Case/CPU Fans for Fractal Define Mini

[Edge]

Hey guys, tis I again.

So I basically settled on the Fractal Define Mini, but without much knowledge of the case I'm trying to figure out what I should do about cooling.

For the Case

I'm going to go for positive air pressure, so I'll have 2x120?mm intake fans at the front, and one 120mm at the back as an exhaust. What fans suit the minimalistic aesthetic of the Fractal Define Mini while maintaining good airflow and silence?

For the CPU

I've never bothered with aftermarket CPU cooling before as I can't overclock on this motherboard, but I've noticed one of the main contenders for noise in my case is the terrible stock Intel cooler, so I'm going to replace it.

What are the best low profile budget CPU coolers? Most of the ones I've seen are huge and won't properly fit my case (I'm using low profile RAM, btw). Also, should I pick up an extra fan to replace whatever comes with the aftermarket cooler? I guess that depends on the recommendation.

My Specs will be as follows:

Fractal Define Mini
Intel i5 3570 CPU
Gigabyte GA-H61M-USB3-B3 H61 mATX Mobo
Sapphire R9 270x 2GB Vapor-X
Corsair XMS3 2x4GB DDR3 RAM
Corsair CX500m
500GB Seagate Barracuda
1TB WD Caviar Black

So I need a CPU cooler recommendation that fits the Mini, and three case fans (potentially a fourth fan if the CPU cooler fan is kinda weaksauce).

Halp please! I'd prefer not to spend a fortune on a cooler, so cheaper is better, but I'll pay if it's worth it. Less than 50 quid is optimal.

 

[barnsley]

I'm pretty sure a Cooolermaster Hyper TX3 fits that case. Cheap and decent.

 

[Edge]

I'm pretty sure a Cooolermaster Hyper TX3 fits that case. Cheap and decent.

That's pretty nice. Does it have a bracket for the back of the motherboard? Kinda looks like it just uses the regular Intel pushpins? And how's the fan for it? Good enough, or worth replacing?

-----------

Just a follow up on this, going with an AF120 exhaust, one AF120 intake, and an SP120 intake where blocked by the HDD cages.

Still having issues finding a CPU Cooler that will fit properly. Although many fit the case, I'm worried they will block my mobo's RAM slots (it only has two)

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3794#ov

Any thoughts?

 

[barnsley]

A h55 won't block the ram spots and it's relatively cheap.
If you want a neat low profile cooler look at a Scythe shuriken. Its very quiet.

 

[Edge]

A h55 won't block the ram spots and it's relatively cheap.
If you want a neat low profile cooler look at a Scythe shuriken. Its very quiet.

Is the Shuriken still a good upgrade over the Intel Stock cooler?

 

[barnsley]

Is the Shuriken still a good upgrade over the Intel Stock cooler?

It cools my friend's 6350 fine and it did me well when I had to RMA my seidon. Its very quiet, that is for sure. temps wise its probably slightly better.

 

[Edge]

It cools my friend's 6350 fine and it did me well when I had to RMA my seidon. Its very quiet, that is for sure. temps wise its probably slightly better.

That's good, the temps don't worry me much as I can't overclock anyway, but the noise is a real problem. Thanks, I'll get that

Any advice for cables with a Fractal Mini? Tempted to buy extensions or replacements. Not sure how much room I have behind the motherboard tray, but if there's room to tie down cables and pull through extensions, some braided cables could be nice.

 

[barnsley]

Get some bitfenix extensions. there should be some space if remember correctly .

 

[katiekitsune]

i would recommend 2 noctua NF-F12's in the front and a noctua NF-S12A in the back for positive pressure.

 

[Edge]

Got everything transferred into the new case, went for:

Fractal Define Mini
Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev B.
1x Corsair SP120mm in the front.

I have two AF120s on the way - one for the other front intake, one for the exhaust, but here's my temps so far without them.

These temps are with my fan controller set to about half way - not max silence, not max cooling either. Still, it's whisper quiet.

Idle:

After running Prime95 for 15 minutes:

Haven't stress-tested the GPU but CPU was my main concern. Not bad for air in an mATX build eh?