Enclosure 110mm tower cooler in ~127mm tall case (with full size GPU)?

[shleepy]

Hello! I have an ITX system already built in an ITX mini-tower case, with a 110mm-tall tower cooler (Thermalright Silver Soul 110). It also has a Zotac RTX 4070 GPU, which is 226mm long & 2-slots wide.

I'm considering switching things around and moving most or all of the components to a media console that has a 5"-tall (127mm) open shelf. The shelf is otherwise very wide (450+mm) and moderately deep. I was trying to see if it's possible to only change the case to make that happen.

What I had in mind was a wide "console" layout, similar to Fractal Ridge (or Sliger CL520, etc), with the GPU parallel to the motherboard. But it LOOKS like there is no case that would fit the 110mm CPU cooler and 226mm GPU with <127mm height. Neither Caseend, Partspicker, nor that huge "SFF PC Master List" Google sheet had cases that fit my criteria, based on my searches. Did I miss anything / should I check anywhere else? I also wonder if the <16mm difference between CPU cooler and total case height is enough of a buffer for the sides of the case + motherboard thickness + mount offsets, even theoretically.

Worst case scenario - I can switch to a different cooler, including maybe an AIO. So, if you have any new interesting recommendations for a "console" case, let me know! From what I can tell, the SFFTime ones should still be a top option [EDIT: though it also looks like they're all sold out on their site...]?

PS: I had a very similar thread a couple of years ago with a slightly BIGGER max height, and didn't find anything totally suitable, so here's hoping that things have changed since then!

EDIT:
Doing some rough math, I believe that this would be the minimum spacing within the case, but please correct me if I'm wrong:
* Motherboard PCB ~2mm
* CPU socket + processor (LGA1700): ~7mm
* Motherboard standoffs: ~5mm
* Case thickness: 1mm per side (assuming steel)
TOTAL: 16mm at an absolute minimum
Total with 110mm cooler + 1mm space: 127mm

So, it seems like 127mm happens to be the absolute minimum, making it pretty unlikely that such a case could be practical/possible.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

If you could give up on console-style, that setup should fit both in the Silverstone SG13 and the Sharkoon QB One. SG13 only, if you do the Front-PSU mod.

For spacing, the general consent is: 8 - 9 mm between MB and case panel, and another 9 - 11 from MB to CPU cooler (+2 mm if you're using a gigabyte MB). So, at best, its 17 mm.

With the SS110, that'd mean exactly those 127 mm, but this doesn't account for the other side, ie. the case side panel, which would be somewhere between 1.2 and 2.5 mm for regular PC cases. So you're actually looking at: 8 + 9 + 110 + 2 x 1.8 = 130.6 mm.

So that won't work out anyway, even if you left off one of the side panels.

What CPU are you running? In a lot of cases, you might be able to pull off similar cooling performance with thr Thermalright SI-100.

 

[shleepy]

So that won't work out anyway, even if you left off one of the side panels.

What CPU are you running? In a lot of cases, you might be able to pull off similar cooling performance with thr Thermalright SI-100.

Got it - I figured that 16mm would be a very optimistic minimum after doing the math.

The CPU is i5-13600KF, which I should undervolt, but which hasn't had problems in my very limited use so far. I figured that something like a Thermalright AXP120-X67 would be the way to go for a shorter heatsink in a different case. Currently, the system is in a Mechanic Master C24 case, which fits everything very comfortably but is 160mm wide.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Got it - I figured that 16mm would be a very optimistic minimum after doing the math.

The CPU is i5-13600KF, which I should undervolt, but which hasn't had problems in my very limited use so far. I figured that something like a Thermalright AXP120-X67 would be the way to go for a shorter heatsink in a different case. Currently, the system is in a Mechanic Master C24 case, which fits everything very comfortably but is 160mm wide.

I've run my i5-13500 untamed with the Thermalright AXP120, and it happily jugged away below 75 C under full load. Also easily cools a Ryzen 9 7950X in 105W Eco Mode (that is actually 142 W).

Also see my tests over at https://wp-devil.com/low-profile-cpu-cooler-tests/

Suggestion for better performance: Silverstone Air Slimmer 120.

Also, ID Cooling IS-67-XT might be another interesting choice, as it looks like it's got a similar performance profile. Main advantage: Easier fan installation.


cu, w0lf.