1st AMD 8320 build.cant decide on a cooler

[pnnf]

Hi all,

I am currently trying to get a parts list together for an AMD build that I want to do. The build will be for more of an entertainment/HTPC set up. I am going to use it for full 1080p file playback, HD online streaming, Blueray dvd playback, might get into some lite gaming and will need it for video encoding and rendering. I am on a budget which is why I chose to go with AMD. Knowing (after reading many threads) that the AMD's are hot im trying to figure out which cooing set up to go with. Heres a list of the build list so far:

-Silverstone GD08 HTPC case
-2 Fractal Design Silent Series R2 80mm (for unsupplied rear of case)
-ASUS SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0
-AMD FX-8320 Vishera
-CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB)(PC3 15000)9-10-9-27,Latency 9,Voltage 1.5V
-SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100364VXL Radeon R9 270X
-CORSAIR RM Series RM750 750W
-WD Green 4/6TB drives
---Will run Vista 64...may upgrade the OS later

Ive added some pics of the case.It looks like it would have good airflow. I have a few coolers in mind. I was thinking of the Corsair H60 water cooler but there isnt really room for it (Came across pics of guys having to cut the front drive bays or hang it outside the case). So that has led me to 4 other choices. They are about the same price. I just dont know given the case layout which would be best. Like the height fitting into the case and fan layout to move the hot air.Like the Noctua NH-L12 seems to be a good pic but not having an open exhaust port above it would it be any good? Anyway here are the pics and the list of coolers are at the bottom. Id really appreciate any help you guys can give.Thanks~

This last pic shows where the NH-L12 would blow into a closed top. Heres what I am thinking of:

Be Quiet Dark Rock 3


Noctua NH-U14S


Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK


Noctua NH-D14


Thanks again guys. If not these what do you recomend?Thanks again~

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

Well I have the same exact case. Using a MICRO ATX board I was able to stuff in a 2x120 Swiftech Rad/Res and blocks on the CPU/GPU. You just get rid of the 2x120 fans near the CPU and use the fans/rad as exhaust. Totally silent and even overclocked.

There really is no reason to run a full ATX Mobo in a HTPC.

 

[pnnf]

Well I have the same exact case. Using a MICRO ATX board I was able to stuff in a 2x120 Swiftech Rad/Res and blocks on the CPU/GPU. You just get rid of the 2x120 fans near the CPU and use the fans/rad as exhaust. Totally silent and even overclocked.

There really is no reason to run a full ATX Mobo in a HTPC.

Thanks for the fast reply. Ill have to look into what a Swifttech is,sorry ive never heard of them. would i need to run my own tubes with a reservoir and then fill it? Not sure I want to go that route,if so. I like that board for the fan headers and thermal control features also the spdif out. i may be adding a tuner card of some sort. liked the idea of extra slots for just in case options. Is there a board you would recommend? Also, what did you do with the 2 80mm fans at the back,are they intake? How do you like the case? Thanks again~

Ok, just found out about Swifttech.I dont trust myself enough to build my own water cooler. How about this one? The Cooler Master Nepton 240M,looks like a winner. Do you think it would fit in the configuration you mentioned,using this in place of the exhaust fans? Wonder if it would clear the rear of the optical drive,rear fans and motherboard edge......

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

It is just a brand name. Swiftech. Been around for a long time. ANyway they have a Radiator/Res combo.

http://www.swiftech.com/MCRx20-QP.aspx

It is not as good as a big res but in a media/htpc build it should be just fine. You can also find them far cheaper than the price they list on the site.

The MCP50 or MCP350 are great small pumps and fairly inexpensive.

The water setup is obviously going to cost you more than a nice Heatsink/Fan...but it is worth the cost IMO.

I run a Q9650 in my HTPC overclocked to 4Ghz with a 6970 oc'd as well.

 

[krusha03]

There really is no reason to run a full ATX Mobo in a HTPC.

The thing is there is no 970 / 990 / 990FX matx board

Thanks for the fast reply. Ill have to look into what a Swifttech is,sorry ive never heard of them. would i need to run my own tubes with a reservoir and then fill it? Not sure I want to go that route,if so. I like that board for the fan headers and thermal control features also the spdif out. i may be adding a tuner card of some sort. liked the idea of extra slots for just in case options. Is there a board you would recommend? Also, what did you do with the 2 80mm fans at the back,are they intake? How do you like the case? Thanks again~

If you don't want to make your own custom loop you may look into all in one water cooling system but you may need to mod the case a bit to fit in the radiator

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

The thing is there is no 970 / 990 / 990FX matx board

I didn't believe you...but you are correct. WTF Mobo Makers !

So I had to research this a little.

The Asus M5178L-M/USB3 Micro ATX mobo will accept 8xxx series chips with a bios update. But this isn't the best solution...so I guess ATX is the only way to go if you want more features that aren't supported.

 

[krusha03]

I didn't believe you...but you are correct. WTF AMD!

I was looking for one for myself and that's how i found out

 

[newtekie1]

I'm kind of one to be crazy, so I'd got with the H60. I'd mount it, fanless, up at the top of the motherboard where that one fan is now, or in the blank space next to it. Then I'd put every single fan in the rest of the case blowing in. That should force plenty of air through the H60 rad to keep it cool.

I didn't believe you...but you are correct. WTF AMD!

It isn't really AMD, it is the board makers. Once the 900 Chipsets hit they just kind of gave up on mATX for AM3+.

I think they pretty much figure FM2+ is the better market for mATX boards(and I kind of agree).

 

[pnnf]

cool, ill look at that board as well. did you see the edit to my last response. i was looking at the Cooler Master Nepton 240M.what do you think?

 

[xvi]

It shouldn't cost too much to get silence. I'd nab an inexpensive heatpipe cooler (I really liked my Xigmatek S1283, but just about anything here will work). If you want to spend a little more, a closed loop AIO cooler like the one you linked above should do the trick nicely. Even a 120mm one should do fine at stock speeds.

For heatpipe tower coolers, one of the ones I see people talking about a lot is the Cooler Master Hyper212 Plus/Evo. It's typically about $35 and a generally excellent cooler. I bought one for a friend once and he hasn't complained.

 

[peche]

Ok, just found out about Swifttech.I dont trust myself enough to build my own water cooler. How about this one? The Cooler Master Nepton 240M,looks like a winner. Do you think it would fit in the configuration you mentioned,using this in place of the exhaust fans? Wonder if it would clear the rear of the optical drive,rear fans and motherboard edge......

I haven't got the chance for using coolermaster's liquid solutions, but I can recommend you swiftech or thermaltake liquid cooling solutions , they are pretty good units … XSPC for custom loops, but a custom loop would need maintenance like purge the loop and replace coolant, otherwise AIO, Closed loops as Thermaltake, corsair and cooler master popular options won't need, swiftech and thermaltake also have parts for custom loops as XSPX EKW or other popular brands may offer,

Thermaltake units are made by asetek, some corsair, intel and AMD AIO are too… so they have a pretty good warranty.

 

[pnnf]

I haven't got the chance for using coolermaster's liquid solutions, but I can recommend you swiftech or thermaltake liquid cooling solutions , they are pretty good units … XSPC for custom loops, but a custom loop would need maintenance like purge the loop and replace coolant, otherwise AIO, Closed loops as Thermaltake, corsair and cooler master popular options won't need, swiftech and thermaltake also have parts for custom loops as XSPX EKW or other popular brands may offer,

Thermaltake units are made by asetek, some corsair, intel and AMD AIO are too… so they have a pretty good warranty.

thank you.ill look at that one.i started out looking at air but i think im making it more complicated than it needs be.

 

[ZenZimZaliben]

]

It isn't really AMD, it is the board makers. Once the 900 Chipsets hit they just kind of gave up on mATX for AM3+.
I think they pretty much figure FM2+ is the better market for mATX boards(and I kind of agree).

Yeah I edited that prior to you posting. I realize it isn't AMD but the manufacturers of the motherboards fault.

 

[krusha03]

thank you.ill look at that one.i started out looking at air but i think im making it more complicated than it needs be.

I am not really a guru on watercooling but i have heard good things about corsair h105 / h110 so look into those as well

 

[peche]

thank you.ill look at that one.i started out looking at air but i think im making it more complicated than it needs be.

its not complicated dude, also AIO's are good because they don't require maintenance, AIO, closed loop are affordable, a little bit expensive compared with some high end air coolers but they are silent, ready to go and maintenance free, universal socket compatibility and also refeill free!

they are easy to install and ready to use,

 

[xvi]

In my experience, air towers can be about the same performance, same noise and a bit less cost as water. I'd recommend a good air cooler over a water cooler, but I wouldn't stop someone from getting one if they wanted one. Peche's list of pros/cons is pretty spot on. Only thing I'd add is that it's easier to pack higher-end cooling in to smaller cases since you have the ability to move the cooling surface wherever you like.

Maintenance-wise, AIOs can still leak and die. They're maintenance free until they die in which case you either throw it out or tear it up and try to repair it. They become a pain to refill too.

 

[peche]

good point @xvi ,

 

[pnnf]

Thank you all for trying to help me figure it out. Ive been looking allot at the case and water cooling options. If i did Water it would be clc. I just dont see it being possible with the room i am given in this case.If nothing else I have learned that it will be a high end air cooler like nactua or Phantech.Now i just need to figure out the heights and what will fit.

 

[pnnf]

Thank you all for trying to help me figure it out. Ive been looking allot at the case and water cooling options. If i did Water it would be clc. I just dont see it being possible with the room i am given in this case.If nothing else I have learned that it will be a high end air cooler like nactua or Phantech.Now i just need to figure out the heights and what will fit.

the four i posted at the beginning seem to get high marks. i think it will be one of those...

 

[pnnf]

ok the site says the height limit for the cpu cooler is 138mm. now if i knew which number was the height on the fan measurements id start to figure this mess out.

 

[peche]

case model?

Regards,

 

[Norton]

You're probably limited to tower coolers with 92mm fans Max! Those big ones you posted won't fit....

This Silverstone AR-02 will fit that case:
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=421&area=en

 

[newtekie1]

If the max cooler height is 138mm then it looks like you'll be stuck with 92mm coolers if you go with a tower style cooler. They won't be great, but it will be a lot better than the stock cooler.

This would be a decent choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103064

 

[pnnf]

case model?

Regards,

Silverstone GD08

 

[xvi]

ok the site says the height limit for the cpu cooler is 138mm.

You're probably limited to tower coolers with 92mm fans Max! Those big ones you posted won't fit....

The ~$18 Rosewell 92mm cooler is 0.4mm over that (good reviews though). Looks like Sir Norton is about right.