I've only been here for just a few weeks, but I've gained quite a bit of knowledge from spcr and this is what I have done so far.
I've modified my case a little bit, and replaced all the noisy parts.
The specs of the computer are such:
- Antec Neo HE-500 (I got this one when I sent in my SP500 for RMA, there's thread in the power supply forum about it)
- ASUS M2n32-SLI (This board is a bit problematic for me, but it may have been due to the ram, which I just replaced)
- 2GB A-Data DDR2-800 ram
- AMD Athlon64 X2 5000+ 2.6Ghz w/Scythe Ninja Mini
- Nvidia 7800GT (Replaced the stock fan/heatsink with an Accelero X1)
- 3xSeagate (2x160GB 1x200GB) Sata disk
- 1xWD 300GB Sata disk
- IDE DVD-burner (really need to replace this with a sata drive, the ribbon cable is impossible to hide)
The front is pretty generic, Complete with cheesy light tubes on the sides.
As you can kinda see, the back has two 80mm Cooler Master fans that are almost silent. I placed the Sycthe fan on the front of the heatsink so that it will pull air through it and have the case fans do the rest for me.
I did my best to keep the cables nice and tidy, I pulled it all into the back behind the drive bays, it's a bit stuffy back there. You can see where I layed down some sound dampening fabric, It's made by Balink, and looks to be doing its job. I tried covering all the led's with it (the feet are lit by led's) but I may just end up adding some slits for the light to leak through.
I cut out the stamped fan vents to improve airflow, grinding the rough edges took forever, but I'm happy with the results
The temperatures of the system?
Idle
CPU: ~40C
System: 42C
Video Card: 47C
Power Consumption: 140Watts.
CPU Load (Using Folding@Home, running one on each core)
CPU: ~54C
System: 43C
Video Card: 47C
Power Consumption: 198 Watts
System Load (Played the Crysis Demo for 15 minutes)
CPU: ~50C
System: 44C
Video Card: 57C
Power Consumption: 238 Watts
The Chassic/CPU fans run at about 2000rpm, so I'll need to get a fan controller for the chassis fans and get an air duct to make the heatsink passive.
I got the sound-dampening adhesive pads off newegg and put it on the bottom and top of the case. I only put it on one of the side doors, since one kinda has a window. I have that chunk leftover so I'm going to cut it up and cover the open spaces of the case.
I used tin snips and a dremel to remove the stamped fan vents, and put a grill over the holes so my kitten doesn't play with the fans.
Let me know what you guys think and if you have any advice