Which is quieter: Solo or P182?

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:52 pm

Discuss.

niels007 · Post by **niels007** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:03 pm

Only if you use compontents that draw enough power (and thus heat) to ramp up the powersupply fan in a Solo would the P182 be a better choice.

So if you have a good psu that doesn't ramp up at the first sight of load or temperature, the solo is good..

With the Solo you could separate the powersupply from the rest by making a front to back duct as seen on these forums..

With the P182 you might want to pay extra attention to HD suspension..

In short, it just depends on too many factors for this thread to be really usefull!

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:02 pm

Well, I tried out a P182 yesterday... not only was it louder due to the inferior HDD mounting, but my temps were 8-10C higher across the board than in my SOLO. The HDDs in particular were higher, getting over 50C. I returned the P182 today, but I'm left wondering -- isn't this case supposed to have superior cooling?

Shusher · Post by **Shusher** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:22 pm

Talking as a SOLO owner with no P182 experience, I can't answer the main question, but I'm sort of glad to hear what crispy said =); gives me some reassurance that I bought the right case.

crispyfish wrote:I returned the P182 today, but I'm left wondering -- isn't this case supposed to have superior cooling?

Could you elaborate on your comparison a little? Did you use stock fans in both? Did you use the 2 intakes in both the P182 and the SOLO? High quality fans? Same power supply? Any mods? etc? 8C delta is quite steep.

zoob · Post by **zoob** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:29 pm

Did you have a fan in the bottom chamber for the PSU in the P182?

If not, and if you relied a fanned PSU, did you tape up the holes on the back of the bottom chamber?

Taping up the holes in the bottom chamber reduces HDD temps for me by 4-5 C, adding a fan another 5-8 C. (Seasonic S12-600, added the stock TriCool on low)

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:46 pm

For exhaust, I used the stock Tri-cool fans on low. I also installed a Tri-cool on low at the "middle" location. In the bottom chamber, I used the included Tri-Cool fan.

Shusher · Post by **Shusher** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:06 pm

What about front-intake fans? Did you use any on the P182? Do you use any on the solo?

hexen · Post by **hexen** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:27 am

the p180 just seems like it comes with too many parts/pieces most of which are made from sheet-metal and all this constitutes to a higher chance of vibration with any of these parts

the SOLO/p150 is very basic and to the point. this is why i will be buying it (any day now

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:57 am

Shusher wrote:What about front-intake fans? Did you use any on the P182? Do you use any on the solo?

Yes, the Tri-cool in the "middle" position is an intake fan. But that wouldn't have made any difference for the HDDs in the lower chamber.

On the SOLO, I'm using undervolted Nexus 92mm fans for intake. They blow directly onto the suspended HDDs.

Shusher · Post by **Shusher** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:26 am

One possible factor is the proximity of your HDDs. Did you leave out any space between each HDD in the P182? In the Solo if you use the suspends, you get a fair amount of space so the air blowing in can easily breeze through. In the 3-slot-mount P182, it's pretty tight so HDDs would hold their heat a fair bit more and heat each other in the process.

Also, since you're only using 1 intake on the P182, and keep in mind the P182 is a bigger case, you probably are not generating enough intake air to get to the the CPU chamber. Furthermore, if your HDDs are cramped in that mount, that again is another way it's an obstruction. If you did in fact pack 3 HDDs in there, I'm pretty sure that removing the middle one would give you a noticeable improvement.

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 9:41 am

Adding more fans to the case kind of defeats the purpose, no?

Shusher · Post by **Shusher** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 11:56 am

I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too here. It's a bigger case you need to generate somewhat more air flow to move heat around effectively. That's one of the disadvantages of bigger cases.

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 12:10 pm

Shusher wrote:I guess you can't have your cake and eat it too here. It's a bigger case you need to generate somewhat more air flow to move heat around effectively. That's one of the disadvantages of bigger cases.

Well, I guess that answers my initial question. The P182 needs more airflow than the SOLO. More airflow = more noise. Therefore the P182 is louder than the SOLO unless you're okay with higher temperatures.

yacoub · Post by **yacoub** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:37 pm

I love my P150

Nice and quiet until I had to switch out a dying PSU for another PSU that is just slightly louder plus the fan on my GPU I think is starting to die. Still very quiet though.

[F]bernZ · Post by **[F]bernZ** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:08 pm

No experience here, but I actually do have a question for owners of the P180 AND the Solo.

Does the damping material preapplied to the Solo emulate the thick panels of the P180?

lor77 · Post by **lor77** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:46 am

Taping up the holes in the bottom chamber reduces HDD temps for me by 4-5 C, adding a fan another 5-8 C. (Seasonic S12-600, added the stock TriCool on low)

Taping the back of the psu?Yes they are some holes that are left uncovered.
I use Seasonic S12 500 and i have these holes uncovered.So i concluded that i must put some material there.I was thinking of putting some tape.?
What if i use some foam or some dampening material will this work?
What other holes should be covered in the P180?(The upper fan hole is covered with some foam in my configuration)

Post by **NeilBlanchard** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:36 am

Hello,

I think that the suggestion is to tape over the grill around the PSU, so that the air that the PSU pushes out comes from the front intake, passing by the HD's; rather than "short circuiting" through the rear grill.

lor77 · Post by **lor77** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:56 pm

Thangs Neil for the reply

Just for the info.What other holes do i have to cover in the P 180?
What about the holes in the back of the middle compartment,do they need to be blocked also?
From my experience closing the holes in the back middle compartment will increase the temp in the system.
Since the P180 is more of a 'negative pressure' system closing all the holes will increase the temp in the case.?Correct me if im wrong
I mean that proper airflow is needed in the case for proper cooling.
Any answers will be appreciated

pputer · Post by **pputer** » Sun May 13, 2007 5:00 am

Is the Solo large enough (i.e. in terms of room) to house a P965 motherboard, cpu cooler and an Nvidia 8600 or 8800GTS video board? I'm now leaning towards a Solo because of price and the recommendations here. I even have an extra computer to use if there wasn't enough room - it could get the Solo. I bought a cheap case for it since it's a PVR computer but it generates too much noise and the case was cheap and it's of low quality. It doesn't enough performance to do HD or video work I want to do. It's quite loud. Maybe it needs a Solo anyway and some Yate Loon fans?

I was considering the P180B or P182 previously because of the 120mm fans. I thought the 12cm fans were a better concept but then people brought up the point it requires more fans because the case is bigger. If it's easier to keep cool and quiet in the Solo, only the size becomes an issue. I need to keep a Core 2 Duo machine cool (and quiet).

nick705 · Post by **nick705** » Sun May 13, 2007 6:32 am

pputer wrote:Is the Solo large enough (i.e. in terms of room) to house a P965 motherboard, cpu cooler and an Nvidia 8600 or 8800GTS video board?

It depends on the particular motherboard and heatsink combo - most of the time you should be OK, but have a look here for a potential issue.

AFAIK all 8800GTS and 8600/8500 cards will fit (the 8800GTX will require minor surgery to the HDD cage), but with the bigger cards you might find cable management a bit tiresome if three or four HDD bays are occupied.

pputer · Post by **pputer** » Sun May 13, 2007 9:54 am

nick705 wrote: It depends on the particular motherboard and heatsink combo - most of the time you should be OK, but have a look here for a potential issue.

AFAIK all 8800GTS and 8600/8500 cards will fit (the 8800GTX will require minor surgery to the HDD cage), but with the bigger cards you might find cable management a bit tiresome if three or four HDD bays are occupied.

I am considering:
DFI Infinity P965-S
E6600 w/ Thermalright Ultra 120
2 HDD (eventually)- WD 5000AAKS 500 GB drive(s)
Corsair PSU
DVD SATA drive

jaldridge6 · Post by **jaldridge6** » Sun May 20, 2007 1:39 am

DFI Infinity P965-S is apparently a very noisy squealer of a motherboard.

pputer · Post by **pputer** » Sun May 20, 2007 9:14 am

Just recently, I've been reading about the DFI sound problems. It sounds like a board in which the QC is problematic. I am now considering an Asus P5B Premium Vista edition and only because I found a good price on one. It's less than the PB5-E and Dlx. I believe it has similar performance to the Dlx. I know there are sound issues with the onboard audio but I was planning on buying a sound card anyway at some point.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Wed May 23, 2007 4:01 am

I have P182B as gaming rig. the Silicone Gorments do excellent job and my HDD's had no vibration transferred into case. P182B in my use has been amazingly quiet case.

I have no experience on Solo / P-150 but what I have read... I could bet, P-150/ Solo can be quieter than P182B simply because P182B has two 120MM Exhaust and its impossible to soft mount top exhaust without modificantion.

ck8-04 · Post by **ck8-04** » Wed May 23, 2007 9:26 am

I have both the P180 and the Solo. The Solo is quieter because there is only one fan, so if your components aren't quiet, then the Solo won't be. The P180 is much larger and has much thicker side panels. It will heavily dampen any noise, but if all your components are near silent, then the stock fans that come with the P180 will be the noisiest things in the PC. I would recommend the Solo for low power and low heat output systems and the P180 for high power and high heat output systems.

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Wed May 23, 2007 9:35 am

ck8-04 wrote:the P180 for high power and high heat output systems.

... except that the SOLO cools better than the P180 -- in my experience, at least.

Gunzee · Post by **Gunzee** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:21 am

I also was trying to pick between P182 vs Solo. If you don't need SLI, more than 3 hard drives, then I would go with the SOLO. Pretty happy with the Solo, so far.

elmopuddy · Post by **elmopuddy** » Sat May 26, 2007 6:57 am

I have the following in a Solo:

e6600
Zalman 9500
P5B-D
4 x 1gig Shika X-Ram DDR2-800
Asus 7900GTX
2 x Raptor 36gb
1x Seagate 320gb
Audigy 2
Liteon SATA DVD

Panaflo 120mm and 2x SilenX 92mm, hooked up to 'fan-only' connectors on Antec TP-II 550w PSU

Its *very* quiet.. well besides the Raptors, even with suspension mounts, the emit A LOT of noise..

I would think I am at the limit of this case, its pretty crammed.

The P18x could be quieter, but would require more effort, the Solo is very quiet out of the box.

I am tweaking things now, I plan on swapping the Zalman for a Thermalright 120 extreme, and the dame PSU makes some chirping and whining noises.

Anyways

I'd go with a Solo or P150, best case I've ever worked with.

EP

Post by **MikeC** » Sat May 26, 2007 7:54 am

ck8-04 said it best so far:

I would recommend the Solo for low(er) power and low(er) heat output systems and the P180 for high power and high heat output systems.

(italic emphasis mine)

Both cases can be made extremely quiet with quiet enough components, but the P150 is definitely quieter straight out of the box -- it has fewer fans and the HDD suspension. Fill them both to the gills with hot gear however, and the P180/182 has higher capacity for cooling, not necessarily at a lower noise level, but at a modest noise level, nonetheless.

The PSU thermal isolation chamber, composite panels and multiple fans near the CPU are the main advantages of the P180/182. The first feature is its raison d'etre. Hardly any decent PSU will ramp up in speed in a P180/182 that's correctly set up -- even without the fan in the middle. You can't say that about the stock P150.

The P150 is definitely easier to set up a system in, but the P182 has greater flexibility, and it's now almost as easy to set up -- the wire management is much improved, tho still not quiet as simple as the conventional layout P150.

As for the person who reported 10C higher temps in the P180 vs P150, all I can do is shrug and say, that's not my experience; silence is always in the details. Among SPCR staff, both P150 and P180 cases are in use, and it's not the case that "determines" the noise we achieve; it's what we do with them.

Post by **MikeC** » Sat May 26, 2007 10:00 am

elmopuddy --

I see you posted elsewhere about moving to a P182... but I don't really think any potential reduction in noise is worth the cost & effort. As you already know, the Raptors in your cases are probably the biggest noise sources, and even tho the P182 panels provide better damping, there's no eliminating that seek noise.

If I had your system and wanted to make it quieter, I'd....

1) consider getting rid of one of those Raptors -- why do you have 2?
2) presumably you like the Raptor for speed in boot / load times. If you want that and still reduce noise, you could try remote booting with eSATA. In other words, put the HDD in some acoustically insulated spot some distance away from the case with something like the Antec MX1 HDD enclosure (tho there are cheaper external eSATA options). I think you can get eSATA cables as long as 5~6'. Data integrity with eSATA is only assured for up to ~2m, and the connection between the back panel interface and the SATA header on the motherboard makes it longer than 2m... but it can't hurt to try. Besides -- maybe your board already is equipped with eSATA on the back panel?
3) The Antec TP-II isn't the best PSU out there; why not move up to a Seasonic or Corsair or.... Anything >400W will be more than enough. If you want to try PSU thermal isolation, then you'd need to go for a 80mm fan PSU (like the Antec NeoHE) and check out the Thailand PC or EPCN/SPCR system one.