Antec NSK2400 Media PC Case

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ryansebiz
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Passive CPU cooling?

Post by ryansebiz » Sat Aug 19, 2006 11:27 pm

First time poster here. After reading MikeC's excellent review and cmcquistion's outstanding ideas in this huge thread I had to ask one question:

Is it possible to get away with passive CPU cooling on an AMD64 3500 Venice using the Thermalright SI-120?

I would use RMClock to undervolt the CPU. I will also use an 800RPM Scythe fan as the exhaust fan.

I'm using the stock Antec case fans and stock CPU fan and the case is louder than I'd like. Thanks to SPCR I have some great ideas on how to change that.

So should I go with the passive Thermalright SI-120 or the Zalman 7700 modded with a Scythe or Nexus 120mm fan?

P.S. I'm trying to maximize cooling because, as you can see, my HTPC doesn't have much room to breath!

Image

MikeC
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Re: Passive CPU cooling?

Post by MikeC » Sun Aug 20, 2006 6:22 am

ryansebiz wrote:Is it possible to get away with passive CPU cooling on an AMD64 3500 Venice using the Thermalright SI-120?
As long as the airflow is flowing through the fins, most likely. IE, the fins need to be oriented left/right, not front/back.

cmcquistion
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Post by cmcquistion » Sun Aug 20, 2006 8:59 am

My modded Zalman 7700 with Scythe fan almost never spins up, since I'm undervolting the CPU Vcore, so it really isn't any louder than a completely passive solution, but it has the advantage that if it DOES need active cooling, it gets it automatically. Also, the passive northbridge gets a little peripheral airflow from the Zalman, which can't hurt.

ryansebiz
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Post by ryansebiz » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:05 pm

Wow thanks for the fast replies fellas.

I just read that the Yate Loon D12SL-12 case fans, which can be found for $3.50, are the same fan as the Nexus (the Nexus is a rebranded Yate Loon), except that it spins at slightly faster speeds.

Is this true?

The lowest price I can find for the Scythes is $20 shipped on Newegg. That sounds a little high for a fan.

Should I go with the the Yate Loon or the Scythe 800RPM for my case fan and to mod the Zalman with?
Last edited by ryansebiz on Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.

jaganath
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Post by jaganath » Sun Aug 20, 2006 12:07 pm

I just read that the Yate Loon D12SL-12 case fans (http://tinyurl.com/qs6rs), which can be found for $3.50, are the same fan as the Nexus (the Nexus is a rebranded Yate Loon), except that it spins at slightly faster speeds.

Is this true?
Yes. It only applies to the 120mm Nexus though, the 80mm and 92mm are made by other companies.

rightonbro
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Post by rightonbro » Fri Aug 25, 2006 9:14 am

ryansebiz, were you able to install the SI-120 in your NSK2400? How did it turn out?

I'm about to upgrade my HTPC to a Venice 3500+ and was thinking about running the SI-120 passively as well. My setup is jammed into an A/V rack with similar dimensions and headroom as the one in your picture.

keltong
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Post by keltong » Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:53 pm

bishoptf wrote:I am in the process of building a new HTPC/server and I want a better heatsink than the stock AMD heatsink. I will be using an amd 3500+ AM2 cpu and an asus M2NPV-VM motherboard and of course the nsk2400. Since this is an AM2 cpu it limits my choices, I have read in here of what will not fit, but are there any recomendations of what will fit. I have found an article ( see link: http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=getart ... rticID=451 ) that lists which ones will work with the new AM2 bracket but not sure which is my best choice. Two Of the ones that I am looking at are the aerocool xfire http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835129045 and the nmedia icecone http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835133008 I don't think the aerocool is to tall and I would be replacing the 120 fan with a yate loon. Anybody have any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Hi guys, I am new to HTPC and does not even know what it is until 1 week ago when my friend introduced it to me, since then, I have been hook on it and doing all the reading I can afford in my spare (and not so spare) time.

After coming across this excellent article, and going to the shop to see the real stuff, I am a fan of this casing. Only problem is, the review is using the 939 socket, but here the AM2 seems to be the more porpular choice, which leaves with with the same questions as bishoptf has, what cpu cooler is recommended if I were to got with AM2, or should I just stick to 939 so that I can use the Zalman 7000?

One thing I like about AM2 is that they are using DDR2 RAM (which since a few days ago is cheaper than the DDR RAM). However, can I also asked if the DDR2 RAM will give out more heat? Sorry if this sounds stupid as I'm completely new to the concept of having quiet and cool PC, even tough I DIY all my PCs! My aim use to be just 'cheap', but HTPC has given me something to think about.

Now I know my the PC in my room sounds like the engine of my car, I think I better take a look at the fans.

Thanks!

hravn
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Post by hravn » Sun Aug 27, 2006 11:46 pm

keltong wrote:However, can I also asked if the DDR2 RAM will give out more heat?
I can't answer your other questions, but I'm pretty sure that DDR2 actually consumes less power than DDR, thats one of the advantages (besides frequency scaling).

bishoptf
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Post by bishoptf » Fri Sep 01, 2006 5:28 am

OK, thought I would post this, Here's my latest build:

MSI K9NGM2-FID
amd 3500 AM2
ocz Value 675 pc5300 2gig
aerocool x-fire cpu cooler
3 yate loons 120 fans (volted to 5v you can control speed through MB for cpu)
nec 3550a (have only used nec for last 5 builds, not the quietest but dependable-modified firmware 1y6)
nsk2400 (Love the case, minor complaints)

Hardware seems to work really well and is extremly quiet, this will be replacing my existing linux server with this one so my goal will be to run myth, xen, plus 4 to 5 virtual machines. I can go into more detail but everything worked right out of the box no problems. I have three hard drives, I modded the burner because the nec silver didn't match so I made a semi-stealth drive. Modded the 5.25 drive cage to suspend a hdd under the burner, did this with 1/8" bungee. So far my cpu temps when loaded are 41-42C, :0, need to watch the HDD under the dvd.

I'm running fedora core 5 as my base image and am working on myth right now, If you want more details let me know.


http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-9/1 ... G_0385.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-9/1 ... G_0386.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-9/1 ... G_0387.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-9/1 ... G_0388.JPG

cmcquistion
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Post by cmcquistion » Fri Sep 01, 2006 1:26 pm

I like the way you stealthed the optical drive. Can you post some pics or give some instruction on how you went about doing that?

Can you still open the drive by pushing on the plastic cover or do you have to open it through software control?

What are you doing with the box? Are you using MythTV to watch TV, record, etc? Why are you using Xen and running multiple virtual machines? (Tell me more... I've always been fascinated with MythTV, but I just don't have the Linux skills to ever get it working very well.)

VT50WA
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Post by VT50WA » Tue Sep 05, 2006 7:26 pm

Hi everyone,

Im planning on building an AM2 system in an NSK2400 and had just about given up until I saw the post bishoptf put about about Aerocool XFire (thanks man)! I am planning on using the XFire with one of the following two boards: EPoX EP-MGF6100-M or Biostar TForce 6100 AM2

I am concerned however that the heatpipes on the Xfire may interfere with the capacitors on the Biostar board which are right up against the retention bracket and both the capacitors and the memory slots on the Epox both of which are right up against the retention bracket.

So do the heatpipes on the Xfire protrude outside the area of the retention bracket? What does everyone think of my chances of using the Xfire with the boards? TIA

VT50WA
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Post by VT50WA » Wed Sep 06, 2006 6:47 am

:| Anyone?

bishoptf
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Post by bishoptf » Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:35 am

Sorry, need to respond to other post also, been up late nights getting stuff installed working. I'll try to update tonight with some pictures, but the pipes weren't even close to mine. The only thing that I was different was, I wish the fins were aligned with the airflow out of the case and it was tricky to install, I would install on board outside of case. Mine was an AM2 cpu, but it seemed like I had to use a good amount of force to lock it down. I replaced the orginal fan with a yate loon amd my temps are really good, 41-42C under load. About the best I could do, not much room...

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-9/1 ... G_0399.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-9/1 ... G_0400.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-9/1 ... G_0402.JPG

bishoptf
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Post by bishoptf » Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:45 pm

cmcquistion wrote:I like the way you stealthed the optical drive. Can you post some pics or give some instruction on how you went about doing that?

Can you still open the drive by pushing on the plastic cover or do you have to open it through software control?

What are you doing with the box? Are you using MythTV to watch TV, record, etc? Why are you using Xen and running multiple virtual machines? (Tell me more... I've always been fascinated with MythTV, but I just don't have the Linux skills to ever get it working very well.)
Sorry it has taken me awhile to get back, yes you can open the door by pushing on it, there are various "how to's" out there that step you through the process. I took the cover and then took a sharp box cutter and cut down the edges "very carefully", changed the blade a couple of times to keep it easy. I've enclosed some pictures that kind of gives you the idea. It could be better, needs to be adjusted a little down. As far as the box goes I want to use it as myth box plus xen server, xen is still a little rough around the edges but eventually I think it will get there. This would allow me to put the myth in a installation (virtual machine) all of its on, and then I can other seperate machines for backup, file serving, printing, dhcp, radius etc. What's nice about it is that I don't have to worry about upgrading one thing and it messing up another. Myth isn't so bad to get up an running, there are great how to's especially for fedora like this one, http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/fcmyth.php. The big key is to get hardware that is known to work and that will make it much easier then just read, read, read.....getting there is half the fun. :)

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-9/1 ... G_0406.JPG
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-9/1 ... G_0407.JPG


Here are the Stealth drive links that I found, I used Goop to attach the front plate (secure but can be removed). You could probably use silicone caulk also...

http://www.velocityreviews.com/guides/H ... -Drive.php
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=272
Last edited by bishoptf on Tue Oct 10, 2006 5:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

VT50WA
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Post by VT50WA » Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:22 pm

Thanks very much for all your help bishoptf, I really appreciate you taking those pics for me!

Judging from those pics, I may avoid the Epox board as the memory slots are right up against the retention bracket and I'm pretty certain the heatpipes on the XFire will interfere with them.

JAH
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Post by JAH » Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:10 pm

I posted a question regarding the new XFX 7950 GT passively-cooled graphic card here - on whether it will fit into this case.

But I might get a better opinions here. For all the NSK2400 owners, what do you guys think? Would it fit in the case? I'd e-mail XFX about the 7950 GT exact measurements, but haven't got a response yet. Would those heatpipes and fins on top of the card prevent you from closing the case? I'm thinking it's too tall. :x

Rusty075
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Post by Rusty075 » Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:32 pm

That will definitely not fit in to a NSK2400. Installed, you've got about about 3/8" (1cm) between the top of the PCI bracket and the underside of the case lid.

Although you could cut a hole in the top of the case and stick the heatpipes out through it. :wink:

paulesko
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Post by paulesko » Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:52 am

my gigabyte 7600 gt just fits but heatpipes touches the top of the case.

Image

aidanjm2004
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Post by aidanjm2004 » Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:42 am

spaceman_spiff wrote:I've come up with what I believe is a new way to attach the drives. It uses heat-shrink tubing to attach regular HD mounting screws to the ends of the elastic.
that is a very clever solution!

eugenius
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Post by eugenius » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:27 am

can you use a passive psu in this case?
i have a 350w fortron zen psu that I think needs some airflow ...

Devonavar
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Post by Devonavar » Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:05 pm

That depends on what your system specs are. If you have a low powered system (say, <60W) probably, otherwise I wouldn't recommend it. Fanless PSUs are designed to use system airflow for cooling, and the NSK2400 doesn't provide any system cooling through the PSU channel... it's expected to cool itself.

bosox
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Post by bosox » Sat Oct 28, 2006 10:47 am

this is a terrific thread - lots of good information. anyone have an opinion on a Scythe SAMURAI heatsink/fan? it seems like it will fit.

just ordered:

foxconn 6150 chipset
athlon 64 3700+
sata 320 hd

got some ddr, an optical drive, and tuner card already...

amjedm
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Post by amjedm » Mon Oct 30, 2006 7:11 am

bosox wrote:this is a terrific thread - lots of good information. anyone have an opinion on a Scythe SAMURAI heatsink/fan? it seems like it will fit.
Review

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article307-page1.html

Discussion in Forums

viewtopic.php?t=29994

vaio
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Post by vaio » Wed Nov 01, 2006 9:30 am

Woot........NSK2400 in the mail :D

*Actually I ordered 2* :P

ridegd
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AM2 heatsinks into NSK2400

Post by ridegd » Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:45 pm

For those of you who don't already know, the Thermalright XP series and the usual others can now be used with the AM2 RM (Rev. B) AM2 adapter.


Too bad thermalright is so extremely expensive.
If arctic cooling made the same stuff they would be $30 or less.
Funny you can get a Seasonic 330 for less than the price of a heatsink...

Devonavar
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Post by Devonavar » Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:34 pm

A postscript to the original review has been added that looks at the Antec Fusion: Same chassis, different look.

Rusty075
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Post by Rusty075 » Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:58 pm

Just to follow up on my own experiences with a Fusion. I've been using one as my main box for a couple of months now.

First, I cannot say enough what a stupid error Antec did with the drive bay. The top bay, the one you can't use because of the VFD, has the horizontal slots to adjust the drive's mounting depth from the faceplate, but the bottom one, the one you actually have to use to mount the optical drive only has the single mounting holes. I had to resort to double sided tape to get my dvd drive to stay in the right spot. You can see what I'm talking about in this pic:
Image

Second, I think the audio issues Devon had with the VFD might be hardware/driver specific. I'm using an AV-710 card with the Envy24 chipset, and my SPDIF-out works perfectly, with both ASIO and WDM drivers.


I do agree that the Antec software is limited, but I'm not sure what else most users would want to do with it besides what it does. Mine shows me the media tag info when I change audio tracks or the dancing EQ bars midtrack, the chapter number and timestamp when I'm watching DVD's, the date/time the rest of the time. For a media center, that's pretty much all I need. The incompatibility with the regular iMon software is curious though...I went and tried to install it after reading Devon's comments on it.


One item Devon didn't mention, and may not have even looked at, is the acoustics. Having moved the same hardware from a 2400 to the Fusion I can say with certainty that the Fusion is actually quieter. Not greatly, and the differences may be due to luck of the draw with PSU and case fans, but from the front the Fusion has less high-spectrum noise than the 2400 did. It's subtle, but its there. I'm not sure if the mass of the aluminum masks some noise that would come through the plastic, or if just its added weight shifts the resonate frequency of the whole case down spectrum. Could be both..or I could be losing my mind in my old age.

Devonavar
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Post by Devonavar » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:38 pm

Rusty075 wrote:Second, I think the audio issues Devon had with the VFD might be hardware/driver specific. I'm using an AV-710 card with the Envy24 chipset, and my SPDIF-out works perfectly, with both ASIO and WDM drivers.
But *I'm* using an AV-710 card with the Envy24 chipset! What gives?

Rusty075
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Post by Rusty075 » Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:06 pm

Devonavar wrote:But *I'm* using an AV-710 card with the Envy24 chipset! What gives?
:? Um, um, um....

Maybe it's the motherboard chipset that is transferring the ghost signal back through the SPDIF? Maybe kmixer picks up the signal from the USB device? What driver revision you running? I'll admit that I am not much of an expert on the subtleties of audio tweaking....but on my setup it just worked, right out of the box.


EDIT: I'm also running Vista, which doesn't use the old kmixer anymore, so maybe that has something to do with it?

Jeff Haas
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Post by Jeff Haas » Fri Dec 22, 2006 12:35 pm

If you're not satisfied with the control over the VFD that the included drivers give you, you can use LCD Smartie to configure it. Here's info I posted on the HTPC News forum on how to configure it. (I was considering just posting a link, but having it all in one thread will be easier for people.)

LCD Smartie is found here: http://lcdsmartie.sourceforge.net/
Download and unzip it to any folder you want.

====
To use LCD Smartie with the Fusion, you just have to set it up correctly. Start LCD Smartie and you'll see the simulated display on your monitor. Click "Setup" on the lower left.

To tell LCD Smartie what kind of VFD you have, look at the LCD settings in the upper right.
- LCD Size: Pick 2 x 20 on the drop-down menu.
- Select "Matrix Orbital (Serial)" for type of display.
- COM Port: Select USB Palm on the drop-down menu.

If you click Apply and OK, it will close the configure dialog and you'll see the simulated display with the new size, plus the VFD on the Fusion should show the same info.

Now you can play with the info that LCD Smartie can display. A quick example:

In the Screens Settings area of the config dialog, pick Screen 20 on the drop-down menu. This should not have any default settings. On the left side of the config dialog are the pre-set display macros. If you select the vertical Winamp tab, then you can double-click "TrackTitle" and the setting for showing the current title playing in Winamp is pasted into the highlighted display area for the VFD.

You can also play with how many screens are active (the "enabled" checkbox) and what the transition between screens is.
====

Jeff

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