Advice K39 Case-Mod Fan Bracket Cooling Kit mounted in PCI Slot for case exhaust fan(s)?

[PVC]

I finished slogging through 26 pages about VLP memory. Yep, I will order the following from Aliexpress

• 2x8GB of the purple ADATA PC DDR4 2666MHz sticks

With a memo (just in case, because the 16GB size sticks may arrive as normal height, not VLP sticks):
请确认内存为“窄版”
Qǐng quèrèn nèicún wèi “zhǎi bǎn”
Please make sure the memory is "narrow"

 

[JJSEA]

I have a system with some similarities to yours:

- K39 case
- Ryzen 5 4650G Pro
- Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX

For the CPU cooler, I have the ID-Cooling IS-47K with the stock fan swapped out for a Noctua one, and my power supply is an FSP FX500G.

I have one of the expansion slots filled with a 10Gb ethernet card, and the other one I use with a USB 3.0 PCI bracket that connects to the internal header on the motherboard.

It is extremely quiet on low/medium loads, but gets a bit hot and noisy under sustained high loads (from both the CPU fan and the PSU fan). It would be interesting to compare the temps you get with the Alpenfohn cooler with what I'm getting.

 

[n.tesla]

I finished slogging through 26 pages about VLP memory. Yep, I will order the following from Aliexpress

• 2x8GB of the purple ADATA PC DDR4 2666MHz sticks

With a memo (just in case, because the 16GB size sticks may arrive as normal height, not VLP sticks):
请确认内存为“窄版”
Qǐng quèrèn nèicún wèi “zhǎi bǎn”
Please make sure the memory is "narrow"

Since you're going for 2x 8GB, you may want to consider these Kingston KVR26N19S8L/8 modules. £38 inc. VAT in the UK or if you're elsewhere I'm sure they can be found even cheaper.
Do note, other users have still received full height modules after adding a note to their order asking for VLP.

 

[PVC]

Too late, I already ordered from AliExpress. The Kingston 8GB stick price (excluding VAT) seems to be approximately $40-USD per stick and the ADATA 8GB sticks are about $30-USD. The 16GB AliExpress sticks seem to be the ones shipped as full size while the 8GB stick orders seem to arrive as VLP/Very Low Profile. Hopefully I'm not wrong on that. ?

btw> Thank you so much for pointing me to the thread all about VLP RAM . Learning about these VLP memory secrets is what led me back to using the very excellent Alpenfohn Black Ridge Low Profile CPU Cooler with 120mm fan!!

 

[PVC]

Waiting for parts. Meanwhile I made an AM4 motherboard back plate for sturdy mounting of the Black Ridge CPU Cooler;

• Salvaged an unused AM4 motherboard back plate from a previous Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITX build
• Drilled out the four holes and ground off the four threaded offsets
• Remove all loose metal shavings

I didn't invent this. I previously read about someone doing this but I don't remember where and now I couldn't find it again?

 

[n.tesla]

Too late, I already ordered from AliExpress. The Kingston 8GB stick price (excluding VAT) seems to be approximately $40-USD per stick and the ADATA 8GB sticks are about $30-USD. The 16GB AliExpress sticks seem to be the ones shipped as full size while the 8GB stick orders seem to arrive as VLP/Very Low Profile. Hopefully I'm not wrong on that. ?

btw> Thank you so much for pointing me to the thread all about VLP RAM . Learning about these VLP memory secrets is what led me back to using the very excellent Alpenfohn Black Ridge Low Profile CPU Cooler with 120mm fan!!

You're very welcome, glad you saw it before you made up your mind.
Good job on recycling the backplate. I bought a noctua L9a backplate for my Black Ridge too, the reports of the mobo bending under pressure freaked me out!
Hope your RAM turns up as expected. My order including my K39 V2 and 2x16 GB VLP 3200 landed in the UK today. Will start my build log soon when I have time.

 

[PVC]

Yep, the RAM arrived today, and it was ordered from the cheaper of two AliExpress sellers, and Yes it is the correct/short/VLP 2x8GB RAM sticks! Like I said earlier, I believe it's the 16GB sticks that arrive as incorrect/normal/tall hieght RAM. Still waiting on the Ryzen 5 PRO 4650G.

 

[PVC]

Alpenföhn Black Ridge Fail - True, it will fit this GIGABYTE B550I AORUS Pro AX motherboard using 120mm fan. But alas, only if the 120mm fan is mounted atop the CPU cooler. I cannot mount the 120mm fan underneath the cooling fins because of clearance issues, and I cannot mount it above the cooling fins because my case, the K39 with CPU Cooler Height Clearance = 47mm, doesn't have room to mount the 120mm fan on top.

I will be selling my Alpenföhn Black Ridge CPU cooler along with ADATA 2x8GB=16GB PC DDR4 2666MHz low profile/LPM Memory, and switching back to Noctua L9i.

 

[Diamorif]

100mm fan man. kills the l9a and lets you run regular LPX sized ram with no problem while still running like a champ.

 

[n.tesla]

Alpenföhn Black Ridge Fail - True, it will fit this GIGABYTE B550I AORUS Pro AX motherboard using 120mm fan. But alas, only if the 120mm fan is mounted atop the CPU cooler. I cannot mount the 120mm fan underneath the cooling fins because of clearance issues, and I cannot mount it above the cooling fins because my case, the K39 with CPU Cooler Height Clearance = 47mm, doesn't have room to mount the 120mm fan on top.

I will be selling my Alpenföhn Black Ridge CPU cooler along with ADATA 2x8GB=16GB PC DDR4 2666MHz low profile/LPM Memory, and switching back to Noctua L9i.

Pretty sure you can just remove the m.2 heatsink like I did on my Asus b450-i. Those included 'heatsinks' often don't do all that much anyway, especially since you'll have a 120mm fan pulling air onto it.

 

[PVC]

The M2 heatsink is not a problem.

Maybe I am jumping to the wrong conclusion. It's difficult to judge because I don't have the CPU installed yet, (still waiting for shipping). The 120mm fan when mounted below the cooling fins bumps up against the Back-Housing/VRM heatsink . But maybe I can slide it over a little towards the RAM/memory?

Without CPU installed it is sitting/touching/resting on the VLP memory. Maybe after I install the CPU it will no longer touch the VLP memory and maybe I can get by with the 120mm fan shifted over a little towards the memory?

As you can see in the pictures it is leaning because one side is sitting on/touching the memory.

 

[BaK]

100mm fan man. kills the l9a and lets you run regular LPX sized ram with no problem while still running like a champ.

Any link to some available 100mm slim fan?
I remember trying to find one lately without success.

 

[PVC]

Maybe this is salvageable. Problem 1: Assuming that after I add the CPU then I may get 3 or 4mm extra height and therefore the 120mm fan will now clear/and-not-touch the low profile memory.

Problem #2: I found that it's the WiFi metal rectangle case that is protruding into the 120mm fan space;


It forces me to offset the 120mm fan about 3mm in the opposite direction towards the RAM side; Here's a picture showing the 3mm fan offset;


OR,,, I could mod the 120mm fan by cutting a slot in the side of the fan (between the two pencil marks below) for the protruding WiFi enclosure to fit into that slot. Then I would not have to offset the 120mm fan;

 

[n.tesla]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'back-housing' or LPM memory, maybe a language barrier. But maybe you mean the VRM heasink?
In the photos you posted the Black Ridge is leaning down onto the VRM heatsink. We know what the the 120x15mm fan fits under the black ridge with VLP RAM so if you lift the heatsink so it is 0-2mm above the RAM and level (do you have a spirit level?) Then if it still snags on the VRM heatsink then you can think about offsetting your fan towards the RAM or bending the fan clips or using cable ties instead.

EDIT: You posted just before I did. I'd maybe wait until you get your CPU before you start butchering your fan, which is 120mm by the way

 

[PVC]

Oh, I fixed my funny names (LPM=VLP RAM and Back housing = VRM heatsink).

Yep, I will wait till I get the CPU. But I think that will only help problem #1 by raising the Black Ridge so that the 120mm fan no longer has to touch/rest on top of the VLP RAM.

Problem #2 with the protruding WiFi housing means that the fan has to shift over 3mm towards RAM, or I will need to grind a 3mm slot into the side of the 120mm fan. Here's better pictures below. The Black Ridge fins and the 120mm Fan should fit flush against the VRM heatsink. The Black Ridge fins fit because they are above the WiFi enclosure. But the fan can't fit there because of the protruding WiFi enclosure.

 

[PVC]

Here's another sunlight/view of the protruding WiFi enclosure. I don't want to shift the 120mm fan over 3mm towards the VLP-RAM. Thus, I see no better solution than grinding a 3mm-deep slot into the side of the 120mm fan to accomodate the protruding WiFi enclosure. The 3mm slot will begin at a measure of 12mm away from the fan-corner so I believe the structrual intregrty of the fan will remain intact.

 

[BaK]

Here's another sunlight/view of the protruding WiFi enclosure. I don't want to shift the 120mm fan over 3mm towards the VLP-RAM. Thus, I see no better solution than grinding a 3mm-deep slot into the side of the 120mm fan to accomodate the protruding WiFi enclosure.

What about removing the WiFi port?

 

[PVC]

Hmmmm; Interesting idea! I never thought about removing that pesky little WiFi enclosure. I don't use it. I always connect via Ethernet port. The WiFi enclosure has one visible screw on the underside of the motherboard that secures the WiFi enclosure to the motherboard. When I remove that one screw the WiFi enclosure is still stubbornly attached. So I am guessing that I would need to remove the VRM heatsink??

 

[PVC]

Removed the motherboard supportive backplate (5-screws). Now I see two screws securing the WiFi enclosure. But even after removing two screws, the WiFi enclosure is still stubbornly attached?? I put it back together and stopped there.

 

[PVC]

Does this look Bad-Azz enough to gently grind out a 3mm slot? ?
eta> Just kidding about this extreme tool. I think I will use a hand file.