I'm currently putting together a HTPC (no gaming, no HD content at current just DVD playback, music, digital TV and internet) and in searching for a quiet low profile cpu heatsink/cooler i was tearing my hair out at the Zalman CNPS8700 which is by all accounts a great cooler but just that little bit too wide for my case by about 10mm on one side due to a case fan and a very snug fit with the north bridge on the other.

Case layout and fan on right side:



Tight fit with north bridge on the otherside:



In order to fit the Zalman i'd need to remove the case fan which isn't such a big deal though in such a confined space the extra air flow would be handy.





I came across the Akasa-395-2 a 1U low profile passive copper cooler for Intel P4 LGA 775. I'm wondering if this would do a decent job at cooling my E2140 at stock (possibly a bit of overclocking if i can get my head around it enough)

I have approx 80mm between the cpu and the top of the case (case is just under 100mm high) so the Zalman at 67mm high is good but the Akasa being passive is only 27mm high and smaller all round is good if it can do the job!



So is a 1u passive cooler up to the job of keeping a E2140 cool enough?

Any other suggestions

[Wrong socket, sorry. Though it fitted 775 too]

This one looks to be low profile, a friend at work got one and was surprised st how small it was, seems pretty good though.

Hope this helps.

The thing with 1U passive coolers, is they are normally designed for use in 1u servers, where airflow is maintained in a front to back configutation with a lot of air being shifted through the case.

In a 'larger' case a lot of that airflow will be defused, or lost entirely, which will have a negative effect on the cooler.

The only way to really know is to try it out.

As corasik said, u1 passive coolers are designed for the extremely loud and irritating squirrel cage fans or high pressure axial fans that are used in u1 servers.

Would one of these work?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-033-AK&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=821

lay-z-boy said:

Would one of these work?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-033-AK&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=821

Click to expand...

I think that will hit the north bridge (if installed in landscape mode, which i think is the way it should be) - but it's very hard to tell and i can't seem to find any decent info/pictures of one of them installed.


I had a brain wave - Get a quiet slim line 15mm fan to replace the case fan. Something like the Hyperflow HFF-1W08W-UV which fingers crossed will give the clearance i need for the zalman 8700 (hyper fan in dark blue)




I've taken the plunge and ordered the hyper along with the Zalman CNPS 8700 (and a samsung spinpoint 500gb hd woops)

lay-z-boy said:

As corasik said, u1 passive coolers are designed for the extremely loud and irritating squirrel cage fans or high pressure axial fans that are used in u1 servers.

Would one of these work?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-033-AK&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=821

Click to expand...

Got that heatsink on a e2140 and my recommendation is don’t buy it, the fan is loud! louder than the stock Intel HS/F however the fan comes off and you can mod a quieter one to the heatsink, of course it’s excellent at cooling keeps my chip clocked at 3.0ghz below 55c under load this isn’t designed IMO for a HTPC system as its too loud, look at the passive one you mentioned above, may have to try one myself haven’t noticed that before

what case is that?

I've gone with the zalman 8700, and ordered one of the slim 15mm hyper fans - will see what noise levels are like with and without the case fan and then compare temps.

At a later date i may give it a try with the Akasa passive heat sink.


Edit: the case is a cooler master ATC 631 in black