Antec NSK3480 with passively cooled Core i7 2600

[vanderwijk]

Inspired by other Antec 3480 builds on this forum I decided to build my own single fan system. I have used the following parts:

Antec NSK-3480 case
Seasonix X-400 fanless power supply
Intel DH67BL motherboard
Intel Core i7 2600k processor
Thermalright HR-02 passive cpu cooler
WD Scorpio Blue 2.5 inch 500Gb hard disk
8Gb Kingston DDR3 memory
Kingston SSDNow V+100 128Gb SSD

I wanted to build a small system with minimal noise production. At first I looked at the Fractal Design Array R2 case but because I had my doubts about the PSU and CPU fans I chose the Antec 3480. The Antec is a well built case and has enough space for the Thermalright HR-02 passive cpu cooler. I also liked the fact that it has a separate compartment for the hard drives and the PSU. Because of the grill on the top of the case the passive Seasonic PSU can easily get rid of it's heat.

Currently I don't have a separate videocard installed but because I don't use my system for games I have not missed it yet because the Intel HD 3000 that is built in the Core i7 2600k processor is quite fast.

Cable management proved a bit more difficult that I had expected, but I am quite happy with the result. Most cables are tucked behind the front panel (I had to use some force to get it back in place ).



I removed the 3.5 inch bay and routed the motherboard cables through the opening. Because the Seasonic PSU is a bit longer than the standard Antec PSU I could not fit the motherboard cables through the opening on the side:


The Seasonic PSU and the hard drives. I shortened the sata power cable. The two 2.5 inch drives are in a converter bracket and while WD disk is inaudible, the SSD drive is of course completely silent.


Rear view:


I have not used any of the external bays since I have a card reader built in my monitor and I never used the DVD drive in my old system anyway:


Because some photos are not showing, here is the link to the complete set on Flicr: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjuuqtab

[billdcat4]

Looks incredible. What are your idle and load CPU temps?

What I'm interested in is with ventilation above the HR02, could it passively cool a 2500K/2600K at stock? That is, a completely fanless system.

[Teh Lurv]

Vanderwijk, how much clearance does that heatsink have from the side panel? I was thinking of a similar build, but with Acostipack applied to the side panel.

[netmask254]

Very nice build!

I was going to build the similar system with NSK3480, however finally given up since the optical drive can't be fit into the upper chamber with the presence of a longer (than ATX) PSU such like X-400.

It would be great if you can attach temperature measurements in both idle and load modes. And how about the fanless PSU, is it well cooled in NSK3480?

[vanderwijk]

how much clearance does that heatsink have from the side panel? I was thinking of a similar build, but with Acostipack applied to the side panel.

There is definitely enough clearance for adding noise-dampening material. I think there is about 2 centimeters of space between the heatsink and the side panel.

It would be great if you can attach temperature measurements in both idle and load modes. And how about the fanless PSU, is it well cooled in NSK3480?

At 20 degrees celcius room temperature, the CPU idles at 32 degrees. Could you recommend a program to get the CPU to full load? I have tried CPU Burn-in but it seems to be incompatible with my processor as it does not get the system to more than 21% load.

The fanless PSU is really well cooled in the NSK3480 case because of the grille on the case cover. The only issue is that it is longer and therefore you cannot fit an optical drive and the motherboard cables do not fit through the hole on the side of the top chamber.

I am not quite happy about the sound of the rear fan yet. It is on the lowest setting and I have fixed the fan with Ultra-Soft Fan Mounts but there is quite a lot of swooshing coming from the air. I might cut out the fan grill or add some kind of dampening material to the case.

[netmask254]

Oops, 32C is somewhat high. Are you talking about Tcase (single value measurement of CPU case) or Tcore (4 values corresponding to each core)?

I use Prime95 (CPU test) and Furmark (GPU test), which are also used in SPCR review. When we talk about temperature in "Load", we run both CPU and GPU. Below is the test result of my "2-fan" system.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=60233

Regarding the rear fan, I suppse it's 1200rpm which is too high for silencers. You can consider replace it with a lower speed and better quality fan from Scythe or Noctuan before trying other method.

[vanderwijk]

Oops, 32C is somewhat high. Are you talking about Tcase (single value measurement of CPU case) or Tcore (4 values corresponding to each core)?

Thanks, I have downloaded Prime95 and let it run for a while. I am using Speccy to monitor my temperatures, not sure whether this monitors Tcore or Tcase.

The room temperature has gone up to 25 degrees and the CPU now idles at 35 degrees (which is fine by me considering the low noise level).

While running Prime95 the temperature never exceeded 60 degrees, I think the processor has some kind of thermal protection which reduces the frequency. When the temperature drops to 50 degrees the frequency goes up again (and so does the heat).

The maximum Tcase temperature is 67.9°C according to intel, so I am not worried about my temps though I do wonder whether switching back to a lower frequency to reduce temperature will cause a big performance loss.

[tim851]

Oops, 32C is somewhat high.

What?!?!?!

32c is perfect! 99.5% of the Desktop-CPUs in the world probably idle higher.

[faustus]

What I'm interested in is with ventilation above the HR02, could it passively cool a 2500K/2600K at stock? That is, a completely fanless system.

Not without some kind of special considerations to replace the lost airflow, I think. In an open bench it might work, but even on stock using integrated graphics there's ~100W heat to get rid of, and when stuffed inside a standard case that's a bit much for pure passive cooling.

But there are systems that can run an i7 2600 passively, like this one.

Or it might be possible to construct a chimney to enhance natural airflow - according to the Wikipedia formula, unless I made a mistake in my calculations, a 14x14 cm chimney with a height of 1-2 m should be able to provide a draft equivalent to a low-speed fan.
Assuming of course that you find a 2m/6ft chimney preferable to an almost inaudible fan

[erikerik]

Nice build. We have the same motherboard and I was also thinking of buying the HR-02. Can you confirm if you can attach a discrete gpu even if the HR-02 is installed?

[Teh Lurv]

Have you checked Thermalright's HR-02 compatibility list? They are pretty good at keeping an up-to-date list of which mobos will fit an HR-02 without blocking any expansion slots.

[erikerik]

I have already checked Thermalright's compatibility list. They don't have Intel motherboards in their list. Also, most of the other h67 boards have the comment "PCI-E Slot can’t be used". I think my only chance at this point would be to ask someone who already tried this set-up before.

- Intel DH67BL motherboard
- Thermalight HR-02
- Wll a discrete GPU fit??

[vanderwijk]

Nice build. We have the same motherboard and I was also thinking of buying the HR-02. Can you confirm if you can attach a discrete gpu even if the HR-02 is installed?

Even though I am not using a discrete gpu in my system, it seems that there is enough room for it.

On this picture you can see the space between the slot and the cooler: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johanvande ... 6531690592

[ces]

I have already checked Thermalright's compatibility list. They don't have Intel motherboards in their list. Also, most of the other h67 boards have the comment "PCI-E Slot can’t be used". I think my only chance at this point would be to ask someone who already tried this set-up before.

- Intel DH67BL motherboard
- Thermalight HR-02
- Wll a discrete GPU fit??

See if you can buy a used HR-01 plus. It is much smaller than the HR-02 and according to Mike Chin it actually performs slightly better when used passively.

[diver]

Nice rig, one big mother of a CPU heatsink.

[erikerik]

Nice build. We have the same motherboard and I was also thinking of buying the HR-02. Can you confirm if you can attach a discrete gpu even if the HR-02 is installed?

Even though I am not using a discrete gpu in my system, it seems that there is enough room for it.

On this picture you can see the space between the slot and the cooler: http://www.flickr.com/photos/johanvande ... 6531690592

Great! Thanks for this info. I just might go for an "almost passive" set-up like yours.

[jimdoe]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I just discovered this thread, and I find the build to be very appealing.

However, can anyone confirm whether a discrete GPU would fit, or not? Judging by one of the pictures, it's unclear whether there's enough room at the bottom.

Also, would adding this GPU (Passive) be a good idea? Or, would a GPU with a fan be a better solution?

Powercolor 6850 Passive
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.as ... 6814131442