Core i7-6700 or Xeon e3-1245 v5


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Debating between an i7-6700 or Xeon e3-1245 v5 for a mini-ITX build.

 

I need integrated graphics so I can pass through a video card to a VM in the future -- from what I've read, on an Intel chip, I won't be able to pass through a video card if it's the only video card in the build and there is no onboard GPU. 

 

From what I can tell the i7 and e3 seem pretty similar in almost every respect (except for ECC RAM support).  The i7 seems to consume a little less power maybe?  I realize the e3 would allow me to run ECC RAM, but it looks like I'm confined to one stick of 32 GB ECC RAM or 2 sticks of 8 GB RAM.  I plan to run a Windows VM for Blue Iris, a Mythbuntu VM, and Dockers for Plex and SAB -- is 16GB enough?

 

EDIT: Apparently there is at least one 2 stick 32GB ECC option (that PCPartPicker didn't recognize).  http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1193695-REG/crucial_ct2k16g4wfd8213_32gb_2_x_16gb.html

 

Any advice?

 

Here's my current planned build for reference

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($299.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: ASRock C236 WSI Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  (Purchased For $98.09)

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($84.88 @ OutletPC)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 750GB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 750GB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00)

Storage: Western Digital Red 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($149.99 @ B&H)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (Purchased For $0.00)

Case: Lian-Li PC-Q25B Mini ITX Tower Case  ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($87.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Case Fan: Noctua NF-A14 ULN 140mm  Fan  ($20.88 @ NCIX US)

Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12A ULN 120mm  Fan  ($18.65 @ OutletPC)

Other: SanDisk 16GB Boot Drive (USB 3.0) ($6.99)

Other: unRAID PLUS ($89.00)

Total: $1170.44

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-28 13:49 EDT-0400

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Looks like a fun build  :).

 

Personally, since you're buying a board that can support Xeon and ECC that's how I'd go.

 

8GB for unRAID with a couple of Dockers is reasonable/somewhat generous.  I'm not sure what you'd need for BlueIris, but if you think you can fit those two VMs into 8-10GB then you could go with 16GB.  I'm seeing lots of options under Server Memory on NewEgg for 16GB Unbuffered ECC sticks, though, and I'd do that over a single 32GB stick if you decide to go with 32GB. 

 

I find the Lian Li fans to be decent, though the Noctua are quieter and probably move more air.

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I just did a similar build, but haven't gotten around to posting. I went with the e3-1275 v5. The Crucial RAM is good, but at the time I had to order two separate 16GB sticks rather than a kit. Nothing wrong with that, but I paid about $25 more than that B&H price. I have a couple thoughts on your power supply choice, but I don't have the time to type that out right now. Let me get back to you a little later tonight.

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Looks like a fun build  :).

 

Personally, since you're buying a board that can support Xeon and ECC that's how I'd go.

 

8GB for unRAID with a couple of Dockers is reasonable/somewhat generous.  I'm not sure what you'd need for BlueIris, but if you think you can fit those two VMs into 8-10GB then you could go with 16GB.  I'm seeing lots of options under Server Memory on NewEgg for 16GB Unbuffered ECC sticks, though, and I'd do that over a single 32GB stick if you decide to go with 32GB. 

 

I find the Lian Li fans to be decent, though the Noctua are quieter and probably move more air.

 

Is there a reason for the Xeon recommendation other than the board supports it (and it would let me use ECC RAM if I go that path)?  I'm not too familiar on the differences between Xeon and Core i7, but the benchmark scores I've seen look very similar.

 

On the topic of ECC RAM.  Is it worth it at twice the price?  I've never had an ECC RAM build, and everything I've read has made me more confused.  I already bought some non-ECC RAM (that can be returned if need be).

 

Blue Iris with 3 cameras on my current Win7 build (which is running a lot of other software simultaneously) eats about 3 GB RAM.  I think Mythbuntu needs very little RAM if I've understood things correctly.

 

I'm going with Noctua fans because this is a living room build.  One of the computers that this will replace has a very noisy PSU and case fan, and it drives me batty.

 

Oh, and I assume the 4TB WD Red is your parity drive?

 

Yes, indeed. The plan is to slowly upgrade to 4TB drives as prices come down, or other drives fail.  I could get by with using one of the 2TB drives as parity for now if I needed to.

 

I just did a similar build, but haven't gotten around to posting. I went with the e3-1275 v5. The Crucial RAM is good, but at the time I had to order two separate 16GB sticks rather than a kit. Nothing wrong with that, but I paid about $25 more than that B&H price. I have a couple thoughts on your power supply choice, but I don't have the time to type that out right now. Let me get back to you a little later tonight.

 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the PSU. I actually chose it based on reviews I read here and at PCPartPicker about the Lian Li case being tight on room.  I was initially looking at a Corsair RMx series.  Noise, efficiency/heat and reliability are my biggest concerns.

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So here's the deal on the Silverstone PSU. In my personal experience, the only PSU I've ever had fail was a Silverstone ST65F-G. It failed at just over a year, with no warning. I was going to RMA it, however as I started digging through reviews, I found that many others had this same experience. In fact, this same issue seemed to be cropping up on several different models of Silverstone PSU. This was enough to give me second thoughts about purchasing Silverstone PSU's since then.

 

When I started this PC-Q25 build, I decided to give Silverstone the benefit of the doubt and buy their 450 watt SFX PSU. When I received it, I just wasn't pleased with the build quality. It seemed...cheap. With that knowledge and my previous bad experience, I just couldn't chance it, and returned the unit.

 

I ended up buying a Corsaid SF450, and I have to say, I like it much better over the Silverstone. Build quality is excellent, and all the testing I've seen reported looks excellent. I've had no issues, and highly recommend it. There are a few gotchas with the Corsair. One it has flat cables, which when mixed with the 24-pin location on that particular motherboard, can restrict airflow. I haven't noticed any ill effects, but it's something to keep any eye on, especially if your climate is very warm. Second, the cables are short. Real short. Plan on picking up one 4-pin molex extension to reach the backplane, and one sata extension for one of the lower drives. Third, it doesn't come with a ATX to SFX adapter. I purchased Silverstone's offset adapter rather than Corsairs centers adapter.

 

Sorry that has so much ancidotal evidence, but I just get so uneasy every time I see the Silverstone PSU's recommended, especially now that there are beginning to be better alternatives. Maybe Silverstone fixed something, and all their PSU's are great. I hope so, but this is just one event to use as a data point.

 

Edit: To your request for efficiency, low noise, and low heat, the SF450's fan has yet to spin up on me, and all the tests I've seen show it to be more efficient than the Silverstone.

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@Smackover, thanks! I'll likely grab the Corsair on your recommendation.  I've had good success in the past with an ATX Corsair, and I was heading down that path until I read that you couldn't fit a standard ATX PSU into the PC-Q25 (despite the marketing literature).  Silverstone PSU seemed well-recommended here (although I did see the Amazon reviews noting failure).

 

Did you buy cables from Monoprice?

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Usually when it comes to 4-pin molex or sata power, all cables are created equal. My molex extension actually came from Radio Shack, because I wanted to get up and running. Monoprice is fine, so is this example from Amazon: C2G / Cables To Go 27397 Internal Power Extension Cable for 5-1/4 Inch Connector (14 Inch) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002J26JM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_AqQixbXJXP16G

 

For the molex, you only need a few inches, so any length will work. Sata is about the same.

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The argument for ECC RAM is straightforward - you're building an always-on server with a fault tolerant storage subsystem, wouldn't it make sense to pair it with a fault tolerant memory subsystem?  I think it is worth a premium, but I don't think it is worth double the price - memory errors are pretty rare.  Unfortunately DDR4 ECC RAM is a little pricey right now compared to DDR3.

 

The main argument for a Xeon is probably the boards that support it and the features they support like ECC RAM, IPMI, dual LAN, more SATA connectors, etc.

 

I put a Silverstone ST45SF Bronze in my last build and it has worked well for me.  An SFX PSU is *highly* recommended for the PC-Q25B.

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The argument for ECC RAM is straightforward - you're building an always-on server with a fault tolerant storage subsystem, wouldn't it make sense to pair it with a fault tolerant memory subsystem?  I think it is worth a premium, but I don't think it is worth double the price - memory errors are pretty rare.  Unfortunately DDR4 ECC RAM is a little pricey right now compared to DDR3.

 

The main argument for a Xeon is probably the boards that support it and the features they support like ECC RAM, IPMI, dual LAN, more SATA connectors, etc.

 

I put a Silverstone ST45SF Bronze in my last build and it has worked well for me.  An SFX PSU is *highly* recommended for the PC-Q25B.

 

I'm going to pass on ECC RAM for now (just don't want to spend $100 more on RAM right right now).  The price difference between the i7-6700 and the e3-1245 v5 is negligible.  It seems like e3 has slightly higher CPU benchmarks, and the i7 has slightly higher GPU benchmarks, but within a very close margin in both cases.  i7 sounds like it might be more power efficient and run a bit cooler.  Sounds like the only real difference on my build is that if I go with the e3 I could later upgrade the RAM to ECC.  Otherwise it's all the same? 

 

I'm finding it hard to believe that Intel released two chips that seem to be damn near identical but just badged slightly differently and with slightly different mobo and RAM compatibility.  All things being equal I think I'll grab the i7 for power consumption / temperature reasons, and just forgo the ECC RAM.  Stupid idea?

 

EDIT: I went ahead and made the mistake of reading this thread https://techreport.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=117667 It seems like the differences between the i7-6700 and e3-1245 are non-existent if not running ECC RAM (and then that thread devolves into a discussion of whether or not there's any point to running ECC RAM -- which I still don't understand).  I'm just...uh...gonna go lie down now and forget that I ever bothered asking the question.

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If you build from scratch, I would say bite the bullet and get ECC RAM.

 

The way I look at it is ECC vs nonECC is like having a car with vs without air bag (yeah there was a time when airbags were an optional thing ;D).

Crashes are (hopefully) a rare event and I have read researches which say seat belt is way more important in a crash (so in this analogy, seat belt is the parity drive).

 

So if the data is important to you, then it's better to just pay a bit more for that extra protection. You might never actually have to utilise the memory correction functionality (like you might never be in a crash) but IF *touch wood* it happens, there is an extra layer of protection is good.

 

Unlike car crashes though, memory corruption doesn't necessarily "crash" your system. You might just have 1 bit on your data being wrong - which you might never detect until years later when something important can't be opened because the bit is at the wrong place.

 

Personally right now, I'm actually kicking myself for getting Asus instead of AsRock for my mobo. If I had done that, I wouldn't be stuck with 5820K and non-ECC.

 

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I'm finding it hard to believe that Intel released two chips that seem to be damn near identical but just badged slightly differently and with slightly different mobo and RAM compatibility.

Yeah, good point.  Historically Xeons have had more L1/2/3 cache, more cores, more PCI lanes, etc.  The E3 Xeons are awfully similar to the Core i5/7, though.  If you move up to the E5 Xeons you see some real differences. 

 

If I were building a new server I'd go with a Xeon and ECC RAM.  But I acknowledge that if you build a similarly spec'd i7 they'd probably perform the same.  Still, I like testdasi's analogy - I've never had my airbag go off but I'm glad it's there.  Have you considered buying Haswell/Broadwell hardware instead of Skylake?  DDR3 is cheaper...

 

 

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If you build from scratch, I would say bite the bullet and get ECC RAM.

 

Thanks. I think I'm going to start with non-ECC and move up to ECC once prices come down / availability increases.  $200+ for 32GB of RAM is hard to swallow when I got 32GB of non-ECC RAM for under $100 -- the other alternative would be 16GB of ECC RAM for about $100, but I like the idea of having plenty of RAM to allocate to VMs.  The truly important data that I am going to be saving to the build have multiple points of redundancies (family photos/movies, and those have additional redundancies outside of unRAID and outside of my home; Dropbox is cached to multiple computers, etc.).  Nothing that is absolutely critical to me will be solely living on unRAID.

If I were building a new server I'd go with a Xeon and ECC RAM.  But I acknowledge that if you build a similarly spec'd i7 they'd probably perform the same.  Still, I like testdasi's analogy - I've never had my airbag go off but I'm glad it's there.  Have you considered buying Haswell/Broadwell hardware instead of Skylake?  DDR3 is cheaper...

 

I've looked at Broadwell/Haswell but (i) I can't seem to find 8 SATA mini-ITX boards and (ii) power consumption seems higher.  I actually like the idea of a Broadwell/Haswell build because I understand it's possible to pass the integrated GPU through to a VM on those boards.  If you know of an 8 SATA mini-ITX board supporting Broadwell or Haswell, I'm all ears :)

 

Why am I so committed to mini-ITX? Form factor. This is a living room build, and, no, I don't have a spare closet to put a server rack (and yes, I know how much cheaper it would be if I did).  Yes, I want to keep the 8 SATA ports (because I don't want to have to swap everything out out of a 6 SATA port board if I decide to do dual parity, dual cache parity, more SSDs, etc).  Yes, I know I can get a SATA controller for a PCI slot, but I want to keep that free so I can pass a GPU to a VM in the future if need be.

 

Barring a suitable Broadwell/Haswell option, I think I'll go with the e3-1245v5 -- it just seems to give me a bit more flexibility.

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Ill throw a monkey into the wrench.  How about an ebay Xeon E5 ES V3 with ECC DDR4?  You can get a low voltage E5 for less than $200 that will blow the doors off (over 14k passmark min, $300 might get you 18-19k).

 

 

PS: Make dam sure your mobo can support 16 gig dimms for ecc ddr3, most dont.  Infact i havent seen one that does.  16 gig ddr3 ecc is dam cheap.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157588

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157545

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=2619&cmp%5B%5D=2598

 

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Ill throw a monkey into the wrench.  How about an ebay Xeon E5 ES V3 with ECC DDR4?  You can get a low voltage E5 for less than $200 that will blow the doors off (over 14k passmark min, $300 might get you 18-19k).

 

 

PS: Make dam sure your mobo can support 16 gig dimms for ecc ddr3, most dont.  Infact i havent seen one that does.  16 gig ddr3 ecc is dam cheap.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157588

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157545

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=2619&cmp%5B%5D=2598

 

The first motherboard you linked doesn't have 8 sata ports, and the second isn't even Mini ITX...

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Ill throw a monkey into the wrench.  How about an ebay Xeon E5 ES V3 with ECC DDR4?  You can get a low voltage E5 for less than $200 that will blow the doors off (over 14k passmark min, $300 might get you 18-19k).

 

 

PS: Make dam sure your mobo can support 16 gig dimms for ecc ddr3, most dont.  Infact i havent seen one that does.  16 gig ddr3 ecc is dam cheap.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157588

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157545

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=2619&cmp%5B%5D=2598

 

 

Wow. Looks interesting, but not sure I can stomach wading through this all again.

 

So if I understand correctly, that mini-ITX board can do 6x SATA?  But this e-ITX (which apparently can fit in that case) could do 14? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157486

 

14k passmark just is absurd for my uses.  I'd start to worry about power usage.  Also, e5s don't have integrated graphics, right?  If so, that kills my ability to do VM passthrough of the graphics card.

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Ill throw a monkey into the wrench.  How about an ebay Xeon E5 ES V3 with ECC DDR4?  You can get a low voltage E5 for less than $200 that will blow the doors off (over 14k passmark min, $300 might get you 18-19k).

 

 

PS: Make dam sure your mobo can support 16 gig dimms for ecc ddr3, most dont.  Infact i havent seen one that does.  16 gig ddr3 ecc is dam cheap.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157588

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157545

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=2619&cmp%5B%5D=2598

 

The first motherboard you linked doesn't have 8 sata ports, and the second isn't even Mini ITX...

 

And micro atx cases can be smaller than itx cases.  I just gave 2 random good mobos for reference.

 

I love running this style of micro atx antec case (the model varies from year to year)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129054

 

 

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Ill throw a monkey into the wrench.  How about an ebay Xeon E5 ES V3 with ECC DDR4?  You can get a low voltage E5 for less than $200 that will blow the doors off (over 14k passmark min, $300 might get you 18-19k).

 

 

PS: Make dam sure your mobo can support 16 gig dimms for ecc ddr3, most dont.  Infact i havent seen one that does.  16 gig ddr3 ecc is dam cheap.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157588

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157545

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=2619&cmp%5B%5D=2598

 

The first motherboard you linked doesn't have 8 sata ports, and the second isn't even Mini ITX...

 

And micro atx cases can be smaller than itx cases.  I just gave 2 random good mobos for reference.

 

I love running this style of micro atx antec case (the model varies from year to year)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129054

 

"Randim good mobos" doesn't do anyone any good, especially when they're incomparable with the build. And in no way shape or form is that micro ATX case smaller than a PC-Q25.

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The old eBay E5's that people have been building with are awesome for a closet build, but given the heat they generate it would be difficult to incorporate into a small, quiet living room build.  The new Xeon D's would be interesting... but you are probably on the right track with your current build unless you would be interested in an HTPC style case, which would give you Micro ATX options.

 

This is the only Haswell/Broadwell option I know of:

E3C224D4I-14S.

 

It seems to fit the PC-Q25b:

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=45472.msg440520#msg440520.

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Ill throw a monkey into the wrench.  How about an ebay Xeon E5 ES V3 with ECC DDR4?  You can get a low voltage E5 for less than $200 that will blow the doors off (over 14k passmark min, $300 might get you 18-19k).

 

 

PS: Make dam sure your mobo can support 16 gig dimms for ecc ddr3, most dont.  Infact i havent seen one that does.  16 gig ddr3 ecc is dam cheap.

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157588

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157545

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=2619&cmp%5B%5D=2598

 

The first motherboard you linked doesn't have 8 sata ports, and the second isn't even Mini ITX...

 

And micro atx cases can be smaller than itx cases.  I just gave 2 random good mobos for reference.

 

I love running this style of micro atx antec case (the model varies from year to year)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129054

 

"Randim good mobos" doesn't do anyone any good, especially when they're incomparable with the build. And in no way shape or form is that micro ATX case smaller than a PC-Q25.

 

I am sorry for recommending a lga 2011.

While a $200 ebay ES model xeon does have 50-100% more cpu power than your current pic (a 19k passmark unit got sold for $250 on the for sale section of this forum)  They are 120-135 watt at full power.

 

I do not know the dimensions of your media cabinet so i just picked a case that is the size of an old school bluray player and looked nice.

 

I will warn you on a few things.  First loading that case up with 6 spinning hard drives, a 80+ watt cpu, and future video card, is a really bad idea.

 

I dont know if you looked at the air flow stats on that case but here is some food for thought with just and i5, a mid range video card, and 1 hard drive:

http://www.techspot.com/review/446-lian-li-pc-q25/page3.html

 

With the vent patterns most (over 75% of the area of the fans are blocked.

 

PS: you better make sure you have clearance for your cpu heatsink since zero aftermarket units will work.

 

 

 

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Thanks for all the help everyone.  I think I've decided to go with the Xeon e3-1245v5 and stick with the Lian-Li for now.  I know that the venting isn't as ideal as larger cases, but the Lian-Li seems to be the best in its class for what I'm trying to accomplish and the e3 gives me more than sufficient CPU power for my needs (while keeping heat/power low) while also allowing me to later do ECC RAM if I change my mind there.

 

Now to start ordering parts, and find the time to put it all together.  Once I've got it up and running, I'll try to write a summary and post to this thread in case anyone finds this later and wants to know the thrilling conclusion.

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PS: you better make sure you have clearance for your cpu heatsink since zero aftermarket units will work.

That's silly, of course you can use an aftermarket CPU cooler in the PC-Q25b.  In fact, I'd argue that it's preferred.  I used the Noctua NH-L9I in my last Lian Li build (PC-Q18) since it is lower profile than the stock Intel cooler.  I like that it gives more room for airflow between the PSU and the CPU cooler fan.  Did I mention than an SFX PSU is *highly, highly* recommended  ;) ?

 

What you can't do in a PC-Q25b (or any of the SFF cases, really) is use one of the crazy big CPU coolers that look like a refrigeration unit mounted on a pedestal.  I've never really bought into that style of cooler anyway, truthfully. 

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PS: you better make sure you have clearance for your cpu heatsink since zero aftermarket units will work.

That's silly, of course you can use an aftermarket CPU cooler in the PC-Q25b.  In fact, I'd argue that it's preferred.  I used the Noctua NH-L9I in my last Lian Li build (PC-Q18) since it is lower profile than the stock Intel cooler.  I like that it gives more room for airflow between the PSU and the CPU cooler fan.  Did I mention than an SFX PSU is *highly, highly* recommended  ;) ?

 

What you can't do in a PC-Q25b (or any of the SFF cases, really) is use one of the crazy big CPU coolers that look like a refrigeration unit mounted on a pedestal.  I've never really bought into that style of cooler anyway, truthfully.

 

Agreed on the fridge style fans.  I bought one and don't understand the big deal.  How much better (cooling and noise) is the Noctua than the stock Intel fan?  I had planned to just go with the stock for the CPU, but I am replacing both case fans with Noctuas in order to get this as quiet as possible.

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PS: you better make sure you have clearance for your cpu heatsink since zero aftermarket units will work.

That's silly, of course you can use an aftermarket CPU cooler in the PC-Q25b.  In fact, I'd argue that it's preferred.  I used the Noctua NH-L9I in my last Lian Li build (PC-Q18) since it is lower profile than the stock Intel cooler.  I like that it gives more room for airflow between the PSU and the CPU cooler fan.  Did I mention than an SFX PSU is *highly, highly* recommended  ;) ?

 

What you can't do in a PC-Q25b (or any of the SFF cases, really) is use one of the crazy big CPU coolers that look like a refrigeration unit mounted on a pedestal.  I've never really bought into that style of cooler anyway, truthfully.

 

Agreed on the fridge style fans.  I bought one and don't understand the big deal.  How much better (cooling and noise) is the Noctua than the stock Intel fan?  I had planned to just go with the stock for the CPU, but I am replacing both case fans with Noctuas in order to get this as quiet as possible.

 

Stock intel heatsinks with the copper core are VERY good for their size.  The only reason to change it would be to change direction of the air flow, and you would have to switch to a server style heatsink for that since you are limited to 80mm heatsink height.

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