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Air cooler for my i7 950?

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NikeYuusha

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Sep 22, 2008
I'm buying an i7 950 this week and I'm aiming for a 4Ghz OC, the problem is I have a Thermaltek V9 case and I heard that the Noctua NH-D14 does not fit in, I would appreciate any help in picking a good but "smaller" cooler (while staying in the same price range), thanks!
 
Edit: wow there is like five different styles of the same case model. With side fan/without side fan/with clear side/with two 120mm side fans. Why didn't they just name them different then. Anyway I assumed you have the large side fan when I posted below.

That side fan is what is going to cause your biggest problem. Even if you decided to go to a H50 or H70 it doesn't look like you would clear the side fan once the rad and fan where in place in the back. There is the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 but I don't know if it will allow you to get that much OC.
 
The sidefan is easily removable, but I'm still afraid that the Noctua NH-D14 may not fit, how does the Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme look?
 
The same height as the D-14 which is going to be your biggest problem with any high end tower cooler and a 8.2" wide case. Eye balling down the top of my case (perferrated top) my D-14 measuring 8" from side of case to top of cooler, you case is 8.2" so its just to close to call even if you did remove you side fan. If you notice most of the high end tower coolers will end up being right around 160mm tall.
 
what would be my second best option(s)? I'd like not to go over 80$, hwo does the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 compare to other coolers? how about Cooler Master V8?
 
I took the 250mm side fan off my Thermaltake Armor, and remounted it on the outside of the case to get more clearance inside. Kind of gives an industrial look to the case...I like it! More recently I also moved the top fan and rear fans to an outside mount as well to match the theme, and provide more cubic feet of space on the inside of the case. I also cut out the fan grills in those locations to improve airflow.

You can make it work if you want to. ;)
 
Jason, is this your case? does the Noctua fit perfectly if I remove the side fan? and how are you overall temps at your OC?
 
I took a portable grinder to the fan housing of the 250mm side fan on my TT armor. now, the venX fits inside with the fan running.
 
I'm a bit lost now, which do you think would work best overall? buying TT Armor, removing the side fan and installing Noctua NH-D14 or leaving the side fan on and installing Noctua NH-U12P? (someone reported that it fits with about 2 mm space away from the sidefan)
 
If you're going to buy a new case, there are much better options. i would go with a storm scout or a HAFif you're buying a new one.
 
my options are very limited, they mostly sell Thermaltake cases here and most of them are even overpriced (and importing a case costs more than the case itself). :(
 
NikeYuusha, look at it this way if you want to go to one of the higher performance tower coolers and you existing case could possibly hold it and you don't have a problem with relocating the side panel fan to the outside of the case why not just order the cooler you want, then if it will not fit the case get a different case.

This may save you the money of having to get a case. If your side fan has a wire guard then you could just relocate it to the other side of the fan once it is moved to the outside of the case.
 
Thanks guys, you do have a point, if the cooler doesn't fit in my case I'll just go with the Armor +. :D
 
Like a hole on a hood for a blower... hahaha!!!! Awesome idea! Maybe since it will only stick out a little a shaker 'hood' (side panel)
 
You can always hack a hole in the side panel so the cooler will fit :rock:

Yes, this is definitely a viable option. I ran into side clearance problems with an older Coolermaster case I have and my solution was to add a side window to it and using some oak that I made a frame out of to mount the plexiglass onto, which brought the case side out another 25-38 mm. Here are a couple of pics of the window mod I did for clearance (still were on imageshack).



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Uploaded with ImageShack.us
 
Jason, is this your case? does the Noctua fit perfectly if I remove the side fan? and how are you overall temps at your OC?

I have the Thermaltake Armor that has the 250mm side-fan...not sure which case you're referring to.


There may be some exceptions, but in general even these big coolers are designed to fit. The main issue that tends to pop up is that there may be a side fan, and if mounted internally it can reduce clearance and possibly interfere w/ the large tower HS's. You can either completely remove the side fan, or a better solution IMO is to just mount it externally.

The last time I looked at my temps they were excellent. Low Mid 30's idle, and upper 60's mid 50's under P95 load. But, I have also done a lot of work to maximize airflow in the case, and I'm using high-static pressure fans all over my case and on the HS.

If you want I can take a pic later when I get home so you can see how I mounted my fan.
 
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