yummy... bought a new rig, need cooling help w/ Sonata/2500+/A7N8X-Deluxe setup

[stech4u]

bought the following recently:
> Antec Sonata w/ TruePower 380W-S
> Asus A7N8X-DELUXE
> 2500+ Barton Retail (HS+F)
> 2 x Buffalo Technology 512MB PC3200 CL 2.5 32X8 (Winbond Module)
> Sapphire 9600Pro 128MB Video Bulk (the one w/ 300GPU, i think...?)

...will be adding these current parts:
> Maxtor 7200rpm 40GB HDD
> Deskstar 7200rpm 60GB HDD
> TDK VeloCD 24x10x40b CDRW
> old pos-floppy
> and probably buy a DVD-rom....(any suggestions? Lite-Ons?)

-----------------
...i need some help on getting this sucka cooled (please let me know how much this is going to set me back). so far, ...

> i'm thinking of adding a front-120x120x25mm fan, any suggestions?

> i would like to OC to a stable speed (which mostly what everyone is getting so far w/o degrading the system)... will i need a new HS + F, or will the stock do? ...and to which speed will it be able to get up to?

> how about something for my 9600pro? will i need it?

> i heard that cables can play a factor w/ the air-flow in the case. so i was thinking of going w/ round cables from SVC. if so (especially for those that almost have the same setup w/ this case), which (size) and how many cables will i need for my setup? is 2 x 18" Dual ATA 100/133 Round IDE cables, and 1 x 18" Single Device Round Floppy Cable good enough, and/or is it too long?


...waiting to hear some tips from the pros ^^ .thanks in advance.

 

[spkack]

I recently purchased a Thermaltake Silent Boost HS and fan for my XP 3000+ Barton and it dropped the CPU temp almost 5 degrees while being much quieter than the OEM HS and fan that came with it. I have a Sonata case as well, and this CPU runs at 51-53 degrees C with the Silent Boost HS. There are a couple of threads in the Hot Deals Forums for different etailers for this fan as well. I used SVC and had a good experience, but there are cheaper vendors listed in the Hot Deals forum.

 

[WobbleWobble]

I have the:
- Sonata
- A7N8X-DX
- XP2500+
- Radeon 9500 Pro (with Zalman heatpipe)
- 2x Maxtor 120GB HDDs
- Mitsumi DVD +/- RW

I get with my TT Silent Boost on stock 40C CPU and 28C at idle.

I have the rear 120mm fan on the fan only lead as well as a Thermal Take 120mm fan in the front also on the fan only lead. The front fan knocked down my temps about 3C, it keeps my HDDs pretty cool and it blows right over my Zalman heatpipe.

I was able to fold and place my drive ribbon cables nicely so that I didn't really need to buy rounded cables. I doubt that rounded cables will really help my temps.

 

[stech4u]

any pics...? trying to get a better visualization ^^ how easy was it putting that SilentBoost HSF? how should order should i install these components when i get the case fans, and (maybe) new HS+F?

 

[WobbleWobble]

I'm at work right now, but I'll take pics when I get home.

It's actually impossible to put on a Silent Boost with the motherboard inside the case, because the power supply is very close to the motherboard not leaving you enough room to push the clamp down. But it's just like putting in a normal HSF with a clip, not difficult, but you have to be careful.

Put in the CPU and heatsink first along with the RAM.
Put in the motherboard.
Put in the front case fan (you'll have to take the HDD racks out)

As for the stock HSF question, I've personally O/C'd 2 computers (including my own) to 2.1GHz with it. With the Silent Boost, I was able to get a bit more. But my XP2500+ sucks at O/Cing so I can't really push it...

You won't need anything for your 9600 Pro, unless you're really going for a silent computer, you may want to look at the Zalman heatpipe. But that thing is damn tricky to install! It'll take a lot of time, patience and effort to get it on the first time.

Oh yeah, a 18" floppy cable would be too long.

 

[spkack]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
I have the:
- Sonata
- A7N8X-DX
- XP2500+
- Radeon 9500 Pro (with Zalman heatpipe)
- 2x Maxtor 120GB HDDs
- Mitsumi DVD +/- RW

I get with my TT Silent Boost on stock 40C CPU and 28C at idle.

I have the rear 120mm fan on the fan only lead as well as a Thermal Take 120mm fan in the front also on the fan only lead. The front fan knocked down my temps about 3C, it keeps my HDDs pretty cool and it blows right over my Zalman heatpipe.

I was able to fold and place my drive ribbon cables nicely so that I didn't really need to buy rounded cables. I doubt that rounded cables will really help my temps.

Wobble,

How did you get a 120mm fan to fit in the front of your Sonata case? I'd like to put one in, but my Sonata doesn't seem to be equipped for it.

 

[stech4u]

i think it goes after the HDD racks...check out neweggs pic. unless wobble put that mofo in a special way unknown to most of us ^^

and wobble, what size/quantity round cables you recommend with my rig setup?

ps. can't wait to see those pics.

 

[WobbleWobble]

You're correct. The fan does come after the HDD rack. It's not really a front fan, but a middle fan

You'll need 2x 18" Dual ATA/133 and 1 10" floppy. You can get away with a shorter one if you see it.
These are my guesses... I'll have to double check at the machine later.

You have too high hopes for my setup. Honestly, it's nothing special. I just don't want to disappoint you...

It's not uber-clean by any means. But it's good enough keeping most cabling out of the way and such.

 

[spkack]

Thanks Wobble and stech, I see the fan mounting holes you're talking about. Didn't notice them before. Makes sense to put the fan there, tho. pulls the cool air across the HDD's in stead of forcing it through them.

 

[WobbleWobble]

Originally posted by: spkack
Thanks Wobble and stech, I see the fan mounting holes you're talking about. Didn't notice them before. Makes sense to put the fan there, tho. pulls the cool air across the HDD's in stead of forcing it through them.

I didn't notice this at first either! I just bought a 120mm fan because I knew it could take a 120mm front intake fan but while I was installing it, I looked around in slight confusion. I took off the front panel trying to figure out where it goes. Then I looked at the HDD rack and there it was. It didn't take me that long to realize it but it wasn't the first place I looked.

But it's actually pretty good at cooling the HDDs. Without a fan, my HDDs felt quite hot to the touch. Now they're fairly cool, a little on the warmer side. But like I mentioned early, it also blows perfectly over my Zalman heatpipe. That's another big plus.

 

[stech4u]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
You're correct. The fan does come after the HDD rack. It's not really a front fan, but a middle fan

You'll need 2x 18" Dual ATA/133 and 1 10" floppy. You can get away with a shorter one if you see it.
These are my guesses... I'll have to double check at the machine later.

You have too high hopes for my setup. Honestly, it's nothing special. I just don't want to disappoint you...

It's not uber-clean by any means. But it's good enough keeping most cabling out of the way and such.

yes, please do double-check, it should be the same length ^^ i just can't visualize this right now cause i don't have the case physically yet.

 

[WobbleWobble]

As promised, here are some pics...

Very small space between power supply and heatsink
Video card and CPU
HDD and intake fan
Drive connectors and drives
Whole system

The cables are pretty much out of the way of the air flow.

So hopefully you can see that the floppy drive is pretty close to the floppy connector, so it doesn't need a long cable at all.

18" should be fine for the optical drives while you may want a 24" cable for the HDDs, but 18" will do.

 

[spkack]

Good pix Wobble. Nice job keeping the cables tucked away to get good airflow!

 

[stech4u]

great job ^^ ...those pics will come in handy as reference in general hehe

 

[stech4u]

qucik update... bought some round cables, Silent Boost, AS3, and the 120x25mm YS-Tech fan (since the stock 120mm Antec almost have the same dBA, figured out it won't make a difference ^^ ) ...i'll post some pictures when i get everything together. newegg says they shipped my stuff through fedex oneday since i've been waiting for 2 days b/c of address verification. hopefully get it on monday.

 

[stech4u]

well, i got everything .... right now its setup to 1.833ghz (1.68v). i let it just chill at that speed for about 20 hours plus now (& counting) ...

what should i do next? should i go straight to 2.2ghz (200x11, def. voltage)? suggestions on how to safely achieve the next step....

thanks in advance.

 

[spkack]

I'd bump it .5 multiplier at a time and see what happens. If it won't stablilize at that multiplier, then bump the voltage to get it stable. That way, you'll be able to get the highest speed with the lowest voltage (and hopefully keep the CPU cooler and under less stress).