Hi all!
I'm planning an x79-based build, very likely on the Sabertooth X79 but potentially the P9X79 WS. Either way, I'll be using the i7-3820. I will
not be overclocking.
In addition to lots of gaming, I'll be doing some Photoshop and Lightroom on high-megapixel images (including stacked, time-lapse, and HDR compositions), and I'll potentially be using this system for work-related testing with 2-4 concurrent VMs.
I've therefore settled on the x79 because of the 8 DIMM slots and the ability to get to 32 GB relatively cheaply. I plan on purchasing one 8x4GB kit, for simplicity's sake. I would love to save a little money and use 2 4x4GB kits, but I don't think it's going to be worth it for me to deal with the potential hassles of mixed kits.
As the title says, the problem then becomes what air-based cooler to use with the crowded RAM config on a fully-stocked x79. I know there are lots of people that liquid cool, but it's not for me. Since I'm not overclocking and I will use a case with decent airflow (top competitors right now are the HAF XM and the Lanboy Air), I also have relatively modest CPU cooling requirements.
I have nearly every other component of my build picked out or have identified several excellent candidates, but I have spent literally
days looking for a CPU cooler that's
- an air cooler
- will work with all 8 DIMM slots filled
I honestly could probably get away with the lame-o Intel stock air cooler,
RTS2011AC, but I have to believe there's something a step up from that cooler that will still meet my other requirements.
I know that the
Noctua DH14 SE2011 will work as long as my RAM is shorter than 44 mm, and the G.Skill Ripsaw Z set I'm tentatively looking at is (just barely), but I don't particularly want a CPU cooler
that heavy in a system that I will transport to LAN parties 3-4 times a year. I'm also not terribly excited about the fact that I would need to remove the CPU cooler if I ever needed to mess with any of the RAM.
If one of the "C-type" coolers (
Noctua C12P SE14,
Phanteks PH-TC14CS) were actually
less low-profile, so that they did overhang the RAM but stood up quite a ways from the board so there was plenty of clearance for the RAM, that would be OK. I haven't found a "high profile C-type" cooler, though. If anyone knows of one, I would love to have a pointer to it.
There are also
several LGA2011 coolers are that are much narrower, including the
Thermolab Trinity, the
CoolerMaster Hyper 412 Slim, and the
CoolerMaster 812XS, but for reasons I don't understand,
none of them are available in the US!
Just when I was about to give up, I stumbled upon one of J.J's
unboxing videos of the
Dynatron R17. This boring little cooler is now the front-runner for the CPU cooler for my build.
I'm hoping that some of you might be able to suggest additional options, akin to the Dynatron R17 but perhaps a little taller, that would still be pretty modest in size, but might cool even a little better than the Dynatron.
Thanks,
Tim