I first became interested in the quiet computing scene with the purchase of my first computer back in 2008 - a Core2Duo E6750/8800GTS build in an Antec P180B. Having grown up with jet engine-like family computers, I jumped at the chance to turn things around and ended up with the following mods to the system:
- Thermalright HR-01+ with a Scythe SlipStream 800rpm
- Top fan removed and covered over
- Rear fan replaced with a SlipStream 800rpm
- Front fan doors removed
- Front and rear fan grills cut out
- Bottom middle fan replaced with a SlipStream 800rpm
- Acoustipak Deluxe throughout the case
- Custom RivaTuner profile for the GPU
Enter the following parts:
- Lian Li A10 (quite a difficult case to track down; pretty sure I found the only one left in Australia)
- Core i7 2600K
- Gigabyte P67A-UD4
- Gigabyte GTX570
- Corsair Vengeance 8GB 1600MHz
- Corsair F120 SSD
- Corsair AX850
- Samsung F4EG 2TB x2
- Samsung Blu-Ray drive
- Lian Li BZ-025 intake
- Scythe SlipStream 800rpm x3
- Thermalright HR-01+
Loot.
Due to the success of my P180B build in terms of both acoustic and thermal performance I'm aiming to replicate the airflow in the A10 as much as possible. So, with that in mind, I started on the mods...
BZ-025 intake installed. This currently has a Lian Li fan of unknown specification installed; however depending on performance this may go down the track.
The fan grill from the rear of the intake has also been removed.
Corsair AX850 installed in the bottom compartment. 850W is overkill I know; however the fan in the AX850 doesn't even spin up until ~300W load, meaning no noise from the PSU at idle.
Corsair F120 SSD mounted, ready for installation in the bottom compartment. I know it's not suspended, but with no moving parts this shouldn't make a difference.
Gigabyte P67A-UD4 and Corsair Vengeance 8GB installed and mounted onto motherboard tray. Note the Scythe SlipStream mounted as a rear exhaust, also with no fan grills (yay for screw-on grills = no Dremel). The motherboard has now been removed from the tray in preparation for cable management holes to be cut.
Gigabyte GTX570 ready to go. The stock vapour chamber cooler is already an excellent performer; though the card will also get some fan tuning courtesy of MSI's AfterBurner software.
A shot of the bottom compartment showing the removal of the stock front Lian Li fan, and the installation of a Scythe SlipStream 800rpm in the middle position. This necessitated the removal of the second HDD cage, though with only three HDD this wasn't an issue. The middle position of the fan should result in better acoustics than one mounted at the front, as well as ensuring excellent cooling for the HDD and PSU.
A shot of the top fan, now cut out from its grill in preparation for blocking off.
That's all for now, still waiting for a few parts to show up before I can continue - HR-01+ and the Samsung F4EGs. Also need to buy a Dremel for some cable management action.
Comments, criticism and advice welcome