Noctua NH-D14 fit in Thermaltake V3 Black?

[Bardolph]

First time posting. I apologize if I missed stickies or searches that may have referenced my question, but here goes anyway:

I'm not an inexperienced system builder, but I'm relatively new to OC'ing. I recently pieced together a build for a new machine with the following specs:

Core i5-2500k (stock cooling for the moment)
8GB Corsair Vengeance DD3 1600(4gbx2)
ASUS P67 Mobo (model number is escaping me)
Thermaltake V3 Black case
Seasonic X750 PSU
EVGA GeForce GTX 260 (carry over from last build)

So just a few things:
I chose the PSU specifically because Seasonic rocks (or at least has for me for years) and for the modular build. This allowed me to justify buying the cheaper case - routing wires isn't a problem but still kinda meh. Airflow seems pretty good in the case (pictures will come soon).

I've stocked the V3 with the following fans:
3X - Scythe Gentle Typhoon -1450RPM (intake - front, bottom, VGA side panel)
1X - Scythe Slipstream - 1300 RPM (exhaust, rear)
1X - The stock fan that came with the case - probably crappy (exhaust, top)

Just for reference: Overall, my old video card seemed to struggle in the old build without the fans, and now it sits at load around 70 (still kinda high, but for how old the thing is and how much dust it's accumulated...I'm happy). Before the build, it would load around 90. This was much too high, I know, but this thing is a beast, and has stood up to some torture over the last 4 years.

So airflow certainly feels good in the case.

Stock temps at load in Prime95 appear to average between 70-75 (depending on the day). Not sure about the ambient temperature in the room, sorry.

Now that the specs and history are out of the way, my questions:

1.) Will the Noctua NH-D14 fit in this case? Will it have clearance with the side panel on? Does anyone have experience with this? Anything would help
2.) Assuming it does fit, with my airflow setup the way it is, how should I orient the new cooler? Exhaust towards rear or top?
3.) Does my setup sound okay or should I just junk the junk case and splurge for something better (I had flirted with the HAF 932 or Corsair 600T as a replacement) to accomplish an quality OC?
4.) Am I over ambitious with my setup to aim for a 4.5ghz OC with the selected cooler I'm thinking of getting along with the case/fan setup I am running?

Thanks in advanced for any input, and please ask questions if it will help. Sorry if my wall-o-text is too much. Probably should include a TLDR

 

[doz]

I dont believe the cooler will fit. I have a HAF 932 which is 1.5" wider than the TT V3. I only have about 1" of clearance with my D14. It would be very close and Im not saying it wont, but I wouldnt be comfortable buying that case w/ that cooler.

You generally should orient your cooler pushing the exhaust out the back 120mm port. Ive tried both and neither yielded results better than the other really though.

Id personally get a different case. A CM690 should do that cooler just find and isnt too expensive plus has good cable management. The other 2 cases you mention are great choices as well.

4.5ghz should be cake. I load at about 70c max w/ 24c ambient running 1.48v @ 4.9ghz on my i7-2600k.

 

[Knufire]

There's no reason to run a NH-D14 on a 2500K, the chip just doesn't output that much heat.

Get a cheaper, slightly smaller cooler. Hyper212+, Corsair A70, Cogage True Spirit/MUX-120, Dark Knight, etc. Anything in the $30-50 range should be good.

 

[doz]

What happens when you pump 1.4v+ through it? It heats up quite quickly then. Depends upon what kind of daily overclock you want to achieve though.

 

[trents]

No it will not fit. Your case is only 7.5" wide from outside to outside of the side panels. Every tower cooler with even a 120 mm fan needs a case 8" wide to clear the side panel and the D14 uses a 140 mm fan. You will have to move down to a 92 mm fan-based tower cooler if you stay with air. You might also consider one of the Corsair Hxx water kits.

 

[Bardolph]

I decided to go with the case suggested above,the CM690 II which had everything I really wanted save for a built in fan controller, which I will eventually opt to add later on the down the road. It was an inexpensive solution to the problem, and I figured this would help in the long run as airflow will never be optimal in my current case due to lack of wire routing space.

Thanks again for your help/convincing me to go with a better case. I'll (probably) be back for help when I get the D14 installed to ask questions about the overclock, but from everything I've read it seems pretty straight forward. My last question would be:

Should I use the included TIM that comes with the D14 or should I use Arctic Silver 5? I'll have both when the cooler arrives, so if anyone has any experience or input regarding that I'd be thankful.

 

[doz]

If you can, pickup something better than both. If you have a Fry's nearby, they have ShinEtsu thermal paste which is some of the best stuff Ive used (only think better is ICD 24k that Ive tried) and its not really expensive. You can pick it up for $7 for a small syringe and itll last multiple applications.

Otherwise, I really dont believe the Noctua stuff is that much worse than AS5. I know using Shin Etsu over AS5 got me about a 5c drop in temperatures and ICD24k gave me another 1-2c.

 

[Conumdrum]

AS5 is kinda old in the tooth.

Want info on TPaste tests?

Skinneelabs.com

 

[Bardolph]

I picked up the new case today, so I'm gonna go home and throw my parts in and get it setup the way I want. I know I should probably wait for my Noctua cooler...but I'm impatient. Plus I'd like to compare test results from the past few days in my old case to tests I'll run tonight and see what the tangible difference is straight up.

The first reviews I read about the case were all positive, but I continued reading today to find some reviewers saying that there was a problem with grounding in the front panel. Something about the front bezel not being grounded. Some were even saying that simply touching the front of the case with a static charged built up would cause restarts. Others saying plugging/unplugging devices into the front ports would cause a system crash or instant reboot. It seems pretty isolated (about 3% of the reviews) but that makes me hesitant. Probably shouldn't be worried...right?

Edit: I ordered some Shin Etsu X23-7783D. Overall, I'm pretty excited about getting everything in and seeing what the i5 can do. Too bad Frys didn't have either my cooler or TIM in stock Oh well, only a few more days!

 

[doz]

I never had an issue with my CM690 II having grounding issues. 3% of reviews out of how many also? I used my front ports all the time and never encountered an issue so you shouldnt be too concerned.

 

[Bardolph]

I figured as much. I read (skimmed) about 350 reviews and about 15 were negative with regards to that issue. I figured it was just an isolated instance. Just made me pause for a second and go "Hmmm"

I ripped the case out at work to examine it and I was overall excited for the potential. My only gripe so far (and this is so dumb) is tha tI want to rip the logo off the front.