[SOLVED] Is this CPU cooler good enough and would it fit?

[Furzumz]

I got next to no experience with coolers so I wanted to get some extra second opinions on this before I buy it

I have a ryzen 9 3900x and was looking to pick up a Noctua NH-D15S

Would that cooler be sufficient for a 3900x? My corsair h55 runs it rather hot so I figure I need something a little more..."meaty"? I'm not looking to overclock the CPU either. I'm running it as is out of the box. I'd probably blow it up somehow if I try to overclock it.

My motherboard (if it matters any for cooler clearance /size) is a B350M PRO-VDH

My case is a older version of this one. I can't find the exact version of mine but the only differences are the lack of areas to feed wires behind case panels and there's no fan port near where you install the motherboard. And the top exhaust fan is a 140mm instead of a 120mm. The rest seems to be same.

 

[Phaaze88]

Corsair H55 is only really adequate for quad core cpus...

I'm not looking to overclock the CPU either.

That's good, because your motherboard wouldn't handle it well anyways.

Do you know the exact cpu air cooler clearance of your chassis? IF it's 155mm, an NH-D15S won't fit either...

 

[Furzumz]

Corsair H55 is only really adequate for quad core cpus...

That's good, because your motherboard wouldn't handle it well anyways.

Do you know the exact cpu air cooler clearance of your chassis? IF it's 155mm, an NH-D15S won't fit either...

The h55 was being used for some lower end processors, unfortunately I didn't think about the cooling factor until after I bought the 3900x. That was a oopsie on my part

I also forgot to ask - would the stock cooler it came with be better for the 3900x than that corsair h55?

As for the clearance...how can I figure that out? Tape measure it from side to side inside the case?

And thanks for telling me about the motherboard overclocking. I wasn't planning on overclocking but its good to know in case the idea ever popped in my head

 

[Phaaze88]

I also forgot to ask - would the stock cooler it came with be better for the 3900x than that corsair h55?

Not really, no.

As for the clearance...how can I figure that out? Tape measure it from side to side inside the case?

If it's not listed in the instruction manual, you're going to have to measure from the top of the cpu to the side panel - where it would be if it were closed.

 

[Furzumz]

Not really, no.


If it's not listed in the instruction manual, you're going to have to measure from the top of the cpu to the side panel - where it would be if it were closed.

Thanks for the info. I'll measure it since I don't have a manual (got this case used)

Do you know if there's any other smaller-ish coolers on the market that would work for a 3900x? I'm just looking for something that would fit that also would keep my CPU from baking itself if I play more demanding games

 

[Phaaze88]

Thermalright
Le Grand Macho RT - 159mm
Macho Rev. C - 158mm
Macho 120 SBM - 150.15mm
Silverarrow T8 - 158mm

Scythe
Ninja 5 - 155mm
FUMA 2 - 154.5mm

Noctua
NH-U12A - 158mm
NH-U12S - 158mm

be quiet!
Dark Rock 4 - 159.4
Dark Rock TF - 130.8

Arctic
Freezer 34 eSports Duo - 157mm

All of those should be able to handle a 3900X in the worst case scenario(up to 180w).
Up to you to find out which of these can still fit.

 

[Furzumz]

Thermalright
Le Grand Macho RT - 159mm
Macho Rev. C - 158mm
Macho 120 SBM - 150.15mm
Silverarrow T8 - 158mm

Scythe
Ninja 5 - 155mm
FUMA 2 - 154.5mm

Noctua
NH-U12A - 158mm
NH-U12S - 158mm

be quiet!
Dark Rock 4 - 159.4
Dark Rock TF - 130.8

Arctic
Freezer 34 eSports Duo - 157mm

All of those should be able to handle a 3900X in the worst case scenario(up to 180w).
Up to you to find out which of these can still fit.

Thank you

I'll measure my case and go with one that looks like it'll fit

 

[Phaaze88]

You're welcome!

 

[Karadjgne]

I believe the case is the older Antec 300. It'll fit the 171mm Thermalrite TruSpirit 140 with a few mm to spare. You just cannot use the side mount fan with coolers over 145mm in height.

 

[Phaaze88]

Ahh, the True Spirit 140 Power... that is one TALL single tower cooler, at 170mm.

Oh wait, maybe you meant the Direct model...

 

[Karadjgne]

https://www.overclockers.com/forums...n-aftermarket-CPU-cooler-in-an-Antec-300-case

 

[Phaaze88]

Oh, that's an older True Spirit 140 model being referenced in the link, which is neither the 140 Power(171.2mm) nor the 140 Direct(161mm).

 

[Karadjgne]

Yeah, but it's still 170mm tall in an Antec 300, which is slightly narrower than the 302. Antec kept the same internal sizing from mobo to left side panel, but opted to widen the case slightly from mobo-rear to right side panel in order to accommodate better wiring clearance with the design changes from 300 to 302.

 

[Phaaze88]

Gotcha.

 

[Karadjgne]

Either of those cases would benefit from a little case modding, cutting out the drive bay support to allow the front fans better airflow access. One of the drawbacks from that Era of design, airflow was a tertiary consideration, if even that much. That was back during the hay-day of hdd raid setups where it took 4+ hdds just to get 1 Tb. Nowadays, that's almost obsolete with access to 4Tb SSDs you can velcro mount anywhere and M.2 drives.