Best cooler for i7 2600K in Antec NSK2480?

[Nerva]

I'm looking for a good CPU cooler for an i7 2600K that will fit in a desktop form-factor Antec NSK2480 case -- a good balance between near-silence and OC potential. My thinking is to crank the voltage up for my desktop machine and then in 3 years or whatever I will undervolt it and put it in an Antec Fusion HTPC with an old Scythe Ninja Mini (with fan removed) -- so I'm looking for fanned design for my desktop that has better cooling than the Scythe, while still being fairly quiet.

Also, I am new to water-cooling, but I am curious if there are setups using a 120mm fan that could simply replace once of the 120mm exhaust fans on my Antec case -- it sounds like an elegant concept, so I'm curious if it has been done.

[ces]

Looks like you probably have about 125mm of headroom for a cpu cooler.

I believe that the Noctua NH-C14 with just a bottom fan is about 105 mm high.

Try the Noctua NH-C14 with a single bottom Noctua 140mm fan set at its lowest speed.

[Abula]

Another cooler worth checking is the Thermalright AXP-140, you will need to crosscheck your mobo and other components to see if it fits, but it can clear standard (not tall memory), but it will depend a lot if you are using the pci slots or the way you isntall it. Height should be fine, even with a full 140mm should still clear the 125mm (ces posted) 70mm of the cooler + 25mm of the fan = 95mm, i would probably undervolt the fan with Zalman FAN MATE 2 Variable Speed Fan Controller or swap it to a Noiseblocker NB-BlackSilentPro PK-1 140mm x 25mm Ultra Quiet Fan - 700 RPM - 9 dBA

[ces]

Another cooler worth checking is the Thermalright AXP-140, you will need to crosscheck your mobo and other components to see if it fits, but it can clear standard (not tall memory), but it will depend a lot if you are using the pci slots or the way you isntall it. Height should be fine, even with a full 140mm should still clear the 125mm (ces posted) 70mm of the cooler + 25mm of the fan = 95mm

That is a nice setup... but you want one fan width of distance between the fan and the wall of the case. That is 25mm. That makes it a tight fit at best.

The Noctua NH-C14 has the fan located under the fins so it is shorter.... and with the fan located under the fins, you don't need the extra 25mm of breathing room for the fan. And as nice as the Thermalright AXP-140 is... the Noctua NH-C14 is in another class in terms of cooling capability.

It may be the most important issue is which of the two coolers is most compatible with the motherboard. Both Thermalright and Noctua do a pretty good job of posting compatibility info, so that should help.

[Nerva]

Here's the motherboard I have, the ASRock Z68 Pro3-M:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?M ... 8%20Pro3-M

So, would the HDT-SD964 be the best silent overclocking option for that board? Thanks.

[ces]

So, would the HDT-SD964 be the best silent overclocking option for that board? Thanks.

I don't think it will fit. It is 133 mm high. I think you only have 125mm. Go to the thermalright and Noctua websites and check the two coolers mentioned above for compatibility with your motherboard, then select one of them.