SPCR

Welp, im finally starting to reach the point of satisfaction with my p150, so I decided it would be a good idea to show it off.

Specs:
DFI|NF4 LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR - 6/23/05 BIOS
AMD Athlon64 3200+ Venice (e3) @ 2.7 (270x10) ~1.57v
2x1024MB OCZ PC3200 Platinum @ 2.5-3-3-8 @ 2.8v vdimm @ 225mhz (5/6 divider)
eVGA 7800 GT 256-P2-N518, 496/1220
Samsung Spinpoint 160GB SATA (8MB cache) (NIDEC)
Pioneer A07 DVD+/-RW Drive
Antec NeoHE430 430W

XP-90
Zalman Northbridge Cooler ZM-NB47J
Artic Silencer rev3
Nexus DampTek

As you can see, the system is overclocked quite a bit.

Idle system temps:
Ambient temp: 23c
92 nexus (for cpu) @ ~1150
120 nexus (exhaust) @ ~1070
CPU: 29-30C
PWM IC: 40-41c
CHIPSET: 50c

After 10hr prime:
CPU: 45c
PWM IC: 45c
CHIPSET: 56c

Zalman (nb47j):
The stock dfi chipset fan was ridiculously loud, so I decided to go passive. In order to use the nb47 I had to move my 7800gt to the 2nd pcie slot and run it at 8x. No loss in performance that I can notice, and temps only increased slightly.

Artic silencer:
Not much to say here. No problems with it whatsoever.. installation was a breeze. Beats the hell out of the stock cooler, and shoots the heat right out the back.

Neo:
A pleasant surprise. I don’t know if I got the revision or not, but its working flawlessly with my dfi. I’ve never owned a seasonic, so I can’t compare there, but I do own a smartpower 2.0 and it definitely beats that (by far). The x-connect style power connectors make cable management a breeze. In short, I love it. I removed the grill, but I don’t notice any difference. Things were pretty quiet to begin with.

Damptek:
I can’t say I don’t regret buying this. It took away some of the whoosh, but that is about it. If I had to do it over, I wouldn’t buy it.

PSU Duct: I made it out of some thick paper I had laying around. PSU doesn’t rev up like it did before when things got hot. I think it may have increased CPU and PWM IC temps a bit, but I can’t tell for sure. I used some gauze I had laying around as dust deterrence.

Nexus soft mount:
I used 4 rubber grommets from a Sonata II hdd tray (the black ones) and 4 from a p150 hdd tray (clear ones). Used the black ones on the back and the clear ones on the inside (between fan and case). I ran some tiny zip ties through to keep it all together, and 2nd zip ties to secure the end (see pic). I guess it helped… I didn’t really notice any vibrations to start.

I think that’s about it. Overall I’m very happy with the results. All I hear is a very slight whoosh which is kind of drowned out by the hum of my router. I’d have to listen carefully to decide if the system is on or off based solely on what I hear.

***Update***
I changed out the nb47j for a jing ting JTS-0006. The reason for this... the 7800gt in the 2nd pci-e slot was blocking the pci slot i needed for my x-fi extreme music. Now i can use both, as well as use the 7800gt @ 16x.

I'm running the JTS-0006 w/o the fan and temps are doing pretty much the same as the zalman. 51c idle and 55c after an 2 hours of Prey (a game).
One thing i do notice is that my CPU temp has gone up a bit. i kind of expected this as the JTS-0006 sits kind of close to the xp90.
Anyway, overall, i am happy with it. Installation was very easy... easier than the nb47j! Motherboard removal is required though (of course).

Pictures (click for a big1):








thanks spcr! comments/suggestions are welcome.

Neat cabling there,and a "fanatic spcr no grille"
what material the Damptek is?it seems thin compared to another dampening mat's.
I guess that flat grey ribbon cable could be more "Ralf Hutter-ed"

Those temps are amazing for a system overclocked so much. Really hard to believe they are true.

hey matva did you have the smartpower 2.0 500w? I just can't seem to find a really quiet psu for my p180 but I was told that a sp2 500w would be pretty quiet considering the p180 thermal separation.

Welding... thanks . Don't know how effective it was though :p
The damptek is 7.5mm thick... a 1.5mm "barrier" made of " thermoplastic, unvulcanized rubbers (EVA-copolymers) and mineral fillers" (this is what has the self adhesive) and a 6.0mm foam "fabricated on the bases of melamine synthetics" (lol). Check it out here.

Yeah, i'll have to work on my cablegami a little more. Check out this mess:


Erssa: Yeah, i'm happy with them. Actually, these temps are probably easily attainable in any decent case loaded with fans. It's the quiet part that is difficult. Anyway, here is a screenshot for any disbelievers (although i guess i could have just ps'ed this:p):


computergeek... It is a 450w [link]. The one that comes with the sonata II.
Well, i think you'd definitely be better off with a seasonic, but if you're looking to save some $, the smartpower might work well in the p180 considering it'd be down below. You may even do a fan swap.

impressive result and pictures.

Really nice setup, The Temps are impressive, and very believable, because I have pretty much the same although im not OCd quite as much.

thanks.

i have since lowered the fan speed to take away what little whoosh i heard.

What do you all think about where i have my hdd positioned? I noticed in Mike's p150, he has it toward the top. My reasoning for the bottom is that most of the cold air comes in from the bottom, but i could be wrong.

Very nice system. The cabling in my P-150 is not quite as neat as yours, but it is as messy on the off-side! It is a lot better than it was in my old GMC case.

Thanks for posting.

Just a quick Q: what difference does removing the rear fan grill make to noise and temps?

thanks... zip ties and duct tape:p

i can't really say the amount of difference in this setup because i cut the grill out before i even installed the system. I can say that this is common practice here, and that i think most will agree, it makes quite a difference in airflow, as well as noise level depending on the fan speed and overall case noise (among other things). In short, get yourself some tinsnips and snip away!

Very nice - I'll probably have a p150 build later in the year and it's nice to see these temps.

HDD - the Spinpoint has a temp sensor - what temps are you seeing?

Windows Vista? Or just a theme of some sort?

matva, your chipset temps are really high, Try putting the HD on the top and install an intake fan on the topper one as well.

spolitta wrote:matva, your chipset temps are really high, Try putting the HD on the top and install an intake fan on the topper one as well.

I wouldn't call them "really high". If it is stable it's fine. Btw my chipset temps reads 41c atm and my system is running at stock speeds.

CA_Steve: yeah, go for the p150. prices will probably be down by then and the neo problems will hopefully be fixed.. in fact, the prices are already coming down.
The spinpoint sits at 33-35c. a ittle hotter than i'd like it.. i think im gonna try moving it.

Rory: yeah, it is a vista theme i got at http://www.wincustomize.com.

spolitta: considering the nf4 is rated up to 70c, i dont think it's a problem. i don't think i'll be installing an intake fan, but i may move the hdd to the top.

As a point of reference, with a low rpm fan in the front of my sonata case, the sp1614C runs about 30C.

spolitta wrote:matva, your chipset temps are really high, Try putting the HD on the top and install an intake fan on the topper one as well.

Most mobos report a "system temp" wich is just a sensor somewhere wich measures approximate case temperature, the DFI "chipset" temp sensor is very close to the chipset somewhere(maybe even underneath it) and reports the actual chipset temp pretty accurately. I have a slightly mutilated NB47J on my DFI nF4 mobo, AS5 tim and secured with spring-loaded bolts and nuts, and with a 120mm nexus at ~400rpm as the only casefan im getting chipset temps of 45c while folding, and the base of the heatsink feels just warm, definately not hot. If i spray "freezer-spray" on the heatsink the "chipset temp" drops rapidly, proving that the sensor is very close to the chipset. Im also running a P150 btw, check the sig.

My point is that the chipset temps he´s getting are fine, i would even say very good.

Sorry about the long reply..

Anyway matva, very nice system you have there

Two things: Why dont you have the molex and floppy connectors on the mobo connected? I was under the impression that they have to be connected, or at least that it will be more stable that way. I´ve never tried withouth them, removing the cables would reduce clutter quite a bit..

Secondly, smooth out those edges on the back vent man.. The rugged edges make an otherwise very tidy system look a little unfinished, though i understand if you dont want to take the system apart just to do that At least put some rubber u-mould over the edge

ty-the psu duct isn't quite up to yours, but it does the trick:p

yeah, i probably should have those power connectors in, but i havent had a problem in the 5 months ive had this system. It is also said that at least a 500w psu is needed for this mobo, but i have been functioning fine with both the smartpower2.0 450 and this neo. i think if i were to ever add another gfx card i'd definitely reconsider.

lol, and im not to worried about the rough edges. I'm not entering my case into any beauty contests any time soon, so i think i should be alright :p

my chipset was 38-43 in P180, now in P150 its 43-47 and I'm quiet worried. I'm writing a review/gallery of my system and will explain more.

Question;

How much CFM does your Nexus 92mm fan push out on the HSF? Are you blowing upwards or downwards?

Reason I'm asking is 'cause I am using an XP90, 1.54 volts at 2.7, but my idle is at something like 38C. The fan on it is a Zalman ZM-F2, and I have it running around 1.6k constantly.

bro, the fan is blowing downward on the hs. Do you also have a 3200 venice?
As for CFM... AFAIK, to calculate that, i'd have to know CFM for a given RPM, since CFM depends on RPM. The fan is rated for 36.87 CFM, but i don't know the corresponding RPM measurement to that.

edit:
welcome to spcr, btw =)

I actually have a 3000+ Venice clocked to 2.7.

I don't know which to believe;

Is Zalman's ZM-F2 fan overrated for the amount of CFM it pushes? It says 53cfm@36db at 2800 rpm and 38cfm@20db at 1600rpm.

I don't understand how you're getting much much nicer temperatures, that's all.

Matva, I suggest you flip the cpu-fan over so it sucks air away from the heatsink. That way, the hot cpu air will be away from the motherboard and should go straight out the exhaust without heating anything up. That should keep the ambient case air slightly cooler and might drop the chipset temperature slightly.

Don't worry about it having less cooling effect on the cpu because the heatpipes in the xp90 place the heat right where the airflow is. It's really the perfect suck-fan heatsink.

I just want to add that in my system when it was at its original clock speed, with my sucking fan I could run prime95 and my case temp was totally unaffected. If I had overclocked it, it would have done the same.

[F]bernZ: Nice OC:)
Who knows man. Are you using AS5? Are you sure you applied it properly? What are your PWM IC temps? Keep in mind that my temps are when my system is at _idle_. The temps rise quite a bit as reported when system is a 100% usage.

vertigo: very interesting.. i'll give it a shot and report back.. thanks.

Usin AS5.

PWMIC temps are 44, chipset is at 47 running at 3k

I get better temperatures blowing out than in. *shrug*

[F]bernz, does your case have side vents? If it has a side panel fan, is it exhausting?

No sidevents.. I have a Super Lanboy. I don't know what can be making the noise in my system. There is still a rather annoying humming sound even if I stop all of my fans. But lets not talk about it here, this is the gallery.

hmm, well, switching the cpu fan around so that it blows outward didn't really do much. It did raise cpu temps a bit but did little to pwmic and chipset temps. I have since lowered fan speeds a bit so the system runs a little hotter. Fan speeds are set to increase when temps reach a certain threshold. This works very well, and i prefer it to doing something like a volt mod or using a fanmate. Adjustments are made from smartguardian in windows and lmsensors in linux. This, of course, requires a motherboard with fancontrol capabilities.

Nice build . However I noteiced a little detail : you put the graphic card in the lower PCIe slot. A friend of mine did the same thing (on a DFI nF4 SLI-DR) and his performance was some 80% lower in 3dmark2006 than on the first slot. If I remember correctly the upper PCIe works as a 16x and the lowere as a 1x or 2x. In order to make them both work as 8x, you should move the set of jumpers. But I'm not sure that this is the explanation for the performance hit.

yep, i had to move it down a slot in order to fit the Zalman.

"In order to use the nb47 I had to move my 7800gt to the 2nd pcie slot and run it at 8x. No loss in performance that I can notice, and temps only increased slightly."

So, yeah, I didn't really notice any difference in performance. My 3dmark05 dropped only slightly, but as far as in-game... nothing significant.
Eventually, I will sell this card and go for an SLI setup... either I will make a custom HS or trip down the Zalman.