what do you think of this configuration?

kruimeldief · Post by **kruimeldief** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:06 am

It’s time that my old PC gets replaced as it is slow, loud and never was very stable…

My sister and me spend quite some time behind the PC, mostly for browsing the internet, emailing, chatting but also for making reports for school and for playing a game once in a while…

Case:coolermaster cavalier 3. I like the design a lot (and also the price 58€) but it has one serieus flaw and that is the limited airflow. That’s why I’ll mod it by improving the front intake and by cutting a hole in the bottom to place a 120mm fan. So it will hold 4 casefans (2*120mm and 2*80mm)

CPU: Athlon 64 venice 3000+
Memory: Kingston 2 x 512mb KVR400X64C3AK2/1G DDR SDRAM
Moterhboard: asus a8n-e

Powersupply: the smartpower 2.0 is pretty cheap and easy to get. I don’t know which wattage I should get…for now I don’t even need 350W, but keeping the future in mind I would be more at ease with 400W. BUT the 500W version has detachable output cables…But instead of the 500W version I can get the seasonic s12 380W for just a slightly higher price...altough I don't know which one should be the best in this configuration (a 120mm fan instead of a 80mm fan)

CPU-cooler: First I decided to go for the arctic freezer 64, but the fan would be orientated to the top of the case and not to the back…so I decided to go for the (cheaper but less cool) arctic silencer 64 ultra TC. BUT then I got this “genius” plan and decided that a thermalright xp90 would be bettersee the graphic card.

Graphic card: Not sold/reviewed yet:Asus EN6600GT Silencer: a passive card which has a rotating heat sink. So what’s my plan…install the XP90 with a 90mm nexus fan blowing up through the VGA heatsink and have another 80mm casefan sucking the probably very hot air out of the case)
So…CPU>XP90 HS>fan>HS>fan>outside

What do you think of this system…Is there anything that won’t work?
*making the hole in the bottom to get a good airflow, and will the airflow be good then anyways?
*which PSU smartpower 400W,500W or S12-380W ?
*my genious plan CPU>XP90 HS>fan>HS>fan>outside
*any other problems I might encouter (components that won’t work together or so...)

BTW. I’ll use the harddisk and CD-writer from my old computer to keep the price down as much as possible as I’m a poor student (the configuration now costs about 750€ (920 USD) including sleeving kit, extra nexus fans and transport)

ronrem · Post by **ronrem** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 10:19 pm

A few too many fans overall,otherwise good. Check out the Coolmax CR psus-the 400 w seems pretty complete-has a 140 mm 3-speed Yate Loon,which can run at1000 rpm yet still cool the PSU AND suck out some CPU heat. I'd like to mount it alongside one of the big Scythe passives,the 2005 Heatlane or the Ninja. The Artic is nice for the price-I helped a guy set up an audio workstation and that's what we used.

A floor fan can be good IF you have clearance-usually however you should be fine with one or two big slow case fans. I like that PSU as I see it exhausting enough case heat that a lone undervolted Nex can do the rest,no sweat.

kruimeldief · Post by **kruimeldief** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 11:30 pm

perhaps 4 casefans is 1 to many indeed. But I can always install them and check out what combination gives the best results. The only thing is that it would be stupid to cut a hole in the floor and find out that it would have better been left untouched

which PSU I get will probably be decided the same second I order all my components, but it will be one from the recommended list

Any comments on my airflow schedule (CPU>HS>fan>HS>fan>outside)

edit: also note that it's a passive videocard, so that's one fan less in the system.

BrianE · Post by **BrianE** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:41 pm

I think routing the intake from the bottom of the case is a good idea, just make sure that you have the case 1/2" or so off the ground so that you don't restrict it too much.

I personally wouldn't try to cool one potentially hot component with the air from another potentially hot component.... not that I know for sure that it won't work, it just doesn't sound like a good idea to me. I would try to cool the CPU and video card separately with as little "recycled" air as possible.

kruimeldief · Post by **kruimeldief** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 10:44 pm

Both CPU and Videocard are indeed hot components, but If the videocard is hotter (which I believe it is from reading other people's temperatures) the cool air will first cool the CPU and then the hotter videocard.

And if it doesn't work as planned I'll turn the asus heatsink so it comes more in the path of the air intake of the case