Hi.
I have a In Win BR665 case with ASRock Z68 Pro3-M mobo and Intel Core i5-2500k CPU. Here are some images of the PC
I was not satisfied with the stock Intel cooling ,as it would get to over 80 degrees using Prime95, so I swapped it with a CoolerMaster Hyper TX3. Here are some images during and after the exchange
I'm very pleased with the performance - CPU overclocked to 4.0 GHz and it does not pass 62 degrees (which means that the coolers don't ramp up)
Now my problem is that the new cooler does not cool motherboard components any more. This is not an issue with the top VRM because i have the 140mm fan to take care of it. However, the back VRM gets virtually no airflow, and neither do the RAM modules. After running Prime95 for about 30 minutes with the CPU overclocked I touched several components in the case to get a feel of how warm they are. Top VRM was a little warm, back VRM was a bit warmer but not something likely to worry about. The RAM sticks however were definitely hot. Not as hot so I couldn't keep my hands on them comfortably (which happens with the Accelero L2 Pro that is on the Radeon 4850) but nevertheless something that I worry about.
Thing is, I have the option to upgrade to a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 for about $15 extra these days and I'm thinking it will provide the required airflow to those components. The cooler looks potent (5 heatpipes instead of three) but of course it is not a tower cooler. I've looked for reviews for both coolers but the only review for the Big Shuriken 2 is used on an AMD platform and there is no direct comparison with the TX3.
My other options would be to install a 120mm fan on the panel, which I'd really hate since I'm not looking to turn my PC into a vacuum cleaner. Or maybe build some sort of air tunnel to make the back fan suck air through the VRM...
I have a In Win BR665 case with ASRock Z68 Pro3-M mobo and Intel Core i5-2500k CPU. Here are some images of the PC
I was not satisfied with the stock Intel cooling ,as it would get to over 80 degrees using Prime95, so I swapped it with a CoolerMaster Hyper TX3. Here are some images during and after the exchange
I'm very pleased with the performance - CPU overclocked to 4.0 GHz and it does not pass 62 degrees (which means that the coolers don't ramp up)
Now my problem is that the new cooler does not cool motherboard components any more. This is not an issue with the top VRM because i have the 140mm fan to take care of it. However, the back VRM gets virtually no airflow, and neither do the RAM modules. After running Prime95 for about 30 minutes with the CPU overclocked I touched several components in the case to get a feel of how warm they are. Top VRM was a little warm, back VRM was a bit warmer but not something likely to worry about. The RAM sticks however were definitely hot. Not as hot so I couldn't keep my hands on them comfortably (which happens with the Accelero L2 Pro that is on the Radeon 4850) but nevertheless something that I worry about.
Thing is, I have the option to upgrade to a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 for about $15 extra these days and I'm thinking it will provide the required airflow to those components. The cooler looks potent (5 heatpipes instead of three) but of course it is not a tower cooler. I've looked for reviews for both coolers but the only review for the Big Shuriken 2 is used on an AMD platform and there is no direct comparison with the TX3.
My other options would be to install a 120mm fan on the panel, which I'd really hate since I'm not looking to turn my PC into a vacuum cleaner. Or maybe build some sort of air tunnel to make the back fan suck air through the VRM...
