[SOLVED] CPU tower cooler and RAM clearance? How can I tell?

foxhound525

Commendable
Mar 14, 2020
68
2
1,545
As the title describes.

I'm looking at corsair LPX 2x 8GB 3600mhz CL18 and crucial ballistix RGB 3600mhz CL16 RAM. The latter is preferable, but it is 0.6cm taller. I plan on getting a serious tower cooler, either a Deepcool or Noctua cooler, but I don't know how I am supposed to be able to tell if it will all fit without buying both first?

My gammaxx 400 only barely fit with my current corsair LPX kit so I'm a bit worried that anything taller is off the table completely for my new build
 
Solution
What you need to know:
-Cpu cooler height

-Chassis clearance for the cpu cooler

-Height of a naked ram stick, which is 30mm.

-Some coolers are designed to sit over naked ram and other low profile memory kits.
For such models, add like 0.5-1mm gap to the ram height out of caution, as you want to avoid the cooler's fan and the ram touching; possible vibrations can cause damage to the socket over time.

-Height of the ram being considered. Sometimes this info can be found right away just searching 'brand + model + height'. Others can be a pain, and few can't be found at all.

-Whether or not the cooler and it's fan will sit over the ram? You're going to have to look up images for it, because manufacturers don't directly specify that.

dimtodim

Honorable
As the title describes.

I'm looking at corsair LPX 2x 8GB 3600mhz CL18 and crucial ballistix RGB 3600mhz CL16 RAM. The latter is preferable, but it is 0.6cm taller. I plan on getting a serious tower cooler, either a Deepcool or Noctua cooler, but I don't know how I am supposed to be able to tell if it will all fit without buying both first?

My gammaxx 400 only barely fit with my current corsair LPX kit so I'm a bit worried that anything taller is off the table completely for my new build

https://www.deepcool.com/product/cpucooler/Upload/d9e699671b5f492fa4a256e2ac2a0493.jpg

u cant use that cooler...see image height is 31mm but ram is 34mm
 
Last edited:

foxhound525

Commendable
Mar 14, 2020
68
2
1,545

So is it just a case of hoping to find more specific clearances on the cooler info? This also doesnt take the CPU height into account. The Gammaxx 400 did fit with my previous LPX kit.

Is there no foolproof metric for this? Almost everything else in PC building has something to make it easy to tell for compatibility!
 

dimtodim

Honorable
So is it just a case of hoping to find more specific clearances on the cooler info? This also doesnt take the CPU height into account. The Gammaxx 400 did fit with my previous LPX kit.

Is there no foolproof metric for this? Almost everything else in PC building has something to make it easy to tell for compatibility!

in case that gap does not go over the frame memory fan you can simply lift it up a few millimeters and it will be fine ... from the picture the only thing I can't conclude is whether the gap comes to the frame or goes over

but look this
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jVtiMvr_CBc/maxresdefault.jpg
looks fine, fan also dont come close ram its good sorry for first post by me :)
 

foxhound525

Commendable
Mar 14, 2020
68
2
1,545
in case that gap does not go over the frame memory fan you can simply lift it up a few millimeters and it will be fine ... from the picture the only thing I can't conclude is whether the gap comes to the frame or goes over

but look this
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jVtiMvr_CBc/maxresdefault.jpg
looks fine
Sorry I don't understand what you are saying. What gap? What on earth is a frame memory fan?

Edit: Are you saying if the cpu cooler fan is too low you can just pull it upward to fit over the DIMMS?
 

Phaaze88

Titan
Ambassador
What you need to know:
-Cpu cooler height

-Chassis clearance for the cpu cooler

-Height of a naked ram stick, which is 30mm.

-Some coolers are designed to sit over naked ram and other low profile memory kits.
For such models, add like 0.5-1mm gap to the ram height out of caution, as you want to avoid the cooler's fan and the ram touching; possible vibrations can cause damage to the socket over time.

-Height of the ram being considered. Sometimes this info can be found right away just searching 'brand + model + height'. Others can be a pain, and few can't be found at all.

-Whether or not the cooler and it's fan will sit over the ram? You're going to have to look up images for it, because manufacturers don't directly specify that.
 
Solution