SFF PC

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Had to upgrade my CPU cooler. Found this comparison of the heights of the Phantom Spirit 120 SE vs Normal/EVO. (reddthat.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by [email protected] to c/sffpc

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My Big Shuriken 3 isn't really sufficient for my new 5700X3D, even with undervolting, so I'm upgrading to the Phantom Spirit 120 SE. I've seen elsewhere that some people claim that the SE and the Normal/EVO versions are the same height, and the 154mm height noted by Thermalright is coldplate to fin.

Well, here's what seems to me to be definitive proof that the SE is indeed shorter than its capped siblings. The 154mm seems to be coldplate to pipe tip. Note that this is not my image; I'm just sharing for anyone's future reference.

The new cooler will be going into an NR200 (non-P, non-Max), and it will be paired with the aforementioned CPU on a Gigabyte B550I Aorus Pro AX. It seems to be the same overall shape and tower offset as the Peerless Assassin, so I'm expecting it to fit similarly. Will post pictures when everything is installed and working.

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[–] alleycat 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The NR200 seems to be an uncomplicated case for sff. No riser cable needed for GPU and you can use a full-sized air cooler. Would the size difference between the two coolers really matter when a fan is attached?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, because the fan will sit lower on the 154mm cooler by default. There's more up/down leeway with the 157mm coolers like the one on the right and it's Peerless Assassin siblings (basically the same cooler but with one less cooling pipe). For certain configs and cases, that might matter. The NR200 has a hard limit somewhere between 156-158mm.

It also matters if you have a Tempered Glass panel for the NR200. Some people can fit the 157mm tower with the TG panel, for example, and some can't (without modification). My own research says that the TG wouldn't fit with the taller cooler and the Gigabyte B550 motherboard. I managed to get the 157mm Peerless Assassin to fit with the mesh panel, but it didn't have much clearance, if any.

And if you're a min/maxer, I would hazard a guess that the extra fins on the 157mm towers will give you a little extra cooling, though how much in practice, I can't say. Something that might matter to certain people.

For my own purposes, I wanted to be certain I cleared all the panels. I'll probably upgrade to a laser-cut acrylic panel in the future, and having the extra clearance will make that upgrade easier.