M350 case and Noctua NH-L9i CPU cooler?

[sahziw]

I have built a small Core i7-7700 65W system with a M350 case and the Noctua NH-L9i CPU cooler. I'm looking for anyone that are using the same case and cooler to answer some questions.

The M350 is very small with almost no space inside, and that's why I like it, but while assembling I notice the thumb screws underneath the motherboard for the Noctua NH-L9i are touching the base plate of the case, preventing the motherboard laying completely flat on the standoffs which results in the motherboard flexing slightly after fastning the screws. This has made me a little concerned and I'm wondering if this is normal.

Can you tell if the thumb screws are touching the base plate on your system?

I'm waiting for some cables to arrive so I have not yet connected the system to a monitor, but I have tried to power it on a few times to see if anything would work, and it seems to do as the PC beeper emits a single beep which according to the motherboard manual means that everything is OK. However, I think noise from the Noctua NH-L9i is incredible loud. It's not the fan itself that is noisy, but air pushed through the small holes in the case makes it sound like a vacuum cleaner. Maybe it will be better when I'm able to control fan speed in BIOS, but I had not expected so much noise even at max speed.

Do you also experience the noise I'm talking about?

[ark_ader]

First off, this is a really tiny case.  Perfect for low power cpu and passive cooling.  Don't get me wrong, but you are creating problems for yourself with that i7 and a cooler.  It will be a tight fit.  I have noticed that other users of this case use smaller case screws, but I think it is a similar problem where people are trying to emulate a nuc without having to pay nuc prices.

I would look at getting a bigger case for that cpu as a pico psu will be a rod for your own back, then you can get a dedicated graphics card, more airflow, etc.

It is a great case, but not a good choice for your cpu.

[sahziw]

You're right, I knew this would not be easy, but I just think the M350 case is so nice. I love the idea of a somewhat powerful system in a very tiny case that I can literally put in my backpack.

A few years back RyoriNoTetsujin on this forum, built a system also using M350 and Noctua NH-L9i. He used a Core i5-2500K 95W CPU with a 150W PicoPSU and that worked fine. Core i7-7700 is only 65W and I'm also using a 150W PicoPSU so in theory this should work fine also.

I'm thinking about disassembling my system and putting some metal washers on top of the standoffs to alleviate the motherboard flexing.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Every time you think you're out, they pull you back in...

Can you tell if the thumb screws are touching the base plate on your system?

It's been a long time since that motherboard was in that case but I'll tell you this: I don't remember there being any flex due to the thumbscrews holding the heatsink in place coming into contact with the case. Perhaps the mobo standoffs are a hair too short? Or maybe Noctua started including slightly larger thumbscrews?  (Those things are standardized but a little variation goes a long way in this case...)

If I were in your place I'd probably just put thin rubber washers on the bottom of the board to give them a mm worth of clearance. Tinker.

In my situation, that particular heatsink has never been removed from the 2500K, and it's still chugging along peacefully (I'm writing from it now.) So even if there were a tiny bit of flex, it didn't do any long term harm over year or so that it was in the m350. YMMV.

Do you also experience the noise I'm talking about?

That heatsink is definitely audible at full speed. You're also getting the full sound of it because that case allows no natural sound dampening. It will be very quiet at idle in an OS and/or if you adjust the speed profile in your BIOS. 

Also, what's your storage plan? I got lucky at the time that the CPU/heatsink location was such that the hard drive I installed did not directly interfere with airflow to the CPU. If you've got a HDD/SSD even partially blocking that air intake, the fan is going to have to work harder to keep things cool. If you've got an m.2 slot, use it, especially if it's on the top side of the board. That's just a no-brainer.

That said -- you should be fine with a 65w TDP.  Use good thermal paste.  Test it hard for a few days before you start using it regularly. Make sure you test by running  something that maxes both the CPU and iGPU -- you might actually get your temps up to places where most people aren't comfortable -- it might even throttle. However, you'll be fine in any "normal" use case, especially the vast majority of Mame and other emulators. 

The fact that you bought an i7 is the only (and admittedly super mild) criticism that I would have if all you're planning on using this computer for is emulation. You certainly could've done with an i5. Hell, I built my wife a passively cooled i3-6100T (T-class! 35-watt TDP!) this past fall and it plays Blitz at full speed no sweat. Haven't tested that one with HLSL, but that's a hell of a CPU.  Anyway, I don't know your whole situation but there ya go, two pennies.

[sahziw]

Many thanks for your reply.

If I were in your place I'd probably just put thin rubber washers on the bottom of the board to give them a mm worth of clearance. Tinker.

Next weekend I will disassemble the system and use washers to raise the motherboard, as you also write in the project post:

"Be prepared to make tiny modifications to the case to get everything working right"

I think there has been a revision of the Noctua NH-L9i since you installed yours. The plug is now black instead of white and maybe something was changed on the screws too.

That heatsink is definitely audible at full speed. You're also getting the full sound of it because that case allows no natural sound dampening. It will be very quiet at idle in an OS and/or if you adjust the speed profile in your BIOS.

This is what I was hoping to hear. Are you limiting the fan speed with either the Low-Noise Adaptor or in BIOS? If so, how many rpms?

Also, what's your storage plan?

I have used a 500GB Samsung 960 EVO M.2 SSD, but the hard drive bracket is still installed as I think it gives som stability to the case.

Test it hard for a few days before you start using it regularly.

I will definitely do that. It's going to be stress tested hard with Prim95 and MemTest86. I would rather find out about possible problems now, than after my primary system has been replaced.

The fact that you bought an i7 is the only (and admittedly super mild) criticism that I would have if all you're planning on using this computer for is emulation. You certainly could've done with an i5

I understand completely. While researching which parts I should use in the system, many have told me to save the money and get the i5 instead. However, the system is both for work and play. It also have 32GB of RAM. I do compile a lot of source code, so the hyperthreading will come into use. When I don't feel like working anymore I will just grab the controller and fire up the emulator.

These are the steps I'm going to take now:

• Raise motherboard with washers.
• Stress test system hard.
• Hopefully be happy with the new system and play a lot of games.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Are you limiting the fan speed with either the Low-Noise Adaptor or in BIOS? If so, how many rpms?

BIOS (or software in OS) only for me. The Low Noise Adapter does work well in terms of limiting noise, but I don't care for the fact that it also limits the fan's possible max speed. Since we're dealing with a relatively thin margin for potential thermal issues with these higher TDP processors, I'd much rather have a little sound at load (when it's likely to be drowned out by game noises/music) than for it to be unable to cool the system appropriately.  65 watts will of course treat you far better than my 6 year old, 95-watt TDP. 

My fan's low end RPM at idle is about 1300 RPMs, which is ~50% of the fan's top speed.  However, that is because it turns out my old ASRock motherboard firmware isn't capable of controlling the fan speed down to its lowest operable level! I built my parents a similar system with the m350 case, an Ivy Bridge CPU (3570K, 77w TDP), same heatsink and an Intel mobo that was able to spin the fan down to about 900 RPMs at idle and keep temps below 40C. That system is also still chugging away, and is functionally silent at idle.

When I was using the 2500K only for Mame and older consoles, the fan only spun up on a few games anyway ... like the aforementioned NFL Blitz, which again, I don't even like that much!  Dolphin or PCSX2, however, would probably be another issue, but who knows with that i7 you have. Have fun figuring all that out!