Increased video card space and sticking with top mounted PSU indicates some indecisive thinking on Antec's part. On the one hand, the case seems OK for someone to slap a uATX M/B and standard parts in and sell it as a quiet PC. For that, it's a bit pricey. On the other, using all that GPU space mean...

I was disappointed to see (on the Page 1 chart) that the ST2000DL003 has only 64 bytes of RAM Cache. Seems a giant step backwards. :D The SATA III interface brings with it more than just unusable speed, it is hooked into faster AHCI and 4K access modes. And that speed may well be usable by the 64 Me...

I was disappointed to see (on the Page 1 chart) that the ST2000DL003 has only 64 bytes of RAM Cache. Seems a giant step backwards. :D The SATA III interface brings with it more than just unusable speed, it is hooked into faster AHCI and 4K access modes. And that speed may well be usable by the 64 Me...

Phenom II X2 has never been a good buy. For typical prices and stock clocks, I agree. For MicroCenter prices and overclocked, it used to make sense. If cores are unlocked, it was a screaming value, and might still make sense, with a low-cost M/B. I bought one at MC last year, a 550BE that unlocked ...

I take it you have the Sonata single-fan Power Supply. If so, here are the specs to your Sonata power supply: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article61-page1.html If your motherboard has the old 20 pin connector, be sure your new Power Supply has a 20+4 connector and not a solid 24 pin connector. A 20...

Try pressing on each coil in turn with a pencil eraser until you find the offender. Besides hot glue, you can try wrapping the noisy coil tightly with a cable tie. (Do this part with the system OFF). Another possibility is just RMA the M/B, but that is a hassle, especially if you have no spare compu...

Factory decibel ratings are not to be believed, and even if they are, the quality of the fan noise (pitch, tone) is not rated. The difficulty of building a quiet PC in a gaming chassis is the size and locations of the big holes. Basically, there is a direct line of sight (for most users) between the...

If you take a look at my Antec 300 thread , you'll see I built an internal front panel contraption (muffle) that blocked the upward sound path while allowing an open air path from below. Think venetian blinds at 45 degrees. It's not pretty but it can't be seen when closed and it does its job well. -HF

fumino wrote:maybe a lian li pc-a05nb with one of lian li's pci slot coolers in the top 2 slots?

Thanks, fumino. That looks like one industrial strength dual-slot PCI slot fan.

However, I am looking to use most or all of my PCI/PCIe slots, two for SLI (eventually) and a 3Ware card and some other stuff.

-HF

Cooler Master ATCS 840. Use a softmounted 120 mm on the stock external PCI slot exhaust, or a Noiseblocker Multiframe. The external box is cheap plastic, but if the fan you use is sufficiently vibration-proof it shouldn't be an issue. Thanks, warriorpoet. The ATCS 840 looks like a real candidate, I...

Thanks, MikeC and everyone, for all the great ideas. I just found a case that is very nearly what I want. It has space for 2x80mm fans below the M/B. It is even a silencing oriented case. The only problem is that they put a partition in between, but a little modding would take care of that. http://w...

ame wrote:Yeah Mike,
Knew you would comment on that. The Frotress 02 looks perfect for what OP wanted.

If only the price were a *little* lower...

-HF

"The second benchmark segment begins by simply turning the test system vertically upright, so that the motherboard and CPU are facing to the side. Many of the products we have tested utilize a "U" pattern in the heat-pipe rods, and the upright system orientation favors this particular product desig...

... that has a large rear-mounted fan BELOW the video card. Heat rises, so it shouldn't be above the video card? Good question. The cards I have vent some hot air through the second PCI vent, and a lot more into the case below the card. Besides there is already a 120mm fan above the top card on mos...

Here: http://www.coolermaster.co.jp/uploads/product/products_gallery/file1225684455818.jpg ROFL. Did you ever read Kidder's Soul of a New Machine? http://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316491977 That's really "hanging a bag" on the side of a computer! Anyway, when I said I wanted ...

... that has a large rear-mounted fan BELOW the video card. While I would prefer mid-tower this might have to be a full-tower. This will be a high performance Intel 940/GTX 460 build, maybe SLI in the future, not "silent" but as quiet as humanly possible. Why a fan there? First of all, these video c...

Very intersting mod. I'm following your mods closely because I am considering a flipped M/B hack for my next project. M/B reminds me of my Asus Athlon XP system a few years ago. You mentioned Intel, so not the same but perhaps contemporary, maybe 2002-2004? Don't you love those 70% occluded 80mm OEM...

Good point... But this shroud also prevents hot air from the GPU from being recycled by the GPU fan. You are suggesting that I get rid of the gap behind this shroud and the PCI slots, right ? It's a good idea, I'll give that a try when I have a few minutes. The ideal setup would be to modify the so...

Very nice, well thought out build. I like the deeply inset drive bay fan. The side-off temps make me wonder about the shroud between the GPU cooler and the PCI slots. Have you tried running without it? I'm thinking there is just a vortex behind it and the PCI slots are not being well utilized for ex...

I wasn't very impressed with the 300 case as a whole. I've found much cheaper cases that do a better job. http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=54636 I found the Three Hundred a good gamer's case, not too flashy, very sturdy, especially compared to just about any other model in its p...

I too was also thinking how to mod the 300's front panel , using a piece of metal to block the direct noise path. That would be cool, but woodworking is easier for me than milling... I think if you converted your HD bays into 5.25 by reriveting the drive walls further apart, you'd be able to suspen...

A nice clean build, inside and out.

The SilenceBox looks interesting, but I'm wondering what the HDD temps are?

-HF

(I've updated the photos and the temps. Actually I'm running more 28C to 29C most of the time now, probably because the Arctic Silver 5 has had time to cure.) This is my, I don't know, 20th or 30th build or so, but the first one where I modded extensively for quiet up front instead of reacting in s...

Very nice work. The CPU mid-case position reminds me of the BTX cases a few years ago. It is just missing the big ugly hole in the front to be a true BTX. :lol: Putting the video card up top and leaving some open slots, assuming sufficient positive pressure, should make for a much cooler video card....

If AMD had designed a funnel adapter for a 120mm fan, this would be the best top-down cooler ever in its weight class. Thanks, this justifies what I've been doing with AMD and CoolerMaster blow-down coolers for years- removing the ridiculous 50, 60 and 70mm 4-5,000 RPM fans and replacing them with ...

The plan is to wring out overclocking and core unlocking using the onboard video (which itself is overclockable). Then in the future, perhaps after Steam releases its Linux client, go to a discreet video card. I am taking it one step at a time because AMD introduced a lot of uncertainty into overclo...

Cable routing on backside, through holes cut with knockout punches. I had to tie back the cable going straight up to make room for the CPU window fan. I added a 3 pin connector on the back side for the window fan to allow for easy disconnection when pulling just that panel. Then I had to cut channel...

Using a compass, box cutter, and a leather hole punch to create a 140mm fan gasket: http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/3136/img5642ax.jpg No perfect, but close enough: http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8195/img5643t.jpg Rear 120mm fan gasket, top 140mm fan and gasket, and PCI slot cover foamies insta...

M/B was installed and removed about a half a dozen times. Chassis punch holes were created for proper cable dressing. System now needs a CD/DVD SATA cable, Mugen 2 CPU cooler, and hard drive suspension. Using Thermalright rubber fan mounts for top 140mm TR fan and back Scythe 120mm PWM fan. http://i...

Again, to prevent direct line-of-site between the front case fans and the outside world, or at least the user's ear for a near-floor based system, a set of louvers or venetian blinds are created. A red oak frame plank from a home center, 120mm holes cut with a jigsaw, and then cut louver slots at 45...