RAM and CPU slots height off motherboard

[peterleo]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm researching a new build, and have ran into the following issue - beQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 and G.skill Trident Z compatibility.

The ddr4 modules have a height of 44mm and the cpu cooler has 34.9mm clearance below the front fan and 39mm clearance below the heatsink (http://www.bequiet.com/volumes/PDM/_products/bk019/bk019_dim_en.pdf).

Judging by the figures above, they should not fit. However, I found multiple builds on pcpartpicker where the TridentZ ram has exactly enough height below the cpu cooler (http://pcpartpicker.com/b/T4zMnQ)

 

My question is the following: is there a height difference between ram slots and the cpu socket? How could 44mm high ram modules fit under a cpu cooler that has a maximum of 39mm clearance? Am I missing something?

 

Thanks in advance!

[VVoltor]

Or maybe they just moved the fan a bit higher on the heatsink

[peterleo]

8 minutes ago, VVoltor said:

Or maybe they just moved the fan a bit higher on the heatsink

Thanks for the reply!

I saw that the fan is moved a little higher, but in the pictures I can see there is room for the 44mm ram even under the heatsink (rated at 39mm clearance). That's what's confusing...

[Flavio hc 16]

The cpu is 8mm off the pcb of the mobo, the ram are 2 mm off from it

[peterleo]

1 minute ago, Flavio hc 16 said:

The cpu is 8mm off the pcb of the mobo, the ram are 2 mm off from it

Hey thanks! This is exactly the info I was looking for! Much appreciated!

Where did you get the figures from?

[Flavio hc 16]

2 minutes ago, peterleo said:

Hey thanks! This is exactly the info I was looking for! Much appreciated!

Where did you get the figures from?

I'm designing a small form factor case, and i had some headache with cooler and ram clearance in the last month, to make every 60mm high cooler fit in

[peterleo]

2 minutes ago, Flavio hc 16 said:

I'm designing a small form factor case, and i had some headache with cooler and ram clearance in the last month, to make every 60mm high cooler fit in

Well thanks again for the info! Determining the real clearance is always very tricky as there doesn't to appear a real standardized way of measuring, and all heatsink manufacturers just give the safe figures.

Best of luck with your SFF case!

Have a good one!

[FiveNine]

2 hours ago, peterleo said:

Well thanks again for the info! Determining the real clearance is always very tricky as there doesn't to appear a real standardized way of measuring, and all heatsink manufacturers just give the safe figures.

Best of luck with your SFF case!

Have a good one!

Or you could get a Dark Rock 3, the non-pro. Marginal differences in temperature 2-3 degrees or so

[peterleo]

1 hour ago, FiveNine said:

Or you could get a Dark Rock 3, the non-pro. Marginal differences in temperature 2-3 degrees or so

Yeah, I know. However, I really had my eye on the DRP3. Initially I was looking at the nh-d15 (for the 7700K), and switched to DRP3 for purely esthetic reasons. So I can sacrifice a few degrees for looks, but I'm not willing to go further. 

[FiveNine]

13 minutes ago, peterleo said:

Yeah, I know. However, I really had my eye on the DRP3. Initially I was looking at the nh-d15 (for the 7700K), and switched to DRP3 for purely esthetic reasons. So I can sacrifice a few degrees for looks, but I'm not willing to go further. 

I feel you. I wanted the DRP3 too but i gave up because i wanted to show off my white ram. You can slide the front fan up on the heatsink like other suggested, but be mindful that your case can support the offset. Personally, I got myself a thermalright le grand macho rt. One of the best coolers, looks nice too and has total ram clearance. The only thing i'm pissed a bit about is that the stickers on my ram are turned towards the cooler and the barcode on the back of the ram is staring at me, kinda annoying