Cooling [SFF Network] Noctua's NH-U14S - Not As Large as the NH-D15

[confusis]

While we are a community formed around the idea of small, space-efficient designs, once again, a bigger cooler may be the best option for your build, be it for performance or to ensure low noise levels. While the NH-U14S is smaller than the recently reviewed NH-D15S, it should still offer great performance, enabling satisfaction of the above requirements.

The Noctua NH-U14S can be used in single fan and, with the addition of a separately purchased NF-A15 fan, dual fan modes. To see how the cooler performs, continue reading.

Read more here..

 

[Phuncz]

While you mention that CPU sockets close to the PCIe x16 lane are common for mITX, I have not seen more than a few boards with this arrangement in the last couple of years. Most keep the Northbridge/PCH in between. The problem with the RAM would also be alleviated if you could turn its orientation 90 degrees as the heatsink seems to have trimmed fins for RAM (picture). With one fan removed could easily fit a graphics card in the PCIe slot from what I can tell. But the mITX board you've used in the pictures also has the RAM slots very close to the CPU, making that orientation maybe impossible.

 

[XeaLouS]

While you mention that CPU sockets close to the PCIe x16 lane are common for mITX, I have not seen more than a few boards with this arrangement in the last couple of years. Most keep the Northbridge/PCH in between. The problem with the RAM would also be alleviated if you could turn its orientation 90 degrees as the heatsink seems to have trimmed fins for RAM (picture). With one fan removed could easily fit a graphics card in the PCIe slot from what I can tell. But the mITX board you've used in the pictures also has the RAM slots very close to the CPU, making that orientation maybe impossible.

I've found that each company keeps the cpu socket in a specific place.

MSI - close to PCIe slot

Gigabyte - medium distance

Asus - far

Iv'e found that all itx motherboards by the same compnay have the same socket location.
I.e. all b85i,h97i,z97i from the same comapny will be in the same spot.

Across generations the socket position hasnt changed from haswell to skylake.

 

[confusis]

Not everyone is buying current generation boards

The problem is particularly prevalent on AMD platform boards, and as above, MSI products.

Regarding 90 degree orientation, Noctua replied in the U12S article regarding multiple mounts, and I have a followup article coming very soon

 

[Phuncz]

Across generations the socket position hasnt changed from haswell to skylake.

MSI - close to PCIe slot

Apparently MSI saw the light and switched this completely with Skylake and Broadwell, these all have the PCH between the CPU and PCIe slot:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/Z170I-GAMING-PRO-AC.html#hero-overview
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B150I-GAMING-PRO-AC.html
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B150I-GAMING-PRO.html#hero-overview
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/H170I-PRO-AC.html#hero-overview
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/H110I-PRO-AC.html
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/H110I-PRO.html
Lonely Z97 board:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/Z97I-GAMING-ACK.html#hero-overview

The other 90-series and 80-series boards from MSI indeed did have the socket in that awful location. MSI was about the only brand that still did this, I'm glad they've changed their mind.