Heatsinks on RAM

fartingspartan

fartingspartan

fartingspartan

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Hi All,

Just putting an i7 system together but I have found that my CPU Fan (which is bigger than I thought it was going to be) blocks me from getting RAM into the 4th slot on my board.

Ram heatsinks are only about 2mm too high, would it have an affect/issue if I trimmed these down? Memory stick is well below the fins so no chance of damaging the actual RAM sticks but wasn't too sure how much difference the heatsinks/spreaders make and what impact "trimming" them down would have on one chip.

Thanks

FS
 
Hi And Welcome to the forum.

Trimming the heatsinks won't affect the memory but it will invalidate any warranty and you need to keep any metal filings/shavings away from the PCB.

By 4th slot I assume you mean the one nearest the processor.

If you only have 2 sticks of RAM try using the 2nd and 4th slots away from the processor.

If you need to use the slot closest to the processor can't you ease the CPU cooler fan up a couple mm if that's what's catching?
 
Hello, Thanks for your reply.
I didn't explain myself correctly (caught up in the excitement of my first build in 5 years).

I have 4 x sticks of 4GB to use with my system but the fan I used https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-080-AK

Is a bit of a beast and has 2 x large fans attached to each side.
I may have been a little hopeful around the amount of metal I would need to trim of the memory, but its still nowhere near the actual memory.

I've took some photos but likely need to take the board back-out to really show how the land lies.

You mention moving the fan up a little on the cooler...would this not causing cooling issues?

Take your point re warranty on RAM but I think its either that or I have to buy a different fan/use stock one/buy different RAM and try sell these chips on ebay..

Appreciate any comments/opinions..


















FS
 
Moving the fan up a few mm, if it can be done on that cooler, won't cause any significant loss of cooling performance

If you've had the RAM less than 7 working days, and bought it mail order from a business, then you can send it back for a full refund under the Distance Selling Regulations.

I'll take guess that you have an Asrock Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 so this RAM would be perfect:

Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit £29.99 until Wednesday morning.

You may find that if you're careful you can remove the heat speader entirely but obviously at your own risk.
 
@Justintime - Was planning to use a small model grinder type tool.

@Surveyor - I bought from Overclockers (12th Dec) not sure how keen they would be to take memory back when it was my mistake...

That deal does look very good..much cheaper than I paid...what makes this stuff good/best for my board - you were right in your guess btw! :-)
 
The RAM I linked is perfect for Sandy Bridge.

1600MHz C9 is the sweet spot for price/performance.

Faster RAM/lower latency makes very little performance difference with Sandy Bridge.

It will run at ~1.5V and it's also low profile so will fit under the larger CPU coolers such as yours.

Did you buy your RAM mail order and what date did you receive it?
 
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@ Koolpc - Thanks for your interest...Wasn't too sure, hence the post..Ive never had coolers on my RAM before so I was a little cynical about the need...

@Surveyor - Just checked and I paid £69 + Vat for 16GB Kit so not that much more expensive. Think they arrived on 13th/14th Dec but not sure tbh and yes was bought via website.

As I said not keen to go OTT with the return stuff, if they are likely to take back then I would try it but it is my fault/mistake so not really looking to force their hand...
 
If you received it on the 13th/4th then your 7 working days to return it would have ended on the 22nd/23rd so unfortunately that's not an option.

Removing the heatsink may be an easier option than trying to cut it down.

If you're careful you may also be able to replace the heatsink unnoticed if you ever did need to make use of the warranty.

See this thread:

Corsair Vengeance Tall Heatsink Removed!!!

There's really no need to replace the heatsink as it's more for show than anything.

Also make sure you run the RAM at ~1.5V for Sandy Bridge.
 
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Major thanks mate - will give this a bash tomorrow and let you all know how it goes - Will also have a look at replacement heat sinks...would you say the comments re over clocking are accurate? Was thinking of pushing some boundaries once I had system built with my i7 2700K and memory...
 
fartingspartan said:
Major thanks mate - will give this a bash tomorrow and let you all know how it goes - Will also have a look at replacement heat sinks...would you say the comments re over clocking are accurate? Was thinking of pushing some boundaries once I had system built with my i7 2700K and memory...
Click to expand...

You're welcome.

You only need to remove the heatsink from one stick and I wouldn't bother replacing it.

With the i7-2700K you'll be overclocking the processor by increasing the unlocked multiplier, the speed of the RAM won't change at all so you don't need to worry about it.

Just make sure you have the RAM voltage at ~1.5V in the BIOS and the RAM speed at 1600MHz (I assume that's what it is).
 
koolpc said:
As long as you have good cooling it doesnt matter one bit if the ram has heatsinks or not.
Click to expand...
I agree about the cooling but ideally imho you would want a fan blowing or pulling close over the ram or the memory chips will increase in temp without heatsinks, which could lead to heat issues when at full load/use.
 
kedge said:
I agree about the cooling but ideally imho you would want a fan blowing or pulling close over the ram or the memory chips will increase in temp without heatsinks, which could lead to heat issues when at full load/use.
Click to expand...

Not if you have plenty of airflow in the case. I dont have any fans running on my chasis and temps are fine.
 
kedge said:
I agree about the cooling but ideally imho you would want a fan blowing or pulling close over the ram or the memory chips will increase in temp without heatsinks, which could lead to heat issues when at full load/use.
Click to expand...

Spreaders/sinks are more of a gimmick than something that is actually needed. They do not aid in overclocking and if the memory was so dependent on it to run its advertised speed, then its on the bleeding edge already and not reliable as they dissipate a very small amount of heat.

OP, if you're planning to remove the spreaders, be aware some are stuck really well and you may end up removing a memory chip instead, i use a blow dry or hot air gun for good results..
 
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