Cooling a quad core in SFF case

[coppersherpa]

Hey all,

I am new to building computers and am trying to figure out what I need to cool a quad core in a small case. Since heat is more of a concern in this case than in others I will make sure I get a G0 step processor and not the hotter B3. I will use both slots to mount intake fans on this.

With the SG03 I have limitations as to how tall the HS can be (78mm max I believe). I seem to have two real options. The NT06 cooler made for the case. This would come into contact with the intake fan of the Corsair hx520W PSU I am getting. The other option is is a Zalman 8700 HSF.

Both would fit in the system. I want to make sure I have enough cooling to get a reasonable OC (3.0ghz, this is just a guess based on what I have read and seems reasonable to me). With the NT06 there isnt any way for the system to increase the fan speed as the CPU gets warmer, the PSU will just keep the speed where ever it wants. I realize some people setup a push/pull buy attaching a 120mm fan to the bottom of the NT06, but I am not convinced this will help too much, especially if the fans move at different speeds. This makes me think the Zalman, because that will ajust speed directly based on the CPU temp.

Also, if I use the zalman I assume the PSU should not have the intake facing in, because then the PSU and HS fans will both be pulling away from eachother with only about 1cm seperating them. If the PSU faces away the HSF still has only 1cm above it to draw air from.

What do you think? I dont want to be sacrificing a large amount of potential performance, but I see a lot of moving in my future and like the idea of SFF.

Thanks, Copper

 

[SolMiester]

In such a small case where thermals can be an issue, I would go for the 45nm Penryn instead of the Kentfield and use the stock HSF

May I ask why you are OC in a SFF case, is this for gaming, what card are you using?.

 

[aigomorla]

is water an option?

I can recomend you something that costs 120 dollars and will perform on par with a tuniq or TRUE. And i can tell you how to mount it internally. Would you consider it?

Actually on the higher end overclocking it would beat it. Voltage around 1.45.

The unit would be good for Vcore 1.475 if ambients werent higher then 75F. Considering the safe point on a TRUE is Vcore 1.45

 

[coppersherpa]

Hey,

First, I havent purchased anything yet, so I do have flexibilty going forward.

This is what I am thinking of:
SG03
ASUS P5E-VM HDMI
Q6600 G0
EVGA 8800GT 512MB
4gb Ram
Corsair hx520w
a tv tuner
vista ulitmate 64

as for what I want to use the system for I do want to do some gaming. I have a 360 and play on that mostly. Im sure spore wont be aproblem, im interested in playing with the level editor in crysis, but am not looking for something really crysis capable. I expect lots of video/audio encoding. Maybe some 3ds max work.

As for the OC, from reading about the q6600 at least it seems like, without spending too much on cooling, you can get quite a bit of extra out of a processor.

I have a huge computer now which I am replacing and like the idea of SFF, but I might be ok with a small ATX. As an aside I havent used a computer anywhere near as fast as this would be stock, so the OC may not really be important.

As for the Penryn, can you give me a model number/more info? I searched new egg for it and it thought I meant to search for Penguin.

Thanks

 

[coppersherpa]

aigomorla,

I read your water cooling guide and it was helpful. I think it could not be done with this case though. It can hold 2, 120mm fans right up front so it might be 'WC' friendly but the inch or so behind the fans might be occupied by something in this case. Also, because the HDDs are on the bottom I would worry about leaks more than I would anyway. Looking at the scale of the pictures you provided i'm not convinced this could fit in a case I am happy with.

That said I am not dead set against it. It sounds like its less work than I though (after setup, as far as maintenance goes) and i have access to labratory quality DI water at work which is also a plus.

That said, I was only a google search away from being proven wrong. One guy at least has stuffed water cooling into a sg03 but it looks like he needed to use a half width video card to do it. This also seems way above my difficulty level. http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1032399333

Still, I welcome more input on water and air.

Thanks

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: coppersherpa
aigomorla,

I read your water cooling guide and it was helpful. I think it could not be done with this case though. It can hold 2, 120mm fans right up front so it might be 'WC' friendly but the inch or so behind the fans might be occupied by something in this case. Also, because the HDDs are on the bottom I would worry about leaks more than I would anyway. Looking at the scale of the pictures you provided i'm not convinced this could fit in a case I am happy with.

That said I am not dead set against it. It sounds like its less work than I though (after setup, as far as maintenance goes) and i have access to labratory quality DI water at work which is also a plus.

That said, I was only a google search away from being proven wrong. One guy at least has stuffed water cooling into a sg03 but it looks like he needed to use a half width video card to do it. This also seems way above my difficulty level. http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1032399333

Still, I welcome more input on water and air.

Thanks

http://www.jab-tech.com/Swifte...oling-Kit-pr-3862.html

The pump and block is one piece. It will fit in that tight cramp spot.

The radiator you mount behind that fan up front thats mounted there.

That unit will keep up with a TRUE and beat it on some levels.

Problem with hot quad solved.

 

[coppersherpa]

I am convinced now that I can get one of these units into a SG03 (saw pics of it done), but I am not sure whether it is really worth it.

I read this: http://www.anandtech.com/casec...howdoc.aspx?i=3097&p=9

and it seems like the risks of leaks and cost take away from the minimal upside for doing this. Also, this solution would require only 1 120mm fan up front and I think two would be needed to keep everything else cool. I also found some discussion of the zalman and the q6600 which lead me to believe that I could get a reasonable OC with this solution.

Also, can someone clue me in on Penryn? Im having trouble trying to find info on it. One thing I saw said they are laptop chips. I assume they are less power and less heat. How would they compare on speed and price?

Thanks

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: coppersherpa
I am convinced now that I can get one of these units into a SG03 (saw pics of it done), but I am not sure whether it is really worth it.

I read this: http://www.anandtech.com/casec...howdoc.aspx?i=3097&p=9

and it seems like the risks of leaks and cost take away from the minimal upside for doing this. Also, this solution would require only 1 120mm fan up front and I think two would be needed to keep everything else cool. I also found some discussion of the zalman and the q6600 which lead me to believe that I could get a reasonable OC with this solution.

Also, can someone clue me in on Penryn? Im having trouble trying to find info on it. One thing I saw said they are laptop chips. I assume they are less power and less heat. How would they compare on speed and price?

Thanks

no stay on air if your thinkn about zalman. The external unit is too bulky, and if thats the case, id rather recomend you mounting the rad externally and ditching zalman altogether.

Stay with swiftech. Zalman blows in h2o cooling.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...p=2547739&postcount=26

Some inspiration.

 

[coppersherpa]

Oh, sorry, I meant Zalman 8700 air heat sync. I saw that specific SG03 and did not realize that the swiftech radiator didnt need to be centered on one fan but could be straddled over two so you can keep a lot of air moving through the system. So I will keep thinking about water.

@SolMiester - I think the cpu you were suggesting was the q9300, is that correct? I saw that the power consumption is much lower on this chip than the q6600. Also, I saw it can be over clocked quite a bit before using as much power as the 6600 stock, so thanks for that idea, it should help things out quite a bit.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: coppersherpa
Oh, sorry, I meant Zalman 8700 air heat sync. I saw that specific SG03 and did not realize that the swiftech radiator didnt need to be centered on one fan but could be straddled over two so you can keep a lot of air moving through the system. So I will keep thinking about water.

@SolMiester - I think the cpu you were suggesting was the q9300, is that correct? I saw that the power consumption is much lower on this chip than the q6600. Also, I saw it can be over clocked quite a bit before using as much power as the 6600 stock, so thanks for that idea, it should help things out quite a bit.

(Moderate OC potential) 9300 < Q6600 (less then or =) Q9450 < Q6700 < QX9650 (best overclocking potential)

 

[SolMiester]

coppersherpa, I was actually thinking of the Q9450, it has a better multiplier....however yes both will clock over 3Ghz with the stock HSF

 

[SolMiester]

aigomorla, I thought the guy was after a moderate 3Ghz clock, which is why I suggested the Qxxxx as he does have a small case.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: SolMiester
aigomorla, I thought the guy was after a moderate 3Ghz clock, which is why I suggested the Qxxxx as he does have a small case.

no need to get explain, i understand.

he's thinkn on jumping on water now which means a lot more has opened up for him. :T

 

[erobles]

If you'll buy q6600 don't use zalman 8700. It's not worth it for a quad. It looks good but its just a little better than stock cooler. I used 8700 in my q6600 at 3ghz before but after a month I shift to TRUE, it run too hot for me so I need to get a better cooler. My case is a clone of a microfly case. Its PSU is located at the top of the VC so I just modified the case to fit the TRUE. Unlike SG03 the psu is located on top of the CPU so tower type cooler wont work for you. If you'll go on air cooler you may try scythe Zipang, it will fit in your case and its better than the zalman 8700. But as what aigo said, water is better if you want to OC higher.

 

[SolMiester]

Whats TRUE?

 

[erobles]

Thermalright Ultra-120 extreme

 

[coppersherpa]

ok, so I have a question about leaking. You set it up w/o being hooked up to the cpu and let it run for a while. If it passes this leak test is there much chance of leaking in the future? The main thing I worry about here is water destroying my entire system right after I bought it.

As for the paperclip thing. Is that necessary if the PSU is not plugged into the system (Because the system hasnt been assembled yet)?

Thanks