So I've been hanging around this place for quite a while reading what I can and learning. The reviews here have been invaluable for helping me choose my parts for what I hope will be a relatively quiet, cool, build.
As it gets fairly hot in my room I'd appreciate any other tips at keeping things quiet and low heat. Florida in the summer is a hellish place to live!
This was designed on somewhat of a budget. It's my first build and I spent a while researching everything to make it (hopefully right). Please go ahead and see if you can find any glaring oversights or things I should change up. I don't game at all, and this build was designed mostly to stay cool and quiet since it gets fairly hot around here in the summer with no A/C.
Wish list link: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Publi ... r=10640665
Already own: 1 TB WD Black
Stupid 74 GB WD Raptor 10k RPM impulse buy
Pioneer DVD Writer
LG 23 inch monitor
keyboard/mouse/speakers to get me started
Based on that I have a few questions and comments I guess.
1. The first thing that comes to mind is the power supply. Is it enough to power what I have? This supply also just has four sata connections while the motherboard I've chosen has eight I think. I don't plan on using more than four for right now, but in the future is there an adapter of some sort that will let me get a few more out of it? If the answer is no I may have to jump up to the 620 watt power supply just for the extra connectors.
I know I can find a higher wattage PSU for less from OCZ (also Tier 2) but I'm fond of the Corsair one for some reason. The 5 year warranty is also a plus.
2. I realize the graphics card is fanless. I'm hoping since I don't plan on taxing it much it will stay sufficiently cool. I've read reports that the CPU cooler might also lend a hand to cooling the card, but I can't for the life of me remember where (unless it was from here which it might be).
3. How quiet is the default fan in the case? Is it worth getting another one? I think I might just to increase the air flow in there. I was thinking of the NF-S12B ULN 120mm. Also, Antecs website says there are 2 front fan mounts for optional 92 mm fans to cool the HDD's. Thoughts on this? I'm not really sure where they are placed but if they're spinning slow they might be able to push air out past some other components.
Those are the only immediate questions I have, but I'm sure I just haven't thought of the rest. My main area of concern is airflow in the case. I'm not sure the one fan on the back would be enough to keep everything sufficiently cool in 80-89 Fahrenheit temps, hence my addition of the cpu cooler and the questions about the 80 mm fans inside the case.
Also, is there a guide or something someone can recommend that would detail the steps necessary to replace a fan? I've never done it before, but I think I could.
I'd appreciate any feedback in this area, especially any glaring oversights I probably have made.
Thanks
Please criticize my first attempt at an AM3 build
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
You can use molex to sata power adapters to add any further sata power connectors if you need them in the future. No need to buy a larger PSU just for more connectors.
About the Xigmatek CPU cooler, from memory it will probably mount the wrong way on an AMD motherboard, pointing up towards the PSU instead of towards the rear exhaust fan. This may cause your PSU to heat up and lead its fan to spin faster. As the price is about the same, I would look at the Scythe Mugen 2 instead, which mounts the 'correct' way on AMD boards with the CPU fan blowing toward the rear exhaust fan. The Mugen 2 comes with a quieter fan to boot.
The PSU fan should be fairly quiet for you, but if it is too loud just do a forum search for 'fan swap' and see some of the guides that come up. I recommend a Scythe S-Flex 1600rpm fan if you are looking for a fan swap.
For case fans, I would switch the included fan for something quieter. IMO undervolted and soft-mounted Scythe or Nexus fans are the best fans. The Nexus 120mm and 92mm Real Silent case fans come with soft rubber mounts included for quiet mounting. These fans are US$10 each, which isn't too bad for a quiet fan.
Add a few Zalman fanmates to manually set your fan's undervolt settings and you are good to go.
Since you have a fanless graphics card, you might benefit from a single front mounted 92mm fan in the upper of the two 92mm fan mounts in the Solo blowing at the graphics card, particularly for the summer heat.
This may not be necessary though, so see if it makes a difference in noise.
Oh, and be sure to use the included suspension mounts for your HDDs.
Best of luck with your build!
About the Xigmatek CPU cooler, from memory it will probably mount the wrong way on an AMD motherboard, pointing up towards the PSU instead of towards the rear exhaust fan. This may cause your PSU to heat up and lead its fan to spin faster. As the price is about the same, I would look at the Scythe Mugen 2 instead, which mounts the 'correct' way on AMD boards with the CPU fan blowing toward the rear exhaust fan. The Mugen 2 comes with a quieter fan to boot.
The PSU fan should be fairly quiet for you, but if it is too loud just do a forum search for 'fan swap' and see some of the guides that come up. I recommend a Scythe S-Flex 1600rpm fan if you are looking for a fan swap.
For case fans, I would switch the included fan for something quieter. IMO undervolted and soft-mounted Scythe or Nexus fans are the best fans. The Nexus 120mm and 92mm Real Silent case fans come with soft rubber mounts included for quiet mounting. These fans are US$10 each, which isn't too bad for a quiet fan.
Add a few Zalman fanmates to manually set your fan's undervolt settings and you are good to go.
Since you have a fanless graphics card, you might benefit from a single front mounted 92mm fan in the upper of the two 92mm fan mounts in the Solo blowing at the graphics card, particularly for the summer heat.
This may not be necessary though, so see if it makes a difference in noise.
Oh, and be sure to use the included suspension mounts for your HDDs.
Best of luck with your build!
If you don't game at all it would seem to me that maybe your rig is a little overpowered. What do you intend to use the PC for? Music, video, office and internet? If fast video encoding/3D graphic rendering is important then you can ignore my following advice but otherwise some stuff to consider...
You could save on heat (and money) and get a motherboard with integrated graphics. For example the AMD 785G chipset was realeased today and it seems to be the best options for media duties (it does all the blu-ray audio/video bells and whistles you can want) and even very light gaming. I don't know about availability yet. Then you could skip the 9400GT and the 50W Wikipedia claims it uses. I would believe that it doesn't use that much but just because it is passive doesn't mean that it doesn't generate heat which needs to be vented somehow.
Similarly you could scale back on CPU power. Dual core is probably plenty so an Athlon II with 65 W TDP and would be a better fit than the Phenom II 95W tricore.
And finally a 520W power supply is probably overkill for the rig as you originally spec'd it, it would certainly be overkill if trimmed it back like I suggested. I am using the Nexus Value 430 (which was very highly rated by spcr). It has 4 SATA connectors and tonnes more molexes which, as JamieG pointed out, you can easily use with an adapter. It isn't modular though.
I have never used a Solo so I can't really give any suggestions for airflow and fans in sunny Florida...
You could save on heat (and money) and get a motherboard with integrated graphics. For example the AMD 785G chipset was realeased today and it seems to be the best options for media duties (it does all the blu-ray audio/video bells and whistles you can want) and even very light gaming. I don't know about availability yet. Then you could skip the 9400GT and the 50W Wikipedia claims it uses. I would believe that it doesn't use that much but just because it is passive doesn't mean that it doesn't generate heat which needs to be vented somehow.
Similarly you could scale back on CPU power. Dual core is probably plenty so an Athlon II with 65 W TDP and would be a better fit than the Phenom II 95W tricore.
And finally a 520W power supply is probably overkill for the rig as you originally spec'd it, it would certainly be overkill if trimmed it back like I suggested. I am using the Nexus Value 430 (which was very highly rated by spcr). It has 4 SATA connectors and tonnes more molexes which, as JamieG pointed out, you can easily use with an adapter. It isn't modular though.
I have never used a Solo so I can't really give any suggestions for airflow and fans in sunny Florida...
I own retty much the same system, except I am using 2x the Ram (fond of Ramdisks) and a HD4770.
I draw about 230W under load (Fallout 3), so the power supply is more than powerful enough. I bought it to have enough headroom for a second HD4770 - you could easily get by with a Nexus430.
The HDT-1283 does mount in the "wrong" direction for the Solo. But I do not think it matters a lot, and I prefer the low weight of the HDT-Series to massive coolers like Mugen/HR-01+/...
Superior, more efficient engineering should be rewarded
I actualy got the 1284EE btw. (it was slightly cheaper then), but I do not think the additional heatpipe makes a real world difference.
I draw about 230W under load (Fallout 3), so the power supply is more than powerful enough. I bought it to have enough headroom for a second HD4770 - you could easily get by with a Nexus430.
The HDT-1283 does mount in the "wrong" direction for the Solo. But I do not think it matters a lot, and I prefer the low weight of the HDT-Series to massive coolers like Mugen/HR-01+/...
Superior, more efficient engineering should be rewarded
I actualy got the 1284EE btw. (it was slightly cheaper then), but I do not think the additional heatpipe makes a real world difference.
Thanks for the tips JamieG! I'm excited about not having to buy a bigger, beefier, power supply just for some extra sata power connectors. Would have been a waste.
The Scythe Mugen 2 you recommended seems to be a wonderful cooler but I'm wondering if it might be just a bit too large for the Antec Solo. Any opinions on that?
I think I'll leave the PSU fan alone for now and see how noisy it actually gets. There's a bit of ambient noise as well so I don't think it will be too noticeable.
I chose the Noctua fan based on the 2nd fan roundup of 120 mm fans, but for similar performance and $10 cheaper the scythes or nexus fans look like a good bet. I chose this Nexus fan based off of the review if I were to get it but I can't make up my mind with the Scythes. They seem to have no fewer than 3 or 4 models of the S-Flex (reviewed here) all for the same price on NewEgg. Would someone be kind enough to to link me to one?
I think I will be adding a 92 mm fan at the front, I'd feel a bit more comfortable with this.
I have every intention of using the suspension mounts here.
Thanks for the help! I'm a bit wary of undervolting anything. I'm not particularly good with all that stuff so unless its ridiulously simple, I might just end up letting them spin at however they want to spin.
As for gaming, I don't game at all and it probably is a little over powered. My primary uses are for music, video, internet, but I occasionally do a bit of video encoding so I chose this CPU to try and keep my PC responsive during it. I'm hoping that Cool and Quiet technology along with whatever the motherboard brings with it will keep my CPU from using less wattage than the 95 all the time.
For a video card I went with a dedicated card so that I could choose to go with an Nvidia chipset. I'm just a bit more partial to them I think, I've always had problems with Ati in Linux.
I'll take a look at the Nexus Value. 430 might be a little low for me as I'd like to give myself to grow in the future. I'm still debating whether modular is worth the extra $15 on the corsair one vs the non modular one. That seems to be the only difference.
K.Murx, thanks for the response. Like I said earlier, I'm still considering the HDT-1283 because of the Mugens massive size (by the looks of its review here). I would prefer something that faces the right way and blows air out though since I'd be trying to cool my passive video card in the process.
Two more questions now that I have thought about this some more.
1. In reference to CPU coolers, is there a consensus on the Sunbeam CR-CCTF? I had it recommended to me but not sure if its better or worse than the Mugen.
2. About my RAM choice, will the massive heatsinks get in the way?
3. Is modular PSU worth an extra $15 in the land of cooling? I've read most of the wires can be tucked away anyway.
The Scythe Mugen 2 you recommended seems to be a wonderful cooler but I'm wondering if it might be just a bit too large for the Antec Solo. Any opinions on that?
I think I'll leave the PSU fan alone for now and see how noisy it actually gets. There's a bit of ambient noise as well so I don't think it will be too noticeable.
I chose the Noctua fan based on the 2nd fan roundup of 120 mm fans, but for similar performance and $10 cheaper the scythes or nexus fans look like a good bet. I chose this Nexus fan based off of the review if I were to get it but I can't make up my mind with the Scythes. They seem to have no fewer than 3 or 4 models of the S-Flex (reviewed here) all for the same price on NewEgg. Would someone be kind enough to to link me to one?
I think I will be adding a 92 mm fan at the front, I'd feel a bit more comfortable with this.
I have every intention of using the suspension mounts here.
Thanks for the help! I'm a bit wary of undervolting anything. I'm not particularly good with all that stuff so unless its ridiulously simple, I might just end up letting them spin at however they want to spin.
As for gaming, I don't game at all and it probably is a little over powered. My primary uses are for music, video, internet, but I occasionally do a bit of video encoding so I chose this CPU to try and keep my PC responsive during it. I'm hoping that Cool and Quiet technology along with whatever the motherboard brings with it will keep my CPU from using less wattage than the 95 all the time.
For a video card I went with a dedicated card so that I could choose to go with an Nvidia chipset. I'm just a bit more partial to them I think, I've always had problems with Ati in Linux.
I'll take a look at the Nexus Value. 430 might be a little low for me as I'd like to give myself to grow in the future. I'm still debating whether modular is worth the extra $15 on the corsair one vs the non modular one. That seems to be the only difference.
K.Murx, thanks for the response. Like I said earlier, I'm still considering the HDT-1283 because of the Mugens massive size (by the looks of its review here). I would prefer something that faces the right way and blows air out though since I'd be trying to cool my passive video card in the process.
Two more questions now that I have thought about this some more.
1. In reference to CPU coolers, is there a consensus on the Sunbeam CR-CCTF? I had it recommended to me but not sure if its better or worse than the Mugen.
2. About my RAM choice, will the massive heatsinks get in the way?
3. Is modular PSU worth an extra $15 in the land of cooling? I've read most of the wires can be tucked away anyway.
Last edited by aimless on Tue Aug 04, 2009 3:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If you buy a Zalman Fanmate 2 (do a newegg search for it, it's only a couple of bucks), it has a fan input and a fan output cable to interpose a little box with a speed dial between the 3 pin motherboard header and the 3 pin fan wire that coems from your fans. You just turn the dial down until the fan is quiet enough. Buy one for each fan you plan on using. That Nexus fan (and its 92mm equivalent) that you linked to is perfect for your needs.aimless wrote:Thanks for the help! I'm a bit wary of undervolting anything. I'm not particularly good with all that stuff so unless its ridiulously simple, I might just end up letting them spin at however they want to spin.
The Scythe Slipstream fans are also about the same price as the Nexus fan and are quite good as well. SPCR has reviewed them in a separate article as well.
If you just want to run your fans without doing any undervolting, look at the Scythe S-Flex 800rpm or Scythe Slipstream 800rpm, as they are slightly quieter than the Nexus fan would be at full speed without any undervolting. I think there is even a 500rpm version of the Slipstream which would be more than fine to run at full speed, although it wouldn't move much air.
As for the Mugen 2, I think someone has posted here that it fits in a Solo - have a look in the General Gallery or do a forum search for 'Mugen 2 Solo' and see what comes up.
430 watts in a power supply is fine for this system. My gaming system in my signature uses about 300 watts max at full artificial GPU and CPU load, so you should be fine for an upgrade. There is a sticky in the PSU section of the forum showing just how much you can run off a 300 watt power supply, so have a read of that if you need some further reassurance.
Awesome! I did some more research on that fanmate and I definitely will be purchasing some. Thanks for the feedback on the Nexus fans also. I think I'll stick with them. Too many choices to choose from I guess. Is there any harm/danger done in undervolting? It sounds straightforward enough.
I don't see the rubber grommets pictured on newegg for the D12SL but I hope they are included. I may as well get them or choose a fan that does come with them.
Finally, the tri cool switch at the back of the Solo is useless now right? Is it possible to wire the rear fan up to it or is it best to just forget its there?
I think I saw in the forum as well as the NewEgg reviews that the Mugen did fit.
430 watts sounds like enough for me. I'm silly, and stubborn, and always like to do a bit more than is necessary I guess but I just feel safer with 500 plus.
Thanks for all the tips, it's looking like I can order soon
I don't see the rubber grommets pictured on newegg for the D12SL but I hope they are included. I may as well get them or choose a fan that does come with them.
Finally, the tri cool switch at the back of the Solo is useless now right? Is it possible to wire the rear fan up to it or is it best to just forget its there?
I think I saw in the forum as well as the NewEgg reviews that the Mugen did fit.
430 watts sounds like enough for me. I'm silly, and stubborn, and always like to do a bit more than is necessary I guess but I just feel safer with 500 plus.
Thanks for all the tips, it's looking like I can order soon
If you do not game at all, it might be advisable to throw out the graphics card, get an IGP and an efficient dual core and invest the saved money into a SSD. Considering all the rave reviews around here it is probably worth it.
And modular PSU's have a negligible effect on cooling if you don't leave the cables hanging around. They are just a lot nicer to work with because you don't have to fight a multi-headed cable hydra with only zip ties at your side
Oh, and there is no possible harm to undervolting, and with the fanmate it is as easy as turning a knob.
And modular PSU's have a negligible effect on cooling if you don't leave the cables hanging around. They are just a lot nicer to work with because you don't have to fight a multi-headed cable hydra with only zip ties at your side
Oh, and there is no possible harm to undervolting, and with the fanmate it is as easy as turning a knob.
Oh, to afford an SSD. I want one desperately and was real close to buying one a few months ago with a newegg special but it wasn't the best one out there.
I'll look at other processors but I'm pretty well convinced on this one. Its pretty cheap even in comparison to those dual cores and I'd like to ensure it can keep up with me for a couple of years.
I might hang on to the modular PSU that I originally went with. It would be nice to be able to remove what I don't need and not have to fuss with so much. $15 isn't too much added onto this for the convenience it might provide.
I decided to go with these Scythe Slipstreams. They are the 1200 rpm variant and are apparently capable of spinning at high rpms and adequately cooling without much more noise than the others according to the review on this site. I'm still buying the fan mate to undervolt if I want to. Going with this Nexus. I decided to go with one from each brand because they're both supposed to be quiet enough and I want to compare them for myself.
Is it an easy job to replace the fan on the Mugen 2, if its even necessary? It's a scythe fan to begin with so it ought to be ok I think. I'll hold off on buying this until tomorrow some time to hopefully get a bit more feed back.
I'll look at other processors but I'm pretty well convinced on this one. Its pretty cheap even in comparison to those dual cores and I'd like to ensure it can keep up with me for a couple of years.
I might hang on to the modular PSU that I originally went with. It would be nice to be able to remove what I don't need and not have to fuss with so much. $15 isn't too much added onto this for the convenience it might provide.
I decided to go with these Scythe Slipstreams. They are the 1200 rpm variant and are apparently capable of spinning at high rpms and adequately cooling without much more noise than the others according to the review on this site. I'm still buying the fan mate to undervolt if I want to. Going with this Nexus. I decided to go with one from each brand because they're both supposed to be quiet enough and I want to compare them for myself.
Is it an easy job to replace the fan on the Mugen 2, if its even necessary? It's a scythe fan to begin with so it ought to be ok I think. I'll hold off on buying this until tomorrow some time to hopefully get a bit more feed back.