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Show off your quiet rig.

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IDvsEGO
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Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 2:18 pm

almost done

Post by IDvsEGO » Wed Jun 30, 2010 7:48 am

Frys had the Antec VSK-2000 for $28 and I thought....let me see what I can do with a cheap, simple case. Here are my efforts so far....

I had to use this in double duty as my gaming box and my file server for a little bit. wasnt too concerned with noise, just needed drives ...

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Once I got a dedicated server I was able to gut the drives and go with a more specific build. A midlevel gamer with as little noise as I can manage with my skills and budget.

First thing I did was put in some BQuiet sound deadener I had left over from doing the floor pans of my Chevelle. I applied it to both sides and the top. This effectively closed up the side vents as well in an effort to contain noise and direct airflow. All the panels have a dull thump now instead of a metal clank if you tap them.

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next I added a Coolermaster 212+, some Yate Loon case fans, and tossed some foam in there. Not sure how much the foam helps accoustically but I wanted the HDD on foam and I had plenty...plus it looks nice and helps with the wires.

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I used it this way for a bit and it was pretty low noise, but when I replaced my video card (a passive 8500gt) with a Gigabyte HD 5830 I needed to do some more work. I purchased a Mugen 2 and an Accelero S1 rev2. I also took the opportunity to clip the grills off of all the fan openings. I still need to smooth out the holes. I stole some of the silicon washers from the hard drive screws I was using to hopefully reduce vibration transferred from the fans.

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Next was the install of the 2 new heatsinks. I am inthe process of modding anoter YL to attach to the miniplug on the 5830 for the S1. Temps went up when in passive (duh). I decided to take off the plastic ont he S1 for 3 reasons. 1st was asthetics...It looks better as a matchign monster heatsink when in the same case as the Mugen2. The second was potential vibration. this is minute and more of a byproduct. Lastly was for cooling. I figured the more of the heatsink that was exposed, the mroe it would dissapate. Mightn ot be much difference, but every bit helps. The rear exhaust fan is back in now. I expererimented with leaving it out but decided to replace it. At least you can see the cutout grill. Those edges are sharp!

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I also tucked a couple more wires while I was in there. Even managed to keep the back from getting too nasty...
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Thats it so far. I still have the following items on my list befroe I offer a final verdict on how pleased I am, but so far its looking good.

1) install fan controller. I plan to turn off the upper intake fan and set the rest to 5volts for all activities other than gaming.
2) clean up fan openings
3) install modded YL fan on S2. Cant decide if I am goign to run this off my fan controller or the cards jumper.

Vicotnik
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Post by Vicotnik » Wed Jun 30, 2010 10:13 am

Very nice. :D

I would flip the HDD, put it on its back. Better cooling for the PCB that way.

IDvsEGO
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Post by IDvsEGO » Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:49 am

I will try that. it hasnt gotten too warm yet because the egg crate design keeps foam contact minimal and there is a case fan blowing right over the top of it. still...every little bit helps. thanks

speedkar9
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Post by speedkar9 » Sun Jul 04, 2010 2:41 pm

Looks good,
Do you really need all those fans in there? (A single mid mounted 92mm fan @ 5V cools my 4850 w/ S1).
Maybe you can try soft mounting the fans using knotted rubber bands/ rubber strips instead of those hard grommets.

I've been looking for some sound dampening material like you have there, any idea where to get it from for cheap?

IDvsEGO
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Post by IDvsEGO » Mon Jul 05, 2010 3:24 am

see this thread for discussions on my fans...

viewtopic.php?t=59298

I may not need them all...but thats why they are on the fan controller. airflow isnt the best in this case so occasionally I have to spin them up. The case fans arent the noise source anyway. It was the video card. that is about resolved though. and the grommets are soft rubber. I can double them over. I cant really suspend the fans given the funky layout of the front panels. what are temps on your 4850? My idle temps ont he 5830 with a passive s1 were like 55c

for the dampening materials try partsexpress.com

speedkar9
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Post by speedkar9 » Mon Jul 05, 2010 9:09 am

I get 42C idle (regardless of ambient temp) and 55C load on my 4850 w/S1. One exhaust, mid mount, CPU and PSU are the only fans I have in my Solo, which, given the design is supposed to be warmer than your case.
Pics/ details are in this thread.

Would you consider suspending your hard drive?

IDvsEGO
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Post by IDvsEGO » Tue Jul 06, 2010 5:13 am

My card idled at 45-47 with the stock heatpipe cooler that had two fans on it.

what advantage would suspension give? foam mounting is a viable alternative and the drive does ot get hot to the touch. Any method of suspension I have tried has made contact with the fans or the video card.

RoGuE
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Post by RoGuE » Tue Jul 06, 2010 8:40 am

IDvsEGO wrote: what advantage would suspension give?
For one, it secures the drive. Your current configuration means you have to be careful about the orientation of the case if you ever move it.

Secondly, it will boost the airflow on that drive. Sitting on the case floor like that offers minimal airflow, which arguably can put unnecessary wear on the drive in the long run if it's getting hot enough...hard to say without temperatures.

Lastly, suspension is fun, and usually has a great looking end result. I know you can't see the inside of your case normally, but you know it's there..and that's all that matters! haha

Now should you decide to suspend this drive, think about a vertical orientation in the intended hard drive cage! Don't try to rig something up right under the graphics card or near the motherboard..it will just get sloppy quick. There are plenty of holes I see in your hard drive cage that would allow for quick and easy suspension. It would maybe take an hour or two if you do your research.

IDvsEGO
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Post by IDvsEGO » Tue Jul 06, 2010 8:59 am

I dont move my case around much so its fine. When I do I have a gear grip PC strap so I dont flip it around or anything. I pick it up by the handle and carry it in the same orientation it sits in. The cable management keeps it in place pretty well. The only real danger is if I tip the PC over and forget about the drive. The front could do some flopping against the mobo. When I take my PC in the car I put it in the floorbaord and backt he front seat up against it, securing it against any suden movements...barring a 360 barrel roll in which case my HDD is the least of my concerns.

boost airflow...true. I dont have any issues witht he temp though so its not a big deal. the intake fan blows right over the top of the hard drive, which acts as a ini heatsink for the drive.

Suspension is fun. I did the easy prefab suspension in my solo, like yours before. I also suspended the drive in my HTPC with elastic.
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This Antec case is a little trickier. I tried running elastic in vertical and horizontal orientations without any luck. as I said, each end up touching the fan casing. The spacing in this case is tighter than in the solo. I have a solo on my bench that I would be using if I had drive rails for the optical bays so I can directly compare. open up your solo and you will see the fans are in a protruding case. on my case they are flush to the drive bays. I would have to drill new holes and suspend from the underside of the 5.25 bays...and I dont feel like gutting my case right now. maybe when I trim the exhaust hole I will do it, jus to change it up. It would be of nominal value. My drive is secure, but could be mroe secure. It is cool, but could be cooler...and most importantly it is entirely decoupled fromt he chassis giving me the acoustic performance I was looking for.

RoGuE
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Post by RoGuE » Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:51 am

Sounds like you have it well thought out..

it's often hard to tell when I just glance over the post and some replies if you really know what you're doing or not.. apparently you do (a lot of people don't, which is fine).

There's a cute little acronym in engineering: KISS. keep it simple, stupid

I think in this case, for your intended use, you really have achieved simplicity, and it works for you. Thanks for sharing your build

IDvsEGO
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Post by IDvsEGO » Tue Jul 06, 2010 11:00 am

thanks. your suggestions are appreciated thats why I wanted to hear your reasoning...to be sure I didnt overlook something. Suspension was my first choice for sure, I just couldnt get it going right in this case. I dont really want this case long term it is really just somethign to play with for now.

speedkar9
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Post by speedkar9 » Tue Jul 06, 2010 12:31 pm

IDvsEGO wrote: Suspension was my first choice for sure, I just couldnt get it going right in this case. I dont really want this case long term it is really just somethign to play with for now.
Ah, how about poping a few rivets and shifting over the right side drive wall to make room for suspension in the 3.5" bays? Kinda like what I did when playing around with this generic case :) .

IDvsEGO
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Post by IDvsEGO » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:59 pm

something I have thought about but it would be just as easy, actually easier, to drill 2 holes for a vertical suspension. both would require removing the mobo to protect it from scraps. Plus the drive bay has this funky little kickout that you can kind of see in this pic...

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it has the hinge holes for the front fan mounting. moving it over would render the front mounting unusable. I could construct something, but again...2 holes are easier.

IDvsEGO
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Post by IDvsEGO » Tue Jul 06, 2010 2:08 pm

oh, and I hooked it all up now that the YL is mounted on the S1. for normal computing (right now) I am running with just the exhaust and lower intake at 5volts and the Mugen on PWM control. very silent. I cant discern the PC noise fromt he ambient white noise of the room sitting in my desk chair. I fired up frumark and am able to keep the temps at 60ish on the burn test with the fan on 50% (there was no discernible difference in fan noise at 40 or 50 so I bumped it a bit). Still very quiet. I have run prime 95 and furmark and havent had a need to increase the intake or exhaust fan speed over 40% (about 5volts). The upper intake hasn't even been turned on yet, but its there if I need it. All in all I am very happy with this setup, especially given the money invested...

Case $28
Mugen 2 $45
S1 $30
4 YL fans $13
fan controller $30
PSU $50
foam free from a packing box

total of $196

RoGuE
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Post by RoGuE » Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:02 am

IDvsEGO wrote: I have run prime 95 and furmark and havent had a need to increase the intake or exhaust fan speed over 40% (about 5volts). The upper intake hasn't even been turned on yet, but its there if I need it.
Nice man! Thats good shit right there..what everyone should strive for IMO

BlackWhizz
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Post by BlackWhizz » Wed Jul 07, 2010 8:32 am

RoGuE wrote:
IDvsEGO wrote: I have run prime 95 and furmark and havent had a need to increase the intake or exhaust fan speed over 40% (about 5volts). The upper intake hasn't even been turned on yet, but its there if I need it.
Nice man! Thats good shit right there..what everyone should strive for IMO
Yupyup!

Finally someone who does some big stress test on a quiet pc. its just something i do with every pc i build. Stresstest then delivering it. That way im shure im delivering something stable and it wont be my fault when it gets unstable.

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