Antec Mini P180 case and GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 LGA 1156

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capecodbackup
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Antec Mini P180 case and GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 LGA 1156

Post by capecodbackup » Sun Dec 20, 2009 10:55 pm

board, but i could use advice for the best CPU fan and PSU. And by best, I mean quietest :)

Thanks,

Dave

Vetotat
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Post by Vetotat » Tue Dec 22, 2009 2:41 am

PSU: SeaSonic X-650 (semi passive; totally quiet at low to medium loads)

CPU cooler: maybe a Thermalright HR-01 Plus with a Scythe Slipstream 500 on it.

capecodbackup
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Post by capecodbackup » Tue Dec 22, 2009 5:49 pm

Thanks. I will check those out. I have always known that Seasonic is nice and quiet in reviews I have read. I will check out the HR 01. Looks like quite a heatsink at first glance.

I may just have the beginnings of a very interesting build.

Dave

Vetotat
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Post by Vetotat » Wed Dec 23, 2009 12:55 pm

I'd just noticed that the HR-01 is lacking support for the 1156 socket. Maybe you should look for a Thermalright Venomous X with the same Scythe fan on instead.

A Scythe Mugen 2 Rev. B , could also be an alternative to the HR-01.

Parappaman
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Post by Parappaman » Wed Dec 23, 2009 3:49 pm

Get passive, get a CoolerMaster Z-600! :mrgreen:

cb95014
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Post by cb95014 » Wed Dec 23, 2009 10:44 pm

Vetotat wrote:I'd just noticed that the HR-01 is lacking support for the 1156 socket.
Thermalright sells an 1156 adapter kit (which works with most of their coolers) for $9 @ SVC, although they apparently just ran out of HR-01's. HR-01+ coolers have been hard for me to find the last few months, so I have been using the cheaper std HR-01's and there is only a small difference in temps. However, apparently SVC just ran out of std HR-01's as well. :(

Another cooler to consider is the CoGage True Spirit, which also is compatible with the 1156 adapter kit. CoGage is Thermalright's "budget/value" brand, and the True Spirit is like a TRUE with two less pipes, but includes a decent PWM fan. Unless you are doing mad over-clocking, the True Spirit should work great, and is very cost-effective.

egalitarian
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Post by egalitarian » Wed Dec 23, 2009 11:53 pm

I am about to build a similiar machine now but I'm kind of rethinking because of the supposedly noisy top fan of the 180 mini. Do you guys know if it there's any alternative for it or it's not that bad?

Parappaman
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Post by Parappaman » Thu Dec 24, 2009 1:24 am

It all depends on your expectations. With the top fan on, the computer will be quiet, but it will never be silent. On the positive side, it will cool down anything you will throw at it. It really depends on what you want: for a high performance PC, you can't just get any quieter, unless buying one of those ginormous Silverstone Raven 2, or getting a high-end Lian-Li and mod it to death.

As a side note, there are no alternatives for the 20cm fan, unless you go for some flashy CoolerMaster fans, which sound much worse, or Antec's own LED 20cm BigBoy fan, which should sound at best the same.

nothingworks
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Post by nothingworks » Thu Dec 24, 2009 8:12 am

Dave, I am slowly putting together a similar build (Core i5 on a P55M-UD2, in a Mini P180), and I ended up purchasing a Corsair HX-520, a Xigmatek HDT-S1283, and a Nexus Real Silent 120mm fan to replace the stock Xig fan.

I'm not suggesting you do the same, since I haven't finished the build (ran into my own issues) and can't relay any quantitative noise/temp info; however, just so you know what someone else ended up getting for a similar setup...
I'm kind of rethinking because of the supposedly noisy top fan of the 180 mini. Do you guys know if it there's any alternative for it or it's not that bad?
A while back when I was considering getting the Mini P180 for my build, someone here suggested using a 7V trick to underpower, and slow down the top fan. I can't find my own thread, but I did copy the response to my personal notes:
As this fan has a 4 pin molex connector, you can't use a normal fan controller to turn it down any more. Instead, what you might like to look at is feeding less than 12V into this molex connector. Use the 7V trick to remove some molex pins and only provide 7V to the 200mm fan.

I've tested an alternate method of giving 7V to a 120mm TriCool that came with my P182 (which has a molex connector), using a molex to 7V fan adaptor and then a fan header to molex connector so that I can feed 7V to the TriCool fan and still be able to use the three position switch to turn it up or down a little. (Hopefully that description makes sense). From memory the 120mm TriCool did not spin when the speed switch was set to low, so use medium instead.
Again, since I haven't finished my own build, I can't relay any post-install info. Regardless, I hope you find this information helpful.

Parappaman
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Post by Parappaman » Fri Dec 25, 2009 1:41 pm

The top fan won't spin at 7v, it has a starting voltage of over 9v with the switch set on high.

Also, don't forget that it runs at a paltry 400-450 RPM when set on low: going slower than that will hurt your ability to cool down that kind of configuration to safe temperatures.

capecodbackup
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Post by capecodbackup » Fri Dec 25, 2009 8:50 pm

thanks all for the good responses. I had some concerns about the large fan as well. I was at Micro center and they had a i7 860 for 229 which I thought was good. All cases BUT the mini P180.

And a bunch of coolers but I had no spare cash so did not get too into it. I was also looking at a cheaper gigabyte board the U2 I think as I do not need all the other stuff. They had that for 129.

I had truly forgotten the work that needs to go into a build. Cuz I really like quiet and I have got to say my current system meets my very strict QUIET requirements.

So, I am proceeding with caution.

Dave

capecodbackup
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Post by capecodbackup » Fri Dec 25, 2009 9:07 pm

Also, I checked out all the recommended fans, man, those are some nice heatsinks! too bad the passive one is only up to 89 TDP as the chip I want is 95 TDP :(

Ten years ago people actually laughed at me and muttered to themselves "There goes crazy Dave again on his wild tangents." when I asked if anyone knew of a quieter chip fan I would put on my P4. WOW, we have come a long way now!

Parappaman
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Post by Parappaman » Sat Dec 26, 2009 3:14 am

Actually, if you choose to go the Z600 way like I did, I can assure you that it will be enough even for your future CPU: the Mini P180 has fans that suck air directly from the heatsink, so it acts like an active cooler even without a fan directly attached to it. My Q8200 is at a perfectly safe 65° on Intel Burn Test at those settings, and the i5 uses even less power. :wink:

capecodbackup
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Post by capecodbackup » Sat Dec 26, 2009 12:55 pm

Parappaman do you have any photos? It sounds like a very interesting build.

capecodbackup
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Post by capecodbackup » Sun Dec 27, 2009 7:18 pm

I am now also considering a Nexus XiR-3500 CPU cooler for this build. And then maybe ducting it out the back.

Parappaman
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Post by Parappaman » Tue Dec 29, 2009 12:17 pm

capecodbackup wrote:Parappaman do you have any photos? It sounds like a very interesting build.
Took the picture and forgot to post here :lol:
Here it is.

Image

Below is a temporary 8400 GS equipped with Accelero S2 - waiting for the new GTX 260 to come. Note how close the heatsink is to the back fan: there's less than 2cm of gap, and about 3 cm to the top fan. Motherboard is a DFI P45 JR so your mileage may vary, but still, this heatsink is really excellent if paired to the standard airflow this case offers. That Slipstream at 700 RPM and the top fan at low are all that is needed to cool down the entire system, aside from PSU fan.

capecodbackup
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Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 12:06 am
Location: Cape Cod

Post by capecodbackup » Tue Dec 29, 2009 8:13 pm

Very interesting, thanks. Super large heatsink, for sure!

Being as I currently have only 2 fans, the shrouded CPU fan and the PSU fan, I am hesitant to go fully forward as the large fan on top may simply be a deal killer for me depending on the sound.

Putting in the SSD really gave me almost an order of magnitude quieter machine. It was pretty darn quiet to begin with.

I am thinking of the Seasonic X-650 as a very quiet PSU to go along with my build. Right now I got the time but no $$$. I hope that reverses pretty darned soon :) Good for me to keep in touch with the current trends, for sure.

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