Cooling an HP elite

[numb1zero]

Hi there, I'm a long time reader first time poster.
I'm building (well modifying) an HP elite with an Athlon II X4 (stock cooler), an Nvidia GTX 550 Ti, 2x 1tb hdds and a 600w Thermaltake p/s.
I'm preparing to swap the motherboard with another (I can't think of the brand of the one I picked out at the moment). I plan to o/c the Athlon a little bit and add another GTX 550 Ti that I've already got begging to be installed.

I've cut a hole in the top of the case (see pics) for the ps intake and for now am running without the side panel (air dusting often!)

Currently my cpu idles around 38*c and hits low 60s under load which i consider to be fairly safe but I want to get this cooling situation taken care of before I start adding components and in turn adding heat.

I'm looking for suggestions about what I can do to cool this case further.

The stock cooler on the cpu concerns me, but I don't know much at all about cpu coolers. I'm also having trouble finding compatible equipment... i know that its an AM3 socket type but the number 785G is also referenced on the spec sheet. The meaning of these two numbers is over my head.

Secondly, i'm concerned about cooling the 2 GTX550s. Not sure how to go about that at all.

I'm prepared to cut the side panel for adding a fan there but I'm not sure about placement, size, or even direction... Would I would it to blow cool air onto the board or pull hot air out?

I am only starting to learn the fundamentals of case cooling and would appreciate any advice at all
Thanks!
-Adam

P.S. I did some reading on this thread
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2134732
but felt it would be appropriate to start my own more specific thread.

Pics:

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Those temps are fine.

Make sure to get an after market heatsink like the hyper212. Maybe you can put a fan in the back as an exhaust.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Is there a reason you're so attached to that case?

A $70 investment in a Hyper 212+ and Antec 300 would do wonders for your airflow and temps.

 

[numb1zero]

Those temps are fine.

Make sure to get an after market heatsink like the hyper212. Maybe you can put a fan in the back as an exhaust.

I know that the temps are fine now, but when I o/c the cpu and add an additional gtx550, I don't expect the temps to remain the same as they are now...
and I have an exhaust fan already at the bottom/rear

Is there a reason you're so attached to that case?

A $70 investment in a Hyper 212+ and Antec 300 would do wonders for your airflow and temps.

Fair question, no I'm not attached to the case, I'm just a big do it yourself kinda' guy and I want to use this case to learn about airflow and cooling for now. I will definitely be buying a replacement case but this is for the time being. I'm hoping that someone may have some advice about a side panel fan. I'm comfortable with a dremel and can cut the hole I just don't know where it should go or what direction. (I assume INTO the case)


I'd definintly like to take a look at the hyper212 cpu cooler, is there any way someone could help me find one that would fit my cpu? I've searched newegg and found one that says its compatible with "AMD FM1/AM3+" and I'm pretty sure my socket type is AM3 (not +).. Forgive me if this has a stupid simple answer...

Thank you so much for the replies, guys!

-Adam

Also, if there are any other pictures I can take that would help, please don't hesitate to ask.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

The Hyper 212 line will definitely fit your CPU. The questions is whether or not that case is wide enough for a full size tower cooler. The total height of the cooler is around 160mm, IIRC.

EDIT: If you're content to just leave the case open, the 212 would be fine. It would likely drop your CPU temps by 15-20 degrees.

 

[thescreensavers]

Buy a "what ever size that hole on top is" fan gard, it will make it look a crap ton better.

If you are going to cut a fan in the side panel, get one of those 200+mm fans, position it to blow air over the CPU and GPU's

 

[numb1zero]

The Hyper 212 line will definitely fit your CPU. The questions is whether or not that case is wide enough for a full size tower cooler. The total height of the cooler is around 160mm, IIRC.

EDIT: If you're content to just leave the case open, the 212 would be fine. It would likely drop your CPU temps by 15-20 degrees.

thanks for the height, i'll measure when I get home this weekend. If it doesn't fit, I may just cut the side panel to allow, something like this:

also just to be certain, you're saying that this will fit my mb/cpu (pending height measurement, of course)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103099

I just want to be sure

Buy a "what ever size that hole on top is" fan gard, it will make it look a crap ton better.

If you are going to cut a fan in the side panel, get one of those 200+mm fans, position it to blow air over the CPU and GPU's

I agree abut the fan guard, I ordered a black one last night. Im traveling on business this week and had to put it back together as is after i finished the hole so that my girlfriend could watch her netflix while I'm gone so I havent drilled mounting holes yet. This weekend I think Im going to put an intake in the bottom of the case and put it up on some rubber feet so when I take it all apart again, i'll do the drill holes in the top as well.
I'm thinking a very thin 120mm+ fan for the bottom. Does that sound pointless or do you guys think it would help at all?

as far as the fan goes, i added it to the paint mock up above, how does that look conceptually?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

The hyper 212 will fit every amd board. Since they all use the same holes for coolers (right?)

 

[borisvodofsky]

The hyper 212 will fit every amd board. Since they all use the same holes for coolers (right?)

yes

 

[numb1zero]

The hyper 212 will fit every amd board. Since they all use the same holes for coolers (right?)

Great to know! Thank you so much for getting back to me.

Do I need to use a fan controller for the side panel 200mm+ fan or can I just power it?