Best Cooling for a 125w TDP (Mini ITX)

[Shabalaka]

Hi, 

 

I am struggling to find information about the best air cooling setup you can get for Mini ITX format, Like for example I purchased a Node 202 but then I found out that the Node 202 will not support a cooler that can keep a 125w CPU under control without Undervolting it which seems a bit crazy to pay so much money for something and then restrict it so much.  I found 1 video where a guy puts a 3900X in a node 202 but then does not put the side on it which is not a "real world scenario" as no one is going to run a Node 202 without the lid on surely??

 

I plan to sell this Node 202 case and get another case which supports a 125w CPU but this is where I am finding it hard to find information regarding cooling results and conflicting information, When I read about the Cryorig C7G with Graphene this says its rated for 125W but then I read reviews and people say that there CPU reaches 80c+ which doesnt sound ideal.

 

My build was going to be 

Node 202 

i7 10700k 

Corsair SF750

16GB Generic 3200MHZ Ram 

1TB Samsung SSD QVO 

and I was hoping to get a 3080 (BUt might stick with my 1070ti for now as 3080,s seem quite hard to get)

 

So my question is which case would be the "go-to" in a Mini ITX format with a K series chip (Or a AMD Equivalent 100W+) Cpu. 

 

I usually buy the K Series Intel,s as they tend to hold their value if I decide to sell in the future, So seems like a good investment as you lose out but not by as much as buying a non-k chip.

 

I hope this gives enough information to allow people to post their current Mini ITX builds and temps to help me find a decent enough Mini ITX case + air cooler which will support this CPU. 

 

Many Thanks.

 

PS. Maybe Linus could do an updated Video for all us Mini ITX Builders who need this information. (Never know your luck until you ask) 

[jaslion]

40 minutes ago, Shabalaka said:

Hi, 

 

I am struggling to find information about the best air cooling setup you can get for Mini ITX format, Like for example I purchased a Node 202 but then I found out that the Node 202 will not support a cooler that can keep a 125w CPU under control without Undervolting it which seems a bit crazy to pay so much money for something and then restrict it so much.  I found 1 video where a guy puts a 3900X in a node 202 but then does not put the side on it which is not a "real world scenario" as no one is going to run a Node 202 without the lid on surely??

 

I plan to sell this Node 202 case and get another case which supports a 125w CPU but this is where I am finding it hard to find information regarding cooling results and conflicting information, When I read about the Cryorig C7G with Graphene this says its rated for 125W but then I read reviews and people say that there CPU reaches 80c+ which doesnt sound ideal.

 

My build was going to be 

Node 202 

i7 10700k 

Corsair SF750

16GB Generic 3200MHZ Ram 

1TB Samsung SSD QVO 

and I was hoping to get a 3080 (BUt might stick with my 1070ti for now as 3080,s seem quite hard to get)

 

So my question is which case would be the "go-to" in a Mini ITX format with a K series chip (Or a AMD Equivalent 100W+) Cpu. 

 

I usually buy the K Series Intel,s as they tend to hold their value if I decide to sell in the future, So seems like a good investment as you lose out but not by as much as buying a non-k chip.

 

I hope this gives enough information to allow people to post their current Mini ITX builds and temps to help me find a decent enough Mini ITX case + air cooler which will support this CPU. 

 

Many Thanks.

 

PS. Maybe Linus could do an updated Video for all us Mini ITX Builders who need this information. (Never know your luck until you ask) 

How small does the computer actually have to be? Most people build a itx system just to have a itx system the size of a small micro atx system.

 

What I recommend is getting a slightly bigger case to allow you to get the chip you want. If not possible I'll look for a case that should be as small as possible.

 

Also a couple comments about the build:

Is the qvo drive the only drive? It's really really slow and not meant to be the primary drive of a computer the transfer speeds of that drive are as fast as a normal hdd. You should really swap it out for either a normal good sata drive (mx 500, wd blue should be same price) or the nvme equivalents.

Could you wait like a month? Ryzen 4000 is coming out. Intel simply just gets hotter than ryzen atm so using a ryzen in a small system would probably be a better idea.

[Shabalaka]

Well I,m looking to get as small as possible because I plan to use it in the front room and put it on the TV stand. 

 

The height between each shelf is 25cm and I have about 50cm in width, I was ideally looking to go for a more "console" style looking case which is what attracted me to the Node 202, I have had a Cooler Master elite 120 with a 3570k and a Noctua NHL9i on that CPU sat in the shelf before but I wasnt keen on the look of that (This is also the computer I am looking to update) 

 

As for the QVO, I chose it because it was relatively cheap but what about a Samsung Evo drive, The M.2 and NVME drives seem to be pricier, I normally choose the Samsung drives as they were recommended but if I could get a 1TB m.2 drive or nvme equivalent would be good!  

 

I thought having the 1 drive would be good but I am considering a fast SSD for Main  C :  and a standard Sata for storage. 

 

Many thanks for the reply! 

 

 

[Deli]

Do you really prefer console style case? Or something more boxy? Cooler Master NR200 is a pretty neat little case. You can use air tower cooler up to 155mm tall. That gives you many choices.

[Deli]

2 minutes ago, Deli said:

snip

 

[Shabalaka]

I was looking at the console style case as I figured that if I can I can put the Sky box on top of the PC if theres room so for aesthetics purposes a console style case would look a lot better than huge square box

 

Thanks for the reply!