nsk3400 rev3 (10 pics 953kb)

porkchop · Post by **porkchop** » Fri May 23, 2008 1:49 am

ah yes, the 3rd time i've posted this system in the general gallery -specs in my sig.

2600pro: idle 39-40C, load 55-56C.
ambient temp about 15-20C, quite cold.

all i need now is a better fan and hdd- perhaps a slipstream and a wd5000aacs (-a 640gb gp would be ideal, although who knows if they'll ever be available).

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Fri May 23, 2008 3:15 am

Very sweet building! HDD suspension is done well, cooling solutions are rather unique and I really liked the case. Its very clean and good looking build... Just... Could you clean that PSU's fan. All the dust in that doesn't make that fit rest so clean and tidy build.

Temps are nice for your system running with single exhaust.

blackworx · Post by **blackworx** » Fri May 23, 2008 6:30 am

Nice build. Like the use of the ATX power to pin the IDE cable there. And again - props on the suspension - very neat!

And ZOMG!!1!! you share a flat with Seinfeld?

frostedflakes · Post by **frostedflakes** » Fri May 23, 2008 12:52 pm

Heh, pretty slick looking system. I don't know how you can handle such low ambient temps, though. At least it keeps the PC quiet and cool.

porkchop · Post by **porkchop** » Fri May 23, 2008 3:53 pm

i'd clean the fan, but i'm too lazy and its not like i see it anyway- maybe next time.

i own the complete series- bit of a fan.

i'm wearing pants, a t-shirt and a jumper- it's not bad, winters coming around and then it'll be even colder!

my temps are very easy to manage in such a low powered system, idle temps in summer average around 35C, peaking at 40C or so on the real stinkers.
i'm kinda weird- i never use the heater and rarely use the a/c.

aztec · Post by **aztec** » Fri May 23, 2008 5:16 pm

How did you get the hologram of Jerry Seinfeld on your window?!

seriously...what kind of paint did you use for the front panel.

I was wondering how to get a black-matte finish on my build.

Thanks!

porkchop · Post by **porkchop** » Fri May 23, 2008 8:17 pm

my local hardware store had glossy black and matte black spray cans, i chose the matte

theres one between called satin black too, i think its similar to what antec use in their mini p180 and p180se.

edit: i highly recommend preparing the surface if you want the paint to last (a light sand at least), i only did 3 light coats and some silver is starting to show on the corners of the front panel

AMDforlife · Post by **AMDforlife** » Fri May 23, 2008 9:14 pm

Kudos to ya for the choice of case! I really like how small and simple the design is. Also excellent wire management and wow keeping that system very cool.

Is your CPU o/c'ed? I don't think your sig mentions whether or not it is.

However, I'm not sure if its just the photos, but the paint job doesn't do it for me. I have used the NSK3480 for an office build and really liked the look right from the factory. Also, Is your Antec sticker disfigured for a reason?

On that note, I'm also not positive I like the window with this case. The general vibe isn't flashy to me, but thats my opinion and only my opinion.

Oh and ur video card "Frankensink" is really...something! haha

porkchop · Post by **porkchop** » Fri May 23, 2008 10:15 pm

i should've mentioned this

- i'm running the cpu at [email protected] and [email protected](but my board slightly overvolts), my system stays on almost 24/7.
the 2600pro also underclocks to 100/500mhz during idle automatically, stock clocks are 600/1000mhz.

the badge is an old one from my antec super lanboy, it was painted and then sanded down when i botched the job- it looks kinda funky in real life, a little rustic with the black, purple and bits of silver.

i can't say it looks much different in real life unfortunatley.
i'm quite pleased with how it all turned out, maybe except for the window which i may change later. i tend to be quite impulsive with my cases, i like to tinker and change them all the time- this system is almost a year old now and i'm still not quite through with it

.

i love my frankensink.

chahahc · Post by **chahahc** » Sat May 24, 2008 12:17 pm

blackworx wrote:ZOMG!!1!! you share a flat with Seinfeld?

Haha...I was thinking that too.

Umm...about the gpu Frankenstein heatsink, does that zalman nb attachment actually benefit the cooling performance

angelkiller · Post by **angelkiller** » Sat May 24, 2008 1:19 pm

A window! That's awesome!

How is air getting in your case. Doesn't the HDD block the intake?

Have you considered positive pressure? All you'd have to do is turn the exhaust fan around. I think it would work well for this system. Just a thought.

porkchop · Post by **porkchop** » Sat May 24, 2008 2:58 pm

the zalman reduced temps by about 7C during idle and even more during load (not fully tested since the card running on the stock heatsink without the fan was getting pretty hot).
about 70% of the zalmans base is making contact with the stock heatsink, which has a solid oval base.

most of my intake is coming through the 3 open pci slots which is great for my 2600pro. the rest comes through the front panel which has a piece of foam stuffed into it -theres a 5cm gap left at the bottom to allow some air in to cool the hdd.
i considered positive pressure, but its simply more difficult to control where the air goes- especially since the fan is located on the top left of the chamber.

truth be told the airflow is not completely optimized.
for example i left the vent next to the pci slots uncovered -which means the air through there does pretty much nothing, and some ducting for the cpu and gpu would probably lower temps further.
thats the problem with windows, being able to see inside means i want to keep it as clean as possible, perhaps later i'll make some nice looking ducts out of acrylic.

for now though i'm through with this case for awhile

.

bonestonne · Post by **bonestonne** » Sat Jun 28, 2008 4:12 pm

if you made a clear duct that screwed into the PCI slot holes (not the slots, but the normal holes) and it went all the way down the length of the graphics card, you'd probably see even better temps from the card and entire system.

past that i think the window looks really good. better than the one on my X-Dreamer (which came with a window).

what do you use to clean it?

porkchop · Post by **porkchop** » Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:39 am

that's a good idea, but i actually removed the 2600 a few days ago since its been a couple months since i last played any games.
there's currently a sheet of plastic extended from the bottom of the fan to the heat sink, acting as a temporary duct.
current temps:

lower temps thanks to a lower ambient(about 2c, its pretty safe to assume the hdd wasn't affected by the change), better ducting and lack of video card (about 10w in idle).

as for cleaning- i don't.
it's under the table so there's not much light down there...