attempt at Ninja ducting

shadestalker · Post by **shadestalker** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 6:29 pm

Here's a Scythe Ninja duct made using only what was included!

I kept pondering what I had lying around that would be the best fit for the least amount of work, and finally settled on this.

The system is an Athlon64 3500+, Asus A8N SLI Premium, XFX Geforce 6800GS w/ Zalman VF-700Cu, Samsung 250G SATA2 Spinpoint, powered by an Antec NeoHE 430, all in an Antec SLK3700AMB that held my previous P4 system.

There's a 120mm intake fan on an FM2 running between 5 and 7 volts, and the 120mm CPU fan attached to the motherboard CPU fan header. The VF700-Cu is on the 5v leg of the adapter.

Prior to ducting I had very good temps, but wanted to see if this would improve the VGA temps some by flushing air more directly out of the case. Now to test.

Update: test temps!

* no exhaust fan
* cpu fan at 1440rpm (so says Speedfan)
* intake fan turned all the way down on a FM2 (5v?), Speedfan says 0rpm

* ambient room temp 22c
* temps are taken from nvmonitor, except hd which is taken from Speedfan

after about 10 minutes of burnk7.exe at high priority

gpu 45
sys 40
cpu 36
hd 30

after about 15 minutes of idle

gpu 44
sys 40
cpu 35
hd 31

after 15 minutes of Quake 4 demo play, 1280x1024 all settings on high

gpu 61
sys 44
cpu 41
hd 32

Update: thumbnails and better pics

I've tested isolating the hard drive using an oval gel wrist wrest, and I can now easily dampen what's left of the vibration in the side panel with my fingertips. I'm on my way to get some Stretch Magic.

IsaacKuo · Post by **IsaacKuo** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 7:27 pm

Mere words cannot express how much I love this duct. Brilliant!

I'd be surprised if it has a significant effect on VGA temperatures, though. It should help PSU temperatures more than anything else.

BrianE · Post by **BrianE** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:57 pm

Is the top cut off of the box?

Nice of Scythe to throw in a free duct with the Ninja.....

theyangster · Post by **theyangster** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 10:01 pm

NICE

definately glad I saved the box!

however, my NINJA is lower due to the socket placement

toNka · Post by **toNka** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 6:38 am

That's classic!
You are very clever.
Wouldn't work in my case either due to socket placement, but I love it.
Can't wait to see what your temp difference is.

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:22 am

toNka wrote:That's classic!
You are very clever.

Hey, I mentioned that this could be done last month!

QuiteOC wrote:I think the best option for using a fan with the Ninja is to build a duct so the fan is pulling air through the Ninja and exausting it directly out of the case. That muffles the fan noise, dampens its vibrations, and keeps any heat from recirculating inside the case. You could probably use the Ninja packaging to make the duct if you wanted to be really fancy.

I am glad to see someone has done it though. I am not sure if the Scythe packaging is the best damping material. The plastic window is a nice effect, however.

shadestalker · Post by **shadestalker** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 8:16 am

I cut off a portion of the bottom of the box so the top would sit flush with the fan on the Ninja.

It's not in its final state yet, I need to secure it better after I cut out the rear fan grill. It doesn't line up perfectly with the exhaust on the case, but given that it had been running unducted prior to that I don't think it will cause any temp problems.

And I never thought I'd have an add-on or mod that would make me want a windowed case.

diver · Post by **diver** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:39 am

I just had to copy this. It does not look as good because my Ninja does not line up with the case fan so well, but the machine became quieter immediately.

The main reason appears to be the 2nd fan on my Smartpower 2.0 stopped spinning. The ambient temperature is a rather warm 27C here. With the duct, very little of the heat from the CPU is reaching the PSU. Also, the noise from the case fan and downstream of the Ninja' s fan has to go through the duct now.

Temperatures at idle are about the same or 1C lower.

IsaacKuo · Post by **IsaacKuo** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:50 am

Are we looking at the birth of a new SPCR "signature look"?

Live · Post by **Live** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 10:40 am

Very Nice. Now lets see some results.

mathias · Post by **mathias** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 4:44 pm

What the... a vantec stealth fan? Heresy!

Is the CPU fan the loudest component in your system?

shadestalker · Post by **shadestalker** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 6:22 pm

Yes, that's a Vantec Stealth.

They're what I have available at the moment. It's the louder of the two fans, the other being the one in the Neo HE 430.

Ultimately I'd like to replace the Vantec with something quieter (I have a 120mm Panaflo, but the depth of it looks problematic for those clips. Maybe a Nexus...) and put a duct in to give the PSU its own thermal zone. But first, to finish isolating the hard drive by replacing the wrist wrest with some sorbothane and stretch magic to secure it in place...

diver · Post by **diver** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 7:25 pm

After seeing the improvement a duct produced, for a price that is definitely right, I cut up an empty box and made a new duct that better fit the angeled contours of my system. CPU temps dropped another 1C at load. Thanks for the inspiration.

josephclemente · Post by **josephclemente** » Sun Apr 09, 2006 8:26 pm

WOW!!

Very nice work... I have been wanting to do a duct for my Ninja for quite a while, and the box artwork is just right!

BenW · Post by **BenW** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:08 am

I came on here for the first time in a few months to see if anyone had done this and here it is! Looks great

I just got a 3500+ venice which is running at nearly 4000+ speeds and slightly undervolted. My fanless XP-120 (120mm case fan behind it with right angled duct) doesn't seem to work too well with the new cpu (Old cpu was a 2.26Ghz Northwood) so i'm looking at a ninja with fan blowing to an empty fan hole in the back

Think i might have to try it when funds allow