Air v liquid CPU cooler for budget workstation upgrade

[Chuckles_616]

Howdy, i recently put together (i.e., ordered online and it arrived pre-built) an entry level workstation for processing 3-D data and want to upgrade the stock Intel CPU cooler. For now the hottest CPU temps I'm getting are 77^oC, but the fan gets annoyingly loud at this temperature.

 

I currently have an Intel i5-10400, Asus TUF Gaming B460-PLUS motherboard, and 16 GB KLEVV CRAS X RGB (51 mm tall)--but am looking at expanding/upgrading to 32 GB in the next few months.

The specs. for my case (Evetech Trio RGB) say it can accommodate a CPU cooler with a max. height of 165 mm.

 

I'm looking for advice on whether a smaller CPU tower cooler (e.g., Be Quiet! Pure Rock Slim 2; 135 mm tall) will be sufficient, or if it's worth spending the extra now, and getting a liquid cooler with a 240 mm radiator for this setup?

Ideally i'd prefer a CPU cooler that doesn't require the motherboard to be removed in order to install it

 

I'm buying from South Africa, so my options are quite limited. My budget is around US$ 150, but can go a little higher depending on exchange rates, etc.

 

Thanks in advance

[Analog]

The 10400 is not a very power-hungry processor and as such doesn't really need a beefy cooler. All you need is something decent. Overspending on a cooler, which you won't be making the most of doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I would say get something like the ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports or the Hyper 212 Black Edition. Both are good coolers for a fair price, which will perform quite well with a 10400. 

[Chuckles_616]

Thanks for the suggestions @Analog!

 

I'd actually seen the DUO version of the Arctic elsewhere, and really liked the look of it, but the brand doesn't seem to be readily available in SA 

 

See that both coolers are ~157 mm. Would a gap of only 6-8 mm between the top of the cooler and the side panel of my case be OK?

 

(my budget might seem a bit high, but both of those coolers have price ranges of R800-R1500 [US$55-US$110] depending on importer/retailer, and in some cases that excludes shipping fees and import duties!)

[Analog]

19 minutes ago, Chuckles_616 said:

Thanks for the suggestions @Analog!

 

I'd actually seen the DUO version of the Arctic elsewhere, and really liked the look of it, but the brand doesn't seem to be readily available in SA 

 

See that both coolers are ~157 mm. Would a gap of only 6-8 mm between the top of the cooler and the side panel of my case be OK?

 

(my budget might seem a bit high, but both of those coolers have price ranges of R800-R1500 [US$55-US$110] depending on importer/retailer, and in some cases that excludes shipping fees and import duties!)

6-8mm is an adequate amount of space. Pretty much as long as the cooler isn't touching the side panel it's fine. 

[LogicalDrm]

9 minutes ago, Chuckles_616 said:

See that both coolers are ~157 mm. Would a gap of only 6-8 mm between the top of the cooler and the side panel of my case be OK?

Plenty. Tower coolers have top of to cooler towards side panel. They can be touching side panel and you don't notice anything in temps.

[Chuckles_616]

OK excellent, so clearing the height of my RAM is the only thing i need to worry about then

 

Thanks guys