Single fan mATX HTPC. Custom Aluminum case.

[jamesavery22]

1. Timeline
   • Start - Not really sure. This was put on the backburner due to a lot of other stuff. 10/XX/2006 maybe?
   • End - 90% complete 03/01/2007
2. Goals(In Priority)
   1. Quiet(low power) - Single fan setup
   2. Relatively cheap
   3. Small
3. Plan
   • To meet all of my goals I ended up making my own case. Was sick of trying to modifiy some case I didn't like the looks of in the first place. To make it a lower power box I decided on a core duo setup and DC-DC PSU + external brick.
   • Case - All aluminum. Construction ended up being all JB Weld. I've always wanted a MIG welder and I really should have gotten one for this project but I have no regrets.
   • Cooling - I knew I'd make my own heatsinks for the CPU and NB. For the GPU I had a general idea of using the zalman cooler
   • Touch Sensor Power Button - I always liked the idea of the G4 Cube's power button. So I looked into making one: bit-tech.net Thread
4. Parts
   1. Core Duo T2400
   2. Asus N4L-VM - Got ES CPU and Board bundled on ebay for $210
   3. KVR667D2/1GR - $90(yeah got ripped off)
   4. 7900GS - $150
   5. Travelstar 7k100 - $60
   6. Seagate 60gb 2.5" - $20
   7. Matrix Orbital MX5 - $40
   8. PW-200-V - $50
   9. Dell DA-2/Delta ADP-220AB - $30
   10. Aluminum & misc materials for case - Guessing ~$100
   Total - $750
5. Pics(Click on the thumbnail to get a larger version)
   • Some initial testing after I got enough parts to boot it up. Was using a zalman VF700-cu(which I lost somehow :shrug:) to test. CPU and NB heatsinks were cut, lapped, and installed.
   • Details on the case construction. About mid build. A LOT happened between these two pics. All pieces were cut, filled, and fitted. Thats all the panels, all the little parts etc.
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   • QT113 on a breadboard for testing with acrylic panel which will be mounted to the from of the case. Worked great. Wired it to sense my finger and turn a light on.
   • Fitting the motherboard in. Measuring out components and testing the HD suspending mounts
   • I really appologize for the lack of pics. My schedule on this was always sporadic. Most of the times I'd finish a part I'd be exhausted and pass out. Here is the semi-finished product. I could not get the sense button to work inside the case since its all metal and the surrounding groud kills the sensitivity. You can see in some of the pics the ghetto rigged power button hanging out the from of the case.
   • Front display, slot loading laptop DVD-rom installed(small slit to the right of the display)
   • Random display text. Don't ask...
   • Details on the single Nexus 120mm fan w/ honeycomb modding mesh.
   • Acrylic shroud next to a template. This is attached to the bottom of the 120mm and forces air over the CPU,NB heatsinks as well as the back ZM80D-HP heatsink.
   • Only intake on the case. Cut up a filter from a window A/C unit thats held in place with more honeycomb modding mesh.
   • Final layout of the parts. 7900GS with ZM80D-HP. HDD1 ontop and HDD2 on the bottom. Matrix Orbital MX5 display in front.
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Updated Pics(Click on the thumbnail to get a larger version)

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[[F]bernZ]

That's some awesome work man!

[pelago]

I love the slot loading ODD with just a slot in the case, no visible drive front at all. But how do you eject?

[jamesavery22]

I love the slot loading ODD with just a slot in the case, no visible drive front at all. But how do you eject?

MCE/PowerDVD have eject "buttons." Or right click on the drive in explorer and "Eject." So software Whats funny is that the drive literally shoots DVDs out of the slot. The drive is the slot loading drive from an iMac. Its designed to push the DVD/CDs up and through some felt material. When its ejecting laterally and with no felt the dvd shoots out and rolls across the room. Another item on the to-do list.

[tay]

How on earth did you get a zm80d to fit on the 7900gs. My pny 7900gs does not have holes big enough for the zm80d (it needs 3mm). And it needs screws that thick because of the nuts that mount to the rear. I am reluctant to take a drill do my vid card to drill out the holes a little bit.

thx

[jamesavery22]

screws that came with the package fit my card. Dont know what to tell you. sorry.

[Moogles]

Phenomenal. Wish I had the skills to build something like this. Too bad they don't sell cases like this, I think it looks excellent.

[jamesavery22]

Thanks Moogles.

I still have some updates to do. I need to replace that nexus. Accidently chopped off a corner of the fan so its all cracked
Still haven't finished the power button.

First thing Im going to test is the temps without the shroud. The shroud(might be due to the material I used :shrug: ) causes a sort of whooshing noise. Its still very quiet as that nexus is the only thing I can hear but due to the filter, the path the air has to travel, and the shroud there is a fair amount of turbulence so the fan inside the case is definitely louder than the fan just sitting in free-air.
Everything is so packed in there I don't see temps changing too much. The top of the heatink is under two inches from the bottom of the fan and the GPU heatsink is right next to the edge of the fan.

[IsaacKuo]

Instead of using a shroud, I've had success using a simple partition to force airflow through a CPU heatsink. Basically, I just run a piece of cardboard across the CPU, leaving an open "doorway" where the CPU heatsink is.

For your case, a simple vertical divider could work, with two large "doorways" for the CPU and GPU heatsinks.

[jamesavery22]

Instead of using a shroud, I've had success using a simple partition to force airflow through a CPU heatsink. Basically, I just run a piece of cardboard across the CPU, leaving an open "doorway" where the CPU heatsink is.

For your case, a simple vertical divider could work, with two large "doorways" for the CPU and GPU heatsinks.

Might just be because it I'm brain dead right now but I'm not sure what you mean? Do you have any pictures?

[IsaacKuo]

Do an advanced search for "Single Fan Madness" articles by IsaacKuo in the General Gallery. I think maybe three of my posts show examples of CPU cooler partitions.

Basically, a duct is similar to a tunnel. It runs parallel to the intended airflow, and directs airflow along its entire length.

A partition is similar to a wall. It runs perpendicular to the intended airflow, and restricts airflow to a hole in it (an open "doorway").

My early builds used ducts, but I now prefer partitions. Ducts tend to create dead spots around them where motherboard components receive virtually no airflow. A partition, in contrast, leaves the motherboard mostly open.

[jamesavery22]

Update:
no longer a single fan setup Switched to a VF700 on the 7900gs. I thought I was having stability issues with the card even though the temps were always <52c. I switched to the VF700 and put the fan at 5v. I could tell no audible difference between the 12v Nexus and the passive zalman and the 12v Nexus and the VF700 at 5v. Even putting my ear right to the case I can't tell a difference. Now temps on the card are <48c. Course that didn't solve my stability issue.
Turned out it was either chipset or SATA controller drivers for the N4L-VM needing updates since I'm running Vista. Grabbed the updates from Intel.com, had some hard times installing them but afterwards I was rock stable again.

Also, removed the fan shroud. The pitch definitely changed. CPU temp raised 2c. Easier on the ears and simpler design. My Nexus is going on 2 years 24/7 use so its sleeve bearing is starting to die. I just bought a d12sl-12 from jabtech to replace it.

[Avalanche]

I thought I was having stability issues with the card even though the temps were always <52c.

Surely not? The my 7300gs operates at 65ºC and the warning temp in the nvidia control panel is something outrageous like 120ºC!

[jamesavery22]

I thought I was having stability issues with the card even though the temps were always <52c.

Surely not? The my 7300gs operates at 65ºC and the warning temp in the nvidia control panel is something outrageous like 120ºC!

Yeah I knew the temps were acceptable. I was pondering whether or not the temp sensor on the card was just the GPU though, maybe the VRMs on the card were very hot and the GPU was fine though.
The behavior I got in Vista was strange which is mainly what threw me off. Wasn't getting any errors, course I was checking the event view like I should have been, but Aero was loading really slow which made me assume video card stuff. Yeah I was completely wrong.

[jamesavery22]

New pics

[autoboy]

I'm a little confused by your airflow. So the fan blows out of the case right? And the intake is on the back of the motherboard? So the airflow really doesn't flow past the CPU heasink. Would you get better temps and slower fan speeds by reversing the fan to blow directly on the heatsink?

[jamesavery22]

I'm a little confused by your airflow. So the fan blows out of the case right? And the intake is on the back of the motherboard? So the airflow really doesn't flow past the CPU heasink. Would you get better temps and slower fan speeds by reversing the fan to blow directly on the heatsink?

Probably lower CPU temps but much higher temps everywhere else. CPU stays below 60c, usually below 50c, so not worried about CPU temps at all. The shroud concentrated airflow around the NB and CPU heatsinks. But I saw a very small rise without it. Im still playing with the shroud. Sometimes I can tell the pitch difference with it, sometimes I cant

[Moogles]

I wonder if Silverstone was inspired to design the SG03 after looking at this case. Some interesting similarities.

Your case is still awesome James, but I'm not too sure about the two vertical USB ports.

[jamesavery22]

Thanks Moogles