Core 2 duo all SPCR inspired components

[ckolivas]

Here's a list of the important components:

Case: Antec Solo
CPU: Intel 6600 core 2 duo
heatsink: Thermalright Ultra 120
Fans: 2xS-Flex SFF21D
PSU: Seasonic S12 Energy+ 550W
Motherboard: ASUS P5B
Graphics card: ASUS EN7600GS Silent 512MB
Hard drive: WD5000KS


I was not planning on using the Antec tricool that the solo came with, and was not going to put any fans in the front of the case. I had tried to make a "positive pressure case" in the past without succeeding in stopping dust from entering it, and found a rear case fan made the most difference to all temperatures instead so I was only to use the one rear case fan.

The only component I had not worked with or seen reviewed was the newer Seasonic PSU as the S430 was no longer available locally (which I have used before) and this was an apparently better PSU.

All photos have enlargements, click on them for full size.


Preparation time, all equipment ready:



It was a hot day so my favourite pc building drink (cognac) was unsuitable so a suitable alternative was chosen.


Preparation of the SFlex fans with my favourite decoupling method; with velcro dots:




The inside of the case rear duct showing the velcro dots in place:




Showing all the components and how nicely they mount and fit:




Showing the heat sink on the graphics card:




The gap between PSU, HSF and rear case fan:




The lovely in built suspension for the hard drives with drive in situ:




The surprisingly nice finish of the Antec Solo from the side:




And from the front:




Conclusions.
The nice part is that all the components are stock, no undervolting of fans required, no performance compromises, no heat compromises. The cpu barely gets to 52 degrees run flat out with ambient 26 degrees and the graphics card got to 62 degrees run flat out. Hard drive temp 40 degrees.

Sound wise? The quietest PC I've built yet, with the seek noise of the WD5000KS being the most notable sound and then the PSU which has proven itself about as quiet -at any time- as the S430 in my experience when it was idle.

Suffice to say I'm also very happy with its performance. The solo was a lovely case to work with and all the components lived up their expectations apart from the seek noise of the WD being slightly louder than I was expecting (but still very reasonable).

Thanks SPCR for all the reviews and recommendations!

[nemo]

id say the psu is oversized for your system, otherwise very nice and clean setup!

[CA_Steve]

Nice build! I like the velcro dots for fan mounting.

A couple of questions:

How was the Pale Ale?

I've heard that the audio connection on the P5B mobo is stuffed in the corner. Any trouble with cabling? Any other mobo quirkiness? (I've been leaning toward the P5B-E for my next build).

[nightmorph]

--

[ckolivas]

Little creatures Pale Ale is Australia's best mass produced beer and a regular drink for me so I have to say it was lovely.

http://ratebeer.com/Beer/little-creatur ... -ale/7658/

Yes the PSU is definitely oversized. I was planning on using the S430 in the build but my regular supplier of quiet components pccasegear no longer had it in stock and the energy plus did appear, at least on paper, to be better so it was a slight gamble. As it turns out, the fan in it produces the same noise as the S430, but up to higher power outputs so it is better.

The Velcro dots I've done many times before and they're cheap and easy to work with. I've posted pictures of them before in these forums, but hadn't seen anyone else on the SCPR forums use them.

I removed the hard drive sleds on either side of the hard drive for unobstructed airflow. I've not noticed any rattle whatsoever with this case with whatever is left in so I'm happy. I was even considering pulling off the front air filter for better airflow but then I decided that was pushing the not-caring-about-dust issue too much.

I'm not too keen on the foam mesh inside obstructing airflow. I'll just blow it out with compressed air every 3 months or so. I've given up on the idea of a dust proof case.

The audio connection to the dvd burner you can see in the picture above. It was a fairly tight fit getting it to reach but still managed to be kept under the cables tucked away behind the back plate (the solo has nice cable holders next to the hard drive trays). Also the cable still managed to be kept low to the motherboard providing no restriction to airflow. You can also see on that pic how I tucked the USB cables under the vga card to keep them out of the way. Probably the only other quirk with the P5B was that the pata connector was right at the bottom putting it pretty far away from the dvd drive also making it a tight stretch to reach it at the top. Ultimately none of these were showstoppers for me. Probably my biggest mistake was assembling all this before putting the HSF on the cpu, only to discover it had a back plate needing access to the rear of the motherboard (doh!). So I had to pull the motherboard out and start again. I was originally planning on a Scythe heatsink that didn't need a backplate but ended up going for the Thermalright and in the swap had forgotten the backplate issue.

[ckolivas]

Velcro dots pictures from my earlier forum thread:

[CA_Steve]

thanks for the cable management feedback...now I'm going to spend hours staring at beer ratings....while drinking a Double Bock.

[ckolivas]

Heh another build mistake on my part. Note in the picture how I put the DDR2 ram in two different coloured slots. To get dual channel with 2 ram modules they need to be in the same colour slots so I've since corrected that.

[s_xero]

Nice build mate!

Probably a thumb down for the colour of the drive and the solo, my drive matches the colour of my P180 (It's a Sony 720)

And I never tried (Australian) Pale Ale??

You Know Newcastle Brown I guess

My fav. is dutch: Hertog Jan Karakter

[alleycat]

Cooper's Pale Ale is probably my favourite Australian beer, especially when on tap. The beer I like most is from Germany - Erdinger Weissbier. I also like Korean beers when I'm in the mood for something refreshing.

Getting back on topic... ditto the comments about the velcro dots, nice idea. Do you need to seal the edges with tape also?

I have to say, I'm always surprised when I see people not using a Ninja. While it may not make much difference to the overall system noise, it would have allowed you to use one less fan, which is always nice. Also, if you are concerned about dust, the wide fin spacing and "passive" operation of the Ninja means that this would be less of a problem as far as the CPU HS is concerned.

[Felger Carbon]

Go to Staples.com, search for "velcro sticky back". 7/8" squares, 12 for $2.50 (white or black). 3/4" "coins", 200 for $19 (beige). 5/8" coins, 75 for $9 (white or black). Hey, these things do look neat!

You might even find them at yer local Staples.

[ckolivas]

Yes the Pale Ale is indeed Australian, and easy to find in Australia but less so exported. Favourite German is Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier. Coopers pale is very nice too but sweeter than I generally like.

I didn't go with the Scythe because I wasn't planning a fanless setup since these fans were inaudible over anything else and figured the extra cooling wouldn't hurt for no extra noise I'm no longer concerned about dust - I just blow it out once every 3 months.

Hopefully others will catch onto the velcro idea too now too

[Erssa]

Neat build and presentation, no-compromise components, mandatory installation beer, what's not to like?