Project ZdB (Zero deciBel)

Show off your quiet rig.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee

Throttler
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Project ZdB (Zero deciBel)

Post by Throttler » Sun Oct 11, 2009 11:51 am

Hi all, it's my first post here, but I've been reading this forum like crazy for years.

I finally completed my totally silent pc. Also, I'm displaying it on a PC show in Athens. Please take a look, and any comment welcome. :)

Image

Pic presentation here

http://pctechnology.gr/vbull/vb/showthread.php?t=50307


Cheers!!!
Last edited by Throttler on Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:01 pm

p.s. the forum and pics is in Greek, so if in case you need anything to ask please do so by any means.

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:05 pm

A sample pic :)

Image

Big Pimp Daddy
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Post by Big Pimp Daddy » Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:07 pm

Well it certainly looks pretty!
Spec would be nice to know, and I saw some temps in the link, but wasn't sure if they were load or idle. I take it that PSU is some form of semi-passive affair? (ie the fan only comes on under load)

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Sun Oct 11, 2009 10:43 pm

Specs are heavy which was a problem.

P6T, i7 920, etc

Temps are at load but underclocked. PSU fan only starts at 65 degrees Celsius, which is seldom to never.

RoGuE
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Post by RoGuE » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:37 am

its definately pretty, but you must be doing some serious underclocking to get this thing to behave under load. I'm not fully convined it can handle the temperature though..how long did you torture test it? The max temps are only at steady state or pretty close to steady (after several hours)...

KadazanPL
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Post by KadazanPL » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:49 am

There's an actively cooled PSU in there, right? If that's the case, then the setup can't be "zero decibel". It is still impressive, though - I love the hardware by Thermalright. It looks and works great! :)

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:53 am

well, it is pretty steady at -25% but anything under that is steady as a rock. to be honest, in real work situations, it is flawless.
I tested several applications, the cpu was at very low load, and I tried some heavy load gaming as well, the temps and usage was higher, but never peaked.
I even tried to kill it. I overclocked it and burned it with Everest system stability test. It chokes the cpu at 100 degrees Celsius.

It is the wrong cpu for this job, and the question temperatures versus speed versus adding a fan remains.

My heart goes to underclocking it at -35%

This means 1733 per core, which is adequate for almost all of what I do.

any opinions welcome!

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Mon Oct 12, 2009 12:54 am

KadazanPL wrote:There's an actively cooled PSU in there, right? If that's the case, then the setup can't be "zero decibel". It is still impressive, though - I love the hardware by Thermalright. It looks and works great! :)
PSU fan only starts at 65 degrees Celsius, which is seldom to never.

khaakon
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Post by khaakon » Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:48 am

A beautiful sight indeed, I totally agree to the statement about Thermalright - soo tempting to go all out with it, like you did. But also there's the cabling and all that really makes it a stunning build.

I wonder, though - wouldn't you get better convection if you could rotate the motherboard 90 degrees, with the cabling coming out on top?

Too bad it's also an impractical solution regards cabling then, and so far i've only seen it on some quite ugly Silverstone Raven cases.

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Mon Oct 12, 2009 4:31 am

khaakon wrote: I wonder, though - wouldn't you get better convection if you could rotate the motherboard 90 degrees, with the cabling coming out on top?
Indeed the heat sources are piling up this way, and as a result, the higher the warmer.
This has two results. One, the cpu is hotter than it should. Two the warm air speeds up to the top exhaust.

If it was rotated 90 degrees, were as you mentioned only raven supports, the heat sources would be less piled up, but the rear or the case doesn't allow as big as exhaust as the top. So, most likely, the result would be similar.

p.s.

since I can post links now... :)

Project ZdB
Last edited by Throttler on Thu Oct 29, 2009 12:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

RoGuE
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Post by RoGuE » Mon Oct 12, 2009 10:39 am

Throttler wrote:
It is the wrong cpu for this job, and the question temperatures versus speed versus adding a fan remains.
Well, at least you admit it. Running this cpu so underclocked and fanless, is like pulling a trailer with a porsche. Sure it has the muscle to move it, but your holding it back so much. If you didn't need the power to begin with, you shoulda gone for a C2D or even a low powered quad

woulda had the same end result and for a lot cheaper

Rebellious
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Post by Rebellious » Mon Oct 12, 2009 11:44 am

What is the purpose of wrapping the PSU wires individually?

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:05 pm

RoGuE wrote:
Throttler wrote:
It is the wrong cpu for this job, and the question temperatures versus speed versus adding a fan remains.
Well, at least you admit it. Running this cpu so underclocked and fanless, is like pulling a trailer with a porsche. Sure it has the muscle to move it, but your holding it back so much. If you didn't need the power to begin with, you shoulda gone for a C2D or even a low powered quad

woulda had the same end result and for a lot cheaper
Indeed, I had the E8200 which was perfect for this purpose, but I sold it all together, and thought it would be a chance to move to i7. I usually consume less than half the horsepower. I liked the Porsche example :)

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Mon Oct 12, 2009 1:07 pm

Rebellious wrote:What is the purpose of wrapping the PSU wires individually?
Mostly looks. It's also easier to arrange them in the back of the motherboard tray, thus gaining some airflow upwards.

mark19891989
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Post by mark19891989 » Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:52 am

it does look very nice , it does seem kind of a waste to have a exensive cpu like that to run it that slow, having the e8*00 would of been better suited,

still, nice job, and it looks excellent

RoGuE
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Post by RoGuE » Wed Oct 14, 2009 3:47 pm

Throttler wrote:
Rebellious wrote:What is the purpose of wrapping the PSU wires individually?
Mostly looks. It's also easier to arrange them in the back of the motherboard tray, thus gaining some airflow upwards.
i really dig the individual cable sleeving. The 20+4 pin connector wires reminded me of the "sentinals" from the Matrix movies! haha

Image

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:29 pm

mark19891989 wrote:it does look very nice , it does seem kind of a waste to have a exensive cpu like that to run it that slow, having the e8*00 would of been better suited,

still, nice job, and it looks excellent
Thnx :) Indeed, the e8*00 series would be better. I don't have an issue though in real work situations :) The cpu underclocks and overclocks automatically, so all is well :D

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:30 pm

RoGuE wrote: i really dig the individual cable sleeving. The 20+4 pin connector wires reminded me of the "sentinals" from the Matrix movies! haha
Never thought of it this way :) nice!

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Post by new2spcr » Fri Oct 16, 2009 7:55 am

Throttler wrote:A sample pic :)
It is truly beautiful... I'm drooling!

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Post by NeilBlanchard » Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:15 am

Image

As was mentioned, with the fan in the PSU this cannot be silent / 0dBA. Is it quiet?

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Post by FartingBob » Fri Oct 16, 2009 9:38 am

NeilBlanchard wrote: As was mentioned, with the fan in the PSU this cannot be silent / 0dBA. Is it quiet?
The PSU he uses doesnt start the fan until the temp of the PSU reaches a certain threshold. So under normal usage it will have no fans running.
I must say, the system looks absolutely fantastic. Im not normally one for pimping the insides of my case, but if i had the money and time to do something like this i certainly would.

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:23 am

NeilBlanchard wrote: As was mentioned, with the fan in the PSU this cannot be silent / 0dBA. Is it quiet?
Hi Neil,

This is the link to the psu, you will find your answers :)

http://www.nesteq.net/gb/products/power ... index.html

frenchie
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Post by frenchie » Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:49 am

Nice. Really nice.

Also, cool specs for the PSU.

frostedflakes
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Post by frostedflakes » Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:58 am

This is like geek porn. Nothing cooler looking than a case full of Thermalright hardware. :D

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Mon Oct 19, 2009 12:53 am

Glad you like it :D
ZDB won 4th place in a modding contest, so I'm happy :D

colm
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Post by colm » Tue Oct 20, 2009 8:11 pm

stack effect, excellent. I utilize this too, but never called it that.

Rather comically, if the world stuck to atx standard, that is exactly the effect it uses.

I see an opening half way up, that may be a negative effect. Very nice system however. :)

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:34 pm

colm wrote:stack effect, excellent. I utilize this too, but never called it that.

Rather comically, if the world stuck to atx standard, that is exactly the effect it uses.

I see an opening half way up, that may be a negative effect. Very nice system however. :)
Hi there,

In theory, stack effect applies to larger closed spaces like multiple floor buildings etc. What I tried to do is see how it works on a small scale.

Your observation on the opening is very correct. However, since at that point the pressure is neutral and the top opening is so big, the half way up hole doesn't cause so much trouble. I intend to close it too though.

Thanx for the comment!

rhys j
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Post by rhys j » Sun Oct 25, 2009 8:27 pm

What graphics card is that in it?
Does the memory need all those cooling fins or is it just for looks?
What's the heatsink on the bottom-right of the motherboard for?

Throttler
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Post by Throttler » Sun Oct 25, 2009 11:38 pm

rhys j wrote:What graphics card is that in it?
Does the memory need all those cooling fins or is it just for looks?
What's the heatsink on the bottom-right of the motherboard for?
1. A humble 9500
2. Both
3. Cooling the Southbridge.

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