Adding a CoolIT ECO ALC CPU Cooler

M. Olson

April, 2010

Challenge-Case and CPU Cooler for an ASUS Maximus III Gene mATX As more power resides

on smaller PC motherboards, the natural inclination is to downside the PC case accordingly. One recent build of mine for the ASUS Rampage II Gene mATX mother board was to try out the Antec P180 Performance one mini. Note the CM V8 cooler.

Antec P180 mini, ASUS Rampage II Gene, Intel i7 920, EVGA GTX 285, 2 GB OCZ RAM, Thermaltake 750W.

2Silverstone SG04FH w CoolIT ECO A.L.C.

Let’s get smaller- The Antec P180 mini is still

somewhat heavy & bulky for a mATX mb. So I was attracted to something smaller. The Silverstone SG04FH looked good, but with the power supply over the cpu with only 82mm of clearance no decent air cooler would fit. Silverstone recommends their NT06 but the reviews weren’t a complimentary as I would have liked to risk trying it.

3Silverstone SG04FH w CoolIT ECO A.L.C.

Finding the right coolerI tried a Dynatron K987 on the

bench which seemed OK in free air being better than the stock cooler for my Intel i7 860 CPU. However, at 75 mm height, it would be starved for air in the tight confines of the SG04FH. A Cooler Master GeminII S also was too tall. A Scythe Big Shuriken SCBSK-1000 with a 120mm x 12 mm fan would fit but that would often bump the CPU over 70oC during heavy loading. It was also hard to work around with the large fan / radiator.

I bought the SG04FH based on the comments of one user who had forced a Corsair H50 into the case. An integrated water cooler for the CPU seemed a good solution for this case and I had a Corsair H50 bought on sale just waiting to be used. It seemed like it would be a good solution. No joy however, I just didn’t like the amount of bending the flex hose had to take and the crammed in appearance. Back to air . . .

4Silverstone SG04FH w CoolIT ECO A.L.C.

Enter the CoolIT ECO A.L.C. Fry’s just started carrying

the CoolIT ECO A.L.C. (advanced liquid cooling) unit and I thought I would give that a try. The right angle fittings on the CPU heat sink module gave some routing flexibility that better fit the confines of the case. See the following photos.

Radiator mounted. Moved fan to inside of radiator and air is drawn into the case.

5Silverstone SG04FH w CoolIT ECO A.L.C.

Mounting the Radiator/Fan

Note that both Silverstone 120 mm x 25 mm fans have been removed. The radiator mounts one hole lower on the frame than the top 120 mm fan was mounted. Actually, these photos are misleading, in order to install the fan mounting frame in the case with the radiator at the top, I had to install the radiator over the smaller of the two filter meshes. Note there is room for a 90 mm fan below the radiator.

6Silverstone SG04FH w CoolIT ECO A.L.C.

Installed in Case with MB

7Silverstone SG04FH w CoolIT ECO A.L.C.

CM 700W Silent Pro & XFX HD5850

Note the PS air intake is over the CPU. This helps draw air through the case as well as cool the voltage regulators around the CPU. Air flow is front to back mostly through the power supply and to some extent, the graphics card. Crossfire? Maybe.

8Silverstone SG04FH w CoolIT ECO A.L.C.

SG04FH vs Antec P180 miniSG04FH SG04FH vs Antec P180 mini

Bottom line, 10 to 15 oC cooler running CPU than with the air coolers tested. Final config- ASUS Maximus III Gene, Intel i7 860 CPU, XFX HD 5850 graphics, 2 GB OCZ DDR3 RAM, LG CH08 BD-ROM/DVD Rewriter, CM Silent Pro M 700W PS, WinXP Pro 32bit – and a bit easier to stow under the desk and move around.

9Silverstone SG04FH w CoolIT ECO A.L.C.