Node 202 cooling

[owencrispy]

Currently, I have a low profile Noctua cooler keeping my ryzen 2600 nicely cool in the tiny Fractal Node 202.

 

Obviously the trade off with such a small case is heat, and in turn noise. But what i want to know is, is it worth using a 92mm to 120mm adapter to attach a larger fan (a slimline noctua) to the cooler to help further reduce heat, and noise?

 

All props to the tiny fan on the cooler keeping the 2600 frosty, and it being barely audible at that, im just anal about it. Therefore, if i can improve anything about the build, i will!

 

(photo for reference)

 

Specs:

Ryzen 5 2600

16GB 3000Mhz DDR4

6GB MSI GTX 1660 (super slim notctua underneath to help the intake of fresh air)

500GB SSD

 

[Grabhanem]

You'd probably get a mild improvement-- you'd just have to make sure the adapter doesn't add so much height that the fan doesn't fit.

 

One thing I've seen people do with that case is build/3D print a shroud between the fan and the case-- usually getting fresh air into the case is the biggest challenge for SFF, so making your CPU cooler double as an intake can improve temps a lot.

[Windows7ge]

I wouldn't expect any astronomical improvement but assuming it has a higher CFM the additional airflow around the socket could help drop a couple degrees and help the CPU VRMs some while under load. If it's inexpensive for you it's an upgrade you can do.

[owencrispy]

11 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

I wouldn't expect any astronomical improvement but assuming it has a higher CFM the additional airflow around the socket could help drop a couple degrees and help the CPU VRMs some while under load. If it's inexpensive for you it's an upgrade you can do.

marginal improvement aside, would the bigger fan help improve acoustics? being that bigger=more air flow= better results at lower rpm? As compared to the 92mm fan

[Windows7ge]

11 minutes ago, owencrispy said:

marginal improvement aside, would the bigger fan help improve acoustics? being that bigger=more air flow= better results at lower rpm? As compared to the 92mm fan

Larger fans at a lower RPM usually move more air quieter yes. Low profile fans (I think they're 15mm) though can sometimes be noisier than their 25mm counterparts. It's a sacrifice for the slimmer profile. However it's a Noctua fan and it's not of their industrial lineup so I expect it shouldn't be that bad.