------+                 <= | |
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                   <= | |
| _______________                   <= | |
| ^^\^^^^^^^^^/^^                   <= | |
|    \       /  <= Intake Airflow<= <= | |
+----------------------------------------+
To re-iterate:

I need a low profile CPU cooler that will not give me clearance issues, is 70 mm in height or shorter, around $50 Canadian, and can support the i5 6600k.

Many thanks.

Edit: This is the planned motherboard for this build:

Asus Z170I PRO GAMING (https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z170I-PRO-GAMING/)
 
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#3 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by kl6mk6 View Post

Here are some to check out, looks like they can all be reversed except the zalman.

ZALMAN CNPS8900

Phanteks

Cooler Master

RAIJINTEK PALLAS

EDIT: Here is a Tom's hardware fan roundup.

Eight Low-Profile CPU Coolers For Your Compact PC, Reviewed
Thanks for the response! The fan on the Zalman, like you said, cannot be flipped. The Phanteks was the cooler I originally wanted but it is too tall. I will look into the Cooler master and Raijintek options.
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#4 ·
Currently, I am leaning towards the Zalman CNPS8900 Quiet CPU Cooler since it looks like I won't have clearance issues with this cooler and it performs decently well. My only gripe is that I cannot flip the fan for better cooling performance.
 
#5 ·
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sp33d Junki3 View Post

NCIX.ca has what you need for $50. These are 68mm
http://www.ncix.com/detail/raijintek-pallas-cpu-cooler-lga-16-100812-1951.htm
http://www.ncix.com/detail/raijintek-pallas-black-cpu-cooler-6f-100813-1951.htm

Have you thought of liquid cooling.
If you are not going to OC, why get a 6600k?
You can save and get the 6500 or 6600.

Have you looked at the Fractal Design Core 500, which will give you much more room inside to fit anything and give superior cooling.
1) the Pallas might give me compatibility issues as it is quite large. It looks like it might block some connectors or slots.
2) I cannot use liquid cooling as I am transporting this case on a plane with me and I can't bring liquids on a plane
3) I am going with the 6600k for the potential of OC'ing. I may not OC now but I plan to in the future
4) the core 500 is large for what I want. I'm trying to fit powerful components in the smallest space I possibly can. Again, I am transporting this PC so size is important.
 
#7 ·
#8 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sp33d Junki3 View Post

Cryorig C7 http://www.cryorig.com/c7.php
Cooler Master GeminII M4 http://www.ncix.com/detail/cooler-master-geminii-m4-direct-92-72750.htm
Noctua NH-L9i http://www.ncix.com/detail/noctua-nh-l9i-lga1150-1155-1156-low-profile-4e-77370.htm

Some more options that will help.

I was looking at the Sugo and reading that the height of cpu cooler is 61mm http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=536
I can't find the C7 here in Canada. If it were between the Zalman CNPS8900 Quiet CPU, CM Gemini M4, Noctua L9i, or Noctua NH-L9x65, which would you guys pick? (If I missed any other compatible CPU coolers, please do include). I'm going for performance and relatively quiet operation under load (it doesn't have to be dead silent). Also, the 61 mm height restriction is with an ATX PSU, since I am using an SFX PSU, which is much shorter, I have more clearance (about 70 mm).
 
#9 ·
If you are going to get a GPU I suggest blower type to keep temps down inside system.
ASUS GeForce GTX 970 Turbo http://www.ncix.com/detail/asus-geforce-gtx-970-turbo-5c-108776.htm

If not go with the smallest 970 you can get.
Gigabyte GTX 970 OC http://www.ncix.com/detail/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-970-oc-6d-103049-1968.htm

Cant find the Noctua NH-L9x65, which would be a better choice over the Noctua L9i.
GeminII M4 would likely be the top choice here over the Zalman. As you can change the fan if you needed to.

try to use the most powerful140mm front fan for intake
 
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#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sp33d Junki3 View Post

If you are going to get a GPU I suggest blower type to keep temps down inside system.
ASUS GeForce GTX 970 Turbo http://www.ncix.com/detail/asus-geforce-gtx-970-turbo-5c-108776.htm

If not go with the smallest 970 you can get.
Gigabyte GTX 970 OC http://www.ncix.com/detail/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-970-oc-6d-103049-1968.htm

Cant find the Noctua NH-L9x65, which would be a better choice over the Noctua L9i.
GeminII M4 would likely be the top choice here over the Zalman. As you can change the fan if you needed to.

try to use the most powerful140mm front fan for intake
Thanks for the response! I plan to use a blower style GTX980. Also, I cannot use a 140 mm intake fan since the GPU is so long. Therefore, I plan to use a Noctua NF F-12 PWM fan as I've heard they're fairly good and I can find them here. I might consider the GeminII M4 if it's the best of my available options.
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#11 ·
Best I know of for this kind of application is Thermalright AXP-100, but no idea where you would find one in Canada.

I used one on my i7 920 @3.5GHz with no issues.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1347211/thermalright-axp-100-showed-up-today/0_20

As for GPU, I see no reason in hill to use a blower design. The case has 2x intake vents to draw cool air directly into GPU, and exhaust fan in top left, a CPU cooler pulling air up from motherboard and exhausting it into PSU mounted to draw air from inside of case instead of top, and an intake fan on right side of case with case fan speed controlled with same control used on GPU & GPU fans everything should be cool and quiet, .
 
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#12 ·
I have the Scythe Big Shuriken Rev. B in my htpc. The fan itself is a very thin profile and the cooler works well with the i3 I have. I doubt it would be great at keeping it cool with a moderate to high OC but it serves it's purpose well in my case. Last time I saw they were around $40 or so in US dollars. That said if you're set on Gemini or Noctua I doubt either of those units would let you down.
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#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

Best I know of for this kind of application is Thermalright AXP-100, but no idea where you would find one in Canada.

I used one on my i7 920 @3.5GHz with no issues.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1347211/thermalright-axp-100-showed-up-today/0_20

As for GPU, I see no reason in hill to use a blower design. The case has 2x intake vents to draw cool air directly into GPU, and exhaust fan in top left, a CPU cooler pulling air up from motherboard and exhausting it into PSU mounted to draw air from inside of case instead of top, and an intake fan on right side of case with case fan speed controlled with same control used on GPU & GPU fans everything should be cool and quiet, .
Thank you sir. While I have read about the AXP-100 before, I can only find it on Amazon for a price of $160 which does not seem correct at all. Therefore, I am going to say that this cooler is not readily available here. The GeminII 4 is one of the few that I can find. However, I need to examine the clearance for the DIMM slots (I'm using DDR4 low profile ram which has a height of about 31 mm). I need to ensure that no slots are blocked.

For the GPU, you are saying I can use an open air cooler for this case? I originally wanted to get the EVGA SC ACX 2.0 980 but I've read that the temperatures can go up to 75 degrees which is why I thought a blower might be better since the heat won't be going to my other components. However, an open air cooler is possible. Also, the set-up that you've mentioned is what I plan to use. Intake at the front, with the CPU pulling air up into the PSU and then exhausting the air out the back of the PSU. I just don't want anything to throttle or reach crazy temps.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by MythTFLfan29 View Post

I have the Scythe Big Shuriken Rev. B in my htpc. The fan itself is a very thin profile and the cooler works well with the i3 I have. I doubt it would be great at keeping it cool with a moderate to high OC but it serves it's purpose well in my case. Last time I saw they were around $40 or so in US dollars. That said if you're set on Gemini or Noctua I doubt either of those units would let you down.
thumb.gif
Thanks for the response! I have looked into the Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B but I cannot find it for a decent price here in Canada. In fact, it shows up for $124 on newegg.
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

As for GPU, I see no reason in hill to use a blower design. The case has 2x intake vents to draw cool air directly into GPU, and exhaust fan in top left, a CPU cooler pulling air up from motherboard and exhausting it into PSU mounted to draw air from inside of case instead of top, and an intake fan on right side of case with case fan speed controlled with same control used on GPU & GPU fans everything should be cool and quiet, .
I am confused on to what doyll is taking about for cooling for the GPU?
sugo SG13 only has 1 intake from the front, side to where GPU is to pull air in. There is no top exhaust, as that is for the PSU, which will be blocked. The other side a small spot, for the mobo, does nothing for GPU and small vents above GPU, which is not much.
So there is really not much in terms of exhaust and using blower GPU will exhaust heat outside case.

Canada has poor selection for coolers, so choice is limited.
 
#16 ·
#17 ·
The small right side will be mostly blocked by the CPU heatsink and the bracket.
Top will be blocked by the PSU. Only a little bit will be open.


You can see here the side is being blocked and the top has little clearance to vent above the PSU.
 
#18 ·
Just out of curiosity are you located near any of the lower 48 or AK or maybe have family there close by? Never realized how inflated or hard to find CPU coolers are for you guys..
mad.gif
Might be easier to source one if you have family here.
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by MythTFLfan29 View Post

Just out of curiosity are you located near any of the lower 48 or AK or maybe have family there close by? Never realized how inflated or hard to find CPU coolers are for you guys..
mad.gif
Might be easier to source one if you have family here.
Will still be bad, you have to factor the high exchange rate now. $50US = $65 CAD. Plus add shipping is just not worth it.
 
#20 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sp33d Junki3 View Post

Will still be bad, you have to factor the high exchange rate now. $50US = $65 CAD. Plus add shipping is just not worth it.
This is exactly the issue. The exchange rate is not very good right now. It looks like the Cooler Master GeminII M4 is one of my only options. It should fit in this case and I can find it here. I'm not sure if this will make THAT much of a difference, but I can swap the stock fan with a Noctua NF F-12 as I'll be just under my 70 mm height restriction.
 
#21 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sp33d Junki3 View Post

The small right side will be mostly blocked by the CPU heatsink and the bracket.
Top will be blocked by the PSU. Only a little bit will be open.


You can see here the side is being blocked and the top has little clearance to vent above the PSU.
With front intake, GPU intake, about half of right side intake, leave the mobo I/O cover off the back, and about a third of top exhaust as well as PSU intake inside of case as exhaust I think it will be fine. On the other hand the front as exhaust be work better using I/O opening in back, the right side, as intakes with GPU pulling in air through left side while using front and PSU as exhaust might work better. Would need to do a little testing to be sure what is best.
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

With front intake, GPU intake, about half of right side intake, leave the mobo I/O cover off the back, and about a third of top exhaust as well as PSU intake inside of case as exhaust I think it will be fine. On the other hand the front as exhaust be work better using I/O opening in back, the right side, as intakes with GPU pulling in air through left side while using front and PSU as exhaust might work better. Would need to do a little testing to be sure what is best.
My question is, would there be a disadvantage with going blower style GPU? I'm just imagining it as, more heat is coming into my case by using an open style cooler. I am no cooling expert though so I'm not sure.
 
#23 ·
You could change fan, but doubt that will make a big difference.
That will leave 1mm of space if went with Noctua fan. Cooler is 44mm in height plus 15mm fan.

GPU fan noise would be louder from blower and temps higher than open cooling. But will leave less heat inside case.

Doyll the right side vent and I/O is not much or enough for the GPU heat to be affect. Those areas are blocked by the PSU and cpu heatsink.
There is very little room to work or move around with in the case already. Airflow is very limited in there.
 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Waleh View Post

This is exactly the issue. The exchange rate is not very good right now. It looks like the Cooler Master GeminII M4 is one of my only options. It should fit in this case and I can find it here. I'm not sure if this will make THAT much of a difference, but I can swap the stock fan with a Noctua NF F-12 as I'll be just under my 70 mm height restriction.
Not sure how the GeminII M4 and AXP-100 compare. Very little has been tested with fans puuling rather than pushing .. or actually monitoring actual cooler intake air temperature rather than the room temp. At a guess looking at images of GeminII M4 compared to AXP-100 the AXP-100 has more pipes and better construction so would assume it cooles better.
You can get the AXP-100 Muscle in USA delivered for $49.95 USD. So if you know someone near the boarder who could get it, than pick it up from them ...
 
#25 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sp33d Junki3 View Post

You could change fan, but doubt that will make a big difference.
That will leave 1mm of space if went with Noctua fan. Cooler is 44mm in height plus 15mm fan.

GPU fan noise would be louder from blower and temps higher than open cooling. But will leave less heat inside case.

Doyll the right side vent and I/O is not much or enough for the GPU heat to be affect. Those areas are blocked by the PSU and cpu heatsink.
There is very little room to work or move around with in the case already. Airflow is very limited in there.
I just like the idea of having a GPU that doesn't affect the heat of other components (AKA blower GPUs)
biggrin.gif
. Airflow is definitely limited in this little guy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by doyll View Post

Not sure how the GeminII M4 and AXP-100 compare. Very little has been tested with fans puuling rather than pushing .. or actually monitoring actual cooler intake air temperature rather than the room temp. At a guess looking at images of GeminII M4 compared to AXP-100 the AXP-100 has more pipes and better construction so would assume it cooles better.
You can get the AXP-100 Muscle in USA delivered for $49.95 USD. So if you know someone near the boarder who could get it, than pick it up from them ...
I do have family that I visit in the USA. My question is, will I be blocking any DIMM slots with this cooler and potentially the PCI-E slot? I need to make sure it is fully compatible if I am buying from the US. Again, my MB is the Asus Z170i Pro Gaming (https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Z170I-PRO-GAMING/). The RAM I am using is around 31 mm in height.
 
#26 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Waleh View Post

My question is, would there be a disadvantage with going blower style GPU? I'm just imagining it as, more heat is coming into my case by using an open style cooler. I am no cooling expert though so I'm not sure.
Blower style GPUs are known for running hotter and making much more noise than others.

Conventional GPUs use 2x 90mm fans for a maximum possible flow of about 60cfm .. about the same as a 140mm fan in front as exhaust.
CPU cooler uses approx 50cfm. PSU removes all of that no problem.
 
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