Case swap: CoolerMaster Elite 340 --> P180 mini

[cc00rr]

Hello, I'm a long time lurker and first time poster here. I recently took a relatively large step toward silencing my computer, and I thought I'd share here.

Firstly, I'd like to thank this community for all the information I've acquired here. I don't know what I'd have done if I didn't find this forum.

Here's my PC before case swap:



Specs:

Gigabyte 610i mATX board
E2160
8600 GT
2x1GB Corsair Value Select DDR2 667
EW 380
WD Scorpio 2.5" 120GB

The Zalman fans make an awful noise, especially the VGA cooler. Zalman needs to stop marketing their products as "Computer Noise Prevention System"s; they're on the opposite end of the noise spectrum. The two Nexus fans are at 6.5V here, the Zalmans at 5V. The EW has its stock fan, and the Scorpio is suspended with elastic. The case is cheap aluminum (it previously belonged to my girlfriend, who took it upon herself to cover it in Zalman stickers).

I replaced the Zalman HSF with a Xigmatech HDT1283, after seeing it in use in another thread on this board. Not wanting to use the LGA 775 push pins, I also ordered a "bolt-thru" kit from Xigmatech:



HDT1283 installed:



Next, I replaced the Zalman VGA HSF with an Accelero S1. I figure this is common enough to not require any images.

I ordered a P180 mini white, mostly because it was $40 cheaper than the black one at Newegg at the time:



I accidentally did this while removing the front panel. Fortunately, it's internal, and there's a screw right next to it holding the panel in place anyway, so no functional or aesthetic damage:



I suspended the hard drive using elastic from an Antec Solo in the bottom two 5.25" bays. My idea here is to tape up the entire area, including the intake for the PSU, and leave the two 5.25" bays open. This way (hopefully) the PSU will get its fresh air from the front of the case, and cool the hard drive at the same time. For now, I've padded the bottom with anti-static bubble wrap until I find something that will absorb noise better/protect the hard drive if it falls (suggestions?):



And here is the almost finished product, which was cut short due to an issue with the Nexus fan seen carelessly tossed in (more on this in a moment). I've left the 200mm fan in temporarily, until the novelty wears off. It makes an unfortunate "motor" noise. With the voltage control for the CPU fan set to "auto" in the BIOS, the fan doesn't turn on during normal use. The E2160 is undervolted to 1V. The only active fans are the PSU, Nexus, and 200mm top exhaust:



Idle temperatures with this setup are below. TMPIN1 matches what the BIOS reports for CPU temperature, but HWMonitor reports considerably hotter core temperatures. Core Temp, SpeedFan 4.34, and Real Temp all report lower temperatures that match the BIOS reading (does anyone know the best program for the E2XXX series?):



And lastly, here's my fan problem, the reason my project was temporarily cut short. The P180 mini didn't come with the fan mounting brackets that come with the P182, but I happened to have a couple, and it would appear that the mounting holes on the hard drive cage still exist, but I just can't fit a fan in there. There isn't enough room, unless I'm doing something wrong. I would like to mount the Nexus right in front of the Accelero S1 as seen in the system picture, looking for suggestions on this as well:



Thanks!

[xev]

either bend the clips to the fan is secured. or use zip ties/wire to tie the fan onto the cage.

[Moogles]

Interesting. I moved my system from a Silverstone TJ08 (same layout as your 340) to a MP180 two weeks ago. The first thing I did was remove the 200mm fan and seal the top vent. Unfortunately this caused my GPU (passive XFX 7950GT) to get far too hot (idle at 70c), even with 3 800RPM Slipstreams. The MP180 doesn't seem to have very good airflow without the top fan.

Good choice on going with white btw, mine is black and judging by the pictures yours looks much nicer.

[cc00rr]

either bend the clips to the fan is secured. or use zip ties/wire to tie the fan onto the cage.

Yes, I'll probably end up having to do something like this. It's frustrating that the stock mounting system didn't work, being a new and somewhat expensive case.

Interesting. I moved my system from a Silverstone TJ08 (same layout as your 340) to a MP180 two weeks ago. The first thing I did was remove the 200mm fan and seal the top vent. Unfortunately this caused my GPU (passive XFX 7950GT) to get far too hot (idle at 70c), even with 3 800RPM Slipstreams. The MP180 doesn't seem to have very good airflow without the top fan.

Good choice on going with white btw, mine is black and judging by the pictures yours looks much nicer.

That's unfortunate! The 200mm fan is loud and I'm using it as a "band aid" until I figure out my cooling solution. What kind of passive cooling does your 7950GT have? Is it getting airflow from one of your Slipstreams? For reference, my 8600GT maxed out at 80C with its stock cooler, 72C with the Zalman (piece of junk) and now 55C. Room temperature here is 80F.

In taking a closer look at the MP180's exhaust fans, I can see how they'd be a problem. The 120mm fan is dangerously low, which could allow a lot of heat to get trapped in the case without the 200mm fan. What a foolish decision by Antec: releasing a "silent" case that is dependent on an irreplaceable loud fan.

However, if worse comes to worst, it looks like it could be modded pretty easily to allow installation of a 120mm fan in its place - just a matter of removing the piece of metal shaped like the motor supports of the fan, mounting a 120mm fan to the existing vent holes and taping up the surrounding area.

If I try a cooling setup with the top vent taped up, I'll be sure to post my results. Thanks for your input!

[AMDforlife]

To be fair to Antec, they weren't going to create a 200mm fan that would please everyone. I'm sure some people will think its very quiet at medium speed, while others will say it is too loud on low. That's just how people are. Sadly, your in the latter grouping.

To be brutally honest, I think your airflow path is a little flawed in its current state. With the fan on your heatsink hardly running like you said, the hot air is not going to be pushed out of the open rear fan port. It has to rise and exit via that 200mm noisy fan (you'd prefer not running).

Seems like the "best-bang-for-your-buck-fix, is to replace the Antec rear exhaust fan. I'd put a fairly trustworthy exhaust fan in that pivotal location. It should withdraw the heat from your CPU much quicker and hopefully lower case temps in the process. The top vent should still aid in cooling to an extent if left empty but relatively open.

On another note, do you have any pics of your white MP180 with the bezel and side panels on? I'd like to see a picture of it all wrapped up in it's snow outfit. =)

[Moogles]

That's unfortunate! The 200mm fan is loud and I'm using it as a "band aid" until I figure out my cooling solution. What kind of passive cooling does your 7950GT have? Is it getting airflow from one of your Slipstreams? For reference, my 8600GT maxed out at 80C with its stock cooler, 72C with the Zalman (piece of junk) and now 55C. Room temperature here is 80F.

The 200mm fan is definitely the loudest part of my system, and I wish there was a quieter alternative. The odd thing is that with the 200mm fan installed, my CPU temperatures actually rise almost 10c in idle. I think this is because all of the hot air from the GPU's heatsink is pulled in front of my CPU's fan. This means I have a choice between GPU temperatures that are just too high and CPU temperatures that are almost too high. Another thing I've noticed is that the RPMs of my 3 Scythe Slipstreams have almost no effect on temperatures. They're hooked up to a fancontroller, and whether at 5v or 12v (~350 and 800 RPM) temperatures stay the same. The 200mm fan seems to have made having an intake and CPU fan obsolete. A Nexus or Scythe 200mm fan would be absolutely great, but the way the Antec Big Boy is designed, I doubt the Mini P180 would even accomodate it.

This is the passive cooling on my graphics card: http://www.bars-trade.com/support/nvidi ... t-back.jpg

[cc00rr]

To be fair to Antec, they weren't going to create a 200mm fan that would please everyone. I'm sure some people will think its very quiet at medium speed, while others will say it is too loud on low. That's just how people are. Sadly, your in the latter grouping.

To be brutally honest, I think your airflow path is a little flawed in its current state. With the fan on your heatsink hardly running like you said, the hot air is not going to be pushed out of the open rear fan port. It has to rise and exit via that 200mm noisy fan (you'd prefer not running).

Seems like the "best-bang-for-your-buck-fix, is to replace the Antec rear exhaust fan. I'd put a fairly trustworthy exhaust fan in that pivotal location. It should withdraw the heat from your CPU much quicker and hopefully lower case temps in the process. The top vent should still aid in cooling to an extent if left empty but relatively open.

On another note, do you have any pics of your white MP180 with the bezel and side panels on? I'd like to see a picture of it all wrapped up in it's snow outfit. =)

Thanks for your input. At the time of my first post, the fan on the heatsink actually wasn't running at all, and the top 200mm fan was on medium (I had mistakenly thought I put it on low). Remember: my CPU is an E2160 at stock speed and undervolted to 1V, so it's not too difficult to cool. I am planning to remove the 200mm fan and install a 120mm fan in its place with zip ties and tape in the future, as well as install a rear exhaust (there currently is none). I will upload pictures in a moment.

The 200mm fan is definitely the loudest part of my system, and I wish there was a quieter alternative. The odd thing is that with the 200mm fan installed, my CPU temperatures actually rise almost 10c in idle. I think this is because all of the hot air from the GPU's heatsink is pulled in front of my CPU's fan. This means I have a choice between GPU temperatures that are just too high and CPU temperatures that are almost too high. Another thing I've noticed is that the RPMs of my 3 Scythe Slipstreams have almost no effect on temperatures. They're hooked up to a fancontroller, and whether at 5v or 12v (~350 and 800 RPM) temperatures stay the same. The 200mm fan seems to have made having an intake and CPU fan obsolete. A Nexus or Scythe 200mm fan would be absolutely great, but the way the Antec Big Boy is designed, I doubt the Mini P180 would even accomodate it.

This is the passive cooling on my graphics card: http://www.bars-trade.com/support/nvidi ... t-back.jpg

Have you considered modding the case to install a 120mm fan? The "backplate" metal in the shape of the back of the 200mm fan is only attached in four places, and seems rather thin. I think it'd be easy enough to snip it off, mount a quiet 120mm fan with zip ties, and tape the surrounding area up with masking tape. It should also be reversible, as the "backplate" for the 200mm fan isn't necessary for the fan's operation.

Of course, I am waiting to do this until the novelty of the shiny new case wears off.

I have also noticed that with the 200mm fan running, other fan speeds have little to no effect on temperatures.

You also might consider replacing that heatsink - with the Accelero S1 on my 8600 GT (not a cool card at all) I idled at 55C even when I experimented with removing the top fan.

[cc00rr]

Sorry about the smudges on the panels. I actually would have ordered the black version were it not $40 more expensive at the time, but I don't regret ordering the white one now at all; I've grown quite fond of it.





Here's the end result, now with cables managed and fans installed properly. I used zip ties to mount the Nexus to the lower hard drive chamber, and the Xigmatech fan is now running at 700RPM. The 200mm fan is set to low.



Idle temperatures (79F room temperature):

CPU: 35/36
NB: 34
GPU: 48
HDD: 32

Max load temperatures (82F room temperature):

CPU: 48/49
NB: 42
GPU: 55
HDD: 37

[Cistron]

Have you thought about ducting the heatsink to the exhaust opening, so the top fan won't draw air from the back?

[cc00rr]

Have you thought about ducting the heatsink to the exhaust opening, so the top fan won't draw air from the back?

Yes, I've considered it and will try it out soon. I didn't do it right away because I thought perhaps the top fan would pull air in through the exhaust and over the motherboard components around the CPU.. it seems like it might be forced to pull hot air up from the graphics card area if the back is closed up, but I'll certainly give it a shot.

[Cistron]

I didn't do it right away because I thought perhaps the top fan would pull air in through the exhaust and over the motherboard components around the CPU.. it seems like it might be forced to pull hot air up from the graphics card area if the back is closed up, but I'll certainly give it a shot.

I'm sure it will pull air from the graphics card area. It will also pull cool air directly from the front vents. You might even be able to get rid of the lower Nexus fan, since the accelero works a great deal with air being drawn from the outside.

[Airshark]

Have you considered rotating your CPU HSF 90 degrees and blowing out the top instead of out the back? With a 200mm exhaust, I suspect you could tape up the rear port entirely. Alternately, you could use sheet styrene to physically separate your CPU HSF from you GPU, and vent it out the rear exhaust, which wouldn't be used for anything else.