My SLK3000B mods

[nina]

My newly modded Antec SLK3000B with used components

System specs :

Asrock 939-dualsataII motherboard
Athlon64 3200+, venice, with Arctic Freezer64 Pro at 1000 rpm
Twinmos DDR400 RAM 2x512MB dual channel
HD1: Seagate ST380021A 80GB ata100 (media)
HD2: Seagate ST3800021A 80GB ata100 (media and backups)
HD3 : Seagate ST3160812AS 160GB Sata2 (holds OS and programs)
MSI NX6600 PCie VTD256-EH vivo, passive cooled videocard
Soundblaster Audigy audiocard
Seasonic S12-430 PSU
B&Q DW1620Pro DVD-writer
Nexus 120mm casefans, intake at 5V, exhaust at 7V

Temps :

Idle : MB : 33°C, CPU : 37°C, AUX : 21°C
HD1 : 34°C HD2: 34°C HD3: 35°C
S12 runs at 727 rpm, Room temp : 23°C

Cpu Burn : MB : 35°C, CPU : 51°C, Aux : 28°C
HD1 : 35°C, HD2 : 33°C, HD3 : 35°C
S12 runs at 750 rpm, Room temp : 23°C

Gaming : MB : 35°C, CPU : 47°C Aux : 26°C
HDs like CPU Burn, S12 like CPU Burn

Mods I did :
Cut the fan grills, enlarged the front bezel bottom opening.
Removed the dust filter and replaced with alternative mesh.
Made a PSU duct of K-Line foamboard material.
Made a 8cm opening at the top of the case inside the psu duct,
so that I can close the front door. I can add a 80mm fan if necesarry.
Removed the HD bay, made a wooden frame with elastic suspensions for the HDs.
Swapped the exhaust case fan with a Nexus 120mm undervolted to 7V.
Added a front Nexus case undervolted to 5V.
Added Nexus Damptek noise absorption material.

Thanks to the SPRC forum for all the tips I found over here!

When the ambient noise is very low, I only hear the idle noise
of the HDs @ 1m, but it's a quiet noise. If I want it really silent, the only thing
is to replace these with samsungs or laptop HDs.
Temps are beter than I suspected, I thought that the dampening material
and the elastic suspension would make it higher.
But the HD wooden frame makes a better airflow when I compare it with
the HD frame of my former SLK3700BQE.
I closed the CPU duct of the case with the nexus damping material,
and left the holes for the vid card open, as it didn't make much difference
in noise, but makes difference in temperature for my videocard during gaming.

Games do run pretty good, even Oblivion but not with the highest settings.

All temps are fine, even if it will be a hot summer this year.
For the moment it's 25°C outside, and probably wont go higher than 32°C this summer.

Some pictures, click on thumbs for big versions, pics are in reverse order..

[MikeK]

Wow, well done on that hard drive rack! What kind of rope/bungee things are those?

[amjedm]

Mods I did :
Cut the fan grills, enlarged the front bezel bottom opening.
Removed the dust filter and replaced with alternative mesh.
Made a PSU duct of K-Line foamboard material.
Made a 8cm opening at the top of the case inside the psu duct,
so that I can close the front door. I can add a 80mm fan if necesarry.
Removed the HD bay, made a wooden frame with elastic suspensions for the HDs.
Swapped the exhaust case fan with a Nexus 120mm undervolted to 7V.
Added a front Nexus case undervolted to 5V.
Added Nexus Damptek noise absorption material.

Is that all (joking) plenty of mods and a good job. The hard drive suspension is a work of art.

Did you do the psu duct because the Seasonic exhuasts hot air?

[nina]

yep, I made the psu duct for the hot air of the psu that leaves through
the front holes, so that it doesn't enter the case again.

The elastic cord is 6mm elastic cord which I bought in 'Gamma'
a DIY merchant in Belgium. They sell it per meter. Was difficult to find,
because it was stored next to the metal chains.

[Box]

Aha, a fellow belgian silencer!
One question: where'd you get the nexus fans? I've been looking for some, but they're pretty hard to come by without paying loads for shipping...
Nice looking setup btw.

[nina]

I ordered last year several nexus at www.bytesatwork.be

Other very good ones, are the scythe fans,
these you can order at www.jaha.be (located in gentbrugge)
jaha has low shipping costs. Just ask at the jaha's forum.

[Goldmember]

nina,

Those are some very ingenious mods! The wooden hard drive rack and the reverse PSU duct with blowhole are really smart ideas.

Take care.