Hello everyone. I'm planning a new Ivy Bridge i7-3770K build inside a SilverStone Temjin TJ08-E case. The hard drive cage will be occupied so the heatsink will have only one fan, and it will be installed in a pull configuration. The same condition Larry encountered when he reviewed the TJ08-E in November 2011 (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1215-page4.html).

The Noctua NH-U12P he tested with was a good fit and performed well, but I didn't get the impression that he had chosen it specifically for that build. Looking into what other options were available I identified six high-performance single-tower heatsinks that should fit in the TJ08-E.

I'm not sure how to judge them for this non-standard pull-only install, but I'm guessing the height of the fin spacing to be the most important aspect, followed by fin width. Can anyone comment on this approach?

2.63h x 71w = Noctua NH-U12P
2.08h x 50w = Prolimatech Armageddon
2.00h x 74w = Prolimatech Megahalems
1.91h x 60w = NZXT Havik 140
1.84h x 63w = Thermalright Venomous X
1.52h x 63w = Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C

Seems more appropriate to compare the overall fin density, not just the spacing. So I calculated that (roughly) and re-sorted the list

fin density = (fin count) x (fin thickness) / (height of fin array)


density / width (air travel distance)
-------------------------------------
.148 / 71w = Noctua NH-U12P
.168 / 60w = NZXT Havik 140
.198 / 74w = Prolimatech Megahalems
.202 / 50w = Prolimatech Armageddon
.205 / 63w = Thermalright Venomous X
.229 / 63w = Thermalright Ultra-120 eXtreme Rev.C

Still wondering how the fin width relates. For instance would the lower density + higher width Noctua be a better fit for the pull-only config compared to the higher density but lower width Havik?