Solved Cooling

[sygnus21]

I won't go that far but we're all prone to doing the same; I've certainly done it enough times

 

[seekermeister]

Thanks for the pictures, because that makes it certain for me that it will not fit my system. Since the chipset HS/F is about the same height as the ram, I do not believe that this would fit over it. It looks like that cooler doesn't have the lower fan, so one that does would be even more impossible to fit.

EDIT: I called it a chipset HS/F, but thinking about it, I believe that it is actually cooling the CPU mosfets.

If you look at the pictures closely, it'll clear the chipset/HS. You can also check out the FAQ's - Noctua.at - sound-optimised premium components "Designed in Austria"!

Sorry, that page doesn't convince me that it will fit, but it did serve a good purpose anyway, because I had wondered about how it was attached. It means removing CPU retention module, and replacing it with the brackets that they provide. Those brackets look similar to ones that I have seen on other brands. Can that be done very easily, without removing the motherboard?

 

[essenbe]

According to Noctua's page:

Does the cooler offer sufficient clearance for my RAM modules?
The cooler offers sufficient clearance for modules of up to 40mm in height. RAM modules with higher heatspreaders can cause compatibility issues on mainboards where the heatsink extends over the RAM

I would assume that the clearance is the same on both sides.

 

[sygnus21]

Which cooler are we talking about - the SE14 (mine) or the C14?

If you're talking about mine, it depends on orientation as shown in the images posted by me.

@ seekermeister, I don't know what else to tell you. I know I have no clearance issues other than the RAM height, which I addressed. My motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD5



The cooler is not hitting or touching anything other than the CPU.

 

[seekermeister]

I understand that you can't give a definite answer, but after looking again at the FAQ page that you linked, I found that I had overlooked the drawing with the measurement and tolerances of the cooler. I tried measuring my HS/F and RAM with a measuring tape, but that is not easy to do with any precision. I'm not sure exactly what to reference in terms of measuring heights from, but from the PCB of the motherboard itself, it appears that both the RAM and HS/F are about 2" high, which is more than the allowed height given. I pulled a stick of RAM, and if the heat spreader can be removed, it is not apparent. Since the cooler extends ~3.3" on the high side of the cooler, and I measured the distance from the center of the CPU socket to both the RAM and HS/F at ~ 2.5", it is certain that it won't fit. I don't think that changing the orientation would make a sufficient difference.

 

[sygnus21]

Well I will say that not all RAM spreaders (heat fins) are removable, even some sold by Corsair, so if RAM clearance is a concern well. However you can orient the cooler to accommodate the tall heat sinks. Remember I originally didn't removed my heat fins and the cooler still fit and worked.

Anyway I can clearly understand your concerns as I felt the same before I purchased one, and did a lot or research. In fact, my photos are the only one that really show how the cooler works in relation to Corsair's RAM dominator modules with the removable fins as I couldn't find anything on the net at that time showing this.

Peace

 

[essenbe]

The quote I posted was from the Noctua page you lnked to, the C14 is what it seemed to be talking about.

Edit; I just went back and chcked. it is for the C12p and the Se14

 

[sygnus21]

Thanks, It's just that it got confusing for a moment

Anyway the only clearance issues for the SE14 would be with the RAM's height.

 

[seekermeister]

I realized that I made one mistake, I hadn't allowed for the extra height of the CPU and it's socket. That raises the height above the PCB to about 2.1". I think that would leave ~ .1" of clearance for both the HS/F and the RAM. Therefore the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 would be my choice, except that the temperature given on the benchmark of this test was not as good as I hoped:

The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Cooler Review-Hi Tech Legion-The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Cooler Review

It ran 56 degrees loaded with a lesser CPU than mine, and that is not as cool as I want. Not all that much cooler than my CM Hyper TX3.

 

[A Guy]

This review has the Noctua NH-C14 10 degrees cooler than the TX3:

Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler

Interesting comparison picture (C12P SE14 on left, NH-C14 on right)and info here too:

Which better: noctua C12P SE14 or NH-C14 ? - techPowerUp! Forums

A Guy

 

[seekermeister]

I've started looking at the Noctua NH-C14 instead, because it is near the top of Frostytech's comparison chart. The problem is that I'm sure that it was tested with both fans installed, and I would have to remove the bottom one. On the comparison chart, is shows that fan as getting a 14.1C temp with the fans running in high mode, and 17.1 in low, but nothing on a one fan setup running in high mode. I wonder how much difference there would be?

 

[sygnus21]

I realized that I made one mistake, I hadn't allowed for the extra height of the CPU and it's socket. That raises the height above the PCB to about 2.1". I think that would leave ~ .1" of clearance for both the HS/F and the RAM. Therefore the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 would be my choice, except that the temperature given on the benchmark of this test was not as good as I hoped:

The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Cooler Review-Hi Tech Legion-The Noctua NH-C12P SE14 CPU Cooler Review

It ran 56 degrees loaded with a lesser CPU than mine, and that is not as cool as I want. Not all that much cooler than my CM Hyper TX3.

If you saw my post here I did say that if you went for 4+gig, this wouldn't be the cooler for you. However low to mid range clocks makes it a very good cooler, especially where noise is a concern.

BTW......

This is at idle.....



Prime 95 load is around 71 ish. Bear in mind I have the fan set to run low RPMS at idle (800ish), load at 1170ish (max is 1200).

 

[seekermeister]

It is awful not to be able to make a final decision, but I'm looking at a different alternative. After checking the FAQ, I found that the NH-D14 has the same amount of clearance below it as the NH-C12 does. However, the fan reduces that if mounted centered, but the FAQ says that the fan can be moved upward if necessary to provide clearance for the RAM. I can only assume that the same would be true for the mosfet HS/F. If so, that would permit using both fans, and since the temperature performance is nearly identical to the NH-C14 on the FrostyTech chart, which I'm sure uses both fans on both coolers, I suspect that the NH-14 would work better for me, since I could run it dual fan.

I don't don't fully understand the mounting system...does it require any kind of crossbar to pass over the processor to attach to the mounting points? The reason for the question is to understand whether the orientation could be changed, or if it is set in one direction?

 

[essenbe]

According tro the FAQ, it cannot be rotated on an AMD board. Most coolers say that. If you will look around on their site they list boards it will fit on and ram it will clear. Installation Manual and Compatability lists.

 

[Sardonicus]

From what I've gathered, it can only be installed in one direction, due to the rectangular AMD mounting.
http://www.noctua.at/pdf/manuals/noctua_nh_d14_manual_en.pdf

 

[seekermeister]

Hmm, it can't be rotated on the mount, but it appears that the orientation of the mount itself can be changed. A little less convenient, but still workable.

 

[A Guy]

Installation Manual

All I see says it can be oriented. A Guy

Ooops sorry, lost my internet connection, essenbe beat me to it

http://www.overclock.net/air-cooling/913513-installation-pics-noctua-nh-d14.html

 

[essenbe]

The FAQ say not on AMD. Haven't read the Manual.

 

[Sardonicus]

Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler Review - Page 8

 

[seekermeister]

According tro the FAQ, it cannot be rotated on an AMD board. Most coolers say that. If you will look around on their site they list boards it will fit on and ram it will clear. Installation Manual and Compatability lists.

According to the compatibility chart, the NH-D14 is compatible with my motherboard, and unlike some, it doesn't list any comments, which regards installation considerations. Sounds like this is the cooler to get.