Advice regarding heat dispersion and dust

Hello forums!

This is my first post and I was hoping to get some advice on heat dispersion and dust prevention with the limited layout of my computer desk.  I have posted pictures of my work area.  To justify such a lame setup, I am a grad student and stuck in a very small apartment.

s834.photobucket.com/albums/zz268/topgunner610/

As you can see from the pictures, I have decided to place the tower above my desk.  If the tower is placed on the floor, there would be limited if not zero air flow to that location.  I remember the basics that heat rises, yes, but I'd rather have good airflow.  In addition, I have an extra 3-4 feet above the soon-to-be tower to the ceiling and the door to the room would still reach above the tower and allow heat to escape. 

In the 2nd picture, you can see that I have strategically placed a standard fan across from the future tower placement.  I've decided to aim it towards the tower to encourage airflow.  However, this is where I need some advice.  This could be just me obsessing or being paranoid, but I want to take care of my new baby.  I was wondering if anyone had thoughts as to whether I should aim the fan towards the intake fans versus the outtakes.  So, do I want to encourage fresh air to go in, or force hot air away?  Granted, the space I am dealing with does not leave much room for precision and accuracy, but I figure any bit would help.  And I also show concern because this room tends to get hot. 

Thankfully, I have the benefit of being in the Buffalo area where we have cold weather until May, so I intend to leave my window open to allow every bit of cold air in. 

I have recently purchased a DS rig and is expected to be delivered this Friday (yes, I am going crazy and think about it 24/7). 

Based on a limited budget, I decided to go with the air upgrade since I only have one GPU.  Though, I was informed that my i5 was OC'd to 3.6 ghz, which pleases me. 

To give you an idea of what I ordered and to consider with regards to heat:

System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master CM Storm Scout
Processor: Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz (Quad Core)
Motherboard: EVGA P55 LE Edition (Intel P55 Chipset)
System Memory: 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Mushkin Enhanced Silverline Series
Power Supply: 750W Digital Storm Certified (Dual SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Recommended)
Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (1TB Seagate/Western Digital (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) (SATA) (Extreme Speed)
Optical Drive 1: DVD±R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 22x / CD-Writer 48x)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Video Card(s): 1x ATI Radeon HD 5850 1GB
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i5/AMD Processors)
H20 Tube Color: - Not Available
Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
CPU Boost: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Requires Air Cooling Upgrade)
Graphics Boost: FREE: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability
OS Boost: FREE: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based)


I know this is a basic system compared to what most seem to discuss on the forums.  I consider myself to be an enthusiastic gamer, but not hardcore, nor do I require the latest technology because I know it becomes outdated sooner than I'd like.  But, as I said, I am a grad student with loans and a limited budget.  However, I will eventually earn an income and intend to expand my budget on the next rig (assuming a good experience with DS, which sounds like I will have).  In addition, I want to represent all of the folks on a budget and will post a thorough review to show them that DS is legit (a fear I had when I found out the truth about cyberpowerpc and ibuypower) and that it is worth every penny regardless of what you spend. 

If you're still following this long-winded post, I appreciate your attention.  My second question for advice is regarding dust.  Unfortunately, I live in a dry climate and the ventilation system for the building is DIRTY (and I mean call the health department disgusting).  I have added additional filters to my vents both behind and in front of the grates.  I also run an ionized hepa filter and a humidifier in the room to control the chaos. 

If you have suggestions on how to further control dust, I would appreciate the feedback. 

Thanks for listening.  I look forward to this Friday and posting my review.

On the subject of dust... I have seen others in the forum discuss putting a filter next to the fan intake.  But I'm not quite sure where in the forum it is or how to do it.

As to air flow, the fans normally do a pretty good job.  However, if you're still worried, a small electric fan going across the out-flow should help.  I've done that in the past and have had pretty good luck.  But I'm also not running a super-hot system like some of the other guys here are.

Hey TG,

And BTW - once I'm done with some job interviews, I will be posting my review of the system.