Cooling GPU cooler on CPU and wire discussion

[Tossy]

Hey Folks,

I'm planning on a small Ryzen 2400G/mini-ITX build for the living room. Probably with MeanWell PSU and plugin DC board.
I like the idea of a build with passive cooling during idle/multimedia and active cooling during gaming. But at the same time I don't want to compromise in size of the self-build case.
That's why I thought of using a GPU cooler, like the Raijntek Morpheus II, as CPU cooler. Has anyone ever tried that? It seems to me that the extra surface area and wider fin spacing should help with passive cooling. Adding one to two 120mm fans during gaming should outperform small coolers like a noctua NH-L9a.

Another question: I made custom cables for my DAN-A4 build using the material from MDPC-X. While looking for the MeanWell PSU on Mouser.com I came along different hook-up wires, e.g. this one. MDPC praises their wire to have a small outer diameter. But many wires on Mouser with the same AWG have a smaller outer diameter but don't seem to differ much on the other specs (voltage, max. temperature). Assuming I don't mind the look of the cable that much, is it safe to use the cable from my example?

Thx in advance.

Greetz,

Tossy

 

[Thehack]

Hookup wire should be stranded. The outer diameter doesn't really matter but mdpc-x caters to sleeves so having an easy to route cable is important.

For the cooler you should get a big air cooler, as big as your case can handle. Gpu coolers don't work. Or you can get an HTPC case where the case is a giant heatsink.

The main reason for an htpc that is passive is noise and dust controller. For noise a large cooler will make it inaudible from where you're sitting. However it is not 100% maintenance free and will require a dusting every 6 Mos. Even an NH-L9a is inaudible 10 feet away in a living room. However many people like the dust and maintenance free part of it.

 

[aquelito]

Cooling a GPU is much easier than cooling a CPU, especially a 65W AMD APU !

If you don't mind sizing up your case a bit to allow for air circulation, I wouldn't bother and use one of these two beasts :

http://www.fanlesstech.com/2018/06/legendary-coolers-immortalized.html

 

[Tossy]

The wire I referred to is stranded. But I see that flexibility can be important too. I think I'll go for mdpc-x again. The price and diameter does'nt matter that much.

You both say that cooling a CPU is more difficult than cooling a GPU. But there are GPU's using above 180W of power. Is it a problem of heat distribution? The attractive thing about GPU coolers is that they don't build high, but broad. Allowing for a flatter case design.

@aquelito I've read about the nofan, but the zalman was new to me. The thing is, if I make room for these monster coolers I could also use something like the Noctua D15S, which would be dead silent too.

 

[Thehack]

I would just go for a Noctua L12 and use an external filter. D15 is overkill.

Remember that you are sitting 10ft or more away from the computer so it more than likely is already inaudible.

 

[aquelito]

Or you can use the 35W 2400GE, now that they are available, and downsize your cooler.

With a 65W chip, I would experiment first with a large CPU cooler and see how it goes.

From my own experience, cooling a CPU 100% passively is not an easy task.
Take a look at my HTPC.
Even with two 200 x 80 x 40 mm heatsinks, a 35W i5 6400T can easily reach 65°/70° under Prime95.

 

[Tossy]

The D15 was an example, as it is comparable in size with passive coolers in the link. A smaller cooler should indeed work.
I'll take a look at the 2400GE, see if I can find some reviews. These flat heatpipes look interesting, too.

I'll post on the SFF forum when my project starts.

Thanks for your input guys.

 

[aquelito]

That being said, I have a Thermalright Shaman that I wanted to use on a CPU for ages.
Adapting its mounting plate should be pretty easy :

I'll try to find some time to test

 

[Tossy]

That would be nice. I'd love to see your results!

 

[NinoPecorino]

me too.

 

[aquelito]

If you can shell out some VLP DDR4 Dimms, why not !
Could make a great cooler for a thin ITX board though.

 

[Gautam]

If you can shell out some VLP DDR4 Dimms, why not !
Could make a great cooler for a thin ITX board though.

That looks awesome. It looks like it should be even with an AXP200.

 

[NinoPecorino]

If you can shell out some VLP DDR4 Dimms, why not !
Could make a great cooler for a thin ITX board though.

i'm picking up some vlp ddr4 next month. 8gb 2400 was the best i could find with a black pcb. you wanna borrow it for testing?

 

[aquelito]

@NinoPecorino : thanks a lot but I'll just do a quick test with my thin Mini-ITX board and if someone wants to take this further, I'll gladly sell the Shaman.
BTW, what are those VLP Dimms you found ?

I just finished to adapt the Shaman for Intel sockets with a laser-cut piece I had made some time ago.


Sorry @Tossy I'm hijacking your thread :/

 

[Tossy]

Not a problem . I wanted to know more about GPU cooler cooled CPU's. You will try that. So thats perfect

 

[NinoPecorino]

@NinoPecorino : thanks a lot but I'll just do a quick test with my thin Mini-ITX board and if someone wants to take this further, I'll gladly sell the Shaman.
BTW, what are those VLP Dimms you found ?

I just finished to adapt the Shaman for Intel sockets with a laser-cut piece I had made some time ago.


Sorry @Tossy I'm hijacking your thread :/

i'd be interested in buying the shaman off of you. i'm gonna hold off on posting the link to the ram until i get some, just to make sure it's legit. i'll make sure to dm you.

 

[aquelito]

It's done !

I created a new thread for the occasion :

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/a-40-mm-high-15-140mm-top-down-cpu-cooler.8597/

@NinoPecorino : I may just keep it ahah ! Really love the badass look and small footprint.

 

[NinoPecorino]

It's done !

I created a new thread for the occasion :

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/a-40-mm-high-15-140mm-top-down-cpu-cooler.8597/

@NinoPecorino : I may just keep it ahah ! Really love the badass look and small footprint.

that's rad. let me know if you ever want to sell it. i've been wanting to do the same thing for a while, but i couldn't find a shaman.

 

[aquelito]

Try to look up for used GTX 460 / 480. I got mine with one of those