Help choosing htpc case

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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corimer
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:17 pm

Help choosing htpc case

Post by corimer » Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:39 pm

Hello.

I'm going to build an htpc and I'm not sure which case to get.
The case that best fits size and looks is the Silverstone SG10 but I want to make sure that with all the components the system will be silent.

The case will have this components:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE - GA-B85M-HD3
Power Supply: SEASONIC X-400 Active PFC Fanless Modular PSU
CPU: INTEL - Core i3-4130 3.4GHz 3MB LGA1150
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12
SSD: VERTEX 4 SERIES SATA III 2.5Pol 128GB
Memory: G.Skill 1x4GB DDR3 1333Mhz

no graphics card cause I'm using the onboard graphics - the main use would be to watch movies and listen to music.

I read the review on the site for the SG09 which has the same build as the SG10, it was said that the fans are a bit noisy which is why I'm thinking of replacing the rear cooler with the Noctua NF-S12A ULN and not using the side cooler which is meant for the GPU (as I'm not using one).

Will the system be silent? I plan on running the top system fan on the low setting to reduce noise further.

Thank you all.

Abula
Posts: 3662
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Location: Guatemala

Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by Abula » Fri Feb 07, 2014 4:45 pm

Welcome to SPCR.

Just wondering if you are not going for a dedicated GPU, why not go into Mini ITX, the setup you are planning can be powered by picoPSU easily or something like Antec ISK-110. Or even go fanless with Steacom 8 or HDPlex 3, etc.

Now if you already own the components or you want to build micro atx for other reasons, for more clasic HTPC look check the Silverstone Grandia GD05: A Versatile HTPC Case and make all the fans as ins so some air is force to exit through the PSU to help cool it off. Grabs some good 120s, like Scythe Gentle Tyhpoons 500rpm (they are more like 650rpms, they undervolt fine to 7V).

If you still persue the SG10, just know that you will need to undervolt very heavy the 180mm fan (AP181), around 500rpms its quiet but not silent, you will still notice it on a very quiet room, specially if its close on dedicated HTPC room watching very scary movies. Asus motherboards are very good for doing this, their FanXpert2 drops it to around 460rpms, but still its not you will notice it if its very quiet environment.

amishware
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:24 pm

Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by amishware » Fri Feb 07, 2014 11:55 pm

Hi,
I can recommend you small miniITX acrylic case.
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=67099

Power supply
If you are going to use integrated GPU, power supply you choose is far more powerfull for your needs.
I have the same power supply and i'm using it with i5 3570k and GTX 460.
Nevertheless it is fanless, you can always hear little buzzing inside power supply case even when it's off.
Real benefit of not using Seasonic x-400 fanless is space saving, it is big and not necessary for your needs.
Processor
i3-4130 is very good choice for HTPC.
SSD
For complete silence there is no better choice than SSD, you just pick right capacity.
Motherboard and RAM
If you like case from link above you can pick one of Gigabyte motherboards (H81TN, B85TN, H87TN, Q87TN) and appropriate SO-DIMM memory for it, up to 16GB.
CPU Cooler
This is the only part of configuration that is generating noise, but it is very silent form me.
In case above it is using Zalman CNPS2X, so check on manufacturer site for more info.

Happy to hear your opinion about case.

quest_for_silence
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Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by quest_for_silence » Sat Feb 08, 2014 1:07 am

corimer wrote:I read the review on the site for the SG09 which has the same build as the SG10, it was said that the fans are a bit noisy which is why I'm thinking of replacing the rear cooler with the Noctua NF-S12A ULN and not using the side cooler which is meant for the GPU (as I'm not using one).

Will the system be silent? I plan on running the top system fan on the low setting to reduce noise further.


No, it won't be silent, IMHO the proposed setup can't be silent.

First of all, the baseline noise of the SG09/10 is about 20dB: still a quiet level in the SPCR scale, but undoubtely a fairly high one, so if you were relatively near to your rig, or there were a straight path from it to your ears, that system would be easy noticeable (even if not obtrusive).

Then the major noise source will be the top fan, not the rear one (which is actually far quieter and sports a similar noise signature): as you may check at the end of this page even if dialed down with the fan controller to the Low level, it's still too much loud. You may try to swap it, but then you will loose its cooling prowess.

Or you may try to dial it down (or undervolting) furtherly, and that Gigabyte motherboard could not be up to the task.
Anyway when dialed down it would be quieter, but IMHO the system would be still not suitable for a close to operator placement, when your expectations were about a "silent rig" (I had similar fans in my previous Raven case).

Even the other two fans aren't blameless: so you may find either convenient to swap it with something with a more benign sound signature and an overall low noise (no need for expensive Noctuas, either Scythes or Nexus would work flawlessly), or to remove altogether.

As said, usually fan control on Gigabyte boards is pretty poor: so, unless you have other reasons to choose those Gigabyte boards, noise wise I wouldn't recommend them.
Perhaps something like an ASRock H87M Pro 4 could work better in this respect, but I don't know whether it can handle three case fans or not (check the online manuals): usually mATX motherboards with more than two controllable fan headers are premium/gaming ones, usually very expensive, but you can't rely on Silverstone own fan controller if you aim to "silence", so the only alternative could be a programmable external fan controller (which definitely is not the easiest way).
As you have an IGP rig, you may also think to use a full PWM setup with an active splitter on the CPU header of a not-premium/gaming mobo (but you do need two-three replacement PWM case fans).

Than there's the PSU question: definitely there's no reason to have a fanless (and expensive) PSU within a system which at first glance sports four fans (and two relatively loud ones too).
At any rate, if you have a supplier which will swap it at first request (last batches would seem a tad prone to coil whining, but YMMV), it's still a good choice: superb performance and reliability.
Otherwise IMVHO something like a BeQuiet! E-9 480CM could be preferable: not as good as an X-series, but almost inaudible in an IGP rig and probably a safer bet, noise-wise. Whether you may like a semi-fanless operation, even a Corsair RM-series could be a good choice.

About parts picking, I'd advice to go with a dual channel kit, instead of the single channel 1 x 4Gb stick: on Intel architecture the bandwidth gain is fairly more noticeable than on AMD platforms, and there should be no price-penalty. I have some doubt also on the Vertex 4 choice (as it's not the fastest kid in town, and reliability-wise OCZ has not a track proven record), but that choice is up to you.
Eventually I don't understand the choice to go with the NH-L12 cooler: undoubtedly it is a very good and quiet heatsink but, giving the ample space inside the G10, you won't exploit its distinctive advantage.

P.S.: to be fair, there would be one configuration which could be near silent, using the proposed parts: providing you won't use any of the SG10 stock case fan (and providing the X-400 won't squeal). Temperature-wise, YMMV: even if it can be useful, you should not need that side fan in an IGP rig but, particularly with a fanless PSU, you may need at least an exhaust, even with a fifty watter like the i3, and so to swap the rear fan with a quieter, more benignly sounding one. Please take note that in this latter case the proposed Gigabyte mobo could not be up to the task.

corimer
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 2:17 pm

Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by corimer » Sat Feb 08, 2014 5:37 am

Now if you already own the components or you want to build micro atx for other reasons, for more clasic HTPC look check the Silverstone Grandia GD05: A Versatile HTPC Case and make all the fans as ins so some air is force to exit through the PSU to help cool it off. Grabs some good 120s, like Scythe Gentle Tyhpoons 500rpm (they are more like 650rpms, they undervolt fine to 7V).
I prefer the SG10 case as the usual htpc cases are pretty wide and aren't meant to be on their sides and I don't want it to be too tall.
Eventually I don't understand the choice to go with the NH-L12 cooler: undoubtedly it is a very good and quiet heatsink but, giving the ample space inside the G10, you won't exploit its distinctive advantage.
So you're saying to go for a 140mm fan like the NH-C12P SE14 which I think the SG10 could contain.
P.S.: to be fair, there would be one configuration which could be near silent, using the proposed parts: providing you won't use any of the SG10 stock case fan (and providing the X-400 won't squeal). Temperature-wise, YMMV: even if it can be useful, you should not need that side fan in an IGP rig but, particularly with a fanless PSU, you may need at least an exhaust, even with a fifty watter like the i3, and so to swap the rear fan with a quieter, more benignly sounding one. Please take note that in this latter case the proposed Gigabyte mobo could not be up to the task.
On the silverstone site they said that the 180mm fan could be replaced with a 140mm so I could replace it with a 140mm fan by scyth or noctua. Therefore I won't have to do something like undervolt it so why won't the gigabyte mobo support it?
If the final setup contains all the parts that I listed but now with a NH-C12P SE14 cpu cooler and the two 140mm fans by scyth or noctua to replace the stock top and rear fans will the system be near silent then?

Thanks.

quest_for_silence
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Location: ITALY

Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by quest_for_silence » Sat Feb 08, 2014 6:48 am

corimer wrote:
Eventually I don't understand the choice to go with the NH-L12 cooler: undoubtedly it is a very good and quiet heatsink but, giving the ample space inside the G10, you won't exploit its distinctive advantage.
So you're saying to go for a 140mm fan like the NH-C12P SE14 which I think the SG10 could contain.


The SG09/SG10 should have up to 165/170mm of height clearance: so you may throw in anything you want, and there's no need for low height solutions like that NH-L12.

IMHO one of the most valuable options is the Scythe Mugen 4, but if you want a top-down cooler IMHO a Noctua NH-C14 is way preferable to that NH-C12P SE14. Even a Noctua NH-U14S should work well (I think in the U.S.A. all the Noctua coolers cost about the same).

corimer wrote:On the silverstone site they said that the 180mm fan could be replaced with a 140mm so I could replace it with a 140mm fan by scyth or noctua. Therefore I won't have to do something like undervolt it so why won't the gigabyte mobo support it?
If the final setup contains all the parts that I listed but now with a NH-C12P SE14 cpu cooler and the two 140mm fans by scyth or noctua to replace the stock top and rear fans will the system be near silent then?

Quietness is more a process, rather than an inner quality: how silent that rig will be it strictly depends of how far you will be able to dial down your fans.

Saying that, Gigabyte boards usually aren't be able to drive fans to their lowest levels, and a 140mm need to be slowed down to no more than 250-350rpm to be inaudible (check the last two SPCR fan roundup for some more hints about which fan may sound better). With a 120mm rear exhaust fan you may relax this requirement up to about 5-600rpm.

Therefore my somewhat educated guess is that you may need a better BIOS and Super I/O chip than those usually provided by Gigabyte boards, and usually some boards from ASRock, ASUS, Intel, and MSI may supply those better solutions.

Besides, with more than one case fan, I think you either need a different board (the proposed one has just 1 - one - case fan header), or all PWM case fans daisy chained to the CPU one with an active splitter (like Akasa, Bitfenix or Swiftech ones), providing that the Gigabyte CPU fan header is able to slow down all them to a conveniently low rotational speed.

With reference to your last proposal, regardless of the cooler (whether you go with top and rear case fans, a fanless Thermalright HR-22 CPU heatsink might also work well, if you mind), a system with a pair of 120 and 140mm slow fans, rather than those stock Silverstone top and rear ones, it will be noticeably quieter. Whether it will be near silent or not, it strictly depends of the actual fans rotational speeds (providing the system is near to you, to give again some numbers: no more than ~350rpm for a 140mm fan, and no more than ~500rpm for a 120mm fan).

corimer
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by corimer » Sun Feb 09, 2014 5:44 am

OK, after some reconsideration I've decided to go for the Silverstone Grandia GD05 according to Abula's suggestion and make the 3 case fans as ins.
Because I want to have fan control in the mobo I'm going to go with an ASUS H87M-PRO.

So the setup is going to be:

Case: Silverstone Grandia GD05
Motherboard: ASUS H87M-PRO
Power Supply: SEASONIC X-400 Active PFC Fanless Modular PSU
CPU: INTEL - Core i3-4130 3.4GHz 3MB LGA1150
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C12P SE14
SSD: VERTEX 4 SERIES SATA III 2.5Pol 128GB
Memory: G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3 1333Mhz NQ Edition Dual Channel

All the case fans are going to be connected to the mobo and lowered via the UEFI to their minimum RPM. What to do you think? is it going to be silent? do I need to replace other case fans or is it good?

Thanks for your help Abula and quest_for_silence.

Abula
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Location: Guatemala

Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by Abula » Sun Feb 09, 2014 6:16 am

I like a lot the choices, specially the motherboard, Asus FanXpert2 will help manage all your case and cpu fans easily, Asus atm is not my choice for other reasons, but for managing fans imo its one of the easiest ways to manage your fans and end up with a very quiet setup.
corimer wrote:All the case fans are going to be connected to the mobo and lowered via the UEFI to their minimum RPM.
Mmmmm, I dont recommend you use the BIOS to control the fans on Asus motherboard, they have high restrictions in my experience, on the other hand i do recommend you use FanXpert2, it will be very good into managing your fans, it will even bypass the BIOS restrictions allowing whatever the rpms the fan can run (both in low and high).
corimer wrote:do I need to replace other case fans or is it good?
Test the included fans first, we all have different requirements in terms of noise, and the Asus motherboard should be pretty good with FanXpert2 to lower the included fans to its minimum on idle and ramp them as the conditions of the cpu temp changes.

If you dont like the included fans, then go with aftermarket fans, three of four of my favorite 120mm fans were reviewed by SPCR Fan Roundup #6: Scythe, Noiseblocker, Antec, Nexus, Thermalright, from there the Noiseblocker M12-S1 came out very well, but its a very expensive fan, the Scythe Gentle Typoon AP12 800rpm was tied for no1 and its a little less expensive, and if you dont want to spend that much there was also the Nexus Basic 120mm that you can find in newegg around $12, that imo did pretty well aswell. I recommend you read the review, not only its great as it compares lots of good fans, but Lawrance also ran FanXpert on them, so you can see give or take what you will see on your setup.

Now if BIOS fan control is a must for you, and you don't want any software, then ditch Asus and go with MSI or AsRock, but recommend you don't go with 3pin fans but 4pin PWM fans, both manufacturers have real 2x PWM fan Headers (for MSI is CPU_FAN1 and CPU_FAN2, for AsRock is CPU_FAN and SYS_FAN1), both will allow you very good control on pure bios, but you also need to get a PWM fan splitter, so you use one for the CPU, and splitter to control all 3 fans. In here my recommendation of fans for 3 case fans would is Noctua NF-S12A PWM, very quiet fan and most important it can be dropped extremely low on pure bios fan control, here is a fanXpert2 graph of it (this is just for you to see the fan behavior under PWM load, not that you need fanXpert2 for this, its just an illustration).

Image
corimer wrote:What to do you think? is it going to be silent?
Its very hard to make a PC silent completely, what we most of us do, its just lower the noise to inaudible levels, or to levels where you ambient noise overcomes the PC noise, so you feel its silent, but its just inaudible by you =). I think you are almost there, just wondering about what will cool the CPU? Intel Stock?
Last edited by Abula on Sun Feb 09, 2014 6:40 am, edited 1 time in total.

corimer
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by corimer » Sun Feb 09, 2014 6:36 am

I wrote the cpu cooler: Noctua NH-C12P SE14.

So you're saying that the setup should be pretty quiet, after everything is installed see how much noise the case fans make and if they make too much noise replace them with something like the Scythe Gentle Typoon AP12 800rpm?

Abula
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by Abula » Sun Feb 09, 2014 6:52 am

corimer wrote:I wrote the cpu cooler: Noctua NH-C12P SE14.
Sorry i missed it, thanks for the re-posting. The cooler is good, just two things, place it facing the memory, so the side case fans can pass the air through the fins also. A second recommendation, i dont remember if the C12P comes with 4pin PWM fan or 3pin fan, i think its 3pin (crosscheck this), if it is, then when you boot on the bios, go into MONITOR --> FAN CONTROL ---> CPU Q-FAN CONTROL change it from AUTO to ADVANCE, this will make the header change from PWM control to voltage control (this is if the included fan is 3pin), if you dont make this change and the fan is 3pin, it will run full rpms always, as its getting 12V, once you do the change fanXpert2 will control it as all the other 3pin case fans you have. Ill leave you an image to help you,

Image
corimer wrote:So you're saying that the setup should be pretty quiet, after everything is installed see how much noise the case fans make and if they make too much noise replace them with something like the Scythe Gentle Typoon AP12 800rpm?
Gentle Typhoons are being discontinued by Scythe, its very hard to get the AP-12 800rpm version that was reviewed by SPCR, personally i bought some 500rpm version (linked on my first post), but i also suggested you checked the round 6 (linked in my last post), in there you will see other options as well, that should work really well with FanXpert2.

In case you are interested, here is the FanXpert2 graph of the Scythe Gentle Typhoon AP11, which is the 500rpm version (more like 575rpm according to the test).

Image

corimer
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by corimer » Sun Feb 09, 2014 8:08 am

Sorry i missed it, thanks for the re-posting. The cooler is good, just two things, place it facing the memory, so the side case fans can pass the air through the fins also. A second recommendation, i dont remember if the C12P comes with 4pin PWM fan or 3pin fan, i think its 3pin (crosscheck this), if it is, then when you boot on the bios, go into MONITOR --> FAN CONTROL ---> CPU Q-FAN CONTROL change it from AUTO to ADVANCE, this will make the header change from PWM control to voltage control (this is if the included fan is 3pin), if you dont make this change and the fan is 3pin, it will run full rpms always, as its getting 12V, once you do the change fanXpert2 will control it as all the other 3pin case fans you have. Ill leave you an image to help you,
the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 does have a 3pin fan connector so thanks for the advice.

I think that if I replace my case fans I'll go with the scythe one (which is still sold some places) and if it's not available I'll go for the Noctua NF-S12A ULN.
Another thing about the case fans, when I run them using the fanXpert2 should I just let it handle them or should I set them to a fixed lowest possible rpm?

Thanks.

Abula
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by Abula » Sun Feb 09, 2014 9:29 am

corimer wrote:I think that if I replace my case fans I'll go with the scythe one (which is still sold some places) and if it's not available I'll go for the Noctua NF-S12A ULN.
The NF-S12A is a good fan, i didnt recommend the ULN out of i havent tested it, nor i know how low it undervolts, but if its like the PWM version, its a really good fan, just expensive, as much as noiseblockers.
corimer wrote:Another thing about the case fans, when I run them using the fanXpert2 should I just let it handle them or should I set them to a fixed lowest possible rpm?
This is totally up to you, when you run the Testing mode, where it benches the fans it will run for like 30sec where it powers them to full rpms then gradually slows them till they stop, and again up, then it establishes the lowest rpms and sets up the graph, this graph can be modify by you, in case you want more cooling. If you don't touch the graph, it will run at its minimum rpms on idle and gradually ramp them as the CPU temp increases, if you modify the graph, you can make them spin faster at certain temp, etc.

You can also run them at fixed RPM, fanXpert2 has the SMART MODE and RPM MODE (this is the fixed rpms), check the pictures on my previous post above the graph you can see the option.

Both can work, personally i prefer the smart mode as it will drop them to their minimum rpms when there is no need for extra cooling, and increase it gradually, but again this is up to you, whatever you like better.

Abula
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by Abula » Sun Feb 09, 2014 9:56 am

Just some final comments for you to take into account,

According to Noctuas web,
Height (with fan) 114 mm
According to Silverstone web,
Limitation of CPU cooler 70mm (remove ODD if you want install up to 120mm)
So you have 6mm of breathing room, i never have installed this close to say for sure, but many recommend 20-30mm of breathing room. Weather it will matter or not, i can't say for sure, just pointing it out. In case it did matter, and you own it, there are slimmer fans also, like Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 140mm x 15mm Slim Profile PWM Fan, should give you 16mm of breathing.

The second comment is about the memory,
Memory: G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3 1333Mhz NQ Edition Dual Channel
Do you own it already, if not look into DDR1600, the CPU will support it, given that performance increase is small, its better to go at least as high as its rated. If you like Gskill, check G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBECO. Asus is pretty good into having a QVL list for the memory they have tested, not that others wont work, but you know for sure that the one on the list will, check Asus H87M-PRO Official web, then click on Memory/Device Support, check the list for memory.

corimer
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by corimer » Sun Feb 09, 2014 10:40 am

So you have 6mm of breathing room, i never have installed this close to say for sure, but many recommend 20-30mm of breathing room. Weather it will matter or not, i can't say for sure, just pointing it out. In case it did matter, and you own it, there are slimmer fans also, like Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 140mm x 15mm Slim Profile PWM Fan, should give you 16mm of breathing.
I wasn't sure about the height before but leaving 6 mm does seem too little. The Noctua NH-L12 got a good review on SPCR and it's only 93 mm tall - leaving plenty of room, the only thing I'm not sure about is the 2 fan combination that according to the review make a bit of noise at higher loads so I think I may run it only with 120mm fan (i.e. without the second 92mm fan), what do you think?
Do you own it already, if not look into DDR1600, the CPU will support it, given that performance increase is small, its better to go at least as high as its rated. If you like Gskill, check G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBECO. Asus is pretty good into having a QVL list for the memory they have tested, not that others wont work, but you know for sure that the one on the list will, check Asus H87M-PRO Official web, then click on Memory/Device Support, check the list for memory.
I'll go for the memory you suggested, thanks.

CA_Steve
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by CA_Steve » Sun Feb 09, 2014 11:45 am

The Noctua NH-L12 got a good review on SPCR and it's only 93 mm tall - leaving plenty of room, the only thing I'm not sure about is the 2 fan combination that according to the review make a bit of noise at higher loads so I think I may run it only with 120mm fan (i.e. without the second 92mm fan), what do you think?
The SPCR review used a 95W TDP CPU. Your's is 54W. Chances are, the fans will never spin up to the speeds where they get buzzy and there are noticable temperature improvements at similar dB vs single fan. So, better off trying with both of them first and see what you get.

corimer
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by corimer » Sun Feb 09, 2014 12:47 pm

The cooler is good, just two things, place it facing the memory, so the side case fans can pass the air through the fins also. A second recommendation, i dont remember if the C12P comes with 4pin PWM fan or 3pin fan, i think its 3pin (crosscheck this), if it is, then when you boot on the bios, go into MONITOR --> FAN CONTROL ---> CPU Q-FAN CONTROL change it from AUTO to ADVANCE, this will make the header change from PWM control to voltage control (this is if the included fan is 3pin), if you dont make this change and the fan is 3pin, it will run full rpms always, as its getting 12V, once you do the change fanXpert2 will control it as all the other 3pin case fans you have. Ill leave you an image to help you,
ok great :) just one more question - you said to place the cpu cooler facing the memory, does that mean that the heat pipes should be facing the memory? also, the Noctua NH-L12 cooler has a 4 pin PWM connector so I guess I don't need to make the bios change to voltage and only let fanXpert2 control it, right?

Thanks a lot.

Abula
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by Abula » Sun Feb 09, 2014 2:02 pm

corimer wrote:you said to place the cpu cooler facing the memory, does that mean that the heat pipes should be facing the memory?
I would install either of the following, what ever fits better with the memory.

Image

Image
corimer wrote:the Noctua NH-L12 cooler has a 4 pin PWM connector so I guess I don't need to make the bios change to voltage and only let fanXpert2 control it, right?
To my recollection both are pwm, so leave the CPU_FAN header Q-FAN as on the bios as AUTO. One thing that i would do though, is to ran the fanXpert2 two times (one time 120mm on CPU_FAN header, and the second with 92mm fan on CPU_FAN header), and get both graphs for both fans, check which of the two fans has a higher lower PWM % (which ever minimum % is higher, not rpm but %, for example 15% or 17% or 20%, the highest from this 3 is 20%). The Y splitter (that will come with the cooler) has 2x female connectors, but only one has 4pin (the other has one missing), connect the one that has a higher PWM % on the its graph, that will ensure that PWM signal is enough for both fans to be spinning. Here is a picture of what i mean,

Image
Last edited by Abula on Sun Feb 09, 2014 4:38 pm, edited 3 times in total.

corimer
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Re: Help choosing htpc case

Post by corimer » Sun Feb 09, 2014 2:40 pm

I think I'm all set :D
Thanks so much for your help Abula, CA_Steve and quest_for_silence!

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