Heatpipe question

iviv

iviv

iviv

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I've got an antec 900 case, and just bought a 120mm fan to stick on the side, to blow air onto the CPU and GPU. But I was a little silly and didn't check for clearance. Fan arrives, and while it does fit, one of the heatpipes from my CPU is poking into it, which will prevent the fan from turning, which is obviously bad.

The end of the pipe seems to be fairly thin, almost ending in a point, but would it be a bad idea to set about it with a file or something? Because I read that some of them can be hollow/have liquid in to allow better heatflow, would this be the case with the Thermalright IFX-14?
 
iviv said:
The end of the pipe seems to be fairly thin, almost ending in a point, but would it be a bad idea to set about it with a file or something? Because I read that some of them can be hollow/have liquid in to allow better heatflow, would this be the case with the Thermalright IFX-14?
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Heatpipes ARE hollow, and have a volatile liquid in that vapourises when warm and moves along the pipe, then condenses, thus allowing heat transfer. The liquid then goes back along the pipe and the process continues. If you sand down the pipe, you'll break the seal and it will have very limited heat transfer, and possibly damage your components with the liquid.

In short, dont do it - you'll just have to go without the fan on the side, or use a different CPU cooler.
 
Thanks, Moo. Figures that it would be that way XD

I did consider somehow hanging it outside the case, the only real issue would be the cable for the fan, though I may just drill through the mesh to poke it through, and then lots of cable ties to keep it there. The PCs well away from me, so I don't forsee a problem with sticking my fingers in there, about the only issue would be when I take the case to LANs, but the box I take it in would provide lots of room for it anyway. That may be for the best.
 
You can bend heatpipes by hand, or crush them flat, but cutting into them is a bad call. It's almost certainly full (well, contains a small amount) of water, and won't work well without it.

Check your temperatures carefully though, I'd expect them to be lower without the side fan, especially if you block off the holes in the side of the case.
 
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