My HTPC will be running for long periods of time during Summer, as it is the source of all my tv and movies (I disconnected my tv aerial sometime ago due to the general crap-ness of tv programming).
This is a stock a10-5800k with a few fans and an Antec Kuhler 620.
Between November and February, I expect temps in my apartment to range between 36 and 44 degrees celsius, and this HTPC has not seen a Melbourne summer yet so I'm not sure how it will handle the weather.
I'm just wondering if I should expect issues as weather gets hotter? should I look at getting a new cooler anticipating the heat? I have been looking at switching to air cooling instead of the closed loop. should I ever consider setting up a custom WC loop in my HTPC (Bitfenix prodigy has the space for it)?
You've already got a cooler that is already really good and should be up to the task. Higher ambient temps shouldn't really effect it unless you're running a heavy overclock and fully loaded cpu 24/7.
I've got to disagree with @pwntarts here. Those ambient temps are really going to push your chip to its limits, even if you're not overclocking. Those temps are about 15 to 20 degrees hotter than the ambient temps that these closed loop coolers were designed for. I would look at possibly upgrading to a custom water cooling system with at least a 3 x 120mm fan radiator.
I understand what you're trying to say and I in no way am trying to sell this person anything. I made no recommendations of any of our products, or even suggested that they look at our website. I'm speaking from personal experience using a closed loop cooler in a desert environment, with absolutely no AC. My temperatures were always near their max threshold, and that's without any overclocking.
I'm not saying that these closed loop coolers require operating in 20 degree Celsius environments, but if you're doing any overclocking or the other components in your system are being stressed, this can increase the temperature within the case and reduce the performance of these kits. This is particularly true when operating in temperatures that are in excess of 35-40 degrees Celsius.
Thanks for the advice.
Melbourne isn't a desert area, so dust is no more a problem than usual. It's just gonna be a horrible dry heat compounded by my apartment not having any good cooling.
I expect the average temp over summer to be around 36-38, but occasionally there will like, a week long period where it remains above 40.
I'm sure fellow Melburnians have air conditioning, but that's not possible for me. My "air con" is a pedestal fan and a spray bottle filled with water.
I keep going back to the thought of just doing a custom loop and being done with it, but it seems silly for a HTPC.
Last summer, my main rig was a FX4300 with a stock cooler, and that was a no-go. This year I've strapped a dark knight on it and beefed up the case fans a bit.
I just worry about the HTPC because in summer I'll just want to lay on the couch, spray some water on my face and watch some TV shows all weekend.
For an HTPC build I would have to agree with Pawmaniac here. I guess I must have missed that somehow. It really doesn't make much sense to custom water cool a system that's just being used mainly for streaming. If you can fit one of the dual 120mm fan AIO coolers, that will also help keep your temps down.