The new main rig in a NSK6500 [56k]

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Sun Mar 25, 2007 11:22 am

Hi,

in short... This is one of the three rigs I've been playing, it currently functions as my main computer.

The specs are:

- Asus M2N-E passive cooling with heatpipes
- AMD AM2 3800+ X2 (65W), Scythe Ninja as the heatsink
- Asus 7600GS, passive
- Seagate 7200.10 320GB SATA
- Kingston ValueRAM DDR2 1GB
- LG DVD-burner

And the case for all these fancy parts is an Antec NSK6500. I really had trouble picking a case for myself. I liked the P150, but didn't wan't a NeoHE. So I would have taken a Solo, but had a hard time finding a good 80mm PSU (last fall). So I ended up with the NSK6500.

It's an OK case, however I do like the build quality of the Sonata more. Just seems the Sonata is a bit sturdier.

What else... the CPU runs at 800MHz @ 0.8V or at 2GHz @ 1.1V. I'm using CrystalCPUID to switch between states. The default VCore is 1.2V, so managed to shave some off. CPU is <30C when idle and about ~50C at full load. The GFX card runs about 100C when stress testing, a bit too high. That seems to have been the problem with my previous passive Gigabyte GF6800 also.

And now the build photos...

First I removed all fan grills and used U-rubber for the edges.

Then it was time to install the fans. The rear 120mm is a NMB-MAT FBA120L1A running ~5V. Actually the rear fan is now installed INSIDE the case with EAR grommets, because the U-rubber over the small remains of the fan grills was touching the fan frame. However the picture shows nicely the removed grill, so it's in there. Front NMB-MAT 92M1A and 92L1A are running 5V. All fans from my trusty fan supplier, Dorothy Bradbury. (Thanks for all the help)

Then it was time for some Acoustipack. The "main" side panel was covered entirely and some was placed on the other side panel, case bottom and roof.

And then to the components and the actual build. The Ninja was a tight fit and I was a bit worried about it fitting. I however PM'ed a SPCR forum member with the same motherboard and Ninja, and he convinced me it was OK (sorry I forget your nick and I don't have the PM anymore, but thank you once more. You know who you are!). The heatpipes have about 1...2mm clearance of the caps.

Hard drives are laying on some sorbothane. You can see the fanmates and wires stuck under the HDD bay.

And a few overview shots. The psu intake duct is just still temporary (after a few months of use...) but I'm working on it. The PSU mod was detailed this thread. I recently swapped the fan into a Panaflo 80L1A. The PSU fan is ~6,5V IIRC, controlled with an external FanMate. And actually today I twisted the intake vents 90 degrees for some more air, which really helped.

If there are any photos with a reflection where my balls are hanging out, please let me know. Thanks for looking.

I'll leave you with a "frankgehry photograph"

Edit: added a few pics

nici · Post by **nici** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 2:50 am

It seems your setup is perfect since no-one has anything to comment..

MrSpok · Post by **MrSpok** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:16 am

Perfect job

Can i ask you...it's worth trying the AcoustiPack Product?
(My case P180B).

Best regards

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 4:13 am

Hi guys and thanks for nice the nice comments.

MrSpok, I've used the Acoustipack Deluxe in my old Sonata. I installed it right at the beginning so I can't tell how much it really helped. With this one I tested with and without the standard Acoustipack and I really think it helped as the case felt a bit "flimsy" in stock form.

In general it seems the acoustic dampening material won't do miracles, but usally they can help in making a "very quiet" system to "silent" by slightly dampening noises and by adding mass to the side panels etc, you get the idea.

Hope that helps.

MrSpok · Post by **MrSpok** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 5:13 am

Aleksi wrote: In general it seems the acoustic dampening material won't do miracles, but usally they can help in making a "very quiet" system to "silent" by slightly dampening noises and by adding mass to the side panels etc, you get the idea.

Hope that helps.

Yep..i get it

Thanks for your reply

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 8:32 am

A friend came over with an AC power consumption meter...

- 65W AC power from the wall at idle
- 115W AC power from the wall at full load (both cores 100% with Prime95, GFX card stress tested with RHTDRIBL, HDD doing a virus scan)

That is not much.

amjedm · Post by **amjedm** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 1:09 pm

Hi Aleksi

Have you been away for some time?

What's your opinion of the fans, especially the 120mm one?

Oh, by the way, nice setup

nici · Post by **nici** » Thu Mar 29, 2007 3:15 pm

Im not Aleksi, but i can say the 120x38mm fan is very nice. It does have a slight ticking sound from the chipset but it's only audible from really close. The pitch is constant and the frequency is pretty low. I prefer these over nexus, noctua or s-flex. The 25mm thick fan is also very nice. It's a BB fan but the bearings are effectively silent, it just has some chipset ticking like the thicker one. Acoustipack works really well for the ticking noise, if i look at the machine from the back and then put a sheet of foam 10cm from the fan between it and my face the sound disappears.

Both models are excellent for pulling air thru filters, and they can go very low if needed.

Go watch this really loud and enjoy your silent computer..

amjedm · Post by **amjedm** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 12:20 am

nici wrote:Im not Aleksi, but i can say the 120x38mm fan is very nice. It does have a slight ticking sound from the chipset but it's only audible from really close. The pitch is constant and the frequency is pretty low. I prefer these over nexus, noctua or s-flex. The 25mm thick fan is also very nice. It's a BB fan but the bearings are effectively silent, it just has some chipset ticking like the thicker one. Acoustipack works really well for the ticking noise, if i look at the machine from the back and then put a sheet of foam 10cm from the fan between it and my face the sound disappears.

Both models are excellent for pulling air thru filters, and they can go very low if needed.

Go watch this really loud and enjoy your silent computer..

Nici, many thanks for the information.

I'm very picky about fans so am wondering whether to try out the 38mm fan in the lower chamber of a P180. Just worried about the ticking.

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Fri Mar 30, 2007 2:43 am

Hi Amjed,

first off, thanks for the nice comment

well Nici pretty much said what I had in mind.

The front 92mm fans are very nice. The 92L1A has zero chipset noise and it's very smooth. The 92M1A has slight chipset noise, but even though the intake fans are in the "front panel" the chipset is not audible outside the case.

The rear 120x38mm is one of my favourite fans, I've always liked them. It has chipset noise, but the NMB-MAT/Panaflo chipset noise is not audible very far. Especially inside a case it disappears. And I think the fan is located in the center of the lower chamber in the P180?

The 120x25 Nici mentioned? I was really impressed by that fan when I installed one of those in the Sonata (as an intake fan). It does have chipset noise, but once again it disappears easily when it's inside a case. When I cranked it up, above 7V, it produced a really smooth airflow.

Which reminds me... I should probably also update the Sonata gallery pictures.

I think one of the biggest problems is testing fans in free air (like SPCR did), because you will not necessarily got a good idea of the fan, acoustically and performance wise speaking. Fans will deliver different amounts of air at different noise levels, depending on resistance. There is no single superb fan, because each fan is designed for optimal performance at a certain situation (airflow/pressure). Although some fans, like the NMB-MAT 120mm, deliver nicely throughout the entire P-Q curve.

=assassin= · Post by **=assassin=** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 8:56 am

Fantastic job, very neat and tidy! How are you finding the seagate drive regards noise/vibration? I'm thinking of possibly getting one of them when i run out of space on my current hard drive

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 9:09 am

Hi and thank you for the nice comment

About the Seagate... the vibration is OK. It was clearly audible when I tried the silicone grommets that came with the case, but sorbothane has worked very well. If you can suspend the drive then that should be OK too.

The drive is quiet when idleing. However the seeks do make some noise and are clearly audible. There apparently are more quiet HDDs when it comes to seek noises. However the case is sitting next to my head on the desk, so that might affect a bit too. The drive has a good price here in Finland and five year warranty, that's one of the biggest reasons I got it. But it definately is quieter than my old Maxtor Diamonmax 9 160G FWIW. Although I guess most drives are...

I've never really been that bothered by HDD noise, I'm OK with most drives. With fans I'm really sensitive regarding noise. The random HDD crunching is almost... soothing

Although I've been tempted to try and make some sort of a HDD box, just to see how much it would affect things.

frankgehry · Post by **frankgehry** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 11:19 am

I also have a seagate 7200.10 320gb sata. I was expecting something a lot noisier after the spcr review, but I believe sample variance has a lot to do with the outcome of reviews. Anyway, I just had an older western digital drive crash, so I think I'll stick with seagates.

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Sun Apr 01, 2007 10:26 pm

Hi,

I had three private messages (USA, Sweden and Finland) asking about the U-rubber, so thought I'd post the info here. It's from a finnish shop called "teollisuus-Etola", basicly they sell all kinds of industrial plastics and rubbers. So those kind of shops would be your best bet for finding it, like McMaster-Carr in the states.

=assassin= · Post by **=assassin=** » Mon Apr 02, 2007 9:30 am

Thanks for the replies

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Fri May 04, 2007 6:01 am

I had too much time on my hands at work earlier this week and found some thin aluminium... so I whipped out the tinsnips and re-did the PSU "duct" from aluminium and also an exhaust muffler.

So the PSU duct with some U-rubber to protect the wiring.

And the exhaust muffler... I really didn't need it, but always thought about making one. It was made quite quickly, cut with tinsnips and bent into shape using my hands. I then covered it with Acoustipack and created a small L-piece to secure into the case door thumbscrew.

amjedm · Post by **amjedm** » Fri May 04, 2007 6:24 am

Aleksi, another good job

Have you noticed a difference with the muffler in place?

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Fri May 04, 2007 6:30 am

Hi Amjed and thanks for the nice comment!

The air conditioning in my building has been on overdrive for a few days. I just installed the muffler and will have to wait until around 10PM for the air conditioning to go off.

Yes it does drop some noise, but I want to test if the muffler helps when cranking up the exhaust fan. I'm thinking about doing some more ducting and just using the exhaust to cool the entire case.

greenkawasaki · Post by **greenkawasaki** » Fri May 11, 2007 11:39 pm

That's a great build, very impressed! I especially like the tidy cabling.

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Sat May 12, 2007 5:59 am

Hi!

It's nice to get positive feedback (well, any feedback) on the builds, so thank you!

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 6:56 am

Did some tinkering; It's really easy to pick out any odd noises when the case sits 20cm from your head. Also realised that my HDD wasn't properly decoupled with sorbothane and produced a very faint hum. So that's going to be settled with some suspension. My brother has the same damn HDD mounted on sorbothane in a Sonata, but I can't hear any noise created by vibration in that case.

So... I realised I still had airflow noise coming from the front panel, so I chipped away some of the plastics on the front panel and installed acoustipack in there, also hoping to dampen some of the HDD noise. Removing some of the plastic grills on the front panel allowed me to "embed" the acoustipack in to the front panel so that I didn't lose any real intake area.

Also added a little airguide for the PCI slots and graphics card. This lowered the GFX card temps by some degrees. The air coming from two open PCI slots is forced to travel the length of the GFX card before it gets to the exhaust fan. (from the testing phases, so the cabling wasn't done)

And also added an acoustic baffle (made from a 3,5" foam block that come with the Acoustipack Deluxe ~4 years ago) to my PSU duct (and lowered the PSU fan voltage to under 6V). The open 5,25" in the lowest picture holds the mesh cover shown few posts above.

Thanks for looking and sorry if the pics jammed your phone lines

BIONIC_EARS · Post by **BIONIC_EARS** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:36 pm

Cool little muffler.

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 9:19 pm

Thanks

jaldridge6 · Post by **jaldridge6** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 2:43 pm

I had this case. With samsung drives it vibrated a lot. guess the harddrive cage isn't heavy enough or something. how about you? did you notice any vibration while using this case?

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:01 pm

Hi jalridge,

yep, it definately vibrates more than other cases I've played with. For the first time I had to use suspension for a hard drive. I've always managed with sorbothane, even with an identical Seagate in a Sonata.

jaldridge6 · Post by **jaldridge6** » Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:30 pm

well, if you have just one harddrive, I'm selling a novibes.

viewtopic.php?t=41580

Aleksi · Post by **Aleksi** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 3:19 am

A little mod on the airguide... I added some vented PCI plates from a P180. I then added an airguide on top of the GFX and repositioned the one on the side a bit higher. Allows me to run the 120mm NMB-MAT at 5V and still cooling the whole thing. Will probably redo the airguide a bit tidier at some point.

Load temps (2x prime95 and RTHDRIBL) are

CPU 53
VRM 45
GPU ~90C

Also added a small airguide for the HDD from leftover Acoustipack foam blocks, the HDD fan is still there but will be removed. HDD temps are around 37C without and about 33C with the 92L1A at 5V. Defragging temps are around 41C without and 37C with the fan. So no real need for it at this point. The case is pretty much "shut", except for the GFX duct, so most of the air enters from the front.

Quite happy with the noise level now. Basicly a 120L1A at 5V and the PSU fan is getting something a bit below 6V.