RAM height with Noctura Cooler

[Copperbad]

TLDR: Do z390 motherboards play nice with RAM height and fan-based CPU coolers? I feel like there won't be room for ram under my Noctua if I upgrade to a new mobo/ram setup. Should I just take the water cooling plunge now and get it out of the way?



Current System:
MOBO: Asus Z97-A
CPU: Intel i5 4690K
COOLER: Noctua - NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler
GPU: EVGA Geforce GTX 1070 Ti Black Edition
RAM: 2 x 8gig Crucial Balistix
PSU: Corsair CX 500W
OS: Windows 7 64 bit

I'm looking at upgrade paths, and all of them lead to a new mobo since I'd like to get an i7 -9700K.
Now, there's barely room for my Crucial Balistix underneath the Noctura cooler, and those sticks are about 1.2" tall.

I don't mind swapping the Noctua for a radiator in theory, but then I'd need to get a new case as well. Case and cooling is something I'd prefer to do a little more down the road.

The slimmest DDR4 I could find was about 1.3" tall but most are more like 1.8" with all their RBG housing.

 

[asoroka]

The NH-D14 and D15 can accommodate standard height RAM (32mm or 1.2").
eg
Corsair 32GB (2x16GB) CMK32GX4M2A2400C14R

A lot of RAM now comes in 48mm height (1.8")

You could look at the NH-U9S or the NH-D15S which don't have clearance issues.

 

[Darkbreeze]

It depends on the board and the memory modules. Most DDR4 modules are shorter than a lot of the DDR3 performance modules were. Most those Ballistix modules were fairly short though, except the Ballistix elite series, so if you have interference issues even with the height of those on that cooler, which isn't terribly surprising since the D14 did tend to have some issues, could go either way.

Noctua has a compatibility chart that shows when intereference or other issues are in play.

As long as you don't get tall modules, stick to something like the G.Skill Trident-Z which are hard to beat anyhow, then the D-14 shows all clear for clearance and compatibility on boards like the ASUS Z370-A.

You can check clearance and other issues here:

https://noctua.at/en/products/discontinued-products/nh-d14/comp#socket_3297_manuf_30

I would not change coolers. If necessary you can even reconfigure the fans to move one of them to the backside in a pull configuration, if you absolutely had to. I don't think you'll have an issue so long as you stick to shorter sticks and keep them in the A2 and B2 slots only. If you populate all four slots, then you might have a little tighter fit.

Plus, your cooler pretty much beats every cooling solution on the market when it comes to air coolers and most of the 280mm and smaller closed loop coolers, if you add a set of newer fans to it.

https://www.overclockers.com/noctua-nh-d14-redux-modern-fans-on-an-old-heatsink/

I'd try to get a board and memory that work with your cooler rather than trying to change cooling solutions to fit the board and memory. But whatever works.

 

[jay.wooster]

There is another thread going on the same topic You can adjust the height of the Noctua fans easily by moving them up or down the heatsink stack. They are extremely adjustable.