Cooler for Vaio. Not much room.

Nocontact · Post by **Nocontact** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 9:22 am

I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a P4 775 cooler for a Sony Vaio model #PCVR720G.

It has an asus PTGV2-DX mobo, and it only has about 6 inches of clearance in the case.

I was going to try another xigmatex but it won't fit and I'm trying to keep the noise down and from what I've read the Scythe Ninjas are noisy.

Any suggestions?

angelkiller · Post by **angelkiller** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:51 am

Nocontact wrote:from what I've read the Scythe Ninjas are noisy.

Where did you read this? The Ninja is a longtime favorite of SPCR because of its excellent low-airflow performance. And the Ninja currently ships with a Slipstream, which is one of the quietest and most efficient fans ever.

Six inches is 150mm, which is plenty of room for a CPU cooler. Just to ensure a good fit, have you considered top-down coolers? Off the top of my head, I can think of the Scythe Zipang, Thermalright SI-128 and the Asus Triton.

Nocontact · Post by **Nocontact** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 10:57 am

I thought I read in the review on frostytech of mini ninja that in order to cool well the fan has to spin too quickly to be quiet.

I'd go with it if I could (can't find the original anymore) but I was concerned about noise.

The only other one available near me is the Shuriken 3 or katana 2.

angelkiller · Post by **angelkiller** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:13 am

Nocontact wrote:I thought I read in the review on frostytech of mini ninja that in order to cool well the fan has to spin too quickly to be quiet.

I'd go with it if I could (can't find the original anymore) but I was concerned about noise.

I can't speak for how accurate the Frostytech article is. However, I can tell you that SPCR's Mini Ninja review is the most accurate review in regards to noise.

SPCR's Mini Ninja review wrote:The Scythe Ninja Mini performed admirably despite its smaller size and smaller 80mm fan. Its size allows it to be mounted in smaller cases where cooling is often a bigger issue than in a large tower case.

SPCR's Mini Ninja review wrote:One minor disappointment was Scythe's choice of fan. At full speed the level of noise was a little too high. We're used to seeing much quieter fans included with Scythe heatsinks, so hopefully this does not become a trend. A 92mm, fluid dynamic bearing, 4-pin PWM fan compatible with most current motherboard fan controllers would have made us swoon.

And by looking at the thermal results, changing the fan's voltage to 7v made the fan very quiet. This is a very simple procedure. If the Mini Ninja is available to you, I would recommend it.

Nocontact · Post by **Nocontact** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 11:18 am

I'm thinking now of going with the Scythe shuriken.

Any thoughts?

tehcrazybob · Post by **tehcrazybob** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 7:21 pm

Nocontact wrote:Any thoughts?

Yeah, why ask for advice and then ignore it?

SPCR is world-renowned for their analysis of quiet computer components, and both the Ninja and Ninja Mini come highly recommended by them. Why you would take the opinion of FrostyTech over SPCR is beyond me, especially when you've come to the SPCR forums for help?

FrostyTech never bothered slowing the fan on the Ninja Mini down, so it was running at full speed all the time. In their review, they didn't really mention that all the coolers with lower noise were PWM-controlled and were, at that noise level, not providing nearly as much cooling performance as the Ninja Mini. Even SPCR noted in its review that the noise at full speed was unacceptable. Slow it down, though, and it'll be very quiet.

All that aside, you really don't need a Ninja Mini. By the sound of it, a full-size Ninja will fit in your case. It, too, will need the fan slowed down to be truly silent, but it's also so big that it can be run without any fan at all in many situations.

The Ninja has been recommended twice now, as well as being on the SPCR recommended lists. It will almost certainly fit in your case. Why are you still asking about random heatsinks?

Nocontact · Post by **Nocontact** » Mon Jun 09, 2008 9:08 pm

I'm not ignoring it, it's simply a matter of certain parts being in limited supply where I am and not having my choice all the time. Price can be an issue too.

It's not a matter of me taking one site's advice over another, I was just asking a question, no need to take it personally.

Doesn't matter anyways, the Vaio has some crazy proprietary motherboard and I can't get the heatsink to fit. It' doesn't have the usual socket holes, it has screws and the retention clips won't fit.

Good thing I didn't go with the Ninja and waste $40 instead of $30 I guess.

tehcrazybob · Post by **tehcrazybob** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:41 pm

Sorry about the rant earlier.

Also sorry about your non-standard setup. Is there any chance the proprietary mounting bracket is attached through the standard LGA775 mounting holes?

Could you post a few pictures of it? We might be able to suggest something.

Nocontact · Post by **Nocontact** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:30 pm

Don't mention it, I appreciate the forums and all the help. I'm quite serious about tech stuff too so I understand.

I'm going to remove the mobo and see if there is in fact a bracket underneath which can be removed. I have an old pushpin cooler that I can then test out. I was just hoping to avoid going through removing the mobo if I could help it.

I thought the thermalright 120 may be the answer as it uses the same screws but it's just too darn tall!

bgavin · Post by **bgavin** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:05 pm

Don't overlook the smaller down-drafts, such as the Scythe Andy Samurai and others. This might be a solution to your height problem.

I suspect your 775 board has a backing plate attached, hence the screws on the cooler. This is a standard plate, and you can leave it in place, and use any of the Thermalright coolers. I'm sure the threads will match. I have a Gateway board that does this, and the threads are a perfect match.

Nocontact · Post by **Nocontact** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:34 pm

The shuriken would have fit easily height wise if the board could accept the pushpins. Luckily they took it back at the PC part store I bough it from. It did seem very difficult to install just by the positioning of the pins.

I'm sure the thermalright would have fit screw wise, but not height wise.

Once I solve the plate issue I'll have a better idea of my options but at that point I think any of the coolers should work.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:05 pm

Wouldn't there be like any changes we could see your motherboard and cooler set-up? If you have some sort of digi-camera it would help greatly.

bgavin · Post by **bgavin** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 3:54 am

The Thermalright bolt-through kit is under $10USD, and it will mount any cooler that uses push-pin mounting. Remove the push-pins, and use the bolts from the TR kit.

On some clearances, such as my Zipang, this mounting is a pain in the butt because the screw heads have to be turned down with needle nose pliers. But.. it is doable, and bolt-through is very secure. You still might have to remove the board for access to the screw heads. Ninjas, etc, have direct access from the top with a long Phillips driver.

Cooler for Vaio. Not much room.

Cooler for Vaio. Not much room.

Re: Cooler for Vaio. Not much room.