I'm looking for some expert input on what CPU cooler to use in an upcoming HTPC build. Since the case can't have much depth I'm looking to use an Silverstone LaScala LC04 (SPCR review) and stuff a Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H mobo and a AMD 4850e inside.

Since this particular case has a vent situated almost directly over the CPU I want to find a quiet cooler which isn't to tall and also blows the hot air upwards through a small duct and out of the case. Any suggestions? I have queried Silverstone about how tall the heatsink can be and still fit, but no reply just yet. Also, I assume I should probably increase the size of the holes in the top vent, right?

This is a crude sketch of how the mobo in question will fit inside the case and an estimate of how well the vent aligns with the CPU:

This one, Silverstone NT06
You can mount a fan on it (103 mm w fan, can be a tight fit).

Looks good, but since the 3.5" HD on the right is only 90mm (~3.5") across I don't think it will fit.

To be honest if I were you I wouldn't bother with an upward blowing fan, especially given the CPU you're going to be using. The case is roomy enough and there are enough vents in the side that heat shouldn't be a big issue, especially if you undervolt and so on.

The vent in the top of the LC-04 is pretty restrictive, and in all honesty I'd be surprised if the gently waft from a slow running fan on the CPU would push much if any air through it. Personally I think it's just there for show.

I used a fan-swapped Zalman 7000 in my build (which was S939), but for AM2 the 7500 would be the way I'd go now.

One word of warning on the LC-04 is that the fan in the PSU isn't particularly quiet. And soft-mounting a 3.5" hard-drive is challenging if you want to keep an optical drive.

3.5" HDDs are 4", or 101mm, wide.

Sounds very nice.
Given that I plan on placing my H/T receiver on top of the LC04 it would actually be better not to have warm air being blown directly into the intakes on the bottom of the receiver...
A 7500, you say? I'll look into it.
The PSU fan's noisy? – That's not what I gathered from the SPCR review. Or have the standard for what's considererd quiet changed since the case was launched? Do you know if it's possible to do a fan-swap on it?

As for soft-mounting the HD, I though the use of a mATX board instead of a full ATX one meant I had loads of space to spare for (soft-)mounting the HD horizontally?



That's good to know. Thanks. The motherboard itself and standoffs probably steal some of the available height though.

Well I'm sure others will have other recommendations, The Zalmans are fine but you do have to be willing to fan-swap and have a steely attitude to load temps I think. What I meant was if I was doing my old build that would be the direct replacement ... not necessarily what I might use today if I gave it more thought



Well, firstly I'm quite fussy and secondly yes I think that the SPCR standard has moved on since the review was written. In the end I suppose it depends how quiet you personally want it to be, and you won't know if you think it's too noisy until you get one

The fan is a 80x15mm fan, which is easy to swap if you're willing to open the PSU, but finding a quiet 80x15mm fan is tough. The Sanyo Denki Ace 80 has some supporters here, I've tried a few of these and they're OK, better than the one in the LC-04 PSU but still audible in the wrong environment. Swapping it for an 80x25mm is only possible if you're willing to Dremel big holes in the PSU.

Have you considered replacing the PSU with a PicoPSU or similar?



Yes, sorry I hadn't clocked that, you're quite likely correct. I wouldn't like to comment whether you could suspend a 3.5" drive in the available space, it rather depends how you're going to do it. What capacity drive are you looking at?

You might well be able to fit a fan to the other side of the heatsink. 120x120x25 with half the frame cut off might just jam in there.

Ok, I see. Let's hope we can see more suggestions here then.

Isn't it always like that? The LC04 my dealer has seems to be an revised version as it comes with a 300W PSU instead of the 240W one in "our" review. Elsewhere I've learned that the newer PSU has two fans (though the same source claimed the smaller fan was possible to disable). Which version is the one you've heard?

Hm, sounds a bit messy really. Thanks for the tip about the Denki Ace though.

No, I haven't. Can't seem to find any such locally (so far) and am on a somewhat limited budget. Stupid question, but will a 120W PSU (like the PicoPSU) be able to handle this mobo, a BR-drive and a 3.5" HD (with a possible option for a second HD)? DVB-T will be handled by either one or two FloppyDTV cards.

No clear idea on HD suspension just yet. At first I was considering strapping it to a block of plastic foam, but perhaps I should chose something a little more sophisticated. As for choice of drive – I'm aiming for a Samsung F1@750GB.

The HTPC will be placed ~12" from the sofa so it needn't be *extremely* quiet (though my wife have bat-like hearing).

- Perhaps this thread should be moved to the system advice thread? -

Hi

A Velociraptor drive (reviewed here ) could give you that extra room needed for soft mounting, perhaps even make it possible for you to use two of them after minor modifications? giving you 600 GB of storage space.