Small and quiet case + cooling for my Haswell i7

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Gilera
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2019 7:04 pm

Small and quiet case + cooling for my Haswell i7

Post by Gilera » Thu Jun 20, 2019 7:27 pm

Hi. Am new to computer building but the pursuit of something different and better is my driving force.

I was recently given a 4790 i7 CPU from a friend as the starting point for a computer to replace my aging (and failing) Dell XPS17 laptop. I never liked that thing.

I searched for a LGA1150 motherboard which is understandably rare these days. I came across this motherboard being sold new which I subsequently purchased.

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Q87T/specifications/

It happens to be a thin mini ITX which begs to be used in a small form factor case. Obvious problem is cooling. I also want it to be quiet. I got so sick of hearing that stupid fan howling in my Dell at the slightest hint of load.

I would like some advice on cases and cooling solutions. As small as possible. I am struggling to find anything reasonably small which would have adequate cooling for a 84w TDP CPU, let alone be quiet. I realise that there will be a tradeoff.

Little enclosures which allow limited fan heights of < 30mm rule out Noctua and most other quiet fans and are generally only rated to 65W CPUs even with fans.

Can anyone suggest a good small case +/- some active cooling thar would suit my setup?

The best I have come up with so far is the Streacom FC8 Alpha. Completely fanless and they claim can cope with up to 95W TDP. Is it a little expensive but I would be saving on cost of a fan. I must say that I am sceptical that a case without any fan would not reduce the longevity of the motherboard and I would like this to last.

If I can't find anything better then I will buy it.

Thanks!

CA_Steve
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Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Small and quiet case + cooling for my Haswell i7

Post by CA_Steve » Fri Jun 21, 2019 4:49 am

Welcome to SPCR.

HDPlex H3 V2 is a possible alternative and it supports your chosen motherboard (Make sure the Streacom will support your specific mobo and it's layout.) Downside is 80W limit and TDP of the i7 4790 is 84W. The question of the day is: what are your apps and are they likely to test the limits of the case (causing thermal throttling)?

The Asus mobo is a business mobo and I'm not sure if it's limited BIOS will allow you to do things like underclock or undervolt to improve the thermals...and if you were to use a fanned case, it may not have the usual suite of BIOS level fan controls.

The big question is are you sure you want to spend $'s around a 5 year old CPU?

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