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Intel i5 [email protected] 45C/75C with passive Xigmatek HDT-S1283That is real real real impressive. Despite my blabbering here:
"Is Passive CPU Cooling Best for Silent Computing?"
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=61318&p=531255#p531255your results make me want to try a passively cooled
[email protected] 1. The 2500K has so much horsepower, even when I dump any plausible real life heavy load on it, its going to be almost running passive (45C) as opposed to full load (75C). At some point, when you have such a muscular CPU, the synthetic burn in tests lose their meaning.
2. Why not try an HR-01 PLUS or even better an HR-2. That will take your CPU temps even lower. I have to admit that my recommendation is somewhat selfish. I would like to see how that works for you before I copy it

3. I am still concerned about motherboard temps if I go completely passive. Here is what I am thinking of as a solution to that concern:
Use a small black APEX MI-008. Cut a 180mm hole in the top and cover it with a black Silverstone Fan Filter (used for their 180mm fans). Use two SSDs inside the case for a boot drive and data drive. Use an external HHD esata hard drive dock for when I need to use a large HDD drive (not that often).
I can remove the built in APEX PSU and just run a Seasonic Passive PSU external to it, hooked up to the Apex case with the Seasonic modular cables. Lian Li has some nice steel/rubber feet that I can fit onto the PSU so it doesn't scratch anything. The Seasonic PSU looks nice standing along. I will have to make no apologies for it's looks as a stand alone outside of the case.
I can then fit the Noctua NH-C14 into the APEX MI-008. See:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Noctua_NH-C14_CPU_CoolerRemoving the PSU heat from the case, opening up the top, and putting in that huge Noctua NH-C14 should keep the temps all around cool. If not, I can always hook up a 500 rpm slipstream underneath the Noctua CPU cooler (unfortunately there won't be room for a fan on the top). But it might be that this will keep the motherboard plenty cool without need for any fan. The case already has a lot of air circulation even without a 180mm hole in the top.
The only problem is I will have to wait for a 2500K ITX board running the forthcoming Z67 chipset.
4. What do you think. Does it make some kind of twisted sense, or am I maybe smoking something?
5. Here is some newegg info on the APEX MI-008:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811154091