Cooler Master Sileo 500 for single GPU gaming build

mjw21a · Post by **mjw21a** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:11 pm

Hey guys, just looking at building a new gaming build using the Cooler Master Sileo 500 and was wondering whether anyone has had any experiences with this case?

I'll be using the following components:

Xigmatek CPU Cooler S1283 Red Scorpion
AMD PhenomII 720 TripleCore CPU (hoping to enable the 4th core)
Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P MB, AM3,790X+SB750,5.2GT/s, DDR3
4G Kit DDR3 1600 Patriot-Signature
CoolerMaster Sileo 500 Black NO PSU
Corsair HX520 PSU
G.Skill Falcon 64G SSDHD 2.5 inch SATA2
Samsung 1.5TB Silencer Series 32M
1GB 4890 HIS-OC

I'm a little concerned regarding heat as many cases don't deal with Australian conditions well, however my current Coolermaster Elite 334 seems to handle things well enough with just a single exhaust fan.

Thanks in advance guys

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:02 pm

Other than the SPCR review, I'm not sure if anyone here has actually used this case. Looks somewhat promising though. You should be fine, especially if you cut out the front and rear fan grills and look at suspending your HDD instead of using the included HDD cage, which looks quite restrictive.

Also, I'm not sure the S1283 will install the 'correct' way on an AMD mobo (with the CPU fan blowing towards the rear exhaust), so you might want to consider an alternative, like the Scythe Mugen 2 perhaps.

Lawrence Lee · Post by **Lawrence Lee** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:39 pm

Consider a case with the power supply at the bottom like the Antec 300. The PSU will run much cooler and quieter without all the heat radiating off the CPU heatsink.

mjw21a · Post by **mjw21a** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 10:42 pm

Google shows plenty of reviews which all say its nice and quiet, its just SPCR really is the only place to look when choosing quiet components.

Hmm, the 300 is $6 Australian less than the CM Sileo 500. The only thing is that it has a mesh front. My experience is that whilst these are great for cooling they do nothing to hide HDD noise, though I guess this shouldn't be an issue with an SSD as my primary HDD.....

I'm not sure, I really want this system to be quieter than my current setup. Hoping to get it so I just can't hear the system at all unless gaming..... I can here a low whoosh with my current setup. Would the Antec 300 be quieter with lower PSU temps? I mean if my current PSU lasts a while then dies its not a big deal, Corsair PSU's aren't that pricey.

So long as the Xigmatek points either at the PSU fan or the back case fan things should be ok shouldn't it. It'll exhaust heat out the back the the case right?

JamieG · Post by **JamieG** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:20 pm

mjw21a wrote:So long as the Xigmatek points either at the PSU fan or the back case fan things should be ok shouldn't it. It'll exhaust heat out the back the the case right?

Yes, but if the heatsink's fan blows hot air into the PSU, this may cause the PSU's temperature to rise and therefore the PSU fan will speed up accordingly to cool it down, creating more noise. That's why the correct rear-facing orientation is preferred, as the heatsink's fan pushes the hot CPU air towards the rear exhaust instead.

mjw21a · Post by **mjw21a** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 11:25 pm

Hmmm, I'd better research the mainboard HSF combo then or I might be better off with something else.

Lawrence Lee · Post by **Lawrence Lee** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 7:10 am

mjw21a wrote:Hmmm, I'd better research the mainboard HSF combo then or I might be better off with something else.

Except for a few select models, your typical tower cooler will blow upward on AMD motherboards. The 300 is aptly suited for this because the PSU is at the bottom and there's a fan placement on the ceiling. So instead of airflow going out the back, you can adjust the airflow to go out the top. The only issue is sleeve bearing fans wear out faster when placed horizontally, so you should look at fans with fluid bearings or be prepared to switch out the fans in like 2-3 years (at worst).

mjw21a · Post by **mjw21a** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 6:36 pm

Cool, thanks I'll keep that in mind. Will just change the fan for a Noctua or something when it begins to get noisy.

You're right, the HSF fit on with the fan blowing up. Meh, can't have everything I guess.

loimlo · Post by **loimlo** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:40 am

Though off-topic, I'd like to remind you that Xigmatek S1283 Red Scorpion's fan is pretty badâ€”it is a clear-plastic LED fan which carries dirty bearing noise. By contrast, normal S1283's fan is very quiet at idle.

Also, if you want CPU cooler's "correct orientation" on most AMD motherboards, there're 4 candidates for your reference:
Noctua NH-U12P
Zerotherm Zen
Scythe Mugen 2
Scythe Katana 3

mjw21a · Post by **mjw21a** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:23 pm

I can't hear it in this case, turns out my noisiest component is my Radeon 4890 but I expected that to be the case.

roadie · Post by **roadie** » Tue Jul 28, 2009 2:37 am

The Antec Solo would be the best case for this build. It's what I have my stuff within.

Also be aware that the 4890 is very, very loud. Mine is away for RMA at the moment, but when I had it with the stock cooler, it was by far and away the loudest thing at idle and under load. It's also extremely hot and the VRM area of the card is almost too hot to touch even at idle. If I were buying again, I would purchase a different card, even though it can be cooled quietly.

alsonot · Post by **alsonot** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 6:36 am

I'm new at this, but wouldn't a good first mod be to remove the HD drive cage? It looks like quite an obstruction and I'm assuming that without it a lot more air would get to the GPU.

I figure there's enough 5Â¼â€

alsonot · Post by **alsonot** » Thu Jul 30, 2009 7:37 am

I hope you don't mind me joining in with more details of my own setup - I'm just about to buy this case. The notable difference being
-4870 Vapor-X (4db quieter than stock 4870, but doesn't exhaust hot air as well)
-CoolIT PURE water cooling kit must replace 5Â¼â€

mjw21a · Post by **mjw21a** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 11:16 pm

Lol, its not really a very big case. I'm not sure you'll manage to fit watercooling in. I changed the graphics cooler to an Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 and cable tied a 92mm fan to it at low revs. Temps are better than with stock cooling and quiet as.

Likewise, for RAM I ended up with G.Skill NQ series

With my system at full load the fans never even need ramp up, I love my new system. The only time its audible is from around 12:00 at night when things are seriously quiet, but if you're more than a foot away its not even audible then.