SPCR

Hi, I m planning on building a very quiet amd64 3500 + northwood platform, here is what I plan to buy:
-hard drive:Toshiba MK4025GAS //15db
-power supply:Antec Phantom 350 //0db
-Gigabyte GV-NX66T128VP GeForce 6600GT 128Mo VIVO //0db
-Gigabyte GA-K8VT890-9 //0db

planned cpu cooler :VapoChill Micro FL1 06-L-0112 //0db (availble may 2nd 2005)
+ram and dvd drive

I m planning to use no case! Is this a good idea? As all the components have no fans, I thaught it would be the best way to have a good airflow. My working space is a safe place for an open pc so there is no problem in letting all the components outside.
The only moving part will be the toshiba hard disk (and the dvd drive). I was thinking of making a lan bootable machine but I want to use winxp and I don t know if it is feasible.
If I should use a case, I would like to use an open case, which one do you recommand me?
I would like to add that I live in japan where the summer is quite hot (last year over 60day>30deg celsius).

Thanks for reading me and giving me feedback!

Interesting Idea.

When you say amd64 3500 + northwood platform. I though northwood was an Intel chip.!!! please explain.

As far as casees go, I have no idea for what you are proposing, as for the no case idea, it has crossed my mind once or twice to get a removable motherboard tray and screw it to a piece of board with everything else, and attach the whole thing to the wall, you would have to secure the graphics card of course.

Andy

I'd recommend at least making some sort of EMI cage around the motherboard. Other than that it's okay IMHO. I like the vapochill thing too, I dont think SPCR has reviewed any phase change equipment yet. Would be interesting to see how it performs.

Heat pipes are phase change devices. So yes they have reviewed a butt load of them.

For the cpu I meant newcastle, I got confused sorry. I probably got confused because both start with N and I never give that much attention to the codenames of the cpus.

I was planning to put the mother board in a plastic box of aproximately 60*30*30cm (a box I used to put my toys in when I was a child) and have the PSU, hdd and dvd drive outside. The plastic is not very hard so I could drill holes in it if necessary. Are electromagnetic wave a concern? I don t think its a threat to my health and if the computer bugs once every 10 000 hours because of an eletromaghetic interference I don t mind too. I hope that all the international security norm they have defined can prevent this kind of problem!

edop2005 wrote:Are electromagnetic wave a concern? I don t think its a threat to my health and if the computer bugs once every 10 000 hours because of an eletromaghetic interference I don t mind too. I hope that all the international security norm they have defined can prevent this kind of problem!

If you have any RFI/EMI-sensitive devices near your PC (or even in the same room) you will want shielding.
1) AM radio will probably be knocked out completely
2) FM radio will work but reception will be poor
3) TV will have visible interference patterning (*)

* I used the freebie flyleads from the wall socket to my TV and they would pick up PC interference from over 4m away. Once I switched to CT100 (double shielded) coax cable the problem went away (as does using a properly shielded case).

So you can probably get away with it but:
- Make sure that any coax cable is very high quality
- Make sure that any aerials are a long way away from the PC
- Make sure that any receiving devices have good interference immunity

I also had another issue tickling my mind, how do you turn on computers without cases with atx mother boards? Someone told me that you just need to create a contact between the 2 pins from the cable going from the motherboard to the on/off switch, if this is the case I could easily buid a switch myself but I wanted to be sure of it. Anyone has info on this issue?

Yes, just short the two pins out. You can buy momentary switches from Radio Shack to do this.

edop2005 wrote:Hi, I m planning on building a very quiet amd64 3500 + northwood platform, here is what I plan to buy:
-hard drive:Toshiba MK4025GAS //15db
-power supply:Antec Phantom 350 //0db
-Gigabyte GV-NX66T128VP GeForce 6600GT 128Mo VIVO //0db
-Gigabyte GA-K8VT890-9 //0db
[...]
I would like to add that I live in japan where the summer is quite hot (last year over 60day>30deg celsius).

Thanks for reading me and giving me feedback!

I'm not sure newcastle is good option, better it probably Wincheser core for you because of lower heat produced. Also even with Winchester at PR3500+ I'm quite afraid about quality of cooling of your CPU and board. Consider that Zalman makes very expensive cases (TNN 500 AF/A) which are completely fan-less and for such CPU it recommends to stick special small cilinders between the masive case and M/B (rear-mount thermal blocks) just to cool down the most hot parts (FETs), I completely don't count that it also provides separate heat-pipe to cool down the M/B chipset. Just have a look at http://www.zalman.co.kr/eng/product/vie ... 1&code=020 to get some idea how such PC (powerful) might look like.
Also you may read their installation manual where they have very usual notes about cooling of various components, especially in case you are living in such hot place.

Side note: I'm not claiming that your PC will not run! It probably will, the only question is how long, since under-cooled components does have very shortended livetime in comparison with well cooled components. You may also search the archive here, I'm not able to find it now, but there is quite long thread with home-made fan-less PC with nice temperatures pictures. You may also find it usefull just to get an idea how much heat you need to spread into the air...

Good luck!
Karel

Have a look at Fanless Heatpipe CPU Cooling System by FMAH There are a couple other no fan systems in the DIY section.

go dfi nforce4 with passive chipset cooler added and venice. the ultra d has the power on and reset on the mobo!!!! enjoy. also venice is what I am getting and will run 2.7ghz at 1volt!!!!

the problem with nforce4 boards is that passive chipset coolers only really work with them when there's some peripheral airflow - that little chipset pumping 15+ watts (that's what it seems like!) into a zalman nb47j with no airflow (fanless system) will burn out in a matter of minutes.

such a fanless system would have to be via- or ati-chipset only.

el_ wrote:also venice is what I am getting and will run 2.7ghz at 1volt!!!!

If you are lucky!

if it is 15watts then yeah but maybe in open system like the guy wants he can have the system shut down if chipset gets to 90C.