Cool, Compact, Quiet, All-Rounder Powerhouse V2 =D

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flemeister
Posts: 346
Joined: Mon Dec 28, 2009 1:42 am
Location: Australia

Cool, Compact, Quiet, All-Rounder Powerhouse V2 =D

Post by flemeister » Sat Apr 05, 2014 6:35 am

Three years ago, I built this Compact, cool & quiet powerhouse all-rounder for a friend =). Now it's time for an upgrade, as it is being handed down to someone else.

Specs:

CPU: Intel Core i7 4770
Mobo: Asrock H87M-PRO4
RAM: G.Skill Ares 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3-1866
SSD: Crucial M500 480GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 4TB (5900RPM)
GPU: EVGA 1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Superclocked
Case: Silverstone TJ08-E
PSU: Seasonic G360
ODD: 2x Pioneer DVD burners
CPU HSF: NZXT Havik 140

Pics:

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Observations:
  • Last time round, I had to do quite a few mods to the TJ08 to get it just how I wanted it. My friend needed the PC asap, and the TJ08-E came out only 1~2 months later. :cry: This time I get to use it, and I can't really find anything worth modding (except lowering the speed of the front fan I guess?)! :D
  • Unfortunately, the RAM only goes as high as 1600MHz. Must be a H87 limitation? Oh well, still plenty fast and gobs of it.
  • The Havik 140 came with wire fan clips, instead of the rubber mounts shown in the original version. They're a bit fiddly, but they are secure. I zip-tied the fan clips together on both sides of the heatsink to ensure they don't pop out in the long-term.
  • The Havik 140 fits ok in the TJ08-E. With the fan down as low as it can go, the cooler is 160mm tall, but blocks the first RAM slot. With the first RAM slot occupied with a standard height DIMM (~27mm tall, no wanky tall heatspreaders), and the fan resting on it, the cooler is 165mm tall and about ~1mm too tall for the TJ08-E. You could still close the side panel with some effort, but foam or rubber pads would be needed to prevent the fans from vibrating too much against the side panel.
  • Fan control with this Asrock motherboard is good with the 3-pin NZXT 140mm fans. I just set the CPU fan header to "Silent" mode, and in the BIOS they both run at 600RPM. The 180mm intake fan runs from the CHA_FAN header, also set to silent mode, and spins at ~850RPM with the front panel switch set to low, and 1200RPM with it set to high. Might have a play with some spare Noctua resistor cables to get it down a bit. :)

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