Inverting HeatPipe Motherboards... HELP!

[liberatecuba]

Ok everybody... I've got a problem.. I plan on upgrading soon.. New mobo, processor, ram, and video card... At the moment I'm having trouble with the following issue..

Most of the kick**s nForce 680i mobo's being released have these very sexy heatpipe cooling solutions for their chipset...
THE PROBLEM: I have an inverted ATX case

I've heard conflicting stories on the effectiveness of Mobo heatpipes when the board is inverted.. Some say you can get away with it.. others say "DONT DO IT"

The ASUS Striker Extreme has me SALIVATING
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131074

But as a first timer to water cooling (and for $$ reasons) I want to keep the number of waterblocks to the bare minimum. But I want to be able to overclock my Core2 6600 to rock solid 3ghz...

Will I have to dismantle that beautiful heatpipe and watercool my North & Southbrige CHipset?... If so.. What about the two sets Vreg on the MOBO? Do I have to cool those too? Can you recommend an effective Heat Sink for those? How hard is it to remove those heatpipes? Any tips on proper removal (things to keep in mind)?

Any help is appreciated..

 

[brer_squid]

SOME heat pipes are orientation dependent, SOME are not.

The only advice I can offer is to find someone who owns this exact mobo and ask him to operate upside down and measure the temps.

 

[liberatecuba]

i guess you're right..
Nobody seems to have a clear cut answer for this question.. I called Asus and Koolance and both advised against turning this mobo upside down.. GRRR..

thanx

 

[Preecher]

I just got the striker extreme as well. Fortunatly, I havent purchased the rest of the rig (including the case). I was going to get the inverted Lian Li case (LIAN LI PC-V1000BPLUSII) until I read this and a few other forums. Apparently, there is conflicting information about the cooling performance of the heatpipes when the board is upside down (northbridge can get real hot and fail). I have read that some heatpipes use a "wick" which helps transfer the fluid for cooling while others do not. I have no confirmation that the striker uses the wick technique or not in their heatpipes.

Furthermore, I also read that you cannot use the Zalman 9700 cpu cooler on the 680i in an inverted case (about 3mm too long and hits the bottom.) but it can be used in a regular case.

Anyway, I think I am just going to get a more standard case and call it good.

 

[Preecher]

I got a prompt response from Asus tech support (*surprised*).

[Problem Description]
Can the Striker Extreme (680i chipset) be mounted "INVERTED" like in a Lani-Li Case?
Will the heatpipes cool correctly if inverted?

Answer:
Dear ASUS Users:
Your query has been replied by ASUS technical personnel. The content of the reply is shown below. Time replied at : 2007-01-03 23:23:48
Mail ID Subject Date
Re: Motherboard Striker Extreme 2007-01-04 02:16:27
this will cause the motherboard to overheat


Allan T
7100 Intermodal Dr
Louisville, Ky 40258
Asus Support Team.