Single fan, filtered, triple-head 4200+X2

Show off your quiet rig.

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Solid Snake
Posts: 91
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 3:32 pm
Location: USA

Single fan, filtered, triple-head 4200+X2

Post by Solid Snake » Sun Jan 06, 2008 10:38 am

Here are the hardware specs:

AMD Athlon64 4200+ X2
Ducted Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme
2GB RAM
Two Seagate Momentus 120GB 2.5" drives in RAID1
DVD Burner
Single 120mm fan ~700rpm, positive pressure, filtered
NV 7600GS 512MB, fanless, DVIx2 + S-Video
NV GF4MX 64MB fanless, VGA + S-Video
Antec Basiq 350w PSU converted for fanless operation
Mandriva Linux 2007
2x 20" Widescreen monitors and a 42" 1080p LCD TV
Custom non-PWM fan controller with thermal sensor

This is the case, I'm not sure of the make any more but it seems to be an Antec/Alienware clone.
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By looking at the back, you can tell this isn't a normal rig. For one thing, there's a huge heatsink where the PSU should be and the AC cord is down by the card slots.



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Here you can see the heatsink ducting and in the lower front of the case, there is a plastic box with a 120mm fan mounted to it. Mounted to that box is a small circuit which regulates the speed of the fan, complete with an automatic starting function. The reason for the airbox is so the fan faces no immediate obstructions. Mounting a fan directly to a filter causes a donut shaped airflow pattern and less throughput. This way, the actual filter area is much larger than the fan, keeping air velocity and noise down while greatly extending filter washing intervals.


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This heatsink cools the six active devices on the PSU that I removed from the board and extended with insulated wire. The heatsink is warm, but not hot. The space between the heatsink and the chassis was intentional. This provides an exhaust to the PSU PCB which will get quite hot if there's no escape for the air.


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This is the fan mounted to the airbox. Note the distance between the fan and filter. This is a very slow moving fan. It was actually in motion while this picture was taken.

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Because this is a positive pressure filtered case, the fins of the heatsink are sterile after a year of operation. The pink material is flexible plastic and serves as a duct.


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Cards from top to bottom are GF7600, SB Live and GF4MX. The slot under the 7600GS was left open intentionally and significantly reduces GPU temperature. Above the top video card are two custom power connectors for external devices. They provide 5 and 12 volts.


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This is the rest of my work/play station. In order to obtain full 1920x1080 resolution on the TV, I had to use the GF7600's DVI output. That card also drives the right LCD and the GF4MX drives the left monitor through the VGA port.

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bryan_d
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Joined: Fri Nov 24, 2006 12:37 pm
Location: San Jose, CA
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Post by bryan_d » Mon Jan 07, 2008 10:56 pm

Great job on the case!

That there is the Ultra Wizard, I have one too that I bought for FREE after mail in rebate. :)

I removed the HD cages too and have my HD suspended in mine.

It has a XP120 w/Yate-Loon, rear Yate exhaust, and a ducted passive X300.

proc
Posts: 47
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 4:39 am
Location: Italy

Post by proc » Tue Jan 08, 2008 7:42 am

Wow!

What about posting schematics of your speed controlling circuit?

Solid Snake
Posts: 91
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 3:32 pm
Location: USA

Post by Solid Snake » Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:31 am

That there is the Ultra Wizard, I have one too that I bought for FREE after mail in rebate. Smile

I removed the HD cages too and have my HD suspended in mine.
Yep, that's how I got mine too, $40-$40 :)

Wow!

What about posting schematics of your speed controlling circuit?
All the parts were bought from RadioShack (except for the thermistor which they no longer offer). I don't exactly remember the schematics or resistor values. They depend on the coefficient and slope of the thermistor. Basically, the whole circuit is designed around that one part. It's stuck between the fins of the XP120. The CPU temperature is kept within a 3-4C loop. Maximum temp at load is 60C, but temperature drops at idle because there's a minimum fan voltage to keep it from stalling.

frostedflakes
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Post by frostedflakes » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:04 pm

Looks awesome man. What kind of temps do you get on the CPU and GPU?

Solid Snake
Posts: 91
Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2004 3:32 pm
Location: USA

Post by Solid Snake » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:21 pm

There's a minimum voltage that keeps the fan turning over very slowly, and that will keep the CPU temperature at around 28C over room temperature. Right now, it's 22C in my room and the CPU is idling at 50C. If the fan voltage drops any lower, it will stop. The voltage begins to gently ramp up around 56C and the top end seems to be around 60C with both cores fully loaded. In the summer months when ambient temps are higher, CPU temps are almost always between 56C and 60C. Because the fan is recessed in the airbox and is behind foam, it's quieter than it would be flush mounted.

GPU is usually around 65-72C. Seems hot, but is well within normal range. Before I opened up that card slot, 85C was typical.

Here's a shot of the PSU I forgot to include:

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