Antec Solo II Gamer
Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 6:27 pm
Let me first say that I was using the original Antec Solo in my previous build and the Solo II is a major improvement over the original for me.
Case: Antec Solo II
PSU: Corsair AX650
CPU: Intel Core i7 980
CPU cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2
Fans: Noctua NF-P12 (exhaust), Noctua NF-P12 PWM (CPU), Scythe Slipstream PWM (GPU)
MoBo: Intel DX58SO revision 705 (final revision)
RAM: 12GB (3 x 4GB) Crucial DDR3-1333
GPU: eVGA Geforce GTX660
GPU cooler: Prolimatech MK-13
Storage: Intel 320 160GB SSD
Optical drive: Sony/NEC Optiarc AD-7280S
Add-in Cards: Happauge HVR-1250 TV tuner, Koutech TI-based USB 3.0 card
Monitor: HP ZR24W
Peripherals: Logitech Illuminated Keyboard, Logitech G3 mouse, and Logitech Z-906 5.1 speakers
I ran into two major issues with this build. The first is that I went through 3 Seasonic-built power supplies before I found one that was inaudible from a sitting distance: Platinum 520, X-560, and Corsair AX760. The Platinum 520 emitted an audible buzzing that I could hear from the next room over and both the X-560 and AX760 produced an irritating, high-pitched whine that was clearly audible from 2 meters. Luckily, my local Micro Center had one AX650 in stock and I decided that I would try that out before I gave up and reused a 5-year-old HX520 from my previous build. While the AX650 is a major improvement in terms of electrical noise over the previous 3 PSUs, there is still some faint buzzing and whining coming from it but it's audible only if I put my ears next to it and my ears are very sensitive. The next major issue I faced was the IOH temperature would rise to 83C if I let the system manage fan speeds. By default, the rear exhaust fan speed would rise according to the IOH temperature and the CPU fan would stay at a constant 270 RPM until the CPU hit 70C. Since the IOH heatsink sits right in front of the CPU fan, its temperature is directly affected by the CPU fan speed so I manually set the CPU and rear exhaust fan speeds to 700 and 800 RPM, respectively. The IOH temperature now sits between 65C and 70C, regardless of load.
Other than those two issues, everything fit together beautifully. I wasn't certain at first if the Prolimatech MK-13 would fit on the GTX660 because Prolimatech never updated the MK-13's compatibility list since the release of the 500 series and I only saw one person (on Youtube) who successfully mounted it on a Geforce 600 series card (GTX670). The heatsink fit but with only about a millimeter to spare. Its heat pipes barely cleared the stacked DVI ports. The Scythe Slipstream is mounted to the chassis using hardware that Prolimatech provides with the MK-13 and is connected to and controlled by the video card. When idling, it rotates at about 330 RPM and increases to about 800 RPM under load.
Temperatures:
CPU (idle): 32C
CPU (load): 58C
GPU (idle): 34C
GPU (load): 75C
WEI scores:
Processor: 7.8
Memory (RAM): 7.8
Graphics: 7.9
Gaming graphics: 7.9
Primary hard disk: 7.7
Case: Antec Solo II
PSU: Corsair AX650
CPU: Intel Core i7 980
CPU cooler: Noctua NH-U12P SE2
Fans: Noctua NF-P12 (exhaust), Noctua NF-P12 PWM (CPU), Scythe Slipstream PWM (GPU)
MoBo: Intel DX58SO revision 705 (final revision)
RAM: 12GB (3 x 4GB) Crucial DDR3-1333
GPU: eVGA Geforce GTX660
GPU cooler: Prolimatech MK-13
Storage: Intel 320 160GB SSD
Optical drive: Sony/NEC Optiarc AD-7280S
Add-in Cards: Happauge HVR-1250 TV tuner, Koutech TI-based USB 3.0 card
Monitor: HP ZR24W
Peripherals: Logitech Illuminated Keyboard, Logitech G3 mouse, and Logitech Z-906 5.1 speakers
I ran into two major issues with this build. The first is that I went through 3 Seasonic-built power supplies before I found one that was inaudible from a sitting distance: Platinum 520, X-560, and Corsair AX760. The Platinum 520 emitted an audible buzzing that I could hear from the next room over and both the X-560 and AX760 produced an irritating, high-pitched whine that was clearly audible from 2 meters. Luckily, my local Micro Center had one AX650 in stock and I decided that I would try that out before I gave up and reused a 5-year-old HX520 from my previous build. While the AX650 is a major improvement in terms of electrical noise over the previous 3 PSUs, there is still some faint buzzing and whining coming from it but it's audible only if I put my ears next to it and my ears are very sensitive. The next major issue I faced was the IOH temperature would rise to 83C if I let the system manage fan speeds. By default, the rear exhaust fan speed would rise according to the IOH temperature and the CPU fan would stay at a constant 270 RPM until the CPU hit 70C. Since the IOH heatsink sits right in front of the CPU fan, its temperature is directly affected by the CPU fan speed so I manually set the CPU and rear exhaust fan speeds to 700 and 800 RPM, respectively. The IOH temperature now sits between 65C and 70C, regardless of load.
Other than those two issues, everything fit together beautifully. I wasn't certain at first if the Prolimatech MK-13 would fit on the GTX660 because Prolimatech never updated the MK-13's compatibility list since the release of the 500 series and I only saw one person (on Youtube) who successfully mounted it on a Geforce 600 series card (GTX670). The heatsink fit but with only about a millimeter to spare. Its heat pipes barely cleared the stacked DVI ports. The Scythe Slipstream is mounted to the chassis using hardware that Prolimatech provides with the MK-13 and is connected to and controlled by the video card. When idling, it rotates at about 330 RPM and increases to about 800 RPM under load.
Temperatures:
CPU (idle): 32C
CPU (load): 58C
GPU (idle): 34C
GPU (load): 75C
WEI scores:
Processor: 7.8
Memory (RAM): 7.8
Graphics: 7.9
Gaming graphics: 7.9
Primary hard disk: 7.7