Transplanting my SG05 system into a BitFenix Prodigy
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 4:30 am
I'm thinking of moving my current mini-ITX SG05 (shoe box) build into the still mini-ITX but much bigger BitFenix Prodigy.
The SG05 is kind of crazy, since I've got a 100W CPU as well as a mid-end gaming graphics card in there. What's really crazy is that I killed the original PSU while trying to silence it and crammed a full size Seasonic S12 into the case! It sits in the front part of the case (maybe I'll take a photo when I'm home). I had to partially dismantle the PSU to make everything just about fit.
The PSU draws fresh air from the big front vent, the GPU gets fresh air from the side, the CPU... well it pretty much just steeps. It was never silent, but it's surprisingly quiet when I'm not gaming.
The GPU died on me for unrelated reasons recently, and after plugging in a borrowed ATI card, I just can't be bothered to put this mess back together. I'm thinking of transplanting the whole thing into a BitFenix Prodigy, which has a luxorious amount of space in comparison, and which lets you use an ATX PSU without hacking it in. I'm hoping for extremely quiet operation in idle and quiet under medium load.
I'll probably go with a new Seasonic PSU, though maybe I salvage the hacked S12 (I guess it'd be a shame to waste it). And I'll get whatever the current Nvidia $200 generation is. I think the case should be flexible enough that my next build or two can happen in there, too. I haven't heard too much about the Prodigy from the silent PC community, though the OC enthusiasts seem happy. The non-black variants of the case have a less perforated front, which some enthusiasts decry for reducing airflow; I think it might actually improve acoustics by letting less noise escape. But I'm not sure if there's any point in putting a very large fan in the front (it can accomodate up to 230mm!) if it's hardly perforated. I'll probably try using the fans in the box downvolted to 5 or 7V, but replacing them might be an improvement.
An alternative would be a TJ08E, which is roughly the same size but can fit m-ATX. But I've got a perfectly fine mini-ITX board, anyway, the Prodigy seems better from a cooling/acoustic perspective; it's also a tad cheaper. I've also considered a Define Mini (too big) and the FT03-mini (looks fantastic but it's only viable for gaming with water cooling, and even then it's not exactly quiet; and after the SG05 I've had it with ultra cramped spaces).
I've got to say I'm wary about buying a case that's not had the SPCR treatment! Hence my post. Any opinions or advice?
The SG05 is kind of crazy, since I've got a 100W CPU as well as a mid-end gaming graphics card in there. What's really crazy is that I killed the original PSU while trying to silence it and crammed a full size Seasonic S12 into the case! It sits in the front part of the case (maybe I'll take a photo when I'm home). I had to partially dismantle the PSU to make everything just about fit.
The PSU draws fresh air from the big front vent, the GPU gets fresh air from the side, the CPU... well it pretty much just steeps. It was never silent, but it's surprisingly quiet when I'm not gaming.
The GPU died on me for unrelated reasons recently, and after plugging in a borrowed ATI card, I just can't be bothered to put this mess back together. I'm thinking of transplanting the whole thing into a BitFenix Prodigy, which has a luxorious amount of space in comparison, and which lets you use an ATX PSU without hacking it in. I'm hoping for extremely quiet operation in idle and quiet under medium load.
I'll probably go with a new Seasonic PSU, though maybe I salvage the hacked S12 (I guess it'd be a shame to waste it). And I'll get whatever the current Nvidia $200 generation is. I think the case should be flexible enough that my next build or two can happen in there, too. I haven't heard too much about the Prodigy from the silent PC community, though the OC enthusiasts seem happy. The non-black variants of the case have a less perforated front, which some enthusiasts decry for reducing airflow; I think it might actually improve acoustics by letting less noise escape. But I'm not sure if there's any point in putting a very large fan in the front (it can accomodate up to 230mm!) if it's hardly perforated. I'll probably try using the fans in the box downvolted to 5 or 7V, but replacing them might be an improvement.
An alternative would be a TJ08E, which is roughly the same size but can fit m-ATX. But I've got a perfectly fine mini-ITX board, anyway, the Prodigy seems better from a cooling/acoustic perspective; it's also a tad cheaper. I've also considered a Define Mini (too big) and the FT03-mini (looks fantastic but it's only viable for gaming with water cooling, and even then it's not exactly quiet; and after the SG05 I've had it with ultra cramped spaces).
I've got to say I'm wary about buying a case that's not had the SPCR treatment! Hence my post. Any opinions or advice?