Is VRM cooling an issue in these passive cases?

I am thinking about an HTPC build with an ASUS P8H77-I ITX, Intel i3-3225, dual tuner card plus HDD/SSD. No overclocking.



The heatpipes would pass over the chipset heatsink and SATA ports on the right.

Won't said heatpipes block access to all the SATA ports?

Larry at HDPLEX says there is enough clearance if you use angled SATA connectors. There is only space for two, but I only need one.

There are five ITX boards listed as compatible with Ivy Bridge processors for this case and the ASUS is the cheapest by quite a lot. The others are either Z77 or come with WiFi, which I don't need.

VRM cooling is always a potential problem in passively cooled boards & video cards, as they are usually designed to work with some forced airflow. Factors like typical usage patterns & ambient temps come into play. Many boards have a VRM temperature sensor, and programs like Speedfan or AIDA64 can monitor & log it continuously. If it seems too hot, one simple solution is to add a quiet slim profile fan, mount it with zap straps or whatever over the area, and run it really slow. You'll never hear it in normal use, but the VRM temps will easily drop 10C or more with even minimal airflow.