Black SPCR P180 rig

Show off your quiet rig.

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Shadowknight
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Black SPCR P180 rig

Post by Shadowknight » Wed Aug 03, 2005 3:44 pm

I've had my P180 for a week now. After "borrowing" a smart media card reader from best buy (the one from Newegg wouldn't work :evil:) I've finally been able to upload pictures of my rig.

Here are the specs of my computer as of my current build:
Motherboard: Asus P4C800 Deuxe
Processor: Pentium 4 3.0 Northwood
Heatsink: Scythe SCNJ-1000 Ninja (fanless)
Case: Antec P180 black SPCR edition w/Acoustipack V.2 Deluxe
Case fans: two 120mm Nexus ~740rpm and 704rpm
Video Card: ATI 9800 Pro w/Zalman ZM80C-HP and 92mm Nexus (currently RMAed, using Geforce 2 with nonfunctional 40mm fan for now)
PSU: Antec Phantom 350w
Hard Drive:WD 74gb Raptor in Smart Drive 2002 on silicon grommets

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The exterior is obviously that of a Black P180. Given the extra amount of plastic from the SPCR logo, it should help block sound better than the standard P180 :) Interestingly, due to the cheap aluminum brackets that come with the Zalman fan controller, I broke off one bracket while installing it into my 3700AMB a couple of years ago. Even with only one drive rail being used, it sits VERY securely in the P180. In the 3700AMB it threatened to slide back with any pressure.

There is MORE than enough space between the Zalman MFC and the Acoustipacked door, so feel free to install an drive bay fan controller.

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I tried to maximize the amount of Acoustipack I used, so I put it everywhere where sound might escape. I wanted to take advantage of cool air being pulled from the top, but I didn't want the spoiler to allow a direct path of sound to myself. What to do? Fill it with Acoustipack of course! The rear portion of the spoiler is left open to pull in air. The top and sides have Acoustipack stuck to them, a combination of "normal" and the checkerboard "deluxe" pieces. There pictures show it installed from the top and the interior from the bottom.

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I'm not actually using the top Tricool fan. I left it up there to act as an additional form of "insulation" against noise. I also have some Acoustipack lining the portions to the front and reear of the inner top portion.

The wiring's so-so. Due to having a passive PSU I NEED to have a fan in the PSU chamber. I have no choice but to route it through the "normal" PSU wire hole. I have the P4 cable routed under the motherboard. However the tension kept me from closing the PSU plastic bracket to separate the termal chamber from the main portion of the case. I therefore bought an extender from FrozenPC. This allowed me enough slack to fully close the bracket. I tuffed the excess behind the PSU along with several other cables.

More on the wiring. Due to having 3 fans plugged into a fan controller, I'm obviously going to have more wires to deal with, so it's not going to as neat with others. I've already used an extender to moure neatly route one fan connector, I may use an additional one. Two fans are plugged into special connectors so they are powered by the ZMFC but are able to send RPM sensor information. I therefore plugged the second ends of the two 120mm Nexus fans into the CPU and case fan sensor locations. This leads to slightly messier cabling, but I'd rather have the info available to me, especially when calibrating fan speeds. Example: Due to some slightly clumsy placement of the main PSU cable, it jammed the fan blades keeping it from turning. Once aware of this, I fixed the problem so it shouldn't occur again.

The cabling looks messier than others, partially because the fans aren't sleeved in black, partially because the included black Asus IDE and Floppy cables have a white line on the side, making it seem more untidy than it is.
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The PSU chamber is fairly neat. I originally had the cabling for the hard drive routed through the back of the case, except it was a pain (though not impossible) to close the case panel afterwards due to the placement of the foam strip. To make my life easier in the future I just ran the cable "normal" through the top slot. I also ran the power connector for the Nexus through a small hole to the harddrive chamber and routed the wire along with the hard drive power connector and SATA cable up above.

I placeed the hard drive on the bottom. Primarily to get it as far away from me as possible, provide an extra barrier between me and it (the plastic thermal bracket, the cage above it), and to allow it to rest one the silicon grommets inside the cage. This was more elegant and easier than having to juryrig a method to get it to rest FLAT in the upper chamber with the hard drive cage removed. In my 3700AMB I had it sitting on the platform where the cage is mounted. Due to the placement of the front fan it sat off center. The SmartDrive was slightly at an angle and I had to use a piece of cardboard on the bottom to allow it to sit perfectly parallel. This method keeps me from having to worry about that. Also, the PSU chamber fan acts to cool off the enclosure. In the upper chamber I would have to add a fan in the front slot. The less fans the better, right?

One more note: Despite the enclosure, resting it in grommets, and installing the thing in a P180 with the dampended Aluminum-Plastic-Aluminum construction and the use of Acoustipack, I can still hear the Raptor's seeks quite audibly. I'm going to have to replace it with a Samsung in the future.

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These are how I did the sidepanels. The picture doesn't show it well but the left side panel has the checkerboard deluxe portion of the Acoustipack. I had to cut it special to leave space for the interior foam strips. I had to recut a couple of times as I need more space towards the back in order to be able to push the panels forward when closing the case.

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The placement of the CPU on my motherboard, and hence the location of the Scythe Ninja, prevent me from being able to use the VGA duct. I had packed the area around the fan with Acoustipack to cut down on vibration. I also used the "open flange" decouplers from the Nexus kit. I tried using the Nexus open/closed flange decouplers, but they tore. I never had an issue with Verax sticks and will stick with them exclusively in the future. Regardless, each of the Nexus sticks were very difficult to install, whether they tore or were successfully installed.

Oh, and notice that you CAN use a 25mm fan INSIDE the duct. There is space between the fan and the back portion of the duct.

Overall, I'm pleased with the case, though I accidently broke the bottom fan holder in the bottom during installation (the manual should have included instructions on that), and my cats attacked while I went out for groceries and lost several of the screws. (Antec said they won't have replacement parts available for six weeks). I can't get the panels completely flush against the case, I don't know if it's because there are issues with the panel "bowing out" that I've heard some reports of, or if it's because of my inexpert cutting of the Acoustipack.

Thermally, I'm getting a system temp of about 2-3C higher than in my old case (3700AMB with two undervoled 120mm Nexus). The hard drive is 2-5C lower, and the CPU is the same. The PSU seems to be noticably hotter than in the old setup.
Last edited by Shadowknight on Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:44 pm, edited 2 times in total.

gitto
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Post by gitto » Wed Aug 03, 2005 4:32 pm

Very nice work Shadownight. This is exactly what I want to do with a P180, Phantom350 + nexus + scythe ninja + smartdrive + sound damping. Are you able to compare the noise signature from your acoustipacked P180 to another acoustipacked case?

Oh, and would you mind getting on your bathroom scales with this beast and seeing how heavy it is? :shock:

Shadowknight
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Location: Charlotte, NC, USA

Post by Shadowknight » Wed Aug 03, 2005 4:40 pm

My other case had the non-deluxe Acoustipack in it. I'd say the Raptor is slightly quieter in this case (couldn't hear whine in either). The CD-Roms are a little louder as the side vents are close to my chair, at the same time standing directly in front of the case it's a bit quieter. The rear grill is more prone to turbulence as my old case had the grills punched and the rear one had a standard aftermarket grill installed. On the otherhand the front air noise is MUCH quieter as the plastic is heavier and is more free flowing than the 3700AMB front vent design (of course, I also had the bottom portion tapped shut so it only went through the curved vents).

My bathroom scale has a portion dividing where you place your feet so I can't weigh it. The case is supposed to be about 38pds, the Acoustipack 8pds, the PSU 6pds. That right there is 52pds. I'd guess the rest of the equipment would put it ~60pds.

neonblingbling
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Post by neonblingbling » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:05 pm

Jump on the scale, weigh yourself. Pick up computer, weight yourself again. Subtract first weight from second. TADA, computer weight.

BenW
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Post by BenW » Thu Aug 04, 2005 7:41 am

Yup, or even weight it on 2 books. One each side and get a rough idea

Sooty
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Post by Sooty » Thu Aug 04, 2005 8:13 am

So yours aren't the FDB Raptors then, ShadowKnight? SPCR silenced their FDB Raptors using only the standard P180 cages. Good to see you managed a neat job with the AcoustiPack.

Shadowknight
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Location: Charlotte, NC, USA

Post by Shadowknight » Thu Aug 04, 2005 8:27 am

Two things:
1. I'm not weighing the case. I gave you the approximate weight. That's good enough.
2. It IS the FDB Raptor. As MikeC noted, there's not much you can do about the seek noise, just the whine.

Sooty
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Post by Sooty » Thu Aug 04, 2005 9:17 am

Shadowknight wrote:Two things:
1. I'm not weighing the case. I gave you the approximate weight. That's good enough.
2. It IS the FDB Raptor. As MikeC noted, there's not much you can do about the seek noise, just the whine.
MikeC said that in relation to Raptors in the P180? It’s not the impression I formed from Devon Cooke’s ‘The Whole Nine Yards’ SPCR review. I was left convinced FDB Raptors would require no further silencing in the P180. I haven’t got time to read thru it again, but this is what Devon said in his conclusion:

“These features make hard drive suspension unnecessary in the P180, making it much easier to build a quiet system and increasing the range of hard drives that can be used. As you should have heard in one of the sound recordings above, even the loud seeks of the WD Raptor stayed well-muted in the P180.”

Shadowknight
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Post by Shadowknight » Thu Aug 04, 2005 3:16 pm

I've had to make some modifications to the Acoustipack today. The bowing out of the side panels was apparently due to not cutting out the Acoustipack where the bottom fan bracket is mounted to the case. When I feel like getting around to it I'll post the "corrected" pics.

Shadowknight
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Post by Shadowknight » Thu Aug 04, 2005 5:38 pm

Sooty wrote: MikeC said that in relation to Raptors in the P180? It’s not the impression I formed from Devon Cooke’s ‘The Whole Nine Yards’ SPCR review. I was left convinced FDB Raptors would require no further silencing in the P180. I haven’t got time to read thru it again, but this is what Devon said in his conclusion:

“These features make hard drive suspension unnecessary in the P180, making it much easier to build a quiet system and increasing the range of hard drives that can be used. As you should have heard in one of the sound recordings above, even the loud seeks of the WD Raptor stayed well-muted in the P180.”
Hey, I've got the FDB version, and even in a Smartdrive and decoupled, the seeks are quite noticable. Others on this forum have experienced the same thing. I haven't calibrated myy speakers to the SPCR sound levels but remember this; muted is not the same as mute. I haven't tried listening to the drive outside the SmartDrive and I never even mounted it to the grommeted hard drive cage in the 3700AMB, so I really don't have a basis of comparison. The FDB helps with the WHINE not the SEEKS.

toNka
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Post by toNka » Fri Aug 05, 2005 11:28 am

I have a Raptor FDB 74GB.
I keep mine suspended.
Seek noise.... never heard it.
Mine is dead quite.
I have to open my case up if I want to here my Raptor.
Maybe I got lucky ;)
The loudest thing in my system would be the SilentBoostK8 @ 11v.
But I run it at 4v unless I'm gaming.
I can't here the seeks over my Nexus120s @ 4v.

Shadowknight
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Post by Shadowknight » Sat Aug 13, 2005 3:35 pm

gitto wrote: Oh, and would you mind getting on your bathroom scales with this beast and seeing how heavy it is? :shock:
Sorry for not checking it earlier, but I've had a history of injurying myself when attempting even minor weightlifting. I went and bit the bullet and tried weighing it today. Granted, one of the silicon feet fell off, which I need to crazy glue on, but it shouldn't make that much of a difference.

The weight is 54.2 pounds.

In a day or two I'm also going to post some slightly updated pictures of my interior case and sidepanels, I've redone the wiring and cut out sections to allow for the metal fan bracket on the bottom.

*Edit* Currently I also have a samsung 120gb mounted in one of the cages, so the weight should be slightly heavier compared to the system specs in the first post. Otherwise, everything else remains the same *Edit*

gitto
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Post by gitto » Sat Aug 13, 2005 10:16 pm

Thanks for weighing it, that sure is heavy. I look forward to the new pics.

mrochester
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Post by mrochester » Thu Aug 18, 2005 3:43 pm

Got a good idea for you...

When you get your 9800 back, take the Nexus fan you have at the back out and put it on top of your graphics card, with the air blowing up towards your CPU heatsink. Also, unblock the top hole so that the hot air can blow out. Then you can get rid of all the other case fans you have in the top section and use the 1 Nexus to cool everything.

I also doubt your Phantom needs a fan cooling it... my fanless Silverstone is just fine without any airflow.

Shadowknight
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Post by Shadowknight » Thu Aug 18, 2005 3:58 pm

My Phantom just died, so I'm waiting for an RMA # from Antec. And that was with a fan blowing on it. Of course, I think CompUSA actually sold me a 2004 model, which are known to have problems.

MY 92mm fan I'm using is quiet enough that I don't see any point in modifying my system to get rid of it. I'm also doubtful that it would be a good idea to not have air blowing on the bottom, where the chipset is.

In the meantime, sorry, no new pics for the immediate future. Until my PSU gets back, I'm using a crap Sparkle PSU and I'm not going to bother making neat wiring with it. I'll do that once my replacement PSU comes back as I don't feel it's worth the 2 hours or more to neaten it up since it's a temporary measure.

vitaminc
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Post by vitaminc » Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:33 am

pix died :(

Shadowknight
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Post by Shadowknight » Wed Apr 26, 2006 9:16 am

Pics work fine for me, so you should check your browser settings for blocking images for that hosting website, and maybe your pop-up blockers.

toNka
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Post by toNka » Wed Apr 26, 2006 11:32 pm

I have one of those Zalman swing arm fan thingies.
I'll bet that fan is one of the loudest components in your setup.

Shadowknight
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Post by Shadowknight » Thu Apr 27, 2006 12:20 am

toNka wrote:I have one of those Zalman swing arm fan thingies.
I'll bet that fan is one of the loudest components in your setup.
? Which fan?

krille
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Post by krille » Thu Apr 27, 2006 4:51 am

Shadowknight what's up with the pictures? They're down again! Is Imageschack.us up to something?

~ Kris

Ralf Hutter
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Post by Ralf Hutter » Thu Apr 27, 2006 5:16 am

krille wrote:Shadowknight what's up with the pictures? They're down again! Is Imageschack.us up to something?

~ Kris
Pics are down for me too right now. "Imageshack Free Photo Hosting, You get what you pay for" :)

reyn116
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Post by reyn116 » Thu Apr 27, 2006 6:03 am

pics are down again SK, lol

Shadowknight
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Post by Shadowknight » Thu Apr 27, 2006 8:41 am

Feh. I'll look into alternative hosting after the pics are up again, so I can save them to my harddrive first. Right now, I'm concentrating on updating the FAQ thingy I did in the Newcomers room, and I have to keep an eye on my cat to see if he's urinating, due to a blockage in his urinary track.

reyn116
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Post by reyn116 » Thu Apr 27, 2006 9:05 am

Shadowknight wrote:I have to keep an eye on my cat to see if he's urinating, due to a blockage in his urinary track.
u'll be a great dad one day SK

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