Bring on the critics! My P180 Dual xeon wiring

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 8:26 pm

Well - i've wanted to go dual xeons for a long time, finally I came across a deal I couldnt pass up, and I'm now the proud father; erm owner of a dual xeon rig.

Here are my system Specs:

Antec P180
Antec TruePower 2.0 550w (single 120MM) mounted fan UP
2 x 512MB OCZ EL PC3700 DDR (2.5 3 3 7) In dual channel
2 x 1.6LV C1 Xeons (Running @ 2.64Ghz now)
2 x Coolermaster 2U Passive copper Heat syncs Link
Asus PC-DL with U-Wire mod (only 1.5v now)
XFX 6600 256MB AGP card (this stock fan has got to go!)
Pioneer A07 DVD Burner

Stock Antec "Tri-Cool" Fans all set to "high"

Pics:

Here is a picasa gallery:
http://www.commonwealthcars.com/images/ ... index.html

Thumbnails here (Click to make them grow!)

NOTES:

I do want to replace the hsf on my 6600 - any reccomendations? Do they make models that fit the 6600 AND higher models such as 6800gt oc?

Bring on the criticism. This is my first attempt at actually keeping the cables organized, ive done it in the past but its never worked out quite this good. I'm very happy so far with the system. I would have preferred to run the main atx cable under the mobo - but it was not long enough. not sure if i want to mess with an extension, as I dont think the connector will fit beneath the motherboard.

*puts on my flak jacket* Bring on the comments!

Thunder · Post by **Thunder** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 9:29 pm

Nice

, but those tri cools have to go

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Fri Sep 23, 2005 9:36 pm

haha - i do agree, and i'm trying to decide if i want the L or M yate loons, i don't want blue LED's i want this rig to be quiet and dark since i have it in my room.

A side question actually. I am using the "fan only" connector for all the fans, they have to be set on high to even run. Is the "fan only' line lower voltage then if i were to run them off a normal power connector?

The VGA cooler has to be the first thing to go though, I need reccomendations on one, then the case fans will get their replacements.

Post by **MikeC** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 6:40 am

Looks like a fine job to me.

You don't mention noise levels or temps. We're always curious about those results in others' systems. (include ambient temp, too...)

The Arctic Cooling NV silencers in rev2 are supposed to be pretty quiet; have not had a chance to test them; they have one that fits a 6600.

Another solution you could try:
Move all the HDDs (looks like you have 4?) to the lower chamber. Leave the upper HDD cage in place. Then mount a 120mm/92mm fan at the inside end of that HDD cage, blowing towards the VGA card. The HDD cage should act as a duct to let the fan pull outside air in from the front. Maybe try and close off the gap between the front side of the HDD and the front panel. The close proximity of the new fan to the VGA card might give you enough aiflow so that you can simply unplug your VGA fan. This will surely be quieter than any small VGA fan.

nici · Post by **nici** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 6:58 am

Mellman wrote:
A side question actually. I am using the "fan only" connector for all the fans, they have to be set on high to even run. Is the "fan only' line lower voltage then if i were to run them off a normal power connector?

Yes, it usually supplies the same voltage as the fan in the PSU so it would be about 5-6V if the psu fan isnt ramping up. So when the tricools are set to high they would get that(5-6V) voltage, assuming the "high" setting is 12V normally. Wich would be about the same as plugging them to normal connectors and running them on low.

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 8:26 am

Thanks for that nici - i didnt have my volt meter handy and it was late so i figured typing was easier then opening the case again

As far as my temps go, i havn't had a chance to do any benches - it seeems like it is idling kindof high though. Its idleing at around 48C - so i'm afraid at load that'll get near 60 which i believe is the threshold for xeons. I think its running hot most likely due to the lack of airflow with the fans running at 5-6V I'll change that soon enough.

I actually only have 2 Hard Drives.

a WD 74GB Raptor and a 320GB SATA drive. The other IDE drive in my system is the Pioneer A07, I don't have a single IDE cable, so the 2nd connector is down in the upper HD bay. I'll try putting a 120 in the front bay and see how that helps.

And noise - i cant tell because of the stupid VGA cooler ><

Post by **MikeC** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 8:32 am

BTW, if you set the speed of one of the Tricool fans to the same speed as a Nexus fan, you'll find the noise difference is pretty small. It's difficult to hear the difference, though the Nexus may have a lower minimum -- but at this lowest speed, it moves so little air as to be only marginally useful.

The main problem w/the Tricool 120x25 is that for silencers, the 3 speeds are not well chosen. High is ridiculous -- no one in their right mind should use it. Mid is still kind of loud, though it might be ok for short term use -- while gaming hard or something like that. The low is pretty quiet, but maybe still not quiet enough.

What I've done with a Tricool is to wire it up for 7V (by flipping the pins in the 4-pin plug around) and then play with the 3 positions of the switch for a somewhat different range of speeds. (Won't start at min position.) Better would be to just hook it up to a 5~12V fan controller.

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 11:19 am

Thanks Mike, I am going to try to find a fan controller - but The last one i had, a baytech I think, Had 4 SUPER BRIGHT blue LED's on it. Worked great if i was afraid of the dark or something

But for now, this rig is sweet, much quieter then my old watercooling setup, but thats just because my Hydor L30 pump was goin down the tubes

an update on the noise, I've disco'd the fan on my video card and put an extra 120mm in the front, a noisy one, some $5 bargain that is speed "adjustable" its now the noisest part of the system, but its more of a drone then the whine from my video card. seems that my video card is idling at 78C which is still warm i think, the threshold is set to 145 (default) so i suppose its not dangerous. My cpu temps are hovering around 49 each, also a bit high. I might need to look into some other passive coolers, larger then the 2u version I currently am running.

I was thinking of buying some nexus fans, but after your comments Mike I think i'll be able to get away with a fan controller instead. Any suggestions on one that doesnt have all the "bling bling" ?

Hezz · Post by **Hezz** » Sat Sep 24, 2005 3:19 pm

Mellman,

Looks great. If you are not able to get those temps under control you might try mounting a quiet 120 mm fan on the side wall of the case firing directly into the passive cpu heatsinks. You could combined this with moving the HDD below and having another quiet fan pulling air in using the middle drive bay as a duct as was suggested. Then you could have the rear and top fan both sucking air out of the system. This might keep things a lot cooler and still have adequate low noise. IF you have a fan controller to run all the fans at low RPM.

Or another option would be to have two fans blowing directly on the CPU coolers and a top vent. THis would pressurize the system and let air escape anywhere that it can. Out of a quiet GPU cooler might be good.

Hezz

SebRad · Post by **SebRad** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 6:51 am

Hi, nice set-up. I'd guess dual Xeons with a Raptor HDD is pretty snappy.
A few thoughts: I would guess the "passive" heat sinks are in fact intended to use case airflow as opposed to "properly passive" heat sinks like the some of the Scythe ones that can rely on convection.
I think in their intended home of a 2U server they would be aligned with the fins front to back and several (probably loud) case fans pushing air through them and the rest of the server, something like this.
Maybe you could make some ducting from the rear case fan so air is pulled through the heat sinks. I find thick paper/thin card and sticky-tape good for experimenting with ducting.
The Geforce 6600 is not a hot card, there are several passive versions available. I would think the Zalman ZM80-D would be a good alternative to the VGA Silencer, it's been used successfully on the 6600GT which is much hotter. There are other passive after market passive coolers and the Zalman VM-700 available as well.
You could even try just hooking the existing fan to a fan controller if you get one, it maybe tolerable at 5V while cooling enough for general use. Just turn it up for gaming (if you do) during which the music/sound effects will drown it out.
Sebastien

Burner27 · Post by **Burner27** » Sun Sep 25, 2005 4:28 pm

Nice Job Mellman!! I don't ALWAYS need to have the "cream of the crop"in terms of hardware! The chips just fell into place this time.

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 6:19 am

Yeah, they are definitely intended for use in 2u servers with flow through design.

I'm sure I could get some pretty good results if i could make a duct for the rear 120 to pull air through the heat syncs from the front. For not, they have cooled off to around 45c idle, still not perfect, but for the noise level pretty darn good. I found some other real nice passive heat syncs, designed for 3u setups, but they are about $42 each - a tad pricey

the vid card seems fine now just unplugging its fan and using a 120 in the front blowing air across it. 75c idle. I havn't had a chance to hardcore stress the setup yet, school gets in the way - and i was autocrossing all day yesterday.

I do need to do something with the cooling though since I want to try and bump these things up a little higher.

Thanks for the comments - and keep em coming!

silence · Post by **silence** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:32 am

Mellman-

That is an excellent setup you have running, congrats on completing your build successfully. I would like to make a suggestion in regards to a method for actively cooling your Xeon heatsinks - the Zalman BR123 fan bracket as shown in this picture. This bracket is mounted with screws to the PCI slot brackets and can hold one or more fans over the motherboard. If you mounted a 120mm quiet fan on the end of this bracket, it would hang over each heatsink and should provide enough airflow for you to see a reduction in CPU temperatures (and possibly the PWM area and Northbridge as well). As a cooling solution, it would be far less complicated than a duct and give the same if not better results. If you do look in to purchasing one of these brackets, be sure to get the bracket alone (sold under model #BR123) rather than the kit which comes with a 92mm fan (sold under #FB123). I would suggest a Nexus or Yate Loon 120mm fan run at approximately 700RPM.

-DG-

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 10:51 am

wow... THats actually pretty cool. The link is bad, extra url in there. but before i saw the price i figured "i can make one myself" but my time is worth more then that!

I'm wondering if i could have a fan "hang" from it, so it would blow air through the HS's, and sortof a push pull from that fan, through to the rear exhaust fan.

is that company reliable?

and it looks like from that company - the bracket + fan is cheaper than the bracket alone ($7 vs $13)

silence · Post by **silence** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 3:26 pm

Sorry about the bad link...I fixed it and it should work from now on. As for Sharka Computers, I personally have never ordered from them nor have I heard any feedback about them as a company. Here is a link to that same product as listed on Directron.com, which in my experience is reliable and offers competitive pricing. They list the BR123 mount sold "OEM" w/just hardware and no fan as currently on sale for USD$6.00. I checked your info for location and did not find anything, so this retailer should suit your needs given that you are in the U.S. Here is their shipping policy in case you are outside the U.S. You could definitely attach another fan perpendicular to the one facing the CPU heatsinks by using some type of right-angle adapter that has a hole for a screw in each side. I found this page in the McMaster-Carr catalog has two items of interest, namely #3 and #10. If you can find something like that in a local hardware store, and combine it with the BR123 mount, that would likely do what I think you are looking for.

Hope this helps,

-DG-

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 6:40 pm

Yeah thanks for the links, i found it at directron, $10 shipped via usps thats a steal!

WOOHOO. I'm a deal seeker at heart.

Ordering that now - and i'll find myself some nexus/yate loon 120mm's as well.

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 7:13 pm

I just have to say - darn you all! I ordered 5 of http://tekgems.com/Products/et-13713-fan-d12sl-12.htm tonight. As well as that bracket from directron, this pc is getting more expensive by the minute!!

Lets hope these yate loon fans are as good as you all say they are!(and all the other reviews i read)

silence · Post by **silence** » Mon Sep 26, 2005 9:04 pm

You're going to darn us further into oblivion because we're not done making recommendations for your system

As for that video card, I would say you will have to go with the Zalman VF700-CU. This is mostly because you have an AGP version of what is normally a PCI-Ex card, and thus have a HSI (High Speed Interconnect) chip keeping you from using most of the fanless solutions available. This is the same reason I chose the VF700 for my 6600GT. I can tell you from my personal experience that when its fan is controlled via Speedfan software and reduced down to about 1100 RPM, it is barely audible with the case side panel removed. So while we're at it, what else can we get you to spend money on...hmmmmmm.....

-DG-

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 4:20 am

is the VF700-CU compatible with the 6800 models so that if i upgrade in the future I wont have to buy a new one? Thats my complaint with the NV silencer 5, really like it - but don't want to have to buy two.

Burner27 · Post by **Burner27** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 6:16 am

The VF700Cu is VERY compatible. In fact, it even works on the 7800GTXs. I had one on my X850XT PE. It kept it very chilly.

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 7:04 am

great to hear, i suppose it gets my vote then. It'll even match my copper ramsyncs, copper cpu HS's

I sense a theme!

Burner27 · Post by **Burner27** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 7:11 am

Check with the manufacturer of your card. Replacing a stock HSF could void the warranty. Those little ramsinks are a b*tch to get off too.

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Tue Sep 27, 2005 2:18 pm

yeah i'm not sure if xfx does or not - it seems they allow you to replace it so long as it doesnt cause damage... so I guess that means it is ok to do.

Ordered the zalman vf700-cu and the zalman fan bracket. getting all decked out here

My audigy 2zs platinum should arrive today! woohoo.

-Matt

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 10:16 am

woohooo, my zalman vf700-CU and fb123 came today. The Yate Loon's came yesterday.

I get to spend another 2 hours re-wiring my case! Hopefully I can get the fans to fit, and maybe even fix my old fan controller.

I'll post pics when i'm done

I like this cooler weather. With ambient temps of 74F my cpu's are down to about 38C instead of the 45+ they were earlier!

Lets hope the yate loons will be able to do some good work

silence · Post by **silence** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 9:32 pm

OK OK...I know we've made you spend enough money as is...

But these would be sweet in your P180. Thermalright quality and a truly passive design that works extremely well with that motherboard. I have to say that the only downside to having dualies is doubling the price of pretty much everything. Then again, the money required to buy two of those would buy one Scythe Ninja...

-DG-

Mellman · Post by **Mellman** » Sat Oct 01, 2005 12:54 am

haha!

actually for now, im satisfied with the setup. I'm going to let the AS5 burn in, because right now with all the fans running at about 6-7v (rheostats) The system temp is 39C ~ 10C drop with the ambient temp pretty much the same.

The FB123 is great - but doesnt fit over the zalman VF700-CU without touching. I figure its ok touching it right?

Those are nifty heat syncs. I wonder how they compare to my all copper ones?

andrewscarella · Post by **andrewscarella** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 11:51 am

Mellman,

I have the same case and power supply as you. the manual said to have the fans always set to high, and have the fans plugged into the "fan only" plugs to have the psu monitor the speed. Is this the right thing to do? or will they spin too fast?

Andrew

Bring on the critics! My P180 Dual xeon wiring

Bring on the critics! My P180 Dual xeon wiring

tricool fans