Air CPU cooler compatibility with ram and other hardware

[MegaBoris]

Hi, I'm gonna be building my first build in a month or two, and I have a couple things I want some advice/help on that I'm not too sure about

I plan on getting a nice air cooler for the CPU (not too keen on watercooling just cos if/when the pump fails I could see it being a hassle) that cools well without warping the mobo or blocking the RAM slots.

The motherboard I was planning to get was the Asus Z97-A due to it's features and reasonable price point, and I also planned on getting Corsair Vengeance Pro (high profile blue, as the case has interior LEDs and the overall theme for the build is silver, black and blue, so aesthetics are pretty important).

So, I just wanted some advice, will coolers such as the CM Hyper Evo 212 or Xigmatek Dark Knight NH edition leave enough room for the RAM while still having good performance? And if you know any better coolers that you would recommend, let me know.

Thanks for the help!

 

[worf105]

Hi MegaBoris,

I have just installed my Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo on my new system (see sig) and I am using the same RAM as you and the Fan holder on the 212 Evo just touches the side of my RAM. MY 212 evo is orientated bottom to top due to the AM3+ layout.

I have slot 1 & 3 populated but with the 212 evo I could never install any ram in slot 4 (unless very low profile.

Hope this helps

worf105

 

[miniyazz]

Pretty sure most of the common AIO watercoolers have at least a 5 year warranty so pump failure shouldn't be a big concern - if you're worried about RAM clearance, cooling and motherboard warping they're the obvious choice

 

[ShivP]

100℅ ram compatibility and very quiet
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-025-NC

 

[MoodyB]

...or Xigmatek Dark Knight NH edition leave enough room for the RAM while still having good performance?

The Xigmatek Dark Knight should be fine as long as you're using 2 sticks of ram :

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/47...ht_hawk_edition_cpu_cooler_review/index6.html

I'd maybe consider ram with lower profile heat spreaders, like HyperX Fury Blue or Black, in case you wanted to change the cooler at a later date or add more ram.

Or you could go for a Scythe Ashura instead as the coolers' base is offset, so pretty much any ram heatsinks will fit in all 4 ram slots on a motherboard :

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/5520/scythe-ashura-cpu-cooler-review/index6.html

Just remember & check the height of the cooler you go with against what your case will allow.

And also check the width of the cooler in case you have a card in the first pci-e slot.

The Xigmatek at 120mm wide will be fine, but the Ashura (145mm) might cause a problem or at least be a very tight fit.