Noctua tested more than 100 PC cases and found over half had inaccurate CPU cooler clearance specs

[midian182]

Why it matters: Have you ever bought a CPU cooler and found it doesn't fit in your case, despite having first checked to ensure compatibility? Noctua says this can be a problem because many PC cases' actual measurements don't line up with manufacturers' official specs.

Noctua writes that, given the importance of every millimeter in small-form-factor and ITX builds, it has conducted its own measurement tests on popular cases to confirm they align with figures on the manufacturers' websites. It found inaccuracies in 56 out of the more than 100 cases it tested.

One recent example of a significant deviation was the new NZXT H2 Flow. The maker says the case offers up to 75mm of CPU cooler clearance, but Noctua found enough space to fit coolers up to 79mm. That means the company's NH-L12Sx77 cooler actually fits this case despite the specs suggesting it won't.

Another example was the Thermaltake TR100 case. It specifies 68mm of clearance, but it can fit coolers up to 70.7mm in height. Other cases also offered more space than specified, including Corsair's popular 5000D, 4000D, and Frame 4000D.

While missing out on a preferred cooler when it could have fit is frustrating, buying one that's too large is a lot worse. Noctua found several cases where there was less clearance room than the manufacturer specified.

The Asus Prime AP201, for example, has 168.3mm instead of the claimed 170mm. There was also the Lian Li B4-mATX, which has 164.5mm of clearance instead of the specified 168mm.

Having less room than expected could lead to a multitude of problems. The cooler could be pressed against the case panels. Or, as Noctua notes, there might be no room to move a front fan higher up to increase RAM clearance. Worst of all, the case might not close at all if there's a significant difference between the stated and actual heights.

To help buyers of its coolers, Noctua has added a new custom field to its case compatibility database. Any time a small tooltip icon appears next to the maximum CPU cooler height specification of a particular case model, it means the company's own measurements deviate from the manufacturer's specifications. With more than 56% of case measurements being inaccurate, this could save PC builders a lot of headaches.

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Noctua tested more than 100 PC cases and found over half had inaccurate CPU cooler clearance specs

 

[Axeia]

Guess I've unknowingly been taking some risky gambles then.
I tend to get pretty close to the case manufacturers numbers for most builds, haven't run into an issue yet.

My current setup being an excellent example.
CPU: Alpenfohn Brocken 2 - 165mm
Case: CoolerMaster NR400 - 166mm
(fits like a glove)

Used to have a mini-itx system where I managed to find a case/CPU cooler setup where with a slightly thicker aftermarket fan I managed to line things up so perfectly the fan was literally touching the side panel right up against the grid - no air gap, all going just by the listed sizes.

 

[RudyBob]

We are being lied to? Imagine that

 

[Herald92]

We are being lied to? Imagine that

Manufacturers just report couple of mm short in order to make sure coolers or fans don't press against the side panels. Even if this poses no structural problem , in case of fans for example , this would increase noise ... so nah you ain't being lied to , they just play it safe with normies !

 

[jdrch]

Can we get on non-Noctua cooler OEMs not providing complete dimensions too? It's often difficult to impossible to tell whether a 3rd party cooler will fit over RAM modules, especially on workstation PCs. Noctua is the only cooler manufacturer that 1) provides complete dimensions 2) will try stuff in the lab for you if you're having problems.

 

[Axeia]

Manufacturers just report couple of mm short in order to make sure coolers or fans don't press against the side panels. Even if this poses no structural problem , in case of fans for example , this would increase noise ... so nah you ain't being lied to , they just play it safe with normies !

That's what I thought, some safety margin for extra thick motherboards or something. But then then there was this paragraph.

The Asus Prime AP201, for example, has 168.3mm instead of the claimed 170mm. There was also the Lian Li B4-mATX, which has 164.5mm of clearance instead of the specified 168mm.

So they get it wrong both ways.

The Lian Li in particular is a rather big difference, wonder if they copy pasted the data from another model and forgot to edit it to the correct value or something.

 

[Alpine7995]

This is exactly the kind of boring, obsessive testing I want from Noctua. Nobody else is apparently willing to grab a ruler and check whether 170mm actually means 170mm.

 

[trents]

Now, somebody needs to undertake the complement to this and start measuring actual heights of coolers compared to their advertised height.