MicroFly help

Info & chat about quiet prebuilt, small form factor and barebones systems, people's experiences with vendors thereof, etc.

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adqttr
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Location: Upstate, NY

MicroFly help

Post by adqttr » Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:56 am

Hey,

I just got a new microfly micro atx case. I was wondering if it is possible to put in a psu that is quieter and more efficient. Does anyone know of a good psu for the microfly case.

I was also wondering what is the best cpu heatsink to put on it. I dun really like idea or taking the bracket off the motherboard and changing it because i had problems with that on my last build. I would do it if it really helps performance. so if anyone knows how much space i have in mm that would be very helpful.

NeilBlanchard
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Post by NeilBlanchard » Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:07 pm

Hello,

Can you post a link for this case, please? I'm not familiar with it.

Bobfantastic
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Post by Bobfantastic » Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:47 pm

This is what I did with effectively the same case-
clicky
These things are known variously as the Microfly, X-Qpack, Blockbuster, and Chenming something-or-other (everybody makes the same thing).
I wound up with a Seasonic S12-380, I would have preferred the 330 though (supplier problems).
For the heatsink, if you use the case as-is you've very little choice in the matter. I ripped out the support, and managed to squeeze in a Noctua tower- the main thing to consider, however, is the power supply interfering with the HSF. I didn't, and ended up brute-forcing the case back together before I eventually addmitted defeat and rotated the HSF.
I've been thinking recently that there's almost enough space for an 8800-series GPU in these cases, they've certainly got a lot of potential...
Hope this helps!

adqttr
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Location: Upstate, NY

Post by adqttr » Fri Mar 09, 2007 10:37 am

when you cut into the support beam did it make the case less sturdy? I don't want to break the integrity of the case by cutting the support bars. I was looking at the xp-90 by thermalright and wondering if that would fit without cutting into the bars at all. do you know if there is anyplace to look to see exactly how much space is available?

As far as power supply goes. do you know if there is any good effective and quiet psu that is built for a micro case? or do you have to just find a place for all the extra cording and such, or if there is any psu that would have removable cords like the ultra psu's.

thanks for the help.

Bobfantastic
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Post by Bobfantastic » Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:40 pm

1. Yes and no- I knew what I was putting into the drive bays, and figured that with just one DVD burner and a single HDD that the beam could support them both. Before anything was mounted in the bays, after cutting the beam, the side of the bay rails was able to twist a bit more than it had previously. However, by screwing the DVD burner in tightly this helped to pull everything together, and it's plenty solid now. With the sides back on the case, it's as good as a table.

2. From the top of my processor to the bottom of the beam was about 65mm- your motherboard and standoffs will no doubt be different, so double check before you order! Also, with a mATX board there is a higher chance of components close to the socket interfering with the lower heatpipes- again, it depends on what you use.

3. Finally, yes Seasonic definitely do a mATX supply. Not sure of the number or power ratings, or the noise, but I'm sure someone else can fill you in on that. I just left most of the cables in the bundle that came from the manufacturer, and pulled out the single molex and single sata lead that I needed (besides the mobo power). See-
http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/2465/dsc0206ju9.jpg

Hope this helps!

adqttr
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Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:10 am
Location: Upstate, NY

Post by adqttr » Sat Mar 10, 2007 2:13 pm

Yea it looks pretty good.

I am not sure how comfortable i feel with cutting the case apart. If i do i can fit a lot better heatsink then it might be worth a try. I am going to go with a AMD X2 Processor so if you know of a good heatsink that will fit and is fairly cheap. let me know.

I just want to be able to work in the case a little bit and with the power supply that you have it looks like the cords are just going everywhere. did they get in the way a lot when you were trying to put the comp together?

When you did the suspended hard drive why didnt you put it in the 2nd CD Drive slot instead of putting it where you did? just wondering because i was planning on putting it there and i was wondering if there was a reason why you did it like that.

thanks again for your help.

MC FLMJIG
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Post by MC FLMJIG » Sat Mar 10, 2007 3:18 pm

Zalman 7700 series or similar.

Silverstone also makes one that might fit. Don't remember name.

Cutting the beam makes it a tad wobbly but once all the windows are on it's ok. Maybe it will fit cutting a piece of the beam and not all?

Antec Neo are decent if you want cheaper PSU but good. Seasonic is usually pricier but with reason.

Bobfantastic
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Post by Bobfantastic » Sun Mar 11, 2007 2:36 am

Because of the layout of the case, the PSU went in last so the cables weren't a problem during assembly. At the moment, they're all bunched up and cable-tied to the steel bar the runs along that side of the case. The ends of the cables are hanging in space, granted, but they're not able to move about, they're held fast.

I decided to suspend the HDD sideways, hanging out the bottom of the bays, because there's a ledge across half of the bottom of the optical drive bays- with the bungees I was using, they were touching both the optical drive and the shelf underneath, removing the effect of the suspension.

unmake
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Post by unmake » Sun Mar 11, 2007 6:25 am

A Seasonic 330W unit fits nicely in my MicroFly - the positioning of its cables (on the right, when looking at its back) works well for this case (another supply with the cables on the left crams up against the 5.25" bays).

adqttr
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Location: Upstate, NY

Post by adqttr » Thu Mar 15, 2007 4:33 am

is 330w really enough power?

Bobfantastic
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Post by Bobfantastic » Thu Mar 15, 2007 5:42 am

Nowhere near enough, although I'm not sure where you'd put the fourth 8800GTX in that case anyway... :wink:

On a serious note, what ARE you looking to put into it? 330w is usually plenty- see this thread for examples. A low-powered supply is only a problem if it's rubbish- poor efficiency means that you may only be getting 100-150W, which was cutting it very fine for older generations of hardware (Pentium D'ablos, for instance). Unless you're getting a particularly power-hungry card, 330w is usually plenty.

Tell us what you've got!

YugenM
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Post by YugenM » Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:41 pm

MC FLMJIG wrote:
Silverstone also makes one that might fit. Don't remember name.
Silverstone NT-06?

[F]bernZ
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Post by [F]bernZ » Fri Apr 06, 2007 4:01 pm

NT-06 doesn't fit in the Microfly. It's 2mm too high.

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