Upgrade P182 to...

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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ColdFlame
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Upgrade P182 to...

Post by ColdFlame » Fri Nov 19, 2010 10:33 am

Hello all,

My current gaming system is living in a P182 and it's working great. It is very quiet despite running an overclocked Core2Quad (Q9400 @ 3.8 Ghz), 2 hard drives and an NVidia GTX 260. I've got a 12cm based tower heatsink (some Ninja model) and 2 800 rpm S-FLEX fans running at 7v.

I'm planning to build another system early next year with Sandy Bridge and would like to figure out what case to get. I'd prefer it to be as quiet as my current case and I do not plan to run SLI (it looks like FT02 is praised for SLI mostly).

What case should I pick? P183 is fine but: 1) it seems to have a problem with the top fan (which I could choose not to run) 2) it is a bit ugly to my liking 3) it is too similar to what I currently have

Future system specs:
- whatever top of the line quad core CPU they will have plus I'll overclock that thing like crazy (it will still be silent with something like 14 cm Noctua cooler)
- single graphics card - yes I know it will be loud under load but what can I do
- 1 SSD 1 green hard drive that will require silicone grommets

So, can I do better than P183? I've been considering FT02 but I think it will be too loud for me and Fractal Design R2 but I'm afraid it'll be too flimsy after P182.

quest_for_silence
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Re: Upgrade P182 to...

Post by quest_for_silence » Fri Nov 19, 2010 1:44 pm

ColdFlame wrote:So, can I do better than P183? I've been considering FT02 but I think it will be too loud for me and Fractal Design R2 but I'm afraid it'll be too flimsy after P182.
Some months ago I swapped a P182 with a Silverstone Raven: apart it's as ugly as sin (and it's much more costly), I don't regret this swap, as a gaming machine can be made definitely quieter and cooler than my previous Antec-based one.

danimal
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Re: Upgrade P182 to...

Post by danimal » Fri Nov 19, 2010 8:00 pm

ColdFlame wrote: So, can I do better than P183? I've been considering FT02 but I think it will be too loud for me and Fractal Design R2 but I'm afraid it'll be too flimsy after P182.
read the p183 vs. ft02 thread further down the page: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=60221

i ended up moving all of the hdds out of the ft02 cage, because the vibration with even one drive in there was being transmitted through the entire case... i think that it's the plastic hdd framework, contributing to some kind of weird resonance... i mounted all 3 drives in a lian li bay converter, which isn't a perfect solution.

i think that ft02 is a must for seriously overclocked sli, or possibly a single overclocked gtx480, but for everything else, including a heavily overclocked cpu of any kind, get the p183.

Tamlin
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Re: Upgrade P182 to...

Post by Tamlin » Wed Dec 01, 2010 8:59 am

danimal wrote:
ColdFlame wrote: So, can I do better than P183? I've been considering FT02 but I think it will be too loud for me and Fractal Design R2 but I'm afraid it'll be too flimsy after P182.
read the p183 vs. ft02 thread further down the page: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=60221

i ended up moving all of the hdds out of the ft02 cage, because the vibration with even one drive in there was being transmitted through the entire case... i think that it's the plastic hdd framework, contributing to some kind of weird resonance... i mounted all 3 drives in a lian li bay converter, which isn't a perfect solution.

i think that ft02 is a must for seriously overclocked sli, or possibly a single overclocked gtx480, but for everything else, including a heavily overclocked cpu of any kind, get the p183.
I disagree on this. Not that the P183 might be better for him (after he has replaced all fans in it, since default fans are noisy), since I haven't tried it. What I disagree upon is the HDD cage contributing to a weird resonance.

I just got this cabinet (black without window) and since I've read your posts, that was my greatest worry. There is a vibration in the framework, but its caused by the fans and its so little that it doesn't impact noise. The only noises from HDD cage is like one would expect in any other where the HDD is not suspended. I've read that there has been several who have gotten HD cages which didn't attach the HD trays well. I suspect that this has been in your case. :)

I've followed you recommendation of covering the holes for the PSU, since as you said air escapes from it if the PSU doesn't cover it (I also have a X-750). Since I got the new AP181 with my case, I would like to add that I found the default noise (on low settings) low for a gaming cabinet, but high for silent computing. It seems that the filter has the same effect as shown in the SPCR review, being a dampener. Without it, they get very noisy.

The 120mm fan didn't sound too bad, though it sounded better after attaching a ULNA from a Noctua fan.

I attached an Akasa fan control JR to the three 180mm fans and the results were surprisingly good. The High/Low switches on the cabinet still worked, but on low I got some weird noise from the fans indicating that I had reached the minimum voltage on them when the nobs on the Akasa were on low too. By having the cabinet switch on high and the Akasa nobs on lowest setting, the case went from quiet gaming to quiet computing category.

Personally, I am very pleased with this cabinet and will invest in a 5 1/4 fan controller (the Akasa is 3 1/2). Its possible to get quiet without replacing anything and just adding fan control. With it, I have a gaming computer and a quiet computer with a turn of some nobs. For those with same preferences, not wanting to replace half the computer in order to get it quiet, I would recommend this case!

And it looks good too! :D

danimal
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Re: Upgrade P182 to...

Post by danimal » Wed Dec 01, 2010 8:25 pm

the hdd cage vibration is probably a fluke with my particular case, since i haven't seen anyone else mention it(?)... i've had all of the fans turned off at one point or another, it was definitely coming from the hdd cage... it wasn't that it was audible so much as you could feel it with your hands.

still, i like this case, warts and all.

i have the same fan startup noise issues that you do, when using a controller, but it goes away quickly.

i mentioned in another thread that i cut out a couple of the bottom fan grills, which seems to have improved the airflow.

judging by the dust accumulation on the filters, the center fan is robbing air from the two outside fans... i think that the fan intake area is too low, it could stand to be taller.

Tamlin
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Re: Upgrade P182 to...

Post by Tamlin » Thu Dec 02, 2010 6:04 am

danimal wrote:the hdd cage vibration is probably a fluke with my particular case, since i haven't seen anyone else mention it(?)... i've had all of the fans turned off at one point or another, it was definitely coming from the hdd cage... it wasn't that it was audible so much as you could feel it with your hands.

still, i like this case, warts and all.
I think its an alignment issue and it might affect a batch of cases. There are several that have reported HDD cages that doesn't lock properly. In addition, at least 1 reviewer have complained about the motherboard not being aligned with the slots properly, which I remember happened to you as well. He solved it by using a washer between the motherboard standoffs and the tray, in case you haven't tried that yet. :)
i have the same fan startup noise issues that you do, when using a controller, but it goes away quickly.
Seems the fans require a higher voltage at start. Found this on Silverstones homepage:

"AP181 uses industry standard 3pin fan connector, so it will work with most fan controllers, motherboards, and other devices that use voltage regulation to control fan speed.

The starting voltage for AP181 at low speed setting requires about 10.8V, which some fan controllers may not support properly. So when connecting to fan controller, it is best to flip the case’s fan speed switch to high setting to enable lower starting voltage. At 5V for example, the fan speed will be at around 500rpm, which is nearly inaudible.

When connecting to motherboard for fan speed control, if AP181 appears to have trouble starting, it may be due to motherboard detecting low temperature and supply too little voltage. To solve this problem, please change the motherboard fan speed or temperature setting from within the motherboard BIOS or flip the case’s fan speed switch to high setting."

http://www.silverstonetek.com/qa/qa_con ... 1&area=usa
i mentioned in another thread that i cut out a couple of the bottom fan grills, which seems to have improved the airflow.

judging by the dust accumulation on the filters, the center fan is robbing air from the two outside fans... i think that the fan intake area is too low, it could stand to be taller.
Nice. :) I hoped that somebody would try that. In the SPCR review, both fan the guard and the filter was reducing noise. The measurement was also a bit higher on the FT02 vs. the RV02 and reviewer said it might be due to the FT02 having aluminum infront of the intake, while the RV02 had carpet muffling the noise. Did you notice any change in the fan noise after you cut the grills?

danimal
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Re: Upgrade P182 to...

Post by danimal » Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:11 pm

thanks for the feedback on the fan voltages.

i would say that the noise with the grills cut out is slightly less, and maybe different in nature... if you have a nice die grinder, it's worth it, but in my case, i invested over $80 for the grinder and the long flexible extension snout... i pulled out the video cards, and covered all of the electronics with rags beforehand.

i also used the die grinder to elongate the screw holes that hold the video cards to the case slots... the height of the cards was good, it's just that the case slots were not a perfect 90 degree angle to the motherboard.

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