EVGA 680i SLI A1 and Zalman CNPS9700NT

My question is simple. Will this cooler fit on my motherboard without any problems? I have read a few articles that say my motherboard in particular has clearance problems with something or other to do with the backplates and resistors on the rear of the mobo.

Edit: I also just read that the 9700nt has a 4 pin connector. I have a Zalman ZM-MFC2 fan controller with room for one 4 pin fan on the back. Can I plug it in there or will the motherboard go nutso thinking there is no cpu fan connected to the header?

 

For clearance... for reference, my Arctic Freezer 7 Pro fits my EVGA 680i nicely... dunno if that helps :S

I would plug the CPU fan into the motherboard and then disable fan control in the BIOS. That'll make it go to its max speed permanently. It might get a bit noisy but it keeps the CPU much cooler overall and prolongs life as far as I know :S

I've never run without a fan plugged into my motherboard so I don't know if it'll freak out or no. Probably won't as many have run quite well with passive(fanless) coolers.

If you plan on an OC I would just let it run full blast and save the fan controller for case fans

 

Lol cool thanks for that, I don't really mind about noise (I have 4x12cm ,a 20cm, and the Vantec spectrum fan card) Do you have a picture of the backplate installed or even not installed by any chance?

 

I don't use a backplate... my cooler uses push-pins.

The Zalman cooler will have some problems fitting.

But here's something just as good if not better.

Tuniq Tower 120 P4 & K8 CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835154001

I have a few friends who say that this will install problem-free on an EVGA 680i mobo.

It looks fanless but the fan is actually inside the heatsink and it works very well.

 

Oh sweet. However, I was looking for something a little more aesthetically pleasing.. Not that looks mean everything lol. Although I have read about that one in particular being excellent. Thanks for your help

 

If that's good enough for you, then I am glad you are settled

I was also looking for a cooler because I'm getting the E6750 too. The Tuniq Tower is the first one that my friends pointed out. It's a beast

EDIT: And might I add that your computer is an absolute beast itself

 

paul sunshine, it will fit coz mines fits we have identical mobo, oh and mine still looks so much better than yours well maybe not the UV tubes but otherwise... better

 

No josh. No. Lol.

 

that as it may be im still sexier HAHA

 

The Tuniq tower's pricey given its performance though. For that sort of money, why not go with a Thermalright Ultra 120? It fits the vast majority of motherboards and its cooling performance is second only to water cooling setups.

 

I've heard of that one too, and that it's an insane cooler, but I've read somewhere that the thermalright 120 and ifx14 in particular were victim to manufacturing defects such as blocks that were not level upon contact with the CPU. I don't know how many, if any at all, were affected by this supposed defect.

Anyhoo, I know I might sound like a real nut job, but aesthetics mean a bit. I have read that I can't fit the Zalman CNPS9700NT anymore because of clearance issues with two micro capacitors where the backplate sits, so I guess its a toss up between the Tuniq tower 120 and the Thermalright Ultra 120. I guess I could just use it with an LED fan?

 

Well, mine certainly isn't, or if it is, it certainly doesn't show, my CPU puts out DOUBLE the heat it would if it wasn't overclocked, and with the fan on it only running at 600rpm (barely moving) it manages 37C idle and 44C full load, when the PC's been on for hours. I think it looks pretty good if I'm honest. I use a white LED fan, see my profile page for a (albeit low quality) photo of it.

 

Insane. Thanks man, you really have been helping me a lot lately lol. Thermalright Ultra 120 extreme it is Though I'll go with a blue/green LED fan.

 

Sure thing. I was absolutely amazed by the cooling performance of the HR-03 graphics cooler compared to the stock one, and I had the same experience with the Ultra 120. I'm very tempted to get an HR-05 chipset cooler as well.

Also note, those temps were achieved with the standard 120, not the extreme, so that will perform even better.

 

I'm not game to replace the stock cooler on my gfx card. Something about... voiding warranty?

 

Ah well, I wasn't forcing you to, but it yielded huge benefits for me.

 

Oh hell yes I know there's a huge benefit in doing so, but besides, mine has a hot chick printed on it lol. So anyways, we are getting a little off topic, thanks for your help with the zalman etc etc lol.

 

I think you should go for which ever one looks best to you. Yes, the Thermalright Ultra 120 is a good cooler. But as far as I knew, the Tuniq Tower was also just as good.

It's a toss-up as far as I'm concerned.

Good luck choosing

@sammorris,

As for good cooling. Your never ending praise of Thermalright coolers makes me think they might be a good choice for when I upgrade my CPU. I'll look into CPU, video, and chipset coolers and see how Thermalright designs fair

 

From what I remember, the Thermalright is a bit ahead of the Tuniq, and it looks better imho. Proof is in the numbers though, a 3Ghz Core 2 Duo that puts out as much heat as an old Pentium D, with a fan that only runs at 600rpm, and case fans that run at even less, my full load temp's 44C. Not bad eh?

 

That is actually very impressive, sam. Does the fan go any higher than 600RPM? Maybe 1600~2000? Looks like it might be my winner