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At a Crossroad and need some advice

K

Kevin

Diamond Member
I'm at that point where it seems I have a ton of options that are all going to cost me the same and I have no idea what to do. Compared to systems of today, my computer is probably a little dated:

A7N8X-E
Barton 2500 w/ a Zalman HSF (huge sucker that sucks at cooling)
2x 512MB DDR333 (Crucial sicks, suprisingly not that friendly)
120GB SATA HDD
ATI Radeon 9800PRO
NEC DVD-RW
Lite-On CD-RW
LG DVD-ROM
Antec Smartpower 4XX WATT

Essentially there are 2 roads I can follow. One is going SFF, which is going to force me to buy a new Case/Mobo/CPU/RAM or going Silent which is probably going to set me back a new case, HSF, power supply and some case fans. My original idea was to get a smaller case and try to manage everything better but that just isn't working out (thanks to everyone who offered some suggestions in my other thread).

I think the next logical step is to go as completely silent as I can without sacrificing temperature or space. I have an all aluminum Chieftec which is humongous so I'd like to go a little smaller.

Any ideas in the Case, Cooling and Power Supply fields? All I need is 2 5.25" bays, fit an ATX board, and preferably black to match my current drives.
 
Antec SLK3000-B for case - steel cases are generally quieter than aluminum (unless sandwiched like the P180 or otherwise stiffened/damped). Hard to beat for cooling and noise at the ~$50. shipped price. Check for some modding tips/ideas at http://www.coolcases.com - the Compucase/HEC 6A19 is basically the same as the Antec 3000/3700/3800. And see the review at SPCR. Easy to make it more quiet with carefully chosen fans, etc. The Speeze/Spire/MassCool FalconRock HSF cools very well and is nice and quiet for the money. Use a couple of stripes of non-corrosive silicone seal to damp the minor fin ringing.

.bh.
 
When it comes to making a quiet PC it basically comes down to fans and fan control. That means CPU, GPU, PSU, and case fans, the slower the better. I'm assuming you plan to move your current hardware into a new case since you didn't specify any new hardware upgrades so here are some recommendations for your current setup.

CPU: Your Zalman should be ok since they are all pretty decent but the Thermalright SI-97A is really the best option, it's also compatible with socket 754 and 939 for down the road. As for the Fan I would recommend this Delta, Sanyo Denki, or Panaflo.

PSU: Seasonic is the easy choice for top quality and low noise; the 380watt S12 should be plenty for now as well as later.

GPU: Stock cooling is generally unacceptable. The Zalman VF-700 is a good choice for your 9800Pro and will cover future upgrades as well.

Case: I don't think you'll find many if any cases with 2 5 1/4 bays that can hold a full ATX board. Case material is not particularly important you mentioned black so I'll recommend this CoolerMaster. Note, I have used this case but the stock fans were replaced immediately with Panaflo L1As; they were also temp controlled via BIOS controls. The machine was dead quiet.

Northbridge: If your MB has active cooling it?s probably annoyingly loud. You'll want to replace with a good passive solution like this Zalman.
 
If I remember correctly the northbridge doesn't have any type of cooling. The CPU/PSU/GPU recommendations are appreciated but the case seems similar to my existing one. Its probably the one thing I'm being real picky about even though in my mind my requirements are simple.
 
Well almost any case can be made quiet / silent though some are suited to it better then others. I choose the CoolerMaster because of it's high quality build and drop dead good looks. Many people will recommend Antecs like the SLK3000 above which are fine but I'm not a fan steel and plastic.
 
I currently have http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811125438 although mine is all aluminum and the front is the two-tone Matrix style. I do regret not getting black as the blue is a little silly. I hate the door since all it does is get in the way. I have this case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811180013 sitting in my basement unused. I am considering swapping the cases out which will save me some money. However I am going to order that stuff you mentioned. My favorite case is the Cooler Master Centurion 540 but it will only fit a Micro-ATX. I'd love to go all out and replace everything but I'm already at $150 for the CPU/GPU/PS before shipping. I'd also like to dump my current memory as its pretty crappy for some unknown reason. So unfortunately the bottom line keeps snowballing.
 
The 3000-B is a couple inches shorter than the 1000 series or chieftec/chenming dragon but if you need shorter, the 2650BQE is another couple inches shorter than the 3000. Unfortunately you can't get it w/o PSU. The Ever Case 42x2 (where the x can be replaced by 5, 7, 9, etc) series is also under !7" tall.
. The shortest case (under 15") I've seen that will fit an ATX mobo is the Enlight 7100 series, but I don't think it is made any more - you can call them on the phone to find out. Directron has a few of the beige 7101s left - you could easliy spray paint the metal black and vinyl-dye (or spray paint with Testors or some other plastic compatible paint) the plastic front. There is another no-name case on Newegg that is about the same size as the Enlight but it does come in black. The compromise is that the PSU mount is vertical so it will limit your choice of HSF. And it is also kind of chunky at over 8" wide. Then there is a unique case by JPAC at Newegg and maybe others (I never looked) - it's the NJA at 14.5" tall. It has its compromises too, not the least of which is the throw-away, L&C PSU. I've been sore tempted to grab one just to experiment on. Anyone that can make that hummer cool well and quietly would definitely earn the MMM (master modder's medal). 😉

.bh.
 
Yeah, the Centurion 540 dose look pretty nice, a full ATX version would be great to see.

Your current case is good from a air flow perspective, but not very visually appealing. The AMS looks alright but has pretty terrible air flow. You would have to make at least a few modifications for quiet running.
 
When I first got the case I cut the rear metal fan 'grills' so there was no restriction. I believe the front fits a 92 or 120 fan but its quite useless considering there is no inlet for air. I'm seriously debating laying out the cash and getting a Lian-Li. I may cheap out all together and pickup a SkyHawk but I'm very unsure at the moment.
 
The only Lian Li's that I'd consider right now are the PC-6070 (what I'm currently using) and the V1100 series. The PC-6x is out classed by the CoolerMaster I linked to above, yes I've used both. I would also advise against the cheap Sky Hawk and Kingwin knockoffs.
 
Both. The frame on the CoolerMaster is built for a AL that is bit thicker then what Lian Li typically uses so it's a bit more solid. Every fan on the CM has a wire grill and is secured via self threading screws, Lian Li typically uses cheap push pins. The front bezel of the CM is made from even thicker yet AL and has beveled edges.

The quality is just a step above the typical Lian Li, it also looks much nicer. Prices are usually in favor of the CoolerMaster despite it being a better case in my opinion, I see no reason to go with a PC-6x Lian Li.
 
120mm fans is a plus but the only Lian Li to have them all around is the v1x00 series and is rather expensive. Besides good 80mm fans are easier to come by, and two 80mm is roughly equal to one 120mm.

The removable HD cage has no advantages that I can see.
 
I was grateful that someone recommended to me a CoolerMaster Centurion 531 case for my brother's upgrade. After the $20 rebate, I think it shakes out to around $45.

That case has a steel chassis and an aluminum front bezel. The front ventilation is exceptional compared to Coolermaster's extravagant but badly ventilated Wavemaster cases.

The sheet metal, however, is a little cheap, and you must be careful not to over-torque the motherboard standoffs or drive-cage screws. The front intake fan doesn't have the throughput I'd wish for. It runs at 1,200 rpm, and I replaced it with a ThermalTake Blue LED 120mm trimmed down to 1,800 rpm. From the recommendations you have from others, there is a preference in this thread for fans pushing less CFM and spinning slower than that.

Even so, a midtower case -- and there are probably many like this one -- would really benefit from motherboard ducting, which would cost you about $10 worth of foam-art-board and craft-glue, a razor-blade and some time and patience. That can be worth anything from a few to several degrees reduction (Celsius) in all temperatures around the motherboard and CPU. It will also deaden the decibels a bit.

My labor of love has been my "MOJO" -- now called "MOJO-2" -- since my brother's Xmas present consisted of MOJO's innards and the CM Centurion 531 case. MOJO-2 continues from the original to use a full-tower case. It probably takes a little less time and trouble to keep a full-tower cool, but I'm planning to duct my brother's system after Xmas, and I have high hopes.

I don't see anything wrong with your PSU, unless you're planning to replace the whole innards-enchilada and move up to SLI and Athlon 64 or 64-x2.
 
The power supply is pretty noisy so I don't mind replacing it. Also all of my spare parts are going towards another build for my father who really needs a new PC. Cooler Master made the RC-540 to fit an ATX board we wouldn't be having this discussion but unfortunately they only make mATX and BATX versions.
 
Well I broke down and bought the CoolerMaster. It doesn't seem like a bad case although I do miss the drive rails. I sitll have to find time to install everything but I'll let you guys know how it works.

Also, should I replace the stock case fans or will they be fine, silence wise?
 
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