Check out the Zalman 9900NT or 9900Max. Both should fit without overhanging the memory slots. Just beware, especially with the 9900Max (135mm fan), they are TALL so you need a case with plenty of room.
Alan,
Thanx very much for the suggestions. I will look at them. Shouldn't be a problem with the case as I just bought a Cooler Master HAF XM. PLENTY of room.
- eljay
Maybe this would work. I'm not sure.
Phanteks PH-TC14CS but with 1 fan on top only.
Looks like it has a lot of clearance. I will check it out.
Thanx for the suggestion.
- eljay
Maybe you can determine from this pic. I don't know how much higher the dominator is.
Thanx for the extra pic. The XMS sticks are 32mm high and the Dominators are 54, reduced to 43 if the fin is removed. I tried to find more measurements for the Phanteks but they don't list more than the usual and their user manual links don't work. (Their website is not at all well done.) I'll try again tomorrow. It's late.
- eljay
What I liked about the Zalman 9900Max is that it stays entirely within the "footprint" allotted for the stock cooler mount -- so it doesn't overhang the memory slots at all. Sorry, don't have a picture -- but there are quite a few on google images.
Performance-wise with the 9900Max, my i7-2600k stays about 31C at idle and never over 55C on stress test. That is with a mild overclock, all cores running 3.9GHz as opposed to stock 3.4GHz.
The 9900Max footprint is definitely it's appeal. Seems like it does a decent cooling job too. My only real nit is the double sided tape used on the back bracket. Not only does that seem less reliably secure, but removing and reusing the cooler becomes problematic. I may yet go with it because it may be one of only a tiny handful that will fit and it is good at what it does.
Thanx for weighing in.
- eljay
I was concerned about that too -- and didn't want the bracket stuck to the board in case I ever had to replace or RMA the board.
The entire purpose of the adhesive is just to hold the bracket in place during assembly. Once assembled, the tape does nothing because everything is held in place by the screws. So you don't have to use the adhesive, although it does indeed make installation a lot easier.
Just leave the backing on the "board side" of the adhesive pad. You will either need a helper to hold the bracket in place while assembling, or you can hold it in place with several strips of tape (electrical tape should work well) that are easily removed after the screws are installed.
Ah, thanx for the tape tip. I suppose the bracket needs the pad there whether stuck to the board or not just because of the spacing it provides. As my research continues, I am getting ever closer to this cooler.
Thanx
- eljay
I suppose the bracket needs the pad there whether stuck to the board or not just because of the spacing it provides.
That was my assessment as well, although I found a comment on another forum attributed to Zalman Technical Support saying it was purely for convenience of installation. The bracket goes on the bottom of the motherboard, and screws come through from the top side. The tape is pretty thin, but then the screws don't have a lot of threads either -- so it looked to me like it was best to still have the adhesive pad in there and just not uncover the adhesive on the side facing the motherboard.
Ok, I'll keep these points in mind when I get the cooler. Yes I finally decided to get it! Excellent reviews across the board made the decision easier and easier and I read more and more. The Phanteks that dislikeyou suggested also had great reviews, but for two fans and I would only be able to use one. The Noctua NH-D14 was also a contender because the fan can be moved up, but I would still have to remove the fin on the first memory stick. So the 9900 Max gets the nod because I can use it the way it's meant to be used and I don't have to alter anything else.
It took a long time to get to this point and I greatly appreciate your help and support.
Thanx
- eljay
