HTP2C Build Part 2

[imported_ST]

After my first attempt at a quiet(er) Home Theatre Performance PC, I've gone back and made a few changes including:

1) Removed TT Big Typhoon for a Scythe Ninja HSF w/ YL fan. This helps with the airflow from front to rear.

2) Removed the TT iCage HDD mounts for a home made elastic chord HDD suspension setup. This incorporates a Scythe Kama Bay front HDD 120mm fan (YL again).

3) Replaced old PS w/ a newer Silverstone Element PSU based on the Enhance 80+ unit and mounted it externally as well, w/ a Panaflo 120mm fan (this will be replaced with a YL also). I found out my PSU was one of hottest components in the system directly contributing to more stale ambient air.

Note: bottom intake fan is actually not operational and will be removed, as will the AC silencer on the 7900gt for a completely passive hsf. I'm also working on a CPU ducting solution soon. All fans are directly controlled via Speedfan for further noise reduction.


http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g319/stranx44/IMG_0847.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g319/stranx44/IMG_0850.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g319/stranx44/IMG_0848.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g319/stranx44/IMG_0852.jpg

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g319/stranx44/IMG_0851.jpg

 

[nullpointerus]

A few comments:

1) I've seen pictures of that Scythe Ninja HSF in online stores, but man that thing even makes the attached 120mm fan look small. I've got to get one of those!

2) What did you use to construct your HDD suspension setup? Did it really lower the noise? Does it work when the case is vertical, too? (not clear from the pictures)

3) The externally mounted PSU looks very flimsy and tacky IMO although it certainly makes sense from a cooling perspective. Personally, I wouldn't do it.

4) Will your 7900GT get enough airflow with a passive HSF and no front intake? It looks like all the air in the system will go from the 5.25" bays over the CPU and out to the PSU without looping around the video card PCB to cool the GPU and RAM. Or maybe you are planning on underclocking it?

What exactly do you use your HTPC for? I expect you'll be gaming, recording TV, and transcoding video, right? Apparently, I missed the first thread. Maybe you could post a link back to it.

 

[RallyMaster]

Looks very nice! The Scythe Kama Bay certainly looks good. Guess I should get one of those soon.

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: nullpointerus
A few comments:

1) I've seen pictures of that Scythe Ninja HSF in online stores, but man that thing even makes the attached 120mm fan look small. I've got to get one of those!

2) What did you use to construct your HDD suspension setup? Did it really lower the noise? Does it work when the case is vertical, too? (not clear from the pictures)

3) The externally mounted PSU looks very flimsy and tacky IMO although it certainly makes sense from a cooling perspective. Personally, I wouldn't do it.

4) Will your 7900GT get enough airflow with a passive HSF and no front intake? It looks like all the air in the system will go from the 5.25" bays over the CPU and out to the PSU without looping around the video card PCB to cool the GPU and RAM. Or maybe you are planning on underclocking it?

What exactly do you use your HTPC for? I expect you'll be gaming, recording TV, and transcoding video, right? Apparently, I missed the first thread. Maybe you could post a link back to it.

Hello...

1 - Ya the Scythe is a monster, only dwarfed presently by the Tuniq Tower. I've herad Scythe is also releasing a BIGGER HSF in the forum of th infinium or something like that.
2 - I bought some elastic chords from Walmart lol and just tied it together myself. It works great vertical or horizontal, as long as you don't touch the case and makes a big difference in seek / write noise.
3 - =( the external psu helps me running lower fan levels with less fans, because it was a major contribution of ambient heat in the case.
4 - I think the 7900 gt's are pretty resilent in terms of cooling necessity and such. Witness the plethora of passive hsf's soltuions coming for it. I've actually experimented with power consumption of the GPU at nomional 1.2v vs. 1.45V moded and the difference is only 10w at full load!

For my HTPC, my main usage is playback of DVDs with ffdshow video postprocessing, transcoding, and gaming And here's the original thread : http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=37&threadid=1848811&enterthread=y

 

[nullpointerus]

Originally posted by: ST

3 - =( the external psu helps me running lower fan levels with less fans, because it was a major contribution of ambient heat in the case.

I thought of an idea last night, and it looks like your case has just enough room for it. How would it work if you put the PSU back inside the case upside down, cut a hole in the top of the case for the PSU intake fan, and put a thin, flat piece of stiff foam insulation in the small space between the PSU and that one support rail to partition the case thermally?

Depending on the way your PSU is designed, you may even be able to cover that new hole with a dust filter and grill by screwing into the PSU through the case. Then your whole computer would be entirely self-contained.

Hmm...I just read in the other thread that you disabled your PSU fan. Are you using the same PSU in this new case? It's not hard find a nearly silent PSU using a 120mm fan w/ automatic fan control; with that direct intake idea (above) it'll stay reasonably cool, too. I've got one in my main PC that's virtually silent.

4 - I think the 7900 gt's are pretty resilent in terms of cooling necessity and such. Witness the plethora of passive hsf's soltuions coming for it. I've actually experimented with power consumption of the GPU at nomional 1.2v vs. 1.45V moded and the difference is only 10w at full load!

Cool! You know a lot more about this than I do.

For my HTPC, my main usage is playback of DVDs with ffdshow video postprocessing, transcoding, and gaming And here's the original thread : http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=37&threadid=1848811&enterthread=y

Thanks for the link - I'll take a look at it then.

 

[imported_ST]

Originally posted by: nullpointerus

Originally posted by: ST

3 - =( the external psu helps me running lower fan levels with less fans, because it was a major contribution of ambient heat in the case.

I thought of an idea last night, and it looks like your case has just enough room for it. How would it work if you put the PSU back inside the case upside down, cut a hole in the top of the case for the PSU intake fan, and put a thin, flat piece of stiff foam insulation in the small space between the PSU and that one support rail to partition the case thermally?

Depending on the way your PSU is designed, you may even be able to cover that new hole with a dust filter and grill by screwing into the PSU through the case. Then your whole computer would be entirely self-contained.

Hmm...I just read in the other thread that you disabled your PSU fan. Are you using the same PSU in this new case? It's not hard find a nearly silent PSU using a 120mm fan w/ automatic fan control; with that direct intake idea (above) it'll stay reasonably cool, too. I've got one in my main PC that's virtually silent.

4 - I think the 7900 gt's are pretty resilent in terms of cooling necessity and such. Witness the plethora of passive hsf's soltuions coming for it. I've actually experimented with power consumption of the GPU at nomional 1.2v vs. 1.45V moded and the difference is only 10w at full load!

Cool! You know a lot more about this than I do.

For my HTPC, my main usage is playback of DVDs with ffdshow video postprocessing, transcoding, and gaming And here's the original thread : http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=37&threadid=1848811&enterthread=y

Thanks for the link - I'll take a look at it then.

Hey Null (SW guy huh? - I actually though of the inverted PSU idea a while back. Probllem is, when my system is fully loaded playing games, at 3.0GHz, 675MHz GPU, fully overclocked with the 3 HDD's going, it takes up a ton of heat. This in turn necessitates the PSU fan running high, otherwise it starts cooking inside. With the PSU internal, the PSU casing actually starts dissapating ambient heat into the system. With it external, it doesn't really matter. And yes, the psu fan has been replaced before (see one of the pics I had from the original thread, where theres basically 3 fans right by the CPU HSF.