Okay: Plan for computer revised. Check it please?

Got a shopping cart of parts that you want opinions on? Get advice from members on your planned or existing system (or upgrade).

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Post Reply
ONEshot
Posts: 257
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:37 pm

Okay: Plan for computer revised. Check it please?

Post by ONEshot » Thu Jun 03, 2004 8:57 pm

Alrighty, since the last time I posted, I learned a LOT more:

I've decided to go with the following:

HSF: Thermalright SP-94 (OR since that great deal popped up with the 948, I'll probably get that one. Easier on the old wallet). This will be paired up with a Panaflo L1A 92mm.

Case: 3700 AMB. I'm going to do a few simple mods, cutting out the rear fan grill, and a PSU mod that I'll describe below.

VGA Cooler: I've decided on the Arctic VGA Silencer. Friend got one, mighty quiet enough.

PSU: MikeC's modded Seasonic, and the mod I'm going to do for the PSU is creating a duct. It's not the duct with the channel heading straight forward; it's going to be a duct that turns 90 degrees towards the mobo side of the case. I'm going to open up a little channel to the right side of the case. That's where the cool air is going to come from. Stole this idea from a dude in this forum, I can't remember his name at the moment.

Case Fan: I've decided on the Papst 14412 (I think that's the model number... or at least an abridged version) 120mm fan.

Northbridge: Zalman NB passive cooler (The gold one)

Accessories: 2 Fanmates (One for papst, one for hsf), Rubber EAR Grommets, Sorbothane (for my Western Digital, which I decided to keep until I REALLY get the silent bug)., maybe some cool cathodes for the "Ooh, Aah" effect.

And the core system itself is:
P4 2.66
2X256 pc 2700
9500 pro
WD 80 gig
MSI Neo-LSR 875p
Sound Blaster 5.1 Live!

OKAY Constructive criticism again please! :D

Thanks, fellas.

EDIT: typo.

Nebor
Posts: 90
Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2004 2:42 pm

Post by Nebor » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:02 pm

Cathodes in a PC w/o a window?

ONEshot
Posts: 257
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:37 pm

Post by ONEshot » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:22 pm

Personal satisfaction, when a LAN party rolls by.

acaurora
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 1464
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 2:51 am
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Contact:

Post by acaurora » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:39 pm

For a moderately powered system, it looks good. However, I highly suggest AGAINST the 4412FGL, the 120mm fan you were looking at. The Antec stock fan that ships with the SLK3700BQE / Sonata series is definitely quieter. Several others I've talked to also agree.

Also, why don't you use a Zalman 7000 for your HSF? They do the job VERY nicely and quietly.

ONEshot
Posts: 257
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:37 pm

Post by ONEshot » Thu Jun 03, 2004 10:58 pm

Really?? I was going to 5v the 4412FGL (of course, this IS silent computing :D), and in all the 120 mm comparisons, the papst did really well... And I'm not willing to drop the extra ~20 for the BQE edition, so the comparison would REALLY be between the AMB Fan and the Papst.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the fan?

About the Zalman... I've read too many posts/topics here that say somthing like "cnps7000 is the loudest component of system" "Fan is clicking! help!", so I'd rather stick to a Thermalright with an L1A, so that I can easily change out the fan if I feel like it.

And is it worth it to get a 92mm in the front for the harddrives?? I've been running for years without a front intake fan, and never had a haddrive die on me... If it's going to add noise, It's not worth it to me.

acaurora
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 1464
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 2:51 am
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Contact:

Post by acaurora » Thu Jun 03, 2004 11:15 pm

The AMB has REALLY crappy intake vents. It also doesn't have the grommets for the HDD trays. The HDD rack, while parallel in the AMB, is rotated perpendicular in the BQE, which is pretty convinent. I believe that the BQE is definitely worth the extra 20 bucks or so.

5V? Oh... i apparently skipped over that part. -_-;; Sure, use the Papst. It IS virtually dead silent at that voltage. How do I know? *points at intake*

The fan does click as you go down in speed for the Zalman, but I don't really mind. It's very subtle, and because I have my BQE under a desk, can barely hear it. Even when i'm working on the cabling or something, doesn't bother me.

Not sure about using a 92 instead of a 120mm for the intake. Today's new HDDs do generate some heat, more than older ones. Since the Papst @ 5V adds next to/none sound to the overall noise of your system, I say just do it anyway. :P

Just curious, how do you mount the fan on those thermalrights? I may just get one for comparison :P I smell another review coming on! :P

Shadowknight
Posts: 1283
Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2003 2:43 pm
Location: Charlotte, NC, USA

Post by Shadowknight » Fri Jun 04, 2004 3:43 am

The AMB has REALLY crappy intake vents. It also doesn't have the grommets for the HDD trays. The HDD rack, while parallel in the AMB, is rotated perpendicular in the BQE, which is pretty convinent. I believe that the BQE is definitely worth the extra 20 bucks or so.
What are you talking about? The vents are the same on the AMB and BQE models, thought the AMB has more restrictive grills (which he's already stated he intends to cut out). The HDD rack COMES with rubber grommets. The HDD rack on the AMB also provides better cooling of the hard drives than the BQE.

Maybe you're confusing this with another case?

RaNDoMMAI
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 337
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2004 8:12 am

Post by RaNDoMMAI » Fri Jun 04, 2004 5:42 am

I think i read in Ralf's review that the intakes vent on the AMB are smaller then the BQE, i dunno i have to check on my friends AMB

anyway @ ONEshot
did you already get the HDD, i really HATE WD. I have seen personally alot die and have had them die on ME and they are not even quiet to begin with.

I have been a samsung man for a LONG time now.

For case fans, Ed recommend the Glode 120mm as they are the same modes as the ascoutica fans. and they are only 8 bucks each.

good luck on your new system
~RaNDoM

Ralf Hutter
SPCR Reviewer
Posts: 8636
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:33 am
Location: Sunny SoCal

Post by Ralf Hutter » Fri Jun 04, 2004 6:01 am

RaNDoMMAI wrote:I think i read in Ralf's review that the intakes vent on the AMB are smaller then the BQE, i dunno i have to check on my friends AMB
Darn tootin they're smaller. My AMB has round holes in the fan grills, the newer AMB's have hexagonal holes like the BQE but they're still smaller than the BQE's holes. The latest style AMB fan grills still need surgery for best airflow/low noise.

Ralf Hutter
SPCR Reviewer
Posts: 8636
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:33 am
Location: Sunny SoCal

Re: Okay: Plan for computer revised. Check it please?

Post by Ralf Hutter » Fri Jun 04, 2004 6:07 am

ONEshot wrote: And the core system itself is:
P4 2.66
2X256 pc 2700
9500 pro
WD 80 gig
MSI Neo-LSR 875p
Sound Blaster 5.1 Live!

OKAY Constructive criticism again please! :D
Uhh, why are you going to use a 533MHz, non H-T CPU on an 800MHz H-T mobo?

And why the noisy WD HDD?

Do you already have this hardware?

If you're stuck using this hardware I'd suggest removing the noisy little NB cooling fan on that MSI board and replacing it with a passive Zalman NB heatsink.

If you're not stuck using that hardware I'd suggest a 2.6C or 2.8C 800MHz CPU, an Intel 875PBZ or Asus P4C800E-Deluxe mobo and a Samsung Spinpoint HDD of your choice. Oh and some PC3200 RAM instead of the PC2700 stuff.

acaurora
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 1464
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 2:51 am
Location: Elk Grove, CA
Contact:

Post by acaurora » Fri Jun 04, 2004 6:36 am

blah, sorry about earlier, i got confused. nevermind ^.^

samwc912
Posts: 54
Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 10:43 pm

Post by samwc912 » Fri Jun 04, 2004 7:17 am

It looks like you're getting a pretty nice set up. But I think you should get rid of the WD drive. Since your other components are quiet enough, the sound of the WD will stick out even more. Trust me, I have a WD and the high pitch sound is intolerable!

bomba
Posts: 320
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2004 12:36 pm
Location: USA

Post by bomba » Fri Jun 04, 2004 9:04 am

I think Ralf hit it pretty well, so I'll just add on to his comments. My guess is that the WD HD will be the sore thumb in your plan. Definitely plan to replace it w/ a quiet Fluid bearing drive which supports accoustic management, such as PATA Spinpoint or PATA Maxtor DM9+. After which, the Artic VGA cooler will likely be the loudest.

In regards to 120mm Papst 4412 fan, they are great. Sould be silent running it as exhaust @5v. There are (2) versions, the 4412FGL has a 4-pin pass thru connector for connection to PSU power. It has no RPM monitoring and unless modded will run @12v. Not fanmate usable without adapting to 3-pin connector either. But, you can swap pins around to power these fans @5v or 7V with no fanmate required. The 4412F/2GL is an RPM reporting 3-wire fan designed for connection to motherboard fan headers and thus is fanmate compatible.

For the Zalman NB heatsinks; the blue 47J is the taller more efficient model, but is designed for use only on motherboards where the stock NB cooler is mounted via thru-hole push-pins. The 32J gold heat sink may be mounted either by the included push-pins or by gluing with the provided thermal adhesive.

Finally, for the CPU HSF you can alternately go with the Zalman 7000 AlCu. Will save you some $, comes with a fanmate and will be at least as quiet as the Thermalright solutions. You'll probably find w/ the Z7000 you get adequate cooling at less than 5v (not achievable with the fanmate alone). You may want to try connecting it directly to the motherboard header without the fanmate; then use speedfan to slow the fan. Then you can use the fanmate on your exhaust fan.

Good Luck!

spog
Posts: 5
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 7:30 pm
Location: Ontario , Canada

Post by spog » Fri Jun 04, 2004 11:33 am

I would consider an 80mm L1a instead of the 92mm for the cpu. Both of my chinaflow 92mm fans make a lot of noise, turbulence and clicking. The 92 mm papst is much quieter but is pretty heavy to mount on the cpu and the hub diameter is huge compared to the panaflow (big dead spot), so it's not really a good cpu fan (unless you use a duct).

mrzed
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 281
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2003 4:01 pm
Location: Victoria, Canada

Post by mrzed » Fri Jun 04, 2004 12:19 pm

If you're still going with the AMB, I would suggest at least 5 volting the stock fan to see how you like it. I've heard varying reports on them. Mine happens to be pretty good, so I kept it. No motor or bearing noise, just a reasonably quiet whoosh. Others aren't so lucky. Seeing as it comes with the case, nothing to lose by trying though.

Personally I much prefer the AMB, as I cut my own grills and increased the size of the bottom intake on the bezel.

ONEshot
Posts: 257
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2004 11:37 pm

Post by ONEshot » Fri Jun 04, 2004 7:57 pm

Yes, I am "stuck" with the hardware. I'm not very dissapointed with its performance, it does everything I want it to.

Regarding Spog's post... Is the 80mm at 5v sufficient? If so then I think I'll go for the 80mm l1a.

And also for the intake, would a 5v 80mml1a do the trick? I'm going to take out the harddrive rack and susped my WD. Right now I cant hear the WD over all the other fans in my noisy system right now...

RaNDoMMAI
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 337
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2004 8:12 am

Post by RaNDoMMAI » Sat Jun 05, 2004 7:31 am

ONEshot wrote:Yes, I am "stuck" with the hardware. I'm not very dissapointed with its performance, it does everything I want it to.

Regarding Spog's post... Is the 80mm at 5v sufficient? If so then I think I'll go for the 80mm l1a.

And also for the intake, would a 5v 80mml1a do the trick? I'm going to take out the harddrive rack and susped my WD. Right now I cant hear the WD over all the other fans in my noisy system right now...
Most harddrive will last a very long time without active cooling. I cant think of any SFF that has active cooling for the HDD.

I personally just like to play it safe. So a L1A at 5v is enough. It acually does help too.

The front intake on an AMB or BQE will do nothing for cooling for the case really. I think the manual that came with the antec 3700BQE even told me to not use a front intake fan if i want optimal noise reduced.

~RaNDoM

Post Reply