Heavy Air Coolers - Could they damage motherboard

wenzu1989 · 21 Sep 2010 at 15:33

Hey thanks for your feedback .... I will not be overclocking but i will be running pretty intensive engineering simulations, Finite Element Analysis and CAD programmes such as Autodesk Inventor 2010.

As regards to going for a water cooling - i am a bit 'afraid'/anxious on introducing liquids inside the build. I know it is very common, yet still i am a bit afraid. I was taking a look at the Corsair - H70 and did not like the fact that the pump as attached just above the backplate.

Also what if a pipe is ruptured... the PC would be RIP

wenzu1989 · 21 Sep 2010 at 15:41

Another question Noctua NH-D14 OR Noctua NH-U12P SE2

reflux · 21 Sep 2010 at 15:44

wenzu1989 said:
As regards to going for a water cooling - i am a bit 'afraid'/anxious on introducing liquids inside the build. I know it is very common, yet still i am a bit afraid. I was taking a look at the Corsair - H70 and did not like the fact that the pump as attached just above the backplate.

Also what if a pipe is ruptured... the PC would be RIP

Tbh whilst commercial w/c is very safe, you'd be better off just going for a decent air cooler IMO. I had custom w/c but switched back to a ThermalRight Venomous X a few months ago... it gives me better peace of mind!

wenzu1989 · 21 Sep 2010 at 15:51

TBH the corsair water coolers did not strike me and i would be more at peace with a non water cooler

wenzu1989 · 21 Sep 2010 at 15:55

Helios1234 said:
And that's why the Thermalright Silver Arrow should be considered instead which is cheaper and marginally better .

To answer the OP, the Noctua's weight isn't a problem at all. I've had mine for over 10 months and haven't had any issues with its weight on the two motherboards I've used it on. The SecuFirm 2 kit is one of the best available.

what type of cooling do you use?

JonJ678 · 21 Sep 2010 at 16:07

Some motherboards are reported failing to recognise all installed sticks of ram if the cpu heatsink is bolted down too tightly, so perhaps there's something to be concerned about. It's not something I'd lose sleep over.

+1 to bigwayne, £67 on a heatsink is mad.

setter · 21 Sep 2010 at 16:54

I was a bit wary when fitting a prolimatech mehahelems, bit heavier than a TRUE black even before adding fans, but the mounting system is very good, a much more sturdier arrangement than the thermaltake 1366 bracket.

wenzu1989 · 21 Sep 2010 at 17:09

99% i am going with Noctua NH-U12P

Helios1234 · 21 Sep 2010 at 17:18

wenzu1989 said:
what type of cooling do you use?

I use the NH-D14. Don't bother with the U12P. It's old and doesn't match up to a lot of high end coolers these days.

setter · 21 Sep 2010 at 17:39

Tbh, even in it's hey day i never liked the Noctua U12P, tbf though, noctua's fans are pretty decent.

Big.Wayne · 21 Sep 2010 at 18:11

wenzu1989 said:
99% i am going with

Noctua NH-U12P

£54.99 inc

wenzu1989 said:
I will not be overclocking

Nyoron · 21 Sep 2010 at 18:13

This is something I've worried about too but seeing how there's hardly any reported cases of this happening (when installed properly) I'm inclined to believe that it's not an issue.

Doughnut007 · 21 Sep 2010 at 18:24

Think iwill just stick with the stock cooler

wenzu1989 · 21 Sep 2010 at 19:47

Big.Wayne said:

I won't be overclocking but i will be using programmes which will be frequently using CPU on full load

Big.Wayne · 21 Sep 2010 at 20:58

I don't understand your point? :confused:

Do you think the processor and stock cooler is designed to run a system @ idle or? . . . Why are you throwing your money £££ away on something you don't need at all? . . . having said that I just noticed what motherboard you are using! :eek:

Asus Rampage III Extreme

£309.99 inc

I don't understand why you are buying this specialist high-end kit designed for World-Class benchmarkers and simply running the system at stock? . . .

wenzu1989 said:
I am a bit worried

wenzu1989 said:
i am worried

wenzu1989 said:
i was SO concerned

wenzu1989 said:
i am a bit 'afraid'/anxious

You should really try and relax . . . there is no problem here except what you are making a problem? . . . if you can explain yourself a bit better then I'm sure we can make all your worries go away and hopefully get you to enjoy this process a bit more! :cool:

dekez · 21 Sep 2010 at 21:10

If your not overclocking it does seem a bit pointless spending loads on a cooler

JonJ678 · 21 Sep 2010 at 21:16

or on a rampage 3 extreme

Liampope · 21 Sep 2010 at 21:37

If you're not overclocking, and are worried about mechanical stress, just dont get an OTT cooler - simples! Or the ridiculous motherboard. Have your engineering studies not taught you anything about coming up with an elegant, non-wasteful, fit-for-purpose solution to a problem?

The OEM cooler is rated to adequately cool the CPU at rated clock speeds.

That's not to say I dont think you should get a decent cooler. I say do get a decent cooler, and do overclock

You're missing a trick if you dont.

My choice is the H50 as I like the elegance of it. From one engineer to another, I think of these monstrous air coolers as sort of beating the laws of thermodynamics into submission, wheras a little H50 works with them to reach a satisfactory agreement

. I've only heard of one leaking and I believe Corsair will cover any damage to other components under the warranty if it does leak.

setter · 21 Sep 2010 at 21:51

If your not overclocking, (and tbh, with a board like the RIIIE you should be) id opt for a cheap cooler like this.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-029-CM&groupid=701&catid=57&subcat=1395

Much beter than the terrible push pin intel stock job. Coolers like the DH14, TRUE, Megahelims etc, only really shine on overclocked systems, overkill for a rig ran at stock.

Helios1234 · 21 Sep 2010 at 22:50

I agree. There's really no point spending that much money on a high end cooler if you're not overclocking (it's a crime not to OC on the Rampage III Extreme :eek:

). The cooler Setter recommended is perfect for your needs.