I'd get the bigger fan, more airflow at lower speeds. The Ripjaws will fit but I think you'll have to install them before the cooler, the Noctua is a biggie.
If you think you'll need 3 fans on the cooler it may be a good idea to go with a Corsair H100.
Thanks, I don't want to go for the h100 because I want to keep cooling to air! Right, now could someone please recommend me a wireless keyboard that is cheap and an Eyefinity adapter. Also, some case fans that are big and quiet. Any help would be much appreciated and rewarded with a tipping of the scales!
These 2 links might give you some ideas:
Noctua NH-D14 flagship dual-fan CPU cooler | silentpcreview.com
Above is thorough review of a slightly different (older) Noctua cooler.
Recommended Fans | silentpcreview.com
Recommended 120mm fans
Ok, thanks for those links! For the case fans, the nexus d12sl look very good. For the CPU cooler, I will start with the stock fans but I must admit, I don't like having two different fan sizes! I will start with stock, then see how loud the 140mm fan is at full speed. If it is too loud, I will get some nexus 120s if it is fine, I might get another two noctua 140mm fans so I can have three matching fans. I am sure I can find a use for the 120mm noctua that I remove! Thank you for all the help, now I need help finding an eyefinity adapter and a wireless keyboard, any ideas?
Also, off topic, how do you view the amount of rep you have received? Apparently my rep power is 6 and I have received 10 points but I have no clue how to view where the rep came from!
If you go for the Noctua and a third fan, make it 120 mm. Of the two fans that come with the NH-D14, the one that goes between the radiators is 140 mm. There are no issues with it clearing the RAM. The external 120 mm fan can be raised to clear RAM. The P9X79 Pro has RAM on both sides of the CPU socket (8 DIMM slots), so I'd make the second external fan 120 mm also.
My main complaint with the Noctua is the beige fans.It's huge, but it fits the P9X79-Pro fine, There's no problem with it contacting a graphics card in the first PC-E X16 slot.
Incidentally, the Noctua is good enough to allow the I7-3930k to clock to 4.8 GHz or better (in my system). The SB-E CPUs begin to throttle for thermal reasons at lower temperatures than the older Socket 1366 chips, so cooling is even more important for overclocking than with the I7-9xx series.
The Noctua NT-H1 heat sink compound that comes with it is similar to Arctic Silver. I don't know it compares in effectiveness, but I vaguely recall that it's as good or better. Like Arctic Silver, it's a thick paste; you put a small blob of it in the center of the CPU heat spreader, and let the pressure of the heatsink squash it out thin.
My current system is quite similar to the one you're building. I think you'll like yours.
Performance wise, it makes no difference.
It's not loud at allI will start with stock, then see how loud the 140mm fan is at full speed. If it is too loud,
For the CPU cooler? You'll have a lot of trouble with RAM clearance (even with low profile) with 3 140mm fans.I will get some nexus 120s if it is fine, I might get another two noctua 140mm fans so I can have three matching fans.
Is wireless mandatory? For your needs (ie a lot of typing ), I'd seriously consider a mechanical keyboard instead.a wireless keyboard, any ideas?
Ducky, Leopold, DAS, Filco, Topre Realforce are brands worth considering.
Cherry MX Blue/Brown switches are the most suited for typing. They're more robust and just 'feel' great to type on compared to rubber domed keyboards.
(My personal favourite is the Topre, but it's also rather $$$. The others are cheaper. )
Thank you very much for the help everyone! I didn't think about the fan size getting in the way of the ram, that is a good point, I will start with stock and then see if I need another fan or not. For the keyboard, wireless really is necessary I am afraid! I don't need something that expensive, I am generally not fussy about my peripherals. @bonkn, thank you very much for that information, it was very helpful! I had thought about the gpu clearance, it is good to see it will be fine. Also, how much ram clearance do you have? Would this stuff or similar fit in? http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B006...3201542&sr=1-2 As for the noctua again, I didn't realise you could o/c the 3930 that far safely! I doubt I will be going further than 4.6ghz but it is good to know I can go more. Also, I didn't realise that the two fan sizes affected performance, I would have thought that a smaller fan would restrict the flow of the bigger one. I have heard a lot of good things about noctua and their thermal paste. Apparently they give you a 10g tube of it as well! One of the main reasons I am going with the noctua over the phanteks is because their customer service is so remarkbly good, even though the phanteks cool better. I will now do some keyboard research! And yes, I think I will like this pc! It is a real beast! I am hoping for the CPU to drop in price slightly though when ivy bridge is released. Thank you very much again everyone! I am still looking for help on an eyefinity adapter though, does anyone have any ideas?
Also, when I go onto user cp, it says I have a rep power of 6 and who I have given rep to, nothing about where and when I have received it. Also, when I click on the scales button on one of my posts, it says I have 10 rep points. This is really confusing! Anyway, thanks for helping, I hope you can continue to help!
@smarteyeball, i looked up those keyboards and couldn't find anything in the UK for Ducky and Leopold. As for Topre, they look great but far too expensive! I had a look around and came up with this: Play.com - Buy Microsoft Business 2000 Keyboard - Wireless - RF - Black online at Play.com and read reviews. Free delivery to UK and Europe! I know it isn't the best but I don't think it is that bad and it should be fine for me. As for case fans, I decided against the nexus fans as they are a little expensive and I am thinking to maybe get these: Cooler Master Megaflow 200 Blue LED Fan: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories they look quiet, big and reasonably priced. I think the led is a little tacky but I am sure I can live with that! Anyway, any help with the above would be much appreciated!
The NH-D14 is spec'd at clearing RAM shorter than 44 mm.
The RAM I'm using is:
G.SKILL-Products
It's spec'd at 40 mm height. I think that the kit you provide a link for is the same. (I don't spot a part number on the Amazon page.)
A reminder: I doubt that it's practical to install the RAM with the heat sink in place. Maybe it'd be easy enough if your day job is neurosurgeon.
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