Cooling a G4 Quicksilver mATX Mod

[Corduroy1982]

I'm beginning to plan a G4 Quicksilver mod. I'll be converting the case to mATX using some cool laser-cut panels from Laser Hive.

I have no concerns about doing the mATX conversion itself as I have already converted another G4 "Sawtooth" case to mATX and the project was quite successful. However, that project was to build a quiet little fileserver and utility machine, which had no real cooling concerns.

This new Quicksilver mode will be used for gaming. I'll be using an Intel i7 3700 processor and a EVGA GeForce 670 that I already have on hand. So unlike my last G4 mod, this thing is going to generate a lot of heat. The motherboard will be a Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H TH, which was really hard to find (I plan to use Virtu MVP to run the discrete graphics through the Thunderbolt ports so I can use my Apple monitor). This is nearly identical to the GA-Z77MX-D3H outside the added Thunderbolt ports.

Heat with this case may be a real problem. It has one intake on the left side panel and the only active venting is through the PSU. Because of the odd arrangement of the case, the fan on standard ATX power supplies faces the wrong way, only exposing it to a small gap between it and the side of the case. This may still move some air, but it all has to pass through a narrow gap.

See these mATX Quicksilver mods I found for a clear visual:

Perhaps there aren't a lot of options here and I have to simply go with a nice big intake fan, as big of a CPU cooler as I can fit in the case, and then find a PSU that has a particularly strong venting fan.

Are any other strategies for cooling this case worth considering? I'm open to installing an additional fan on the bottom of the case, for example, so long as I can still find room to mount a bunch of hard drives and SSDs.

Has anyone had experience with buying a CPU cooler for this sort of G4 mod? If so, can you recommend any good options for me? I'm not going to overclock the i7, so I care more about low dB than high CFM.

Thanks for any insights you can offer. I'm a newb to the forums, so I hope this is a good question!

 

[building_man]

From the pictures, it looks like the PSU will be above the CPU heatsink once you close the case. If that configuration will be the same once you put yours together, you might want to consider using a PSU which has a lower intake fan and a rear exhaust fan. For your case, that's the only way I can see you getting enough airflow without modding the case to include more intakes and/or exhausts.

That was part of the airflow model of the original ATX form factor specification, which is why the PSU was mounted on the top, to pull hot air up and out of the back of the case.

Other best practices which will help (stuff you probably already know, but is worth to cover anyway):
-Measure the distance between the CPU and the PSU, and get the biggest, highest CFM fan that will fit.
-Make sure to purchase and apply your own thermal paste. Some people use what comes with the fan, or what was included with the OEM HSF. Apply your own. There are an enormous number of good options to chose from. Personally, I like Arctic's ceramic thermal pastes.
-Clean it all the time. That case is going to get clogged really fast. Buy an air compressor and blast it out.

BTW: This is also my first post. Long time lurker, so I thought I'd jump right in.