Good air cooler that work with the ASRock Z77E-ITX?

GnomeCop

[H]ard|Gawd
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Anyone who has this board and is using air cooling on their CPU?

I am wondering if I should pick up a cooler for my cpu before I put everything together, something a bit more substantial than the intel stock cooler.

I will be running a Core i5 3540S.

the capacitors around this board prevent me from using a really chunky brand new passive cooler I have left over from some 2U rack systems, so I'm interested in what's out there that works with this board and mounts easily without running into any of the components.

Lets assume cost is not a concern at the moment, bu there isn't room in my case for any of the water coolers like the corsair H60
 
Ditto. Also using an AXP-140. It's a pain in the ass to mount if you don't have low profile RAM sticks though.
 
#2+3 would you mind uploading some pictures? Would be greatly appreciated :)

I'll take some more later when my low-profile sticks get in; this is the only one I have atm...not very useful sorry.

wGSeh.jpg
 
i am just going to use an Antec 620 with my Asrock ITX and 670....i think that should be enough
 
#5 thanks for the pic, the PCI-E slot looks extremely close to the back of the cooler, have you tried with a GPU?


#6 I'm waiting for either Asrock or ASUS and FT03-mini in Denmark. It's gonna come end of may I guess but I can barely wait! I'm going for 670 aswell, gonna be geeeeewd! :D
 
#5 thanks for the pic, the PCI-E slot looks extremely close to the back of the cooler, have you tried with a GPU?


#6 I'm waiting for either Asrock or ASUS and FT03-mini in Denmark. It's gonna come end of may I guess but I can barely wait! I'm going for 670 aswell, gonna be geeeeewd! :D

Yes a GPU fits with a couple of mm to spare. Angle of picture makes it seem like it doesn't fit but it does.

I'll take some better pics with my DSLR later, but here you go.

TMl8B.jpg
 
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#8 in which way is it hard to mount? Do you have to do some tweaking of some sort or? :)
 
With that little space between the HS and the GPU you might want to put some type of isolation on the back of the GPU.
 
#8 in which way is it hard to mount? Do you have to do some tweaking of some sort or? :)

There are two screws that you have to screw down. There's one that's near the I/O and one that's near the RAM. The one near the I/O is relatively easy to tighten but if you have taller RAM you have to install the RAM before you install the heatsink because there isn't enough space to install the RAM with the heatsink there. So the screw near the RAM is hard to get to since you have to access it from under the heatsink and can only tighten it by 1/3 turns at a time.

This is the reason I went ahead and bought a set of Samsung Low Profile RAM, so I can install the heatsink first and then the RAM.
 
the thermalright is what I was thinking of getting, I'm glad it fits this board after all but I ended up getting a Prolimatech Samuel 17 instead hoping that it makes plugs around the socket easier to access since I think it may be a pain to plug in the cables from the PSU, front audio, front, usb, etc.
My PSU isn't modular so pre plugging in the cables won't be as simple.
 
With that little space between the HS and the GPU you might want to put some type of isolation on the back of the GPU.

Was just thinking the same thing. A little TOO close for comfort there. That is a HUGE heatsink!!!

Why not a closed loop watercooler? Corsair H50, H80 Perhaps?
 
Grab some kapton tape and tape the back of the PCB on the GFX card, this will make sure it doesn't short on the heatsink.
 
Was just thinking the same thing. A little TOO close for comfort there. That is a HUGE heatsink!!!

Why not a closed loop watercooler? Corsair H50, H80 Perhaps?

can't air travel (carry-on) with a liquid system, closed or conventional (at least that's my excuse :p)
 
How do people manage to install the AXP 140 on a Z77E-ITX in an SG05 with a GTX 680?

At least with my unit, the bridge (1 large screw in the center, 1 smaller nut on each end) doesn't even clear the VRM heatsink.

So frustrated.
 
How do people manage to install the AXP 140 on a Z77E-ITX in an SG05 with a GTX 680?

At least with my unit, the bridge (1 large screw in the center, 1 smaller nut on each end) doesn't even clear the VRM heatsink.

So frustrated.

Mount the top mounting plate as far in the other direction of the VRMs as possible. You still get a tiny bit of rubbing but it clears. And also when it's screwed down, the notches in the VRM heatsink fit nicely with the bridge.

Also, there is a capacitor near the PCI Express that kind of gets in the way. I had boot problems with the AXP-140 so I assumed that some metal was contacting. I just insulated any possible touching points and it works fine.
 
The Coolermaster Geminii S524 does work and clears the pci-e slot by a very wide margin which is nice. However the mounting bracket doesn't work so great and you need to use some nylon or rubber spacers instead of the all metal backplate. I'll take some pics this weekend.
 
Anyone know if the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 will fit on this board, inside a Sugo SG07? Thanks
 
Mount the top mounting plate as far in the other direction of the VRMs as possible. You still get a tiny bit of rubbing but it clears. And also when it's screwed down, the notches in the VRM heatsink fit nicely with the bridge.

Also, there is a capacitor near the PCI Express that kind of gets in the way. I had boot problems with the AXP-140 so I assumed that some metal was contacting. I just insulated any possible touching points and it works fine.

Success! Thanks for the tip regarding the mounting plate.

For anyone else looking at the same combo - SG05, GTX 680, Z77E-ITX, AXP-140 - this is how I got it:

1. Video card goes into the case first, unless it can go through the side of the case

2. Insert CPU

3. Mount AXP-140 bottom mounting plate and mid frame - mount as far away from VRM heat sink as possible

4. Insert RAM, unless you're sure your RAM will clear the heat sink afterwards

5. Apply thermal compound

6. Mount the AXP-140 - turn the board so that the PCIe slot faces you
6a. while steadying the top mounting plate with one hand, turn the screw closest to the VRM a couple turns with the other hand
6b. Turn the RAM-side screw all the way in - relax the center pressure screw as well
6c. Turn the VRM-side screw all the way in
6d. Turn the center pressure screw to taste
6e. Attach the wire frames for the CPU fan to the heat sink

7. Plug in cables to the mobo - mainly those that you'll have a hard time plugging in after the mobo is in the case, such as the front panel LED/button/audio connectors, and the ATX12V plugs - make sure the cables come from within the case

8. If the video card is already in the case, hold it up so the mobo can go into the case - screw in the mobo before you insert the video card into the PCIe slot.
 
You crazy people! AXP in a SG07 is already a mad choice, not to mention in a SG05!
 
I've fitted a Scythe Kozuti with only a few small non-warranty-voiding mods on the Z77E-ITX yesterday.
It's not the best cooler overall, but one of the best and quietest in the sub-5cm category imo.
 
I've got the coolermaster Geminii s524 on mine and it doesn't interfere with anything on the board.
 
Is the stock cooler ok if the CPU won't be overclocked initially? Or are the benefits in performance and sound worth the investment?
 
A lot of people run the stock cooler with no problems. It will be audible to most people however.

My contribution to the thread. Z77E-ITX with a Noctua NH-L12 mounted on a i5-3570K

dsc01626l.jpg


dsc01627q.jpg
 
A lot of people run the stock cooler with no problems. It will be audible to most people however.

Not if you run fan control software like ASUS AI Suite. Most BIOS fan control profiles are too aggressive on when they ramp-up the speed, because it most use the motherboard sensor (beneath the socket) instead of the on-die sensor.

AI Suite allows you to create custom fan profiles. You can get it right be monitoring the temperature diodes and keeping them under 70C. I run this on my i3 2100T and have created a custom fan profile. Even fully-loaded with FAH, the stock fan is silent.
 
Not if you run fan control software like ASUS AI Suite. Most BIOS fan control profiles are too aggressive on when they ramp-up the speed, because it most use the motherboard sensor (beneath the socket) instead of the on-die sensor.

AI Suite allows you to create custom fan profiles. You can get it right be monitoring the temperature diodes and keeping them under 70C. I run this on my i3 2100T and have created a custom fan profile. Even fully-loaded with FAH, the stock fan is silent.

IS this the case w/ the new Ivy Bridge i5's.. I thought I heard somewhere that they run hotter than the Sandy Bridge processors... Does anyone have experience w/ ivy bridge + stock coolers?
 
Hi,

have a 3450 (@3.9 max turbo) paired with the asrock.
The stock cooler works just fine for me, in fact i cant hear it if the case fans or the graphics card are running (they do all the time...). The cpu stays quite cool until you ramp up the core voltage, which was not needed to get the +4 bins on the 3450.
 
IS this the case w/ the new Ivy Bridge i5's.. I thought I heard somewhere that they run hotter than the Sandy Bridge processors... Does anyone have experience w/ ivy bridge + stock coolers?

At stock speed they run cooler. Its when you start overclocking them and raising the voltage is when they start to run hotter than SB cpus.
 
A lot of people run the stock cooler with no problems. It will be audible to most people however.

My contribution to the thread. Z77E-ITX with a Noctua NH-L12 mounted on a i5-3570K

Any chance you could post another pic showing how the heatsink does / does not interfere with the PCI slot? Maybe a shot looking directly down the edge of the mobo, parallel with the PCI slot showing any overhang of the heatsink? About to pull the trigger on this for a SG05/Z77E-ITX/GTX670 build.

Thanks!
 
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Sorry if this isn't the right thread, but I'm having issues with the CPU fan header. Anything I plug into there I can't control and it just runs at max temp. The chassis fan header works, however. I've tried swapping fans and again, only the chassis fan works.

I coulda swore it worked just fine when I had my Intel stock cooler hooked up to it... is there a difference in specs, like certain fans won't work with the cpu fan header or a BIOS setting to fiddle with?
 
Sorry if this isn't the right thread, but I'm having issues with the CPU fan header. Anything I plug into there I can't control and it just runs at max temp. The chassis fan header works, however. I've tried swapping fans and again, only the chassis fan works.

I coulda swore it worked just fine when I had my Intel stock cooler hooked up to it... is there a difference in specs, like certain fans won't work with the cpu fan header or a BIOS setting to fiddle with?

I don't have this board, but pretty much all CPU fan headers are PWM (4-pin). They will allow you to plug in non-PWM fans (3-pin), but you won't be able to control fan speed. depending on the motherboard and bios, you may or may not be able to control fan speed on other headers.

Are you using PWM fans?
 
I don't have this board, but pretty much all CPU fan headers are PWM (4-pin). They will allow you to plug in non-PWM fans (3-pin), but you won't be able to control fan speed. depending on the motherboard and bios, you may or may not be able to control fan speed on other headers.

Are you using PWM fans?

I'm not so that might be the problem. Is there a way to control the BIOS so I can use a non-PWM fan on the CPU fan header and still control the fan? Or do I have to get a PWM 4-pin fan?
 
Any chance you could post another pic showing how the heatsink does / does not interfere with the PCI slot? Maybe a shot looking directly down the edge of the mobo, parallel with the PCI slot showing any overhang of the heatsink? About to pull the trigger on this for a SG05/Z77E-ITX/GTX670 build.

Thanks!

It does block the PCI slot. This is the best shot I have of it on hand. The PCI slot is on the left in the picture. Both the motherboard and the heatsink are butted up against the PSU.

dsc01634rw.jpg
 
It does block the PCI slot. This is the best shot I have of it on hand. The PCI slot is on the left in the picture. Both the motherboard and the heatsink are butted up against the PSU.

Thanks for that pic...I was afraid it would cover the PCI slot...bummer!

Looking for some some recommendations -- My short list is AXP-140 (possibly too big for me to bother with), Samuel 17, GeminII, Shuriken Rev. B...any others?

P.S. This will be in a stock SG05 w/ GTX670.
 
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The only thing possibly better than that list is a hydro cooler from Corsair or Antec. Otherwise the AXP-140 is the best performance among that list. Just my 2 cents on the subject.
 
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