Antec SLK3000B: Front fan necessary?

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Revolver
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Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:03 pm

Antec SLK3000B: Front fan necessary?

Post by Revolver » Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:22 pm

Hi all,

I am about to order the following system:

(sorry about the caps, I copied most of this from an order form)

CPU: ATHLON 64 3500+ S939 2.2 GHz L2 512KB
Mobo: MSI K8N NEO2 PLATINUM SOCKET 939
CPU Cooler: Zalman 7000A-ALCU
RAM: KINGSTON DDR 512MB 400MHz PC3200 x2
HD: SAMSUNG SP1213C 120GB 7200RPM SATA
Graphics: SAPPHIRE RADEON 9600SE 128M DDR w DVI TV OUT
Case: Antec SLK3000B
PSU: Seasonic Super Tornado 400W (instead of Antec PSU)
Front fan: ANTEC 120MM SMART FAN W/ TEMP CONTROL

My question is about the front fan (the Antec 120mm Smart Fan). I am not into overclocking or gaming and I am using the system mainly as a digital audio workstation. Do I need a front fan with my proposed system?
Thanks!
Last edited by Revolver on Wed Jan 12, 2005 11:26 am, edited 2 times in total.

sthayashi
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Post by sthayashi » Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:39 pm

No interest in getting the Antec SLK-3000B? It's cheaper and actually comes with a 120mm fan that can be made to run at low (and quiet) speeds.

But per your question, no you probably don't need to get a front fan. Assuming you only have that one hard drive, then you should be perfectly alright.

Once you have about 3 or 4 hard drives, that's when you'll want to consider having a front fan.

Jordan
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Location: Scotland, UK

Post by Jordan » Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:39 pm

You should read the comments I wrote today about a similar system:

http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... highlight=

I'd recommend the sam HS and fans to you and also think about changing the case. I bought a Sonata (which I love for it's looks alone) but the PSU included was a waste and I had to replace it coz it was so damn noisey.

Revolver
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Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:03 pm

Post by Revolver » Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:43 pm

Thanks Jordan, I'll check out your comments. Note that I will be getting the Seasonic Super tornado 400W instead of the stock Antec PS.

BigDonut
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Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 5:56 am

Post by BigDonut » Tue Jan 11, 2005 3:32 pm

Revolver wrote:Thanks Jordan, I'll check out your comments. Note that I will be getting the Seasonic Super tornado 400W instead of the stock Antec PS.
in which case get the slk3000b unless you really want thepiano black finish!

you save money and don't have a noisy psu lying around taking up space

Revolver
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:03 pm

Post by Revolver » Wed Jan 12, 2005 11:18 am

Oh yeah, duh. So I will get the SLK3000B for sure. But my question is the same: Any opinions on whether I need a front fan in the 3000B? I know the 3000B has better front air flow because of the orientation of the HD cage, but would a front fan still be a good idea?

Tibors
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Post by Tibors » Wed Jan 12, 2005 12:36 pm

No, the front fan is probably not necesarry. Only when you have multiple HD's close to each other and partially blocking the airflow, then you need that front fan.

Revolver
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Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2005 2:03 pm

Post by Revolver » Wed Jan 12, 2005 12:43 pm

Great, thanks you guys for clearing this stuff up for me. :D

faro
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Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 10:41 am

Post by faro » Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:46 pm

Jordan,

I am concerned with what the reviews say about the difficulty and force required to install the XP-90 and 120 CPU coolers. I was planning on going with the Zalman cooler because of that issue.

Jordan
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Joined: Wed Apr 28, 2004 8:21 pm
Location: Scotland, UK

Post by Jordan » Fri Jan 14, 2005 8:44 pm

I've installed 30+ Athlon XP HSs which are on the CPU core directly (various HSs) and never crushed a single core. The A64 and Pentium CPUs have the heat spreader protecting the core and are pratically crush proof. I wouldn't have a single worry about installing one.

With the Zalman HS on the XP CPUs the worry was over-tightening (since they are screw down) or not tightening enough.

faro
Posts: 26
Joined: Tue Nov 30, 2004 10:41 am

Post by faro » Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:18 pm

This is the quote from the Zalman 7700 review that concerns me:
The XP-120 + 120mm fan is definitely more expensive, and because of the very high tension of the mounting system, actually more difficult to install than a Zalman 7000 series HSF.

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