P180 / 182 SE "Warranty Build" -No part mods- Sile

[Deusfaux]

(sorry in advance if you guys see this at one of the other tech forums I frequent)

So performance is always going to be my #1 goal; this was true when I put together my first rig in Dec '05 with an X2 4800 (fastest dual core at the time, cost me something like $900 CAD), and continues today, though I've learnt more and know where to get better performance without spending so much.

But more recently I've discovered sites like this one and also become more atuned to the growing movement towards more silent pcs. I had already made some good choices with some of my parts... I had originally vowed to try and get 120mm fans everywhere I could (just my case and PSU at the time), and started out with a great foundation, the P180.

Unlike some others who are okay with modifying their cases with a dremel or diving into their PSU or other parts to change them around, I prefer to keep things closer to "stock" and under warranty. Nothing against modding, I'd like doing it too, but not when it comes at the expense of my coverage with the manufacturer.

So I just finished putting together my latest iteration with advice and research done at this site and some others. The loudest part(s) in my case are the higher pitched whines of my idle HDDs (likely the Raptors). This doesnt seem possible to really change without downgrading in performance (though I now see talk of HDD suspension...) so I've very pleased with everything. The fridge a room over is louder by a good deal. I only hear the pc with all doors closed and nothing else electronic turned on, and even then you have to turn your head to pick up the HDD idle sound.


First things first, internal parts list:

Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 w/ Thermalright Ultra 120 & Scythe S-Flex SFF21F (thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme preordered)
Asus Asus P5W DH Deluxe
2x1GB OCZ EL Plat Rev 2 PC6400
2x 1500ADFD 10,000RPM Raptors RAID 0, 320GB Seagate 7200.10
ATi Radeon X1900XTX w/ Accelero X2 (becoming R600 when it releases)
Creative X-Fi Platinum
LG H30 SATA Super Multi (becoming H62 when it releases)
Corsair HX620
Antec P180 (all 3 stock fans, VGA cooler removed, no mods) (P182 SE preordered)

-All pics taken extremely hastily with SD800IS


Overview shot of PC area. edit: yes this chair is a poverty case. sigh


2nd angle. Meow!


Behind chair shot, close to what you see while sitting.


Front of case. Minimal!


Case rear. Four USB's are: LCD's hub, mobo remote sensor, mouse, keyboard. Power cable gets tucked somewhat under case, which sits on 2 spare wood slats from hardwood flooring; keeping it off the carpet and elevated a bit - it looks great from the front like it's floating a bit because the slats are far enough back as to be hidden.


Overview!


Top of case. all white antec tri-cool fan controllers are tucked away, but still accessible


mid case. only 3 cables using "gate" - none going back down to other side of lower chamber. Will likely change to 1 cable using gate with forthcoming P182.


bottom of case. Stupid non-modular 12vEPS gets tucked on top for now, isn't blocking airflow as fan is on bottom of PSU (which is elevated, remember, and also getting fresh air from 120mm in front of it). Not using PSU bracket because of new case coming, dont want to bother now.


optical and X-Fi front bay add-on cable routing. Sorry about the dust, that's gross. I blew it out everywhere else though! Plus new case is coming so I dont care.


3 HDDs in bottom cage. Raptors on outsides (hottest), Seagate in middle. Color coded! Nice PSU cable with 3 sata power connections on it and nothing more.


PSU area. Only 2 modular cables being used. One 3x SATA power, going beyond bracket on side of case and back in on other side. One 2x molex, going up side of case, to power 3 fans, X-fi front bay and optical.


Mobo connections. Front panel buttons, 4x SATA color coded, X-Fi cable nearby. Not using case firewire (never even HAD a firewire device in this house that wasnt USB as well) nor USB (monitor is 4 port Hub and closer).


CPU and top/rear case fan wiring, sneaking around in the corners, tucked away. Case fans connected eventually behind front bays/against case side.


Overview of cooling. Using AS5 for now, case closed idle CPU 21, mobo 41 (alot of that is the damn X2 accelero exhauting into case ). Scythe running mid strength at 1200RPM (/1600). All case fans on low.



External parts so you dont have to ask me in later posts after the pics:

Dell WFP 3007
Logitech Z-5500d w/ Btech stands
Logitech MX518 w/ Steelpad 4S
Logitech G15 Keyboard
Logitech Quickcam Fusion
Microsoft Wireless XBOX 360 PC Gamepad
Linksys WRT45G v4 on Shaw Cable 10mb/1mb



What I *don't* like:
-All the things that get changed in the P182 (thick fan at bottom, no holes for routing cables)
-The bit of black tape you can see at the top for the fan wiring
-All the unsleeved wires (3 fans, sata power adapter for optical, X-Fi cable)
-My ghetto X-Fi cable. Cut 40 wires into 10 groups of 4, then spun to cut down on size, but it's still ugly grey, and bound with dirty elastics. I will get heatshrink and sleeving or send it away to get it done for me.
-Non-modular 12vEPS 8pin on the PSU
-No internal leds except mobo power. It's a dark world in there
-X2 accelero exhausts into case vs stock ATI cooler exhausting out back. mobo temps up


Also the 520W OCZ modstream I just replaced needs a home, if anyone's looking gimme a shout or I'll just list on ebay.


What do you guys think? Here's my previous build of a year ago or more


(stupid serial I/O, 2 IDE cables all over the place, more visible SATA (yet less of them), more power cables, mismatched blue extension on power...)

[derekchinese]

Very nice build!

What are you running your e6600 at?

And how are the temps?

Thanks for sharing your build.

Derek

[Shadowknight]

Where did yout windows desktop background come from?

[Deusfaux]

wallpaper section of deviantart

[ryboto]

nice and clean, though I'm not sure I would have gone with a 620W power supply.

[Deusfaux]

nice and clean, though I'm not sure I would have gone with a 620W power supply.

more or less?

i dont need more cuz i dont run SLI or crossfire of the big big cards (although its been said this one can do 8800GTX SLI)

and I chose it because of its easily one hte quietest ones out there. performance wise my last one was fine, this one is just quieter.

also, 5 warranty, great reviews at places like [H]ardOCP, modular, rebate, etc etc etc. I could have gone down to the 520w, but who cares now im a little more covered for future parts

[ryboto]

also, 5 warranty, great reviews at places like [H]ardOCP, modular, rebate, etc etc etc. I could have gone down to the 520w, but who cares now im a little more covered for future parts

but even for future parts, the trend is lower power consumption. If the rumors are true, the next generation of video cards are going to much more power efficient, especially now that amd will be involved with the R&D in the video chipsets. I would say 520W would be more than you'll ever need if you don't go with an sli/crossfire setup. So, I would have gone with less, plus the price difference, at least from where I can buy is pretty huge. I found the HX520 for ~$100USD. I would have only gone with it for the modular cables, but now I'm leaning towards a Fortron Zen.

[Deusfaux]

the trend is only lower power consumption with SOME parts

the R600 will set things to new levels, and I feel more comfortable with a 620 over a 520.

really thats the only question - why i got the higher of the 2. I already listed all the reasons the corsair rocks period.

I'd consider this a mid-range PSU in terms of power output anyways. I think you'd be better to take up issue with people going for 700, 920, 1200W PSUs


and if I want to do SLI or Crossfire for this current generation (of which only one half is out - no ATI offering yet) I may very well be able to do so.

I wont purchase a PSU just because I assume what power requirements are going to be like across the board over a year from now. I purchase one based on current needs, with a little room on either side; its not like PSU's constantly run at the power output they're max rated for if its not needed.

the ONLY downside to this purchase over the 520 was money - and frankly thats just not really enough of a concern.

[nick705]

The loudest part(s) in my case are the higher pitched whines of my idle HDDs (likely the Raptors).

I reckon the whining culprit is likely to be the Seagate, not the Raptors. I had a 320GB PATA 7200.10 a few months ago, and it was absolutely horrendous - a high-pitched metallic scream that was like the tinnitus I once had following an ear infection.

I've also had a couple of Raptors, one each from the older and newer generations, and they were both inaudible when idling (a different story when they were working hard of course).

Maybe I just got unlucky with a particularly bad sample, but I gather my experience isn't unique. I haven't been tempted to buy another 7200.10 to put it to the test.

[Deusfaux]

so would suspending them make any difference?

[derekchinese]

so your e6600 is at stock speed?

[Deusfaux]

so your e6600 is at stock speed?

at the moment yes

just got tracking # for P182 SE... woot woot!

after that and maybe the Ultra 120 Extreme I'll get back to the OC grind

[bonestonne]

ooh, a cute little sound system...mines slightly larger, somewhat more oldschool though. those speakers behind the chair must be surrounds?

my receiver just lets me all add the speakers i want kinda...i have 4 mains [2L, 2R], 4 surround [2L, 2R] and my 8" subwoofter, which is pretty bulky, needs to be refurbished, the foam lining is almost 70% gone..and finally my center speaker, which you can only hear when the system is turned down...i have to say, the room i pack all that in isn't much bigger than the room that computer is in from the looks of it.

my room is maybe 8x12 feet...could be smaller, its not that much. my parents hate it, and thats what matters.

[nick705]

so would suspending them make any difference?

I rather doubt it - you could give it a go, but drive suspension tends to give best results when you have a seek noise problem. An quiet drive enclosure can sometimes muffle a whining drive, or at least change the volume and pitch so it's not so annoying, but even then there's no guarantees and it can be inconvenient (not to mention the extra expense).

Personally I'd tackle the problem at source and just get a quieter drive (Samsung or WD). You could always sling the Seagate into an external USB enclosure for backup or whatever.

I guess it all depends on how much it gets on your nerves - mine was intolerable, but from what you say yours isn't too bad.

Nice setup BTW...

[angelkiller]

Wow. Wish I had some money.....


Awesome system!! Hope you really enjoy it! (Cuz I sure do!)

[Zepp]

Your P180 looks so much cleaner inside . I really should clean mine up, first by removing all the extra motherboard attachments I don't need . I need to replace my cpu cooler too, stock amd one is freaking loud :-/

[Zepp]

Your P180 looks so much cleaner inside . I really should clean mine up, first by removing all the extra motherboard attachments I don't need . I need to replace my cpu cooler too, stock amd one is freaking loud :-/

Oh and is that 24 or 30 inch monitor in the photo? Just curious, looks nice

[Deusfaux]

It was listed in the components - it's a Dell 3007 WFP - yes a 30"

And looky looky what just came ....

[Deusfaux]

New rear mounted rear and upper fan controls for easy access




Rear of case. New holes for watercooling tubing




Some of the reflective quality. I'll take the sheets off later and get the real deal.




Case door feels much more solid than P180. Might be the steel. 5" drive bay covers fit more closely together. Power button has raised symbol on it. Overall a tighter nicer look.



Door fits very flush - no issues here initially.



Overview of inside. sexy black finish



internal shot of how new fan business works



exclusive to SE --> crazy wormlight and its power cord which seems to be both molex and internal USB header powered?



can't see it when its on holding clip and looking at case straight on



wormlight floating, front case connections/bundle/etc. some mobo holes visible



closer!



PSU bay with improved silicon to cut down on vibrations, new smaller 25mm fan at bottom, and it has a longer tri-speed control as well



hdd cages "Antec Design"



Sorry this one is dark, tubing holes from inside, plus the bottom gate to the lower chamber is silghtly differnt, an oval shape



nothing remarkable about cages out - top fan cover - drive rails - screws and such - NEW - black cloth for wiping down case - fan clips looks like - cable ties



internal with cages removed



see through shot - highlights new holes in mobo for cable routing behind it



shot of the NEW backside - raised mobo tray and holes cut to route PSU cabling up behind mobo. 3 build in cable ties as well. also you can see better the smaller 25mm fan at the bottom. also i was REALLY concerned that bottom notch wouldnt be there because on the antec website it's missing... but its there!



little dark again - front panel connections are more accessible from the back this time



overview of backside!










and of course I'll update my entire build set of photos using the new case and its improvements

[Zepp]

It was listed in the components

Oops, I didn't notice the lower parts list with the external components .

The new P180 looks slick by the way .

[AndyM]

Wow, that's a nice looking case! So tempting, I look forward to the finished build.

[Techno Pride]

Does the X2 block off both the PCI-E 1x and PCI slots? Meaning, will a PCI card fit into the 1st PCI slot?

[el_]

great pictures!! thx


WORMLIGHT!!! great idea antec!!!

[cbutters]

That P-182SE is so pretty! I love the black interior, I actually spraypainted the interior of one of my boxes to have that look, and even wetsanded the case to a pretty blue color. but anyways, once you take of the plastic on that shine on the sides of the case, be sure to post some pictures of that mirror finish.

[JimX]

Where are the photos of everything in the SE???

[deio]

Hello, very impresive build. I like your PC . I also have a Corsair 620 and P182, and if you have spare time, you can hide the main power supply cables in the back, the cables are long enough to fit. They won't be visible anymore, thanks to the cable management Antec provided.

[meansizzler]

Nice cabling, didn't the 24 Pin ATX and 4 Pin P4 cable fit behind the mobo?, iused an extension cable for the P4..

[Asulc]

I would guess that you have put everything in the new case. Where are the pics!

[Asulc]

Bump for new pictures in the SE

[simeli]

I love the cat