Mild Overclocking A10 7700k and RAM Cooling Setup

[SokChar]

Greeting from Greece

I recently bought a new entry level gaming tower, with an A10 7700k cpu and I'm thinking of overclocking at some point, nothing extreme though.

After searching for a budget after-market cooler, I decided to choose one the following setups ( since I didn't want to spend more that 30-35 euros ):

1) The well-know CM Hyper 212 EVO
2) The smaller ( and weaker ), face down, Scythe IORI SCIOR-1000 + an extra side case fan Arctic Cooling F12 120mm PWM rev.2

The first option will provide a much better cpu cooling, but worse airflow, since I won't have space to install an extra side case fan, and the second will provide much better airflow, but relatively worse cpu cooling, since IORI's heatsinks are smaller and the fan's size is only 100mm. I will be using the Arctic Cooling MX-4 thermal paste in both scenarios and I don't plan on using a discrete GPU soon.

My concern is that, here in Athens, summers are a nightmare for every PC user due to the heat. So, which of the two options you think will keep my CPU and especially the RAM and VRM ( without extra heatsinks ) from overheating, effectively?

My current setup is:

RAM: G.SKILL 2X4GB DDR3 2400MHZ RIPJAWSX DUAL CHANNEL
Mobo: ASUS A88XM-PLUS
CPU: AMD A10 7700k
Case: CORSAIR CARBIDE 200R BLACK
Extra bottom case fam: ARCTIC COOLING F12 PWM REV.2 120MM

 

[madmatt30]

You're worrying needlessly about the ram - its good to near 100c ,it has good ramsinks & even with ambient temps of 40-45c it will rarely go above 70c.

Your case cooling is as far as I would go (maybe a top/rear exhaust at most) - 2 intakes,1 exhaust with no discrete GPU to block airflow or raise temps should be ample IMO though.
Besides the side/top mounts don't have any kind of filters which is a big no imo for intakes.

Vrm temps wise ,any kind of tower cooler removes any secondary vrm cooling so if this is a real worry to you look at a flat down blower cooler - while that scythe is definitely better than the stock cooler Id be looking at a 120mm one personally ,the more it overhangs the CPU slot the better the secondary vrm cooling will be.

The noctua lh-12 & scythe big shuriken 2 are the ones that spring to mind but they are fairly expensive.

 

[SokChar]

Thanks for your answer mate.

So the 212 EVO exhaust fan blowing hot air over the RAMs won't be an issue, right? ( Correct me if I'm mistaken about the exhaust part. ) Will it be better if I place the cooler's fan on the other side of the heatsink, facing down?

 

[madmatt30]

Always mount the evo vertically mate,fan at the front between the heatsink & the ram.
The fan sucks air into the heatsink from the front & blows it through the heatsink towards the rear exhaust - this is the default & best configuration.
Takes stale air away from the ram this way.
The 200r is a decent little case for airflow ,a front & bottom intake & a rear exhaust will keep air circulating very very well especially with no GPU in the way.
That board has pretty big/high vrm sinks as it is - you'll get some air movement over them with the evo.
You should have no temp problems at all - just keep your cables reasonably tidy (should be easy with minimal components) & you'll be good.

 

[SokChar]

Ok, cheers for the thorough and fast reply :-D