SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Want to talk about one of the articles in SPCR? Here's the forum for you.
ekerazha
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:42 am
Location: Italy

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by ekerazha » Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:49 am

quest_for_silence wrote: Benjamin Schäfer, head of the european Enermax & Lepa Public Relations department.
All I can find about the Platimax is this thread opened by you http://www.jonnyguru.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11739 where I read things like:
ssshjp wrote: Since Enermax closed their own factory and leaves the production of Platimax to CWT,
the building quality might be even better now.
Stefan Payne wrote: They are already being manufactured by CWT for a while now...

So there isn't much hope that the built quality gets better...
So he implicitly says that reviewed samples were already manufactured by CWT.
Last edited by ekerazha on Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

Xyvotha
Posts: 76
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 1:04 pm
Location: Lima, Perú

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by Xyvotha » Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:50 am

Awesome article, thanks a lot!!!

mkk
Posts: 687
Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2004 1:51 pm
Location: Gefle, Sweden
Contact:

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by mkk » Thu Nov 20, 2014 12:23 pm

Yes, excellent and always useful article. Reminded me of how far we've come when it comes to being able to build with stock parts. Even the fans that come with a case can nowadays be perfectly usable. Imagine that.

I have a very similar build with an R9-290 (MSI Gaming dual fan) so it's fighting a bit more hot air, but still really quiet except when not gaming all out(custom fan curve, no overclocking). With those ASUS fan controls I'm having the case fans shut down while temps remain lukewarm. Something that demands a bit of monitoring after having set things up, but with quality components like the Z97-Pro it's not a problem to have a slightly toasty interior.

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by quest_for_silence » Thu Nov 20, 2014 2:37 pm

ekerazha wrote:
quest_for_silence wrote: Benjamin Schäfer, head of the european Enermax & Lepa Public Relations department.
All I can find about the Platimax is this thread opened by you

My thread isn't about that.

Anyway, the first press news was last april, on the german site ComputerBase (affiliated to the magazine PCGH): http://www.computerbase.de/2014-04/ener ... dfertigen/

That news was again confirmed in september by Schäfer to the czech website: http://diit.cz/clanek/enermax-konci-s-v ... -tovarnach

The czech author then spreaded the news on several specialized forums (among them I know THG, jonnyGURU, BadCaps, Bit-Tech.net).

ekerazha wrote:So he implicitly says that reviewed samples were already manufactured by CWT.

It's a somewhat groundless conclusion, Enermax purposely decided not to publicize the switch, and actually have units built by FSP, Sirtec and CWT. The most reasonable conclusion is that, quality-wise, your mileage may vary, depending of both the OEM BOM (bill of materials)/AVL (alternative vendor list, IIRC), and of the commissioned (paid) QC process (as a side note, they are all unknown).

Said that, it's nearly OT: for what we may concern, the proposed, viable alternatives are all good with reference to noise level.
With reference to build quality, pricing cannot be disregarded: as I told you some posts ago, the recently reduced italian pricing (which perhaps reflect the new CWT manufacturing) is not representative of the usual Enermax pricing, much higher in most of the other countries (lowest price according to Google Shopping is 150 USD at Amazon); so even if the RM/CS/E10 are all of a supposedly inferior quality, they cost up to a 58% less, and even a better built and performing (than Enermax) Seasonic costs more than 20% less.
Even the actual availability matters in those recommendations, and again the smaller Platimax aren't well distributed all over the world (particularly in North America, where it's out of stock at most of the largest retailers like NewEgg or NCIX).
Performance wise, lots of units did better (the Platimax is mostly an updated Modu87+), particularly with reference to voltage stability of secondary rails, efficiency, noise suppression, and transient regulation: it may worth to mention that none of the proposed options clearly trails the Platimax.

Summarizing, in the proposed build those Platimax 500/600 (although "per se" an excellent pick) cannot be considered for the PSU role as either the best possible candidate, or the most valuable competitor (even if, as you know, it's one my favourite PSU): maybe an eVGA G2 could have been so, but that's also not an issue, IMO.

MikeC
Site Admin
Posts: 12285
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Contact:

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by MikeC » Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:08 pm

Hey, ekerazha & Luca, enuf already: Take the discussion elsewhere if you like.

IMO, it's hard for anyone without access to actual return rates, causes thereof, etc, to address realistically the question of long term product reliability. We don't pretend to be able to make any authoritative comments on this with any of the products we review, including PSUs. User feedback specific products at big etailers is about the best any consumer can do. And you have to keep in mind that a few yappy people can easily make mountains of molehills on the web (which is what I believed happened with the fanless Zotac zbox nano and the plastic film, for example).

The article isn't about choosing the most reliable components, it's about making the best noise/performance/value component choices.

Moving back to the article: I updated it with info on setting user defined fan profiles in the ASUS GPU Tweak utility. Near the bottom of page 7:

Image

ekerazha
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:42 am
Location: Italy

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by ekerazha » Thu Nov 20, 2014 11:26 pm

MikeC wrote:Hey, ekerazha & Luca, enuf already: Take the discussion elsewhere if you like.
Ok

nizer
Posts: 32
Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 12:27 pm
Location: Princeton, US

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by nizer » Fri Nov 21, 2014 1:25 am

Great article and a very interessting topic!

Typo in the conclusion?
"Incidentally, the system we built is quiet enough to quality as an SPCR Certified Silent PC" Qualify?

Das_Saunamies
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 2000
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 1:39 am
Location: Finland

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by Das_Saunamies » Fri Nov 21, 2014 3:47 am

ekerazha wrote:I don't really agree with the SSD choice: Sandforce-based SSDs have a bad reliability reputation (maybe with the only exception of the Intel variants). The reported alternatives are OK.
That was where the article really started jarring for me as well. The 980 and an i7 can be justified assuming the build budget is limitless and gaming performance AND visual quality are the primary criteria, but then we dip into cut-down budget SSDs from 2012 (that don't even seem so 'budget value' now...)? Seems counterintuitive.

The guide glosses over drive features like power loss protection and full encryption support (and details like controller firmware updates and chip sourcing and architecture), which the 3K does not provide. The 'expensive alternative' 850 Pro does not have power loss protection either, although you get the insane 10 year warranty for that money. Even the MX100, listed as the budget alternative, has power loss protection. On that note, the Sandisk Extreme Pro (like the Extreme II before it) features a safety design to the same end, but no actual power loss protection circuitry - and a 10 year warranty, and top of the line performance.

For reference, Anandtech's Best SSDs for July 2014: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8260/best-ssds-july-2014.

Do these features directly impact gaming performance? No. Do they impact the functionality of the rig and the value you get for your money? Yes. People and PCs do other things, even when we build for gaming.

I would also like to point out that the Kingston Genesis RAM kit has been discontinued, and that you might want to add a note about manufacturers' Qualified Vendor Lists, which can help people find valid alternatives for their motherboard of choice. As little as latencies mean these days for memory performance, they can be used as an indicator of chip capabilities (or at the very least binning), so if you can get CL9 or even CL8 - or DDR3L or DDR3U - for the same money *cough* GskillCrucialCorsairandPatriotGeil *cough*, why wouldn't you? Kingston has been solid for basic memory (as long as you get the standard-voltage stuff, not the overvolted garbage), but I think there are better alternatives.

Other than that, I like the guide in general, and am very grateful SPCR took the time to make one from the often neglected Silence perspective; this is just my feedback regarding value and features. This is high-impact effort, as people read guides more than they do reviews, especially when pulling the trigger on a build.

So... mini-ITX guide when? :twisted:

quest_for_silence
Posts: 5275
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:12 am
Location: ITALY

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by quest_for_silence » Fri Nov 21, 2014 5:34 am

Das_Saunamies wrote:That was where the article really started jarring for me as well. The 980 and an i7 can be justified assuming the build budget is limitless and gaming performance AND visual quality are the primary criteria, but then we dip into cut-down budget SSDs from 2012 (that don't even seem so 'budget value' now...)? Seems counterintuitive.

I feel like you guys just scanned but maybe didn't read thoroughfully the article: I don't need a detailed answer to my wondering, Das, I'm stopping here.

Btw, about that Kingston SSD, actually it manages to be among the most reliable drives around.

Das_Saunamies
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 2000
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 1:39 am
Location: Finland

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by Das_Saunamies » Fri Nov 21, 2014 5:43 am

I did give it a good read, Luka - these were the only details I thought were worth pointing out right away. The rest of it I would have no problem suggesting a friend read and maybe even follow, budget allowing (and in case they want a mini-fridge under their desk, but that is beside the point for now).

Regarding reliability, it was a decent bet that Intel chips would turn out reliable, 3k or 5k, and it's good to see it panned out. I've come across the experiment on multiple occassions. It doesn't change the fact that the SF controller is outdated, its reputation not the best and the drive infrastructure is barebones. It is a decent drive, but better alternatives exist in my opinion. My impression was underlined by the guide recommending top-of-the-line and top-of-the-price-range components first, and then digging into aging value options and suggesting questionable one(s) - again, in my opinion, which I thought I explained above.

PS. Finally, regarding depth of interest, I even dug up the components to see if they were available and what the local pricing was. Often when discussing value, a guide made in another country won't apply somewhere else on the planet.

ekerazha
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu Oct 16, 2008 10:42 am
Location: Italy

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by ekerazha » Fri Nov 21, 2014 7:08 am

quest_for_silence wrote:
Das_Saunamies wrote:That was where the article really started jarring for me as well. The 980 and an i7 can be justified assuming the build budget is limitless and gaming performance AND visual quality are the primary criteria, but then we dip into cut-down budget SSDs from 2012 (that don't even seem so 'budget value' now...)? Seems counterintuitive.

I feel like you guys just scanned but maybe didn't read thoroughfully the article: I don't need a detailed answer to my wondering, Das, I'm stopping here.

Btw, about that Kingston SSD, actually it manages to be among the most reliable drives around.
"NAND endurance" and reliability are not synonymous. Sandforce-based SSDs have a long history of instability, crashes and premature death (moreover, they suck with incompressible data). This is why Anand titled "Intel SSD 520 Review: Cherryville Brings Reliability to SandForce" (http://www.anandtech.com/show/5508/inte ... -sandforce), because Intel custom firmware seemed to improve reliability. However, it's an aging controller which doesn't even support modern features like eDrive (TCG Opal 2.0, IEEE 1667).

washu
Posts: 571
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:20 am
Location: Ottawa

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by washu » Fri Nov 21, 2014 8:37 am

ekerazha wrote:"NAND endurance" and reliability are not synonymous. Sandforce-based SSDs have a long history of instability, crashes and premature death (moreover, they suck with incompressible data). This is why Anand titled "Intel SSD 520 Review: Cherryville Brings Reliability to SandForce" (http://www.anandtech.com/show/5508/inte ... -sandforce), because Intel custom firmware seemed to improve reliability. However, it's an aging controller which doesn't even support modern features like eDrive (TCG Opal 2.0, IEEE 1667).
I have to back this up as well. I have dealt with probably 100 SSDs across my personal life and professional career. Many different controllers and Sandforce drives universally suck. Crashes, data loss, BSODs, slowdowns with uncompressable data, all caused by Sandforce drives. Problems always went away when the drives were switched to ones with other controllers. I've been "lucky" that no Sandforce drive I have used died completely, but I would never recommend them for anything. Even the Intel Sandforce drives I avoid.

Out of all those SSDs the only one I've had die completely was a Kingston one, but with a Toshiba controller. However it inadvertently spent a Canadian winter in an unheated cottage which likely reduced its lifespan.

Das_Saunamies
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 2000
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 1:39 am
Location: Finland

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by Das_Saunamies » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:16 am

PPS. Something I forgot about that test... the first fatality was the second HyperX:
The first HyperX failed a little earlier [than the second drive to fail], at 728TB, under much different conditions. It suffering [sic] rash of reallocated sectors, programming failures, and erase failures before its ultimate demise.

MikeC
Site Admin
Posts: 12285
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Contact:

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by MikeC » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:19 am

Our position on choosing an SSD was pretty clear, I thought: You pays your moneys, you takes your poison... but any one will do the job silently. I bow to the collective knowledge of the SPCR forum, however; if we'd had a 240GB Crucial MX100, it would have been our first choice.

The reality is that our own experience with these Kingstons (of which we've had 7~8, of 120gb and 240GB varieties floating as OS drives for most of the many systems that get built & broken down constantly in our lab over the past 18 mos w/o any hint of misbehavior) suggested this to be a reasonable choice. They're also being used in a couple of our lab PCs. Also, while there are differences in performance/reliability, did we have access to every 240GB SSD on the market? Nope. This is a key issue: We needed one in hand to build into this PC. Yes, we do have a Samsung 850 Pro 240GB and a Crucial MX100 512, they are listed among the alternates, and both would have upped the price by nearly $100.

In any case, given all the feedback, we'll go back and demote the Kingston, recommending the Samsung instead.

Das_Saunamies
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 2000
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 1:39 am
Location: Finland

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by Das_Saunamies » Fri Nov 21, 2014 9:30 am

Limitations of reality, fair enough Mike.

Hardware could be debated about ad nauseam, but I didn't really see the point: you had a theme, you had your resources, you stuck to your guns and got us a guide. I aimed less to shame the drive (it is a decent drive, bought one for parents' laptop in fact) and more to improve the guide, so it may better serve and inform its no doubt numerous future readers.

I feel that recommending the Samsung is in line with the article's spirit of the Big Bucks Build, and Samsungs have been convincing on all fronts.

washu
Posts: 571
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:20 am
Location: Ottawa

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by washu » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:00 am

I hear you Mike. Your conclusions are reasonable given your experience.

A question, do you ever put your systems to sleep? That is one of the most sure-fire ways of tripping up a Sandforce drive. It won't happen every time, but eventually the drive will not wake up properly and then you get a BSOD/kernel panic/etc when the PC wakes. I've even seen reports of this happening with Intel drives. If you don't use sleep then Sandforce drives can run for a while without issues.

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by CA_Steve » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:14 am

I have a Samsung 840 Evo 250GB and Crucial MX100 256GB in my gaming/primary PC. I like the Samsung for the OS drive primarily for the great Magician toolkit. I think the SSD is worth the few bucks more just for it.

While I haven't messed around with whole drive encryption (Truecrypt folder works fine for me), it's a nice feature to have. I don't worry about power failure protection as my PC is behind a UPS. As for SSDs that claim to have power failure protection, it pays to dig into it to see if it's marketing hype or reality. If the SSD doesn't have super caps on the board, no way will it protect on-the-fly writes from being lost.

MikeC
Site Admin
Posts: 12285
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Contact:

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by MikeC » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:18 am

washu wrote:I hear you Mike. Your conclusions are reasonable given your experience.

A question, do you ever put your systems to sleep? That is one of the most sure-fire ways of tripping up a Sandforce drive. It won't happen every time, but eventually the drive will not wake up properly and then you get a BSOD/kernel panic/etc when the PC wakes. I've even seen reports of this happening with Intel drives. If you don't use sleep then Sandforce drives can run for a while without issues.
Our systems rarely get put to sleep -- either always on or off. I've never seen this issue with any of the Kingston-equipped systems.

But now that you mention it, I realize the audio mITX PC assembled about 6 mos ago is using a Corsair Force GS, another Sandforce SSD, and it fails inexplicably once in a while. It's not set to sleep -- the audio library in it is accessed by several other JRiver PCs on the network, and the system draws <20W on idle anyway -- but the issue might be that SSD, as I haven't been able to sort out what's causing this thus far. Time for a SSD clone & swap and see what happens over the next couple weeks.

lm
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 1251
Joined: Wed Dec 17, 2003 6:14 am
Location: Finland

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by lm » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:37 am

It's highly irrelevant to me what particular size and model of SSD or RAM was used in the guide, I will pick different ones based on my own use case and bias.

The take home message here is that it is now possible to build a top-of-the-line single-gpu gaming system using off-the-shelf components and still make it quiet without involved physical mods to the components.

These were the key points for me:

* (Asus srix) 980 GTX rocks
* haswells rock
* 14cm fans rock
* passive PSU is probably worse for this kind of system than fanned PSU
* avoid HDDs, SSD-only is better
* Define R4 is pretty good but could be better

Das_Saunamies
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 2000
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 1:39 am
Location: Finland

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by Das_Saunamies » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:46 am

CA_Steve wrote:As for SSDs that claim to have power failure protection, it pays to dig into it to see if it's marketing hype or reality. If the SSD doesn't have super caps on the board, no way will it protect on-the-fly writes from being lost.
That is precisely the case with the Sandisks I mentioned: they're safer than nothing in theory, but hardly totally loss-proof. No high-performance consumer drives seem to have loss protection though, which strikes me as odd, as people are certainly willing to pay good money for them. The MX100 gives me peace of mind in case of component failure, as my UPS can only save me in case of general power outages. The workstation I practice my profession on has to be as 100% secure as it can be.

Whole-drive encryption is excellent for remote or mobile assemblies (in case of theft or break-in), but if it can be done on the fly on a desktop, it's a whole new level of confidence and comfort there too. I still use TrueCrypt containers for sensitive work material - among other things - but whole-drive encryption is extremely handy and foolproof by comparison.
lm wrote:It's highly irrelevant to me [...]
And it's exactly the kind of info guide-reading newbies are looking for. :wink: The experienced do of course - or at least should - know better, or have their preferences already.

sn1009
Posts: 63
Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2005 7:26 am
Location: Denmark

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by sn1009 » Fri Nov 21, 2014 10:56 am

System Configuration:
-snip-
Scythe Kotetsu CPU cooler - Nexus 120 mm fan at 9V
Mike,
Am I correct in assuming that the entire review was carried out with the Kotetsu Glidestream fan replaced with a Nexus 120mm ?
If so, why did you choose to replace the Glidestream fan with the Nexus ?

If you've planned to tinker with the system again, would you mind checking up on my questions concerning the fan control on the Asus Z97 Pro ?

Thanks.

MikeC
Site Admin
Posts: 12285
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Contact:

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by MikeC » Fri Nov 21, 2014 11:18 am

sn1009 wrote:
System Configuration:
-snip-
Scythe Kotetsu CPU cooler - Nexus 120 mm fan at 9V
Mike,
Am I correct in assuming that the entire review was carried out with the Kotetsu Glidestream fan replaced with a Nexus 120mm ?
If so, why did you choose to replace the Glidestream fan with the Nexus ?

If you've planned to tinker with the system again, would you mind checking up on my questions concerning the fan control on the Asus Z97 Pro ?

Thanks.
Sharp eyes! No, that's an error -- possibly copy/paste in from an older article. The Kotetsu was 100% stock.

We just started dismantling the system... but I'll try to answer your fan control question at some point.

theoryzero
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:06 am

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by theoryzero » Fri Nov 21, 2014 12:14 pm

Interesting read. I started a very similar build in summer of 2013 and only now consider it complete with the addition of my STRIX GTX 970. Many similarities based on my silent PC research last summer:

Fractal Design Define R4
Asus Z87 Maximus VI Hero
4770K processor with Noctua NH-U14S cooler
Kingwin P1000 1KW PSU (fan only kicks in when a certain W threshold is met)
Asus STRIX GTX 970 (replaces not-the-quietest EVGA GTX 670 FTW)

I started building this system while waiting for Haswell parts, so I had a week or two to work on the case fan configuration. I kept one of the stock Fractal fans for the back. With rubber mounts it wasn't too bad. For the front, the Fractal fans had a weird clicking noise for some reason, and too much vibration in the cage. I ended up putting two Antec TrueQuiet 14cm fans in the front, which while quiet, are pretty weak on flow. The rubber corners really helped with my noise issue with the front cage though. Lastly, I put a 12CM Nexus B&W fan on the bottom of the case. I had one laying around and figured why not, it wasn't noticeable at 5V. I hooked that one up to the Fractal 12/7/5V controller switch.

I'd like to improve my case airflow. The STRIX fans don't bother me in general, but I've found that in idle the temperature creeps up to 60C or so, and then the fans kick in, temp goes back down, fans turn off and the cycle repeats itself. I was hoping for better, so I'm suspecting my airflow is at fault. I really feel the STRIX fans are the most pleasing signature I've had in a graphics card. Even when playing a game that really makes the fans work. I suppose I could run one of the utilities to keep the fan always on, but I suspect I need to improve my airflow. I've tried increasing the front and rear fanspeeds to 100% and I'll still have the STRIX fan on/off cycle going on.

I highly advise suspending the hard drives in the R4, it's not really an option. I did mine in a very similar way as this article and only use the bottom cage. Suspending was necessary, I found the drive trays to be far too noisy with the hard rubber grommets that come with them, and not much better using my favorite Antec grommets that I used from my old P180.

I also came up with a solution to the SSD mounting on the back of the motherboard plate of the case. They recommend screwing the SSDs through the mounting holes, but that requires you to remove the motherboard if/when you need to send that SSD in for warranty. I used some of my elastic cord I had left after I suspended my HDDs to make a couple loops and I just slide the SSDs in there. I like the tidiness of having them out of the drive bays, and yet still easy to remove if needed.

I've had a love affair with silent PC building for a while but I game, so I've had to pick my battles. This setup is my best compromise so far, I'm mostly happy with the STRIX 970. If I could figure out how to keep the temps down during idle so the card's fans don't spin up, I'd be set!

That said, I decided to go a little nuts and have decided to add a second STRIX 970 to the system. Should get it next week. I will be curious if I still find the system as enjoyable when not gaming. My brief foray with SLI with two 670 FTW cards was I found the configuration unacceptable, the fans ramped up at different rates, so you'd get these weird harmonic frequencies at play, where the fan noise would oscillate louder and softer. When not gaming, the slight "buzz" in the noise signature of the 670 FTW fan was just that much more noticeable. Will update with what I find. I haven't noticed any coil whine with my first STRIX 970, so fingers crossed the second one is equally as good.

CA_Steve
Moderator
Posts: 7650
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by CA_Steve » Fri Nov 21, 2014 3:50 pm

theoryzero wrote:I also came up with a solution to the SSD mounting on the back of the motherboard plate of the case. They recommend screwing the SSDs through the mounting holes, but that requires you to remove the motherboard if/when you need to send that SSD in for warranty. I used some of my elastic cord I had left after I suspended my HDDs to make a couple loops and I just slide the SSDs in there. I like the tidiness of having them out of the drive bays, and yet still easy to remove if needed.
I think I'd either:
- velcro the SSD to the case (if in an area with airflow)
- use thermal tape to attach it to the case (if in an area without airflow like the backside of the mobo) so the case cools the SSD.

MikeC
Site Admin
Posts: 12285
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Contact:

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by MikeC » Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:58 pm

CA_Steve wrote:I think I'd either:
- velcro the SSD to the case (if in an area with airflow)
- use thermal tape to attach it to the case (if in an area without airflow like the backside of the mobo) so the case cools the SSD.
My approach has been to use a single screw to flush mount the SSD just about anywhere in the case that's convenient. On the bottom panel, on the side of one of the drive cages, whatever. There's usually enough semi-random holes. Do the screw up tight enough and there's plenty of conduction cooling, if that's deemed necessary. It's best to use the end SATA power cable, as the ones in the middle are often too bulky and the drive then needs a shim to allow the power connector to fit.

bbalex
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2014 2:04 am

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by bbalex » Mon Nov 24, 2014 11:43 am

theoryzero, the Strix will never turn on its fans, as long as you don't start demanding games. But the free flow of air around it, and the way the card is placed are critical to achieve this.

If you look at the various reviews on the net, you notice they are all (well, most) carried out on open benches, where the motherboard is horizontal, and there is no wall around the video card, or which could trap the hot air from its fans. And I can confirm that with a similar open desk build, I never noticed the two Strixes I had ever spin their fans unless I started a somewhat demanding 3d game. The fans on the Strix seem to be entirely GPU temperature controlled. They usually idled at 35 degree (with 20 degrees C ambient), and while using the computer the temperatures would slowly creep but go no higher than 55 degrees. The 970 Strixes seemed to start their fans at around 66 degrees, and would stop them once they cooled back to 53 degrees (there's a hysteresis here).

Very likely it's the air flow that is causing the creeping temperatures for you, sadly.

Joxx
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:54 am

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by Joxx » Tue Nov 25, 2014 7:46 am

Just one question.

If we use GPU Tweak (or MSI Afterburner) to create a custom fan profile does the utility have to start with Windows? Or does it store the changes somewhere?

Thanks.

Das_Saunamies
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 2000
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 1:39 am
Location: Finland

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by Das_Saunamies » Tue Nov 25, 2014 7:58 am

Joxx wrote:If we use GPU Tweak (or MSI Afterburner) to create a custom fan profile does the utility have to start with Windows? Or does it store the changes somewhere?
My Afterburner profile is persistent on my 650 Ti at least. Past versions of Afterburner would fail to start with Windows after a reboot, but the card would follow the profile I had set up manually anyway. I don't know if Afterburner saves the profile onboard the card, but that would be my guess.

Joxx
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:54 am

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by Joxx » Tue Nov 25, 2014 8:15 am

Das_Saunamies wrote:My Afterburner profile is persistent on my 650 Ti at least. Past versions of Afterburner would fail to start with Windows after a reboot, but the card would follow the profile I had set up manually anyway. I don't know if Afterburner saves the profile onboard the card, but that would be my guess.
Thanks.

MikeC
Site Admin
Posts: 12285
Joined: Sun Aug 11, 2002 3:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Contact:

Re: SPCR's Holiday ATX Gaming Build Guide

Post by MikeC » Tue Nov 25, 2014 9:34 am

GPU Tweak allows up to 5 custom profiles to be saved. When rebooted, it goes back to the last profile used.

Post Reply