zalman z11 plus compatible with the H110?

mvitkun · June 11, 2013

the zalman z11 has a 20mm spacing between the fans,so it was not compatible with the H100,which has a 15mm spacing and many other 120mmx240mm liquid coolers.

what do you think would the H110 fit?

note:I do not want suggestions for other cooling options as I'm not actually considering the H110,I'm just curious as to the answer

quan289 · June 11, 2013

http://www.overclock.net/t/1305462/which-case-s-will-fit-a-corsair-h100-cooler

I did try to find out whether the H100 would fit and was assured, by at least one review somewhere, that it would fit.

Wrong.

The Corsair H100 will not fit into a Zalman Z11 Plus case at all. The case has a plastic top that clips on top of the actual metal case which is more for looks than anything else (it's a series of translucent plastic fins that look good when you've got LED fans under then), but under that is a grill drilled into the metal top (like most cases) where you would actually mount the fans. The clearance between the top of the motherboard and top of the case is about 2.5cm, so just enough for the H100's radiator, meaning the fans have to go on top of the case. There are two problems with this - firstly, the holes drilled in the case are not laid out for two 120mm fans right next to each other, the way the H100's radiator is, there's a gap of about 2-3cm between them. So, while it is possible to install the radiator with the fans on top of the case, you have to get creative and not use the holes that are actually meant for screws, but rather some of the airflow screws. You end up with a 2-3cm strip in the middle where the airflow is blocked, and can't install the two screws on the middle side of the second fan. The second problem is, even with the H100 installed in this way, the top plastic grill will not fit back on top of the case - there just isn't enough clearance under it for the fans. And without that clipped down properly, the front of the case won't go back on either. A better fit may be possible with a bit of modding, but out of the box these components just don't go together.