Sanity check

[ashneneb]

I wanted to do a build around the BitFenix Prodigy. Will mostly be used for work; want good balance of quiet, speed, and power with strong gaming capabilities when desired. My main question is whether I can get the Zalman cooling I want in there. Any other recommendations for improvement welcome!

Case: Bitfenix Prodigy

Power Supply: SilverStone Strider Plus ST50F-P 500W ATX 12V v2.3/EPS 12V

Video Card: GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-I

HDD: Mushkin Chronos Deluxe 240GB SSD

Memory: G.SKILL Ares

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K

Optical: ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS

Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS9900ALED 120mm 2 Ball Low-noise Blue LED CPU Cooler

So this is the crux of the issue -- I just want to make sure this is reasonable. I love Zalman and think this one is beautiful. I'm looking mostly for quiet, but want to stick with air. I won't OC much if at all. I considered the ones below as well; I've read the TX3 fits for sure.

Noctua NH-D14
Cooler Master Hyper TX3

Thanks!

 

[geofelt]

I think you are good.
The zalman is only 152mm high.
Here is a link to the prodigy forum which discusses those issues.
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/forums/10,gaming-chassis/614,prodigy-fan-clearance/

 

[TheBigTroll]

-the prodigy is not that small you are better off with a matx case
-also note that the prodigy will wobble around on a hard desk due to the flexible plastic feet
-no point of the z77-i if you are not overclocking
-better CPU coolers out there


id get this instead.case is not that big but is very heavy
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rxJJ

if you must go with the prodigy, get this
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rxKy