So I am helping my Dad to rebuild the family PC and we have run into a bit of a snag. We are using the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo which fit perfectly into our old case, but that case had mostly unfiltered intakes and had to be cleaned quite often which we do not want to do more than 2 to 3 times per year (Seriously, because I usually have to do it myself and do not have that much free time). We just got the (BitFenix Neo case in, but now the cooler doesn't work with this case as the tops of the heat pipes are like 4 or 5 mm too tall. My Dad was wondering if we could use a heat gun on the side panel and create like a bulb or something to make it wide enough to fit the cooler. I did not know what the window was made of and knew that some of the materials could really be a nightmare to work with like that. What do you all think? Could this work, even if it is ugly? Or would you recommend something else?
I'd say it'd be a better idea to try and cut down the protruding heatpipes on the top of the 212 EVO (they protrude a good couple mm, if you could file them down the be flush with the top fin it might just fit), or maybe even drill holes into the window for the heatpipes to poke out of than warping the entire panel.
Acrylic (Perspex) is a thermoplastic, so yeah, you could do that. You only have to heat it up a small amount to bend it.
I had thought of the cutting the pipes down, but didn't know how far I could cut before I ruined them. We will likely go with the simpler task of just cutting holes through the plastic, though with the heat generated through that, what kind of lubricant should we use? Would water and a low speed work, or do we need some real lubricant?
Thanks for the quick replies
Do NOT break/file the heatpipes they will loose there effectiveness.
Rather to change the looks of a side panel then to break a cooler.
Most panels are made of a cheap plastic (like mine) or acrylic.
You don't need lubricant. Just drill into it slowly, without putting too much pressure on it, on a flat surface and it shouldn't crack or warp.
If you're going to drill a large hole using a large drill bit, drill a smaller guide hole first, and then the bigger one. Less chance of it cracking that way.
I just had a google of people with the same problem (212 EVO being too big) and apparently (at least some) heatpipes are filled with gas/fluid... so I wouldn't do that actually. Bad idea.
Learn something new every day, I suppose. I thought they were just solid, I feel a bit stupid now.
That's where they put the magic smoke. :)
Lol. I kinda figured altering the pipes would be terrible. Can't let the genie out of the bottle. So I just need to go slowly on a flat surface. If I need a large hole, start with a smaller bit first and then move to a larger one until I reach the desired size. No lube needed. Thanks. With it being an old school sliding panel instead of a nice hinge system, could I just do a series of connected holes to form a slot about 1 to 2 inches long so that we can slide the panel on and off?
Yeah, you can do that.
If you've got a file, you could do the holes in a straight line so they overlap like on the Audi logo, and file down the edges to make a slot.
If you have access to a router( the wood working kind) it would be better, I would also cover the area to be drilled/routed with masking tape to prevent cracking and scratches.
Sounds perfect. Thanks guys! Love this awesome community!
Put some pictures of it up if this works, sounds like it'd look pretty neat - having heat pipes poking out of your window with little trails behind them.
Can do! Hope it works as we are total noobs to case modding.