One fan TJ08

[DonQ]

While I was pretty happy with my system in an Antec P150, the case was much too big for my desk area, thus why I decided to go micro ATX. Having an Antec NeoHE 430, Silverstone ST30NF, and Seasonic S12-430 at my disposal , I chose to go with the ST30NF fanless PSU.

The theory behind my system is that air will come in through the front in two different paths, one for PSU/CPU at the top and one for HDD/GPU/CPU at the bottom. In the top 5.25" bay I put a Lian Li "mesh" bay cover and I used an adapter to put two "laptop" slim optical drives in the second 5.25" bay.



I originally had a Scythe MINE but decided to go completely one-fan!

The trickiest thing to mount is the hard drive, as the default hdd mounting leaves a lot to be desired, especially with a huge CPU heatsink, but I couldn't find any cooler micro ATX cases. I'm looking at the NSK3400...

I have the hard drive mounted with a Zalman ZM-2HC2 and it's on top of an upside HDD mounting bracket from my P150. The bottom and most of the sides of the TJ08 are fitted with Acoustipack SFF material. If I lift up the hard drive I can't even tell if the sound goes down so I don't think I'd benefit much from soft suspending the drive, although technically, it's already suspended, right?



The rear fan, a Yate Loon D12SL-12, rocks! It is connected to the motherboard CPU fan header and does a decent job of keeping my system cool when I'm gaming and quiet when I'm not. Cool n Quiet is enabled, of course, and it works great even in Linux. The motherboard keeps the fan ~1000 RPM during light work. I had a Noctua NF-S12-1200 and I think it's comparable to the Yate Loon at lower RPMs. For example, where my motherboard spins the yate Loon at ~1000 RPM, it spun the Noctua at ~900 RPM but kept my system cooler than it needed to be and I'm too lazy to hook up my T-balancer. I may try it again next summer if the Yate Loon idles too warm. I much prefer the sound of the Yate Loon, lower frequency noise.

At idle my temps are:
Case Fan 980 RPM
GPU 40
Sys Temp 32
CPU Temp 31 C
HDD Temp 34 C

When Gaming:
Case Fan 1250 RPM
GPU ~57 C
Sys ?
CPU 55 C
HDD 37 C (The HDD sometimes gets close to 40 C if I'm browsing the web but not gaming).

I don't know the temp of the PSU but it does get pretty warm to the touch, but not HOT, and I haven't had any problems with it. If I leave the case open then the HDD will go up to 40C and feel VERY warm, otherwise it just barely gets warm even when speedfan says 37C or more.

My system is "quiet enough" since I can't hear it from more than four or five feet away (unless gaming!) and it's not so bad when I'm in front of it since it mostly sounds like air moving. I'd say 1/2 of the sound is the hard drive and the other half is the Yate Loon pushing air. 1000 RPM is the borderline where my system is quiet enough or not quiet enough. I could get it quieter by installing my t-balancer fan controller but like I said, it's ALMOST quiet enough.

I have two things left to complete this project, 1. make some sort of cover for the front vent. My idea is to block any direct HDD-to-me path but haven't decided on which route I will take. Everything actually gets louder if I put the standard metal grille back. I'm thinking about a "hood scoop" covering the font hole that intakes air only from the bottom of it, as opposed to "floating plate" that lets air in from all around. Ideas?

2. The final thing left then is the HDD mounting, as it's currently just resting on the bottom of the case. I would like to put it in an enclosure (it should get good air even without a fan) but am not sure if any will fit where I have it right now. If none fit, I'm just going to figure out a way to make permanent what I have right now. It's not TOO bad. Can anyone tell me if they can fit a hard drive enclosure in the font bottom of the TJ08?
______________________________________________________________
TJ08, Gigabyte GA-K8N51GMF-9, 2GB (1GBx2) OCZ Cas2 PC3200, Opteron 152 44.1 W TDP, Gigabyte GV-NX76T256D, M-Audio Revolution 5.1, Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Ultra, Hauppage Win-TV, WD5000KS 500GB, two slim optical drives.

[Shukuteki]

I know it would break your one fan method, but even a yate loon or something of that ilk running at minimum speed would be enough to cool the HDD.

EDIT: I like how you did the two laptop drives in one 5.25 bay. Where did you get the adapter for that?

[crap73]

nice setup you got there!

can i ask where you got the Lian Li mesh bay cover and how much it cost?
i could only find 1 online shop that carries it:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ... ts_id=3704

i could really use 2 of those covers in my new build...

[DonQ]

While I was pretty happy with my system in an Antec P150, the case was much too big for my desk area, thus why I decided to go micro ATX. Having an Antec NeoHE 430, Silverstone ST30NF, and Seasonic S12-430 at my disposal , I chose to go with the ST30NF fanless PSU.

The theory behind my system is that air will come in through the front in two different paths, one for PSU/CPU at the top and one for HDD/GPU/CPU at the bottom. In the top 5.25" bay I put a Lian Li "mesh" bay cover and I used an adapter to put two "laptop" slim optical drives in the second 5.25" bay.



I originally had a Scythe MINE but decided to go completely one-fan!

The trickiest thing to mount is the hard drive, as the default hdd mounting leaves a lot to be desired, especially with a huge CPU heatsink, but I couldn't find any cooler micro ATX cases. I'm looking at the NSK3400...

I have the hard drive mounted with a Zalman ZM-2HC2 and it's on top of an upside HDD mounting bracket from my P150. The bottom and most of the sides of the TJ08 are fitted with Acoustipack SFF material. If I lift up the hard drive I can't even tell if the sound goes down so I don't think I'd benefit much from soft suspending the drive, although technically, it's already suspended, right?



The rear fan, a Yate Loon D12SL-12, rocks! It is connected to the motherboard CPU fan header and does a decent job of keeping my system cool when I'm gaming and quiet when I'm not. Cool n Quiet is enabled, of course, and it works great even in Linux. The motherboard keeps the fan ~1000 RPM during light work. I had a Noctua NF-S12-1200 and I think it's comparable to the Yate Loon at lower RPMs. For example, where my motherboard spins the yate Loon at ~1000 RPM, it spun the Noctua at ~900 RPM but kept my system cooler than it needed to be and I'm too lazy to hook up my T-balancer. I may try it again next summer if the Yate Loon idles too warm. I much prefer the sound of the Yate Loon, lower frequency noise.

At idle my temps are:
Case Fan 980 RPM
GPU 40
Sys Temp 32
CPU Temp 31 C
HDD Temp 34 C

When Gaming:
Case Fan 1250 RPM
GPU ~57 C
Sys ?
CPU 55 C
HDD 37 C (The HDD sometimes gets close to 40 C if I'm browsing the web but not gaming).

I don't know the temp of the PSU but it does get pretty warm to the touch, but not HOT, and I haven't had any problems with it. If I leave the case open then the HDD will go up to 40C and feel VERY warm, otherwise it just barely gets warm even when speedfan says 37C or more.

My system is "quiet enough" since I can't hear it from more than four or five feet away (unless gaming!) and it's not so bad when I'm in front of it. I'd say 1/2 of the sound is the hard drive and the other half is the Yate Loon pushing air. 1000 RPM is the borderline where my system is quiet enough or not quiet enough. I could get it quieter by installing my t-balancer fan controller but like I said, it's ALMOST quiet enough.

I have two things left to complete this project, 1. make some sort of cover for the front vent. My idea is to block any direct HDD-to-me path but haven't decided on which route I will take. Everything actually gets louder if I put the standard metal grille back. I'm thinking about a "hood scoop" covering the font hole that intakes air only from the bottom of it, as opposed to "floating plate" that lets air in from all around. Ideas?

2. The final thing left then is the HDD mounting, as it's currently just resting on the bottom of the case. I would like to put it in an enclosure (it should get good air even without a fan) but am not sure if any will fit where I have it right now. If none fit, I'm just going to figure out a way to make permanent what I have right now. It's not TOO bad. Can anyone tell me if they can fit a hard drive enclosure in the front bottom of the TJ08?
______________________________________________________________
TJ08, Gigabyte GA-K8N51GMF-9, 2GB (1GBx2) OCZ Cas2 PC3200, Opteron 152 44.1 W TDP, Gigabyte GV-NX76T256D, M-Audio Revolution 5.1, Klipsch Promedia 5.1 Ultra, Hauppage Win-TV, WD5000KS 500GB, two slim optical drives.

[DonQ]

I know it would break your one fan method, but even a yate loon or something of that ilk running at minimum speed would be enough to cool the HDD.

EDIT: I like how you did the two laptop drives in one 5.25 bay. Where did you get the adapter for that?

I got the adapter for the two slim optical drives from http://www.SLIDIRECT.com.

Yes, I think come summer I'll need to put a fan in the front of the case for the hard drive. I'm thinking a 80mm Nexus should be good.

[DonQ]

nice setup you got there!

can i ask where you got the Lian Li mesh bay cover and how much it cost?
i could only find 1 online shop that carries it:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ... ts_id=3704

i could really use 2 of those covers in my new build...

I think that's where I got mine from, too.

Can anyone here say that they've had success programming the motherboard CPU fan controller on a Gigabyte motherboard. I tried using Easy Tune 5 but was unsuccessful. It's supposed to have two temp values such that the fan is off at the lower temp value and it's 100% on at the other value, a line connecting the two points linearly. For me the fan just sped up. I didn't try rebooting, though, just reset to defaults.

[TheRove]

Very nice!

I built my TJ08 yesterday (unfortunately not running now as my PSU has to be sent back) and I _really_ like this case. It's the only reason I went mATX. The aluminium front is very well made, I think it's at least 5mm thick.

What I did was remove the 3.5" cage and 2 3.5" bezels, cut some mesh to size and used double sided tape to attach it to the front fascia. I tried to do the same with the bottom IO connector shield, but I rounded out one of the screws... gonna have to drill it out. Also considering just cutting off all the IO cables, since they take up valuable room inside an already cramped case and I really have no use for them anyway. Might put some mesh behind one of the 5.25" bays, since I couldn't find any meshed drive covers.

It's got 3 120mm motherboard controlled Nexus fans and from less than a foot away with both sides off the case (and my PSU working properly) it was whisper quiet. When it's under my desk I'm certain I won't be able to hear it.

Btw, I like your idea of mounting the harddrive in a Zalman ZM-2HC2, I think I'll steal your idea and order one. I have some apprehensions about using a fanless power supply, but if the next Corsair HX520 I get suffers from the same coil buzzing, I think I'll get one.

[DonQ]

Very nice!

I built my TJ08 yesterday (unfortunately not running now as my PSU has to be sent back) and I _really_ like this case. It's the only reason I went mATX. The aluminium front is very well made, I think it's at least 5mm thick.

What I did was remove the 3.5" cage and 2 3.5" bezels, cut some mesh to size and used double sided tape to attach it to the front fascia. I tried to do the same with the bottom IO connector shield, but I rounded out one of the screws... gonna have to drill it out. Also considering just cutting off all the IO cables, since they take up valuable room inside an already cramped case and I really have no use for them anyway. Might put some mesh behind one of the 5.25" bays, since I couldn't find any meshed drive covers.

What about the Lian Li mesh drive covers? They may not be perfect for every case but I'm sure event duct tape could make it fit better.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ... ts_id=3704

It's got 3 120mm motherboard controlled Nexus fans and from less than a foot away with both sides off the case (and my PSU working properly) it was whisper quiet. When it's under my desk I'm certain I won't be able to hear it.

Btw, I like your idea of mounting the harddrive in a Zalman ZM-2HC2, I think I'll steal your idea and order one. I have some apprehensions about using a fanless power supply, but if the next Corsair HX520 I get suffers from the same coil buzzing, I think I'll get one.

Here's my attempt at determining the effectiveness of the Zalman ZM-2HC2.

Time (approx) Temp Note
9:00 - 6:30 PM 32-34C At work
6:30-7:00 34 Light surfing
7:00-7:45 39 Removed ZM-2HC, Slow temp climb to 39, light surfing
7:45 - 8:30 35 Put the ZM-2HC, Slow temp climb to 35, light surfing

So... I say in my system, stressing that I get a generous amount of airflow through the front, the ZM-2HC is good for reducing the temp of my drive is ~3-4C.

I tried to fit a CD-ROM drive into the case in place of my HDD to see if I could hook up a HDD enclosure and I think if I remove or mod the 3.5" drive cage I can do it! Still thinking about it. Does anyone have an idea what my HDD temps might be like if I put a Scythe Quiet Drive in front bottom against side door?

[TheRove]

The Lian-Li mesh covers would be perfect, unfortunately I can't find them anywhere (I don't live in the US, so ordering from performancepcs is out of the question).

I'm still kinda struggling with this case and how to assemble everything. Currently I have the front completely meshed up and no optical drive installed. Only one harddrive in one of the 5.25" bays, but I think I can get away with both if I plug up the 3.5" hole, so my CPU/exhaust fan will suck air over the harddisks. Lots of wires in the way though. I'd really like to squeeze a Scythe SQD in there, but I don't have one handy and I don't want to buy one just to find out it won't fit. I strongly doubt it'll fit on the bottom of your case, even with the fan removed.

I read the Scythe SQD only raises temperatures slightly and doesn't require active airflow to cool adequately. Seeing how there's a big hole in front of it, I don't think you'll have any problems with it, if you do manage to get it to fit.

[DonQ]

The Lian-Li mesh covers would be perfect, unfortunately I can't find them anywhere (I don't live in the US, so ordering from performancepcs is out of the question).

I'm still kinda struggling with this case and how to assemble everything. Currently I have the front completely meshed up and no optical drive installed. Only one harddrive in one of the 5.25" bays, but I think I can get away with both if I plug up the 3.5" hole, so my CPU/exhaust fan will suck air over the harddisks. Lots of wires in the way though. I'd really like to squeeze a Scythe SQD in there, but I don't have one handy and I don't want to buy one just to find out it won't fit. I strongly doubt it'll fit on the bottom of your case, even with the fan removed.

I read the Scythe SQD only raises temperatures slightly and doesn't require active airflow to cool adequately. Seeing how there's a big hole in front of it, I don't think you'll have any problems with it, if you do manage to get it to fit.

I don't think I'll be looking into a SQD for a while because my computer got even quieter and is freakishly so quiet now that I'm going to take a break from this hobby of quieting the computer down. What? Yep. My one-fan hypothesis was a failure. Here's why:

I decided to see in which way I could make my computer even quieter. There were two sources of noise, the HDD and the rear Yate Loon D12SL-12 case fan. If I stopped the fan manually, the combined noise went down about 60% (from about 1050 RPM). I then tweaked the YL with Speedfan with the case open and closed, mounted to the case and not mounted, and determined that it was noisier than the WD5000KS starting at around 1000 RPM, around the same at around 900 RPM, much less at around 800 RPM and is practically inaudible at less than 800 RPM. The problem is that I need it around 1000 RPM to maintain decent temperatures.

I recalled a discussion on SPCR about multiple slow vs fewer not-as-slow fan systems so I took out the ST30NF/Yate Loon and replaced them with a S12-430/Nexus and, my system is now almost silent from 3+ ft away with about the same GPU/CPU/HDD temps! The Nexus spins at ~ 750 RPM. Boy, this is awesome! I also took out the top Lian Li mesh bay cover grill and put the stock bay cover with Acoustipack inside. The top bay makes a nice repository for all the extra cables. I don't like that the S12-430 has the power cables jutting out of the near side of the PSU rather than the usual, closer-to-the-motherboard side.

What would have kept me in business with the ST30NF is a 120mm fan with the CFM of the Yate Loon at 1000 RPM but with the sound of it at 800 RPM, and be able to match the max CFM of the Yate Loon. In other words, be able to do 36 CFM @ 19db but max at 45 CFM. Anyone know of such a fan? Score +1 for the multiple fan theorists.

[rei]

is there a 3.5" equivalent of that mesh bay cover?