ARM Systems Stealth DIY Kit Received

[Joe DeFuria]

(In case you missed the system I'm building, it's here.
)

Unexpectedly, my Stealth Kit arrived yesterday (Monday)...after being shipped via DHL "Ground" from California on Friday. I must live near a major DHL distribution center. Lucky me!

Some quick comments about the case:

* It arrived in perfect condition. Acoustipac is nicely applied where expected. There is even some where I did not expect it: applied to the front bezel directly in front of the intake fan.

* In case there is any doubt, it is BLACK. Not navy blue in any respect. ARM systems does sell a beige version, and I believe a black version with the gray trim. I requested the all black version, and that's what I got.

* I'm happy to report that it looks better "in person" than it does in the pics. Some of the pics tend to make the front panel more "plasic-y" than it appears in real life.

* The Zalman 7000 CPU cooler will in fact fit in this case using the Asus P4P800 Deluxe, with a few mm to spare. (I haven't mounted the cooler to the CPU yet, but I did mount the cooler to the socket to test fit.)

* The "tooless mounting" of external bay devices is pretty slick. And you can mount / unmount drives without removing the front panel.

* I was wondering how the front 120 mm fan was mounted, since the evercase only officially supports 80mm in front: Answer: Velcro!

* The screwless PCI card retaining bracket doesn't instill me with a lot of confidence...And I notice ARM systems removed it for their own Stealth PC. I'll probably just use screws myself.

Everything is not completely as expected though. There are a few issues, that are probably the result of this being perhaps one of the first "kits" they've sold, and I requested a non standard option to boot:

1) They forgot to include the mounting hardware! Motherboard mounting hardware, and hard drive shoulder bolts were absent. The grommets were there though.

2) It was never explicitly specified, but I was expecting / assuming the case came with the PCI card retaining bar:



The kit I received doesn't have one. I'm not sure if it was inadverntantly left out, or purposely left out.

3) I reqested an optional USB/Firewire/Audio front panel instead of the standard USB only one. They did install the hardware (the PCB with the ports and connector cables), but the front bezel is still for USB only. So my Audio and firewire ports are there, but are hidden behind the bezel.

4) No case instructions whatsoever. Not that this is of any conerns for most of us, but I was surprised to not find anything.

I have already communicated the above to ARM Systems, though their offices are of course not yet open. It's been very pleaseant dealing with ARM Systems to date.

I haven't actually powered the system on yet, because I'm attempting an easy mod of the Zalman 7000a CPU cooler, and I'd rather just mount the Heatsink to the CPU once post-mod, rather than have multiple applicatoins of thermal grease, etc. I'll be adding some sorbothane to decouple the fan from the heatsink, as suggested in this thread. I'm attempting to avoid using "glue", and just use longer screws...screw through sorbothane...then through mounting bracket, then another later of sorbothae, and then into the fan.

I'm having a helluva time finding the right screws though.

The rear 120mm fan is direct mounted to the case with standard fan screws...though I replaced them with EAR fan mounts. Not sure what to make of those mounts...aside from being very difficult to install (I have a nice little graveyard of ripped mounts!), the fan is now "looser" than I think it should be.

I've also pre-cut and tied some bungie cord in anticipation of suspending the Raptor. I'm not even going to run the Spinpoint for a while until I can figure out the best way to mount the Raptor.

Assuming I can find the screws for the CPU cooler today, I'll mount enough hardware so that I can get Memtest running and verify / finalize ram timings / voltages.

Then I can actually try some useful stuff...like loading WinXP.

[Hellspawn]

Please update us on the speed/efficiency and attention to your problems received from ARM customer service. Sometimes things are different before the sale than after. I understand that they have a great following but nonetheless would like to see the results posted if you will.. (along with pics of your finished product

[PretzelB]

Yes. More pics!

[roym@arm]

(In case you missed the system I'm building, it's here.
)

Unexpectedly, my Stealth Kit arrived yesterday (Monday)...after being shipped via DHL "Ground" from California on Friday. I must live near a major DHL distribution center. Lucky me!

Hi Joe,

Yes! Indeed, lucky you. Airborne (now DHL) will sometimes fill their plane with ground packages and get there sooner.

Now, to answer some of the questions you have in your post...

1. The shoulder bolts and misc mounting hardware can be found inside the white box shipped inside the case. You won't need special mobo mounting post. Just install your mobo I/O plate and lay in the board and line up the screw holes. Screw in the mobo using appropriate screws (also contained inside the white box).

2. The front 120MM fan is actually screwed in. We use a swatch of velcro to dampen any vibration on the front of the case grill.

3. The PCI retaining bar does not come with the kit. We actually recommend that this bar be removed in normal operation as it tends to impede airflow. It does nothing when the system is not in transit.

4. The EAR fan mounts are a pain in the b... and as you already noticed, tend to leave too much "play" on the fan. If it makes you happy, I will send you a better solution to use as fan isolators although our testing shows minimal, if any, benefit since the fan turns at such a low speed. But it might make the unit look sexier, specially if you look at the back.

5. Trust the screwless PCI retaining clip provided you screw it down after all your cards are installed. The reason the review unit did not have it was because initially, the retaining clip was interferring with installation of the 120mm fan. This was since corrected at the factory and the retaining clip now works fine.

6. Inside the white box is a simple case instruction. We are currently preparing a more friendly "getting started" document to go along with the kit.

If I missed anything or if you have more questions, please call or e-mail me.

Roy

[Joe DeFuria]

Tnoight is the Wife's turn to put the kids to bed...so I'll have a bit more time to fool around with it.

I managed to find some screws that should work for the Zalman mod. I'll take some pics. I will have never run the cooler without the mod though, so I won't know how much if any improvement in vibration damping it'll have.

I should be powering it up tonight, without hard drives though. I'll just run sikless with Memtest for about 24 Hrs, so I can make sure my memory is stable and compatible while it's still in the RMA period.

I will take some pics though...and I'll be able to show how I plan to suspend the Raptor. (A variant of the Bungee Suspension.)

Just FYI, the parts I'll be using for the Raptor Suspension (from McMaster Carr):

Part No 8858T261: Black bungee/shock cord

Part No 8876T35: Black nylon loop strap. (Mmmmm....black....)

And the parts for the Zalman CPU Heatsink mod:

Part No 8514K111: 1/8" think sorbothane, 40 ODO (4"x4" sqaure will be cut to fit)

2 Screws, #2 , 1/2" self-tapping sheet metal..purchased at a local hobby shop.

[Joe DeFuria]

Hi Roy,

1. The shoulder bolts and misc mounting hardware can be found inside the white box shipped inside the case.

OK...I will triple check when I get home. (I already double checked ) I certainly don't have too much pride to admit that I somehow didn't see it if that turns out to be the case! Seriously, I'll check the outside carton as well as the internal carton, and I'll report back either way.

You won't need special mobo mounting post. Just install your mobo I/O plate and lay in the board and line up the screw holes.

Yes, the motherboard is already partially mounted...I "stole" some screws from other places as a temporary solution. I did use one additional stand-off, as my motherboard had one additional mounting hole that did not line up with one of the foctory "built in" stand-offs.

(Edit...I want to clarify the above as it might not read properly...all of the built-in stand-offs in the case line up perfectly with the motherboard holes. My motherboard has an additional mounting hole for which there is no built-in stand-off on the case, but a place to screw in a conventional stand-off.)

2. The front 120MM fan is actually screwed in. We use a swatch of velcro to dampen any vibration on the front of the case grill.

Now I am sure that the from 120MM fan in my case is not screwed in. I know this because I have removed it and remounted it several times...without a screwdriver.

3. The PCI retaining bar does not come with the kit. We actually recommend that this bar be removed in normal operation as it tends to impede airflow. It does nothing when the system is not in transit.

OK, though I would make sure this is communicated in future literature. The reason why I assumed the bar is "part of the case", is because it is an accessory of the Evercase, not a 3rd party part. When the specs say "ARM Stealth PC Case", and I see a review of the Stealth PC, I assume that all of the "Case Parts" in the review is what makes the "Stealth PC Case."

Even if it's removed for normal use...I may want to transport the PC one day...others buying the case might be taking it to Lan parties, etc.

4. The EAR fan mounts are a pain in the b... and as you already noticed, tend to leave too much "play" on the fan.

Yeah...not really happy with the EAR mounts I purchased separately. I may just remount using the standard fan screws.

If it makes you happy, I will send you a better solution to use as fan isolators although our testing shows minimal, if any, benefit since the fan turns at such a low speed. But it might make the unit look sexier, specially if you look at the back.

Sexy is good. If it turns out you have to send me the hardware, perhaps you can toss those isolators in too.

5. Trust the screwless PCI retaining clip provided you screw it down after all your cards are installed....

Lol...screwless with a screw! (I know what you mean though...there is only one screw for the entire bracket.) I would do this, but you see, that particular screw is one of the ones I scrounged up to mount the motherboard....

6. Inside the white box is a simple case instruction. We are currently preparing a more friendly "getting started" document to go along with the kit.

Damn that white box!

If I missed anything or if you have more questions, please call or e-mail me.

Roy

I'll give you a call about the firewire thing...

[Joe DeFuria]

Just an FYI to everyone who's interested.

Roy / ARM Systems just sent me an e-mail indicating they are overnighting me a new box of hardware...and this is before I've had a chance to re-check and see if I missed it.

[Joe DeFuria]

Today's update:

I modded the Zalman 7000 cooler, mounted, and powered up the system.

The good news is, everyhing powered up normally without any surprises. The bad news is, the motherboard (Asus P4P800 Deluxe) does not seem to like the Ram (Mushkin Level 1 PC 3500). I could not complete one pass of MemTest without errors, with consistent problems with Test 5. Tried a few memory settings from Auto (SPD) to manual.

Upping the voltage to 2.7 V didn't help.

I tried installing WinXP anyway...but could not get through the installation process without errors. Regardless, the RAM is going to be RMA'd, and I'm going to try some Corsair XMS 3200 Low Latency memory, which I've read most people having success with on the P4P800, and i865/875 in general.

A few comments about noise:

There seems to be clicking from at least the rear 120MM fan, at various fan-mate settings. Will look into it.

Oh, and those rear EAR Fan mounts that I took it upon myself to install are now coming out for certain...the side panel won't close properly with them installed. The fan mounts on the side closest to the panel will have to be flush with the case in order to close the panel.

I have not reinstalled the side panel yet, so at the moment the case is open.

I was pleasantly surprsied at the lack of hard drive whine from the Raptor! I was expecting along the lines of my older WD drives, but I couldn't hear any whine over the case fans.

Seeks, on the other hand, are indeed very noticable / audible / loud. It's currently NOT decoupled at all from the case at all, however, as I'm waiting for the hard drive shoulder bolts to arrive.

This is very encouraging to me, since seeks do not bother me nearly as much as whining does...and with a suspended drive in an acoustipak lined case, that may be sufficient for me noise wise, and not have to resort to some kind of enclosure for the drive.

[Joe DeFuria]

Update number 2 for today:

The mounting hardware arrived as promised today, along with the replacement bezel for the Firewire port....and they also threw in a set of "quiet" fan mounts for good measure.

The fan mounts use the standard fan mounting screws, plus what I presume is a specific variety of ear grommets that fit perfectly. It was a snap to install them (compared to the specialized ear fan mounts), the fan is secure and should be nicely decoupled from the case.

[Ralf Hutter]

Today's update:

I modded the Zalman 7000 cooler, mounted, and powered up the system.

The good news is, everyhing powered up normally without any surprises. The bad news is, the motherboard (Asus P4P800 Deluxe) does not seem to like the Ram (Mushkin Level 1 PC 3500). I could not complete one pass of MemTest without errors, with consistent problems with Test 5. Tried a few memory settings from Auto (SPD) to manual.

Now you know why I told you this:

I highly recommend that you run Memtest86 for a while to check your memory stability. Don't be afraid to give your RAM some extra Vdimm to get it to run stable.

**Don't bother installing your OS until your memory is running stable. You'll be wasting your time.**

1) Go into the BIOS and make sure "USB Legacy Support" is set to "disabled" before you run Memtest86. It interferes with Memtest86 sometimes.

2) Set your timings manually to 2-3-3-7 to start. Make sure "Memory Acceleration Mode" is set to "Auto".

3) In the "Jumper Free Configuration" screen, make sure "Performance Mode" is set to "Auto".

4) Don't be afraid to give your memory 2.75V.

5) If none of that helps, pull out one stick and check each stick with Memtest86 individually.

6) Post back with your results.

Where did you get your memory from?

[Joe DeFuria]

Now you know why I told you this

Yup...sound advice indeed. Even though I was having memory problems, I tried to install the OS just for shits'n'giggles...mostly because I wanted to see the raptor do some work and observe the sound.

1) Go into the BIOS and make sure "USB Legacy Support" is set to "disabled" before you run Memtest86. It interferes with Memtest86 sometimes.

I'll try that...I believe mine is set on auto. Though I'm betting that won't solve the problem...since it's not just MemTest that's having issues. (XP Installation.)

2) Set your timings manually to 2-3-3-7 to start.

Not sure if I tried that particular setting...will give it a go.

Make sure "Memory Acceleration Mode" is set to "Auto".

3) In the "Jumper Free Configuration" screen, make sure "Performance Mode" is set to "Auto".

I didn't even try using anything different yet

4) Don't be afraid to give your memory 2.75V.

I did try that...same results.

5) If none of that helps, pull out one stick and check each stick with Memtest86 individually.

I was thinking about doing that, so if I found one bad stick I could RMA for a replacement instead of a refund and the 15% charge....but then I decided to try a different brand regardless.

6) Post back with your results.

Will do. Though I already ordered replacement memory, which should be arriving tomorrow. At that price, I considered Mushkin Level II also, but it appears Mushkin in "changing" the level 2 product from Winbond BH5 chips to BH6 chips, and I'm not sure what I'd get if I ordered it, and I have no reference for compatibility of the BH6 chips with the Asus.

Where did you get your memory from?

I specifically ordered my RAM from NewEgg, because they have a good RMA process from all accounts Iv'e read.

[Trip]

an easy suspension is to wrap rubber bands around the raptor and hang the bands with zip ties. I used the bands from the No Vibes III and did that.

Hurry up and suspend that thing, I'm curious how well the case dampens it.

[Joe DeFuria]

Here's an update on the Memory:

All tests were run at 2-3-3-6 timings manually set, voltage at 2.75, and all other memory/performance options set to "auto." (USB Legacy was turned off, all tests were run and cache was enabled for all tests.)

Due to time constraints, I consider a test "passed" if two passes completed without errors. (In my previous tests, MemTest #5 was a guarantee to have some errors in every pass.)

Slot 1+ Slot3 or Slot 2+Slot4 = Dual channel operation.

Test 1: Slot 1 and 3 populated: Fail
Test 2: Slot 1 populated with stick 1: Pass
Test 3: Slot 1 populated with stick 2: Pass
Test 4: Slot 1 and 2 populated: Fail (only second pass failed though.)
Test 5: Slot 3 populated with stick 1: Pass
Test 6: Slot 3 populated with stick 2: Pass
Test 6: Slot 2 and 4 populated: Fail
Test 7: (Repeat test 1): Fail

Basically, using more than one stick of this ram in this motherboard isn't a great idea. Using one stick "per channel" still generates a few errors with test 5, but running in dual channel mode was generating lots of errors.

[MrMajestic]

Make sure you're running the latest BIOS version on the motherboard.

[Joe DeFuria]

Make sure you're running the latest BIOS version on the motherboard.

Way ahead of you.

In fact, I was rather proud of myself for creating a bootable CD (on another machine) so I could flash to the latest BIOS, since I refuse to install a floppy on this computer.

[Trip]

have you tested the RAM in another board and the board with other RAM?

maybe the new BIOS update is bad... try the previous one?

[Joe DeFuria]

I am typing this using the new machine.

As suspected, (based on the MemTest results) it's stable with only one stick of ram...XP installed without issue. Of course, this is unacceptable and I'll be returning the RAM...but at least I get to "play" a little tonight and tinker with some stuff. I'll be able to try the Corsair XMS memory tomorrow, as it's scheduled to be delivered.

I doubt that either the Mushkin memory or the Asus motherboard is "bad". It's likely just a case of these two component combinations not getting along well....it happens.

Now, back to the case....

So far, the only item I'm a bit disappointed with is the case fans. There is considerable "clicking/ticking" noise, at pretty much any fan-mate setting. With the case sitting on my workbench, and the ticking from the rear fan is definitely noticable.

For the time being, I swapped out the rear fan for an Evercool Aluminum model, and I turned the front fan off.

The Evercool is a much higher CFM fan: at the lowest fan-mate setting I'm guessing it pushes about as much as the ARM Stealth fan at the highest setting. Both run at about 1150 RPM at their respective settings. (In other words, Evercool at 5V and Stealth Fan at 12V are both about 1150 RPM).

So, "air rush" noise, the Evercool at the lowest setting is only about as quiet as the Stealth fan at the highest setting. However, I prefer this to the ticking of the stealth fan. I may yet search for the elusive "perfect 120mm fan".

A quick snapshot of case performance:

With the Zalman 7000 CPU fan turned down to almost minimum (about 1400 RPM), the Evercool rear case fan at fanmate minimum (1100 RPM), and no front intake fan:

(I have one instance of folding running ATM)

CPU is about 41 C
Case is about 32 C
Hard Drive (Raptor, direct mount), is about 35

I have not yet "heard" The modded Zalman Power supply.

The raptor seeks are definitely LOUD. There's a very slight case hum, probably due to the direct mounted Raptor. I did get the shoulder bolts to mount it with grommets, so I'll try that next. I wanted a "reference point" with the hard drive mounted directly though.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hello Joe:

Did you mount the Raptor in those metal "fingers" on the Evercase HD cages? On my two Evercases, I found that those nearly eliminated the seeks on my Seagate 120GB 7200.7's. I'll be curious to hear how the grommets work on the Raptor.

Also, if there is any play in the cages, you can tweak the tracks a *little* and tighten them up...

[roym@arm]

I am typing this using the new machine.

As suspected, (based on the MemTest results) it's stable with only one stick of ram...XP installed without issue. Of course, this is unacceptable and I'll be returning the RAM...but at least I get to "play" a little tonight and tinker with some stuff. I'll be able to try the Corsair XMS memory tomorrow, as it's scheduled to be delivered.

I doubt that either the Mushkin memory or the Asus motherboard is "bad". It's likely just a case of these two component combinations not getting along well....it happens.

Now, back to the case....

So far, the only item I'm a bit disappointed with is the case fans. There is considerable "clicking/ticking" noise, at pretty much any fan-mate setting. With the case sitting on my workbench, and the ticking from the rear fan is definitely noticable.

For the time being, I swapped out the rear fan for an Evercool Aluminum model, and I turned the front fan off.

The Evercool is a much higher CFM fan: at the lowest fan-mate setting I'm guessing it pushes about as much as the ARM Stealth fan at the highest setting. Both run at about 1150 RPM at their respective settings. (In other words, Evercool at 5V and Stealth Fan at 12V are both about 1150 RPM).

So, "air rush" noise, the Evercool at the lowest setting is only about as quiet as the Stealth fan at the highest setting. However, I prefer this to the ticking of the stealth fan. I may yet search for the elusive "perfect 120mm fan".

A quick snapshot of case performance:

With the Zalman 7000 CPU fan turned down to almost minimum (about 1400 RPM), the Evercool rear case fan at fanmate minimum (1100 RPM), and no front intake fan:

(I have one instance of folding running ATM)

CPU is about 41 C
Case is about 32 C
Hard Drive (Raptor, direct mount), is about 35

I have not yet "heard" The modded Zalman Power supply.

The raptor seeks are definitely LOUD. There's a very slight case hum, probably due to the direct mounted Raptor. I did get the shoulder bolts to mount it with grommets, so I'll try that next. I wanted a "reference point" with the hard drive mounted directly though.

Be careful of the Evercool Aluminum fan. We've done some testing on this fan. Sometimes it will not turn at low voltage.

Some people are sensitive to the clicking noise (even MikeC picked up on it in his review) but from all the fans we have tested (we've got a big box full of discarded fans and the pile is growing) this fan has produced the best result in cooling/noise ratio as well as solve "starting" problem at low voltage. We are expecting a new model coming from China anyday now and I'll let you know if this is the ever elusive "perfect 120mm fan".

Roy

[Joe DeFuria]

Hello Joe:

Did you mount the Raptor in those metal "fingers" on the Evercase HD cages?

Hi Neil,

Yes, it was mounted on those fingers, though it didn't come close to eliminating the seek noises of the raptor. Direct mounting on those fingers (metal to metal) resulted in very "sharp" sounding seek noise.

On my two Evercases, I found that those nearly eliminated the seeks on my Seagate 120GB 7200.7's. I'll be curious to hear how the grommets work on the Raptor.

After a few limited tests, the grommets are clearly a significant step in the positive direction compared to direct mounting...both from a vibration / hum and seek noise dampening.

The seeks are still clearly audible, but not nearly as "sharp". I could live will the seek noise with the Raptor mounted using the ARM Stealth supplied ear grommets, I would not be happy with direct metal to metal mounting.

Suspending the drive with shock cord reduces the seeks noise a little bit better than than the grommets, and completely eliminates any vibration effect. If I really want to try and "eliminate" the seek noise of the Raptor, it looks like it will have to be enclosed.

But with either grommeted mount or suspended, the seek noise is all I'm currently hearing from the raptor. No idle whine or case resonance when it's mounted with grommets or suspended.

At present, the rear fan is the loudest part of the case, which is an Evercool aluminum running at FanMate lowest setting (I guess approx. 5 V effective.)

Also, if there is any play in the cages, you can tweak the tracks a *little* and tighten them up...

I haven't had any problems so far with play in the hard drive cage so far...very snug.

[Joe DeFuria]

Be careful of the Evercool Aluminum fan. We've done some testing on this fan. Sometimes it will not turn at low voltage.

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep my eye/ear on it. I'll also probably try a few more fans.

The reason why I happen to have one of these laying around actually, is because I had tried to mount this fan in a Compucase 6A19, where the speed was controlled by software / motherboard. However, that type of pulse modulation fan control caused noticable clicking with the Evercool, so I ended up going back to the stock Compucase 6a19 fan for that case! (Maybe I'll try that compucase fan in the Stealth....hmmm....)

We are expecting a new model coming from China anyday now and I'll let you know if this is the ever elusive "perfect 120mm fan".

Great...keep us all informed!

[Joe DeFuria]

Here's a couple links to relevant mods:

Drive Suspension Project

Zalman 7000AlCu Decouple mod

Oh, and a few case pics for your pleasure...(Obviously, I have not given a thought to cable management yet )



Yes, that's a pci video card I have shoved in there for the moment ...I wanted to evaluate the noise of other components in the system, and this was the only passively cooled card I had at my disposal. The Radeon 9800 with VGA silencer will ultimately end up in this case.

Here's the rear fan mounting:


Grommets were provided by ARM Stealth. (Though they are not standard with the case...at least not at this time.) The only "issue" with this mounting is that the side panel doesn't close 100% completely. If you look at the fan mounts on the right side, you can probably tell that the lip of the side panel will cover about 1/2 of those fan mounts. So unless you mount the fan such that the screw / mounting hardware is flush with the back panel, the panel will not completely shut. From what I can tell, however, it closes "enough". It is snug and doesn't rattle at all.

And an exterior shot:



The flash is harsh, and makes the case look more "shiny/plastic-y" than it is in "real life". I'm very pleased with the case aesthetics. This is just my "workshop area", and the Pc will eventually sit underneath a desk in antoher room on the floor.

Also, a minor point: I am also very pleased with the I/O panel cover. (I have it down in this shot.) Many reviews of cases I've read have a "...the i/o panel cover is flimsy or doesn't latch consistently..." This door is sturdy, and has a spring behind it which gives a nice feel to the open / close mechanism. The door locks solidly in both the open and closed position.

[roym@arm]

Here's the rear fan mounting:


Grommets were provided by ARM Stealth. (Though they are not standard with the case...at least not at this time.) The only "issue" with this mounting is that the side panel doesn't close 100% completely. If you look at the fan mounts on the right side, you can probably tell that the lip of the side panel will cover about 1/2 of those fan mounts. So unless you mount the fan such that the screw / mounting hardware is flush with the back panel, the panel will not completely shut. From what I can tell, however, it closes "enough". It is snug and doesn't rattle at all.

The way we solved this problem is to turn the Evercool fan so that the wires from the motor are pointing up (looking at your picture from the rear, turn the fan 1/4 clockwise so the wires are pointing at the power supply). For some reason, one side is thinner that the others.

And an exterior shot:



The flash is harsh, and makes the case look more "shiny/plastic-y" than it is in "real life". I'm very pleased with the case aesthetics. This is just my "workshop area", and the Pc will eventually sit underneath a desk in antoher room on the floor.

Also, a minor point: I am also very pleased with the I/O panel cover. (I have it down in this shot.) Many reviews of cases I've read have a "...the i/o panel cover is flimsy or doesn't latch consistently..." This door is sturdy, and has a spring behind it which gives a nice feel to the open / close mechanism. The door locks solidly in both the open and closed position.

If you look at this picture, there is a blue tint to it as well which made everyone wonder whether the case is blue or black. Notice the Dell panel also has the blue tint.

Interesting project, Joe. We, at ARM, are following your progress and will try to give you some input from time to time (if only we had this forum to get info when we started quiet computing 4 years ago...)

Roy

[Jan Kivar]

Now that case looks kinda puny next to the LCD.

I'd love to have one of those Dell's. Too bad that they are way too expensive here. Or, more precisely, they are very cheap in US...

Cheers,

Jan

[Trip]

Now that case looks kinda puny next to the LCD.

I'd love to have one of those Dell's. Too bad that they are way too expensive here. Or, more precisely, they are very cheap in US...

Cheers,

Jan

I don't want to diverge too much, but are Dell monitors really that good?

[aphonos]

I don't want to diverge too much, but are Dell monitors really that good?

That's diverging...... Start a new thread!

Or just go check out arstechnica.com - Ars Open Forums - Audio/Video - Definitive LCD thread.....read all 118 pages of posts if you like....they have a forum for questions like that

[/posting police ]

[Trip]

But with either grommeted mount or suspended, the seek noise is all I'm currently hearing from the raptor. No idle whine or case resonance when it's mounted with grommets or suspended.

Do you think theSmart Drive 2002C Enclosure will suffice or will a Fek-pro be necessary? What enclosures are you considering?

You feel NO vibrations in the case when raptor is mounted with grommets?? That's amazing. Good news.


arstechnica.com looks interesting - thanks! (opening article about stem-cell research though )

[Joe DeFuria]

Smart Drive 2002C Enclosure will suffice or will a Fek-pro be necessary? What enclosures are you considering?

Haven't really given major though to possible enclosures yet, though the Smart Drive and SilentMaxx HDD Silencer I would likely consider. First I've heard of the Fek Pro...did some quick googling....is it only available in Europe? Didn't find any North American distributors.

You feel NO vibrations in the case when raptor is mounted with grommets?? That's amazing. Good news.

Not exactly...I hear no case hum due to vibration when mounted with grommets. Don't remeber if I felt any or not. Right now, I'm "validating" my memory so I can't test, but tomorrow I plan on doing a more deliberate and systematic round of HD testing.

I didn't feel any vibration after suspending it.

I'll definitely make note of case vibration using the "hand on the case" method.

P.S. If your criteria for a flat panel monitor is:
1) Large size (1600x1200 native resolution, 20")
2) Emphasis on gaming performance over "everyday office performance"

It's tough to beat the Dell 2001 FP....especially for $750 shipped.

[Jan Kivar]

I don't want to diverge too much, but are Dell monitors really that good?

Well, there aren't really any Dell monitors. Dell just brands other manufacturers' displays. Any 20" 1600x1200 16 ms LCD would be OK. But as Joe pointed out, Dell is giving them out for $750 (requires that You are a "small business" though ).

IIRC, this Dell display is made by LG or Viewsonic?

Cheers,

Jan

[Joe DeFuria]

It's an LG Panel. (Currently, the only 1600x1200, 24 bit, 16ms response time panel on the markt AFAIK.)

Review

Back on topic...

Looks like the Corsair memory is good to go. 30+ passes of MemTest, in dual channel mode WITH memory acceleration mode enabled, and all is well. Memory is running at 2.75, but I haven't yet tried to knock it back down.

I actually took today off from work, and I'll be doing some "systematic" testing of the Raptor with different mounting meothods.