ITX CPU cooler advice for the tightfisted and cackhanded

[HarryBizzle]

I upgraded my PC yesterday and thought I would see how things go with the stock 12400f Intel cooler. I ran cinebench and it sounds like a small travel hairdryer my wife has, so it needs to go.

My issues are, I think, 3:

1. I’m tight
2. I don’t have much space to work with - my case is an NR200 (pic below - please excuse cable mess, I just plugged it in to check all was working before I go to town on the cable management.
3. I am a bit rubbish and want something easy to install.

I’ve seen that the be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Slim is quite small so should definitely fit, and I think I should be able to fit it without removing the motherboard from the case? It’s about £25 on OCUK.

Is there anything else I should be considering?

Also, which way should I fit it? Most of the NR200 builds I have seen have the fan mounted near the PSU, blowing air over the heatsink and towards the IO shield. My fans in the top of the case are set to exhaust, but can obviously change those if need be.

Thanks in advance.

 

[momo56]

Not sure what board that it but looks like the CPU socket is higher than most boards. The Pure Rock 2 is a good cooler but it might clash with the top fans.

If that doesnt fit there are also top down alternatives.

Noctua NH-L9i CPU Cooler Low Profile - 92mm

Order Noctua NH-L9i CPU Cooler Low Profile - 92mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Alpenfohn Black Ridge Low Profile CPU Cooler - 120mm

Order Alpenfohn Black Ridge Low Profile CPU Cooler - 120mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

With such a low TDP pretty much any cooler will be quieter / cooler than stock.

 

[HarryBizzle]

Thanks. I think the pure rock slim should be ok as it doesn't overhang the socket very much:

I think either fan towards GPU or PSU should fit ok

 

[Gary*]

I use an NH L9i and I'm more than happy with it, it's quiet and keeps the CPU nice and cool, just what you want I guess

 

[mi9tchy]

Not sure what board that it but looks like the CPU socket is higher than most boards. The Pure Rock 2 is a good cooler but it might clash with the top fans.

If that doesnt fit there are also top down alternatives.

Noctua NH-L9i CPU Cooler Low Profile - 92mm

Order Noctua NH-L9i CPU Cooler Low Profile - 92mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Alpenfohn Black Ridge Low Profile CPU Cooler - 120mm

Order Alpenfohn Black Ridge Low Profile CPU Cooler - 120mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

With such a low TDP pretty much any cooler will be quieter / cooler than stock.

i've got the alpenfohn black ridge and get annoyed with the fans ramping up on it, even swapped them out for noctua's

 

[HarryBizzle]

I use an NH L9i and I'm more than happy with it, it's quiet and keeps the CPU nice and cool, just what you want I guess

The pure rock is about half the price, I think:

be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 2 CPU Cooler - 92mm

Order be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 2 CPU Cooler - 92mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Will check out how they compare, but have already spent too much on this upgrade and this is supposedly going to be the last bit so cheaper the better. This seems to review welll.

 

[Gary*]

The pure rock is about half the price, I think:

be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 2 CPU Cooler - 92mm

Order be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 2 CPU Cooler - 92mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Will check out how they compare, but have already spent too much on this upgrade and this is supposedly going to be the last bit so cheaper the better. This seems to review welll.

I understand

Best of luck!

 

[mickyflinn]

If you want small and cheap while performing decently take a look at the Thermalright ASSASSIN X 90 SE but the pure rock looks easier to fit.

 

[doyll]

Coolermaster says NR200 is155mm cooler height and 76mm for GPU. This means many 120mm fanned coolers should fit .. assuming your ram is not too tall.

I would measure from surface of IHS to case and be sure of what clearance actually is. Many cases are a few mm conservative.

Thermalright has lots of 120mm single towers with 4x 6mm heatpipes, some with 5x 6mm heatpipes (Assassin King 120 is 154mm tall) and a few with 6x 6mm heatpipes (Burst Assassin 120 is 154mm tall, Ultra 120 is 157mm tall).

I would check out what Thermalright has on sale in you height here in UK and order one.

 

[HarryBizzle]

Thanks. Have gone for the Be Quiet, though. Dispatched today from OCUK so will hopefully get it fitted this week. It's smaller than what I can probably get away with, but I'm fine with that. It's only a 65W chip and apparently nice and quiet even at 100%.

 

[HarryBizzle]

Ordered yesterday, arrived today.

Stock cooler:

Pure Rock 2 Slim:

Massive reduction in temps and noise and this was at 50% fan speed! It's silent. All I can hear from my PC is the noise of the NR200 case fans.