Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

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Squirty
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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by Squirty » Wed Nov 18, 2015 10:35 am

Thanks for the tips, Modusmortis! I'm just building a similar system: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/guide/6RgXsY/

I noticed after buying the parts that the review lists the CPU temperature at 14°C when idle. How is this even possible? If I understand correctly, the minimum temperature of an air-cooled component like the CPU should be the temperature of the air. Does this mean your room temperature for the test is at or below 14°C!? Room temperature is normally around 21°C or higher. Is this a typo?

NeilBlanchard
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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by NeilBlanchard » Wed May 10, 2017 5:01 am

I may well give this case a whirl, since I have an SLi system. Have they changed anything since this review?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6811163262

Edit: my sharp eyed son noticed the FT05 has a slot loading bay on the front - that makes it even better for me.

sully45
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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by sully45 » Wed May 10, 2017 10:42 am

Just completed a build with the ft05. So I figure I'll sum up my thoughts for your benefit. When the build is finished it is a nice case, but building in it was difficult for me.

My main issue was with the hdd bay that is included, for me it made routing power from the supply quite difficult due to how close together they are. I wound up removing it and essentially gluing my hdd to the foam on the rear panel. Another frustration was installation of those screws which secure your video card to the case. There is only about an inch of space between the top of the screw and the metal grating so you will not be able to fit a screwdriver in. For lack of tools I wound up taking a phillips bit and using it to hand loose and tighten the screws.

I love the case and my build is difficult to hear (audible but I sit on the floor with the pc at ear level only 3-4 ft away). If you want a disc drive you'll have to pick up an external or a slim drive.

Abula
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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by Abula » Wed May 10, 2017 3:26 pm

sully45 wrote:Just completed a build with the ft05. So I figure I'll sum up my thoughts for your benefit. When the build is finished it is a nice case, but building in it was difficult for me.

My main issue was with the hdd bay that is included, for me it made routing power from the supply quite difficult due to how close together they are. I wound up removing it and essentially gluing my hdd to the foam on the rear panel. Another frustration was installation of those screws which secure your video card to the case. There is only about an inch of space between the top of the screw and the metal grating so you will not be able to fit a screwdriver in. For lack of tools I wound up taking a phillips bit and using it to hand loose and tighten the screws.

I love the case and my build is difficult to hear (audible but I sit on the floor with the pc at ear level only 3-4 ft away). If you want a disc drive you'll have to pick up an external or a slim drive.
Yup, i agree with your comments, the FT05 is a great case, none the less it has its issues, specially to me its the cable manegment, so many other cases offer such a good experience for the builder, while on the FT05 is a challenge. I wrote to the SS representative some of my suggestions for a future iteration of the FT05 (idk the FT06)
1) Make it a bit taller, the case can't fit todays big GPUs like Zotac GTX1080Ti (12.8'') the FT05 has a max PCI cards of 12.3'', doesn't need much, probably around 13'' PCI cards clearance would be enough.

2) By making it taller will also help the PSU slot, while i like a lot the position of the HDD cage, i only use half with a single 3.5, the space on the side is shared with the PSU, that means the hdd cage limits the size of PSU you can install, we are at an era that all is more efficient, but seems newer psu tiatnium are bigger, take into account Seasonics 650W Titanitum are 170mm and EVGA (superflower) 750W Titanium are 180mm, atm i cant move toward either because there is not enough room with the modular cables, it really doesn't need that much, as 160mm PSU work fine with the hdd installed, so its an inch or inch and half to have room for the newer tendency of PSU, and this is without considering the 1200W PSU, that to me are not needed, but some in the community like to have space. But i like the fact that FT05 is small, and would like to the see the new one similar, just an inch or two bigger, it would help a lot the GPU and PSUs choices for users.

3) Temper Glass, idk how this can be implemented on the design, but we have a lot of offering from other companies like Corsair, Phantek, to mention a few. Would be amazing to have an FT06 with an option of temper glass, and lets be honest, the aluminium used on the FT05 (which i love) is on the front and back, the side panels are steel, so changing them toward tempered glass would only add to an already great materials used, to me steel diminishes the FT05, but i understand why it is used.

4) Extra space on the back, we also need a little bit more on the back for cable management, it was very hard to do the cable management on the FT05, and still today i have to see that the side enters well and the cable don't move or ill get a belly on the side panel, and i don't have a lot cables running in the back and my psu is modular, only using what i need. A lot of newer cases are a breeze to do the cable management, there is no reason not to allow a little more space on the back, i understand the design and small foot print of the ft05, but im asking half an inch more than you gave us, its not much, its just too tight atm, btw i removed the sound dampening as this also hinder the space on the back, the case really need half an inch more or an inch if you are planning to include sound dampening, although i would prefer you give us temper glass.

5) Remove the CD option, save some costs, even laptop manufactures are moving away, take a loot into MSI GT73VR, the drop the Optical for another fan, the FT05 is a flagship, it should follow whats the tendency of the people that are looking for high end stuff and most likely this people dont use opticals anymore, save some money and invest it where it gives value to us.

6) A PWM AP182, this fans consume a lot of power, and even say they are not recommend for certain motherboard headers. Moving toward PWM we can get power form the PSU and use the PWM signal to regulate the fan RPMS, its a win win situation. Please if you do this, allow the fan to able to drop to 400rpms on PWM, i can do this atm with my AP182 but i have to move the knob to a certain 1/4 turn. I personally think that 400 to 1300rpms is a good range, at 2000rpms they are intolerable, never i have ever considered them to go above 1000rpms, they cool very good even at low rpms, i usually run mine at 400rpms and on load 800rpms. The big four motherboard manufactures (ASUS, MSI, AsRock and Gigabyte) have implemented great fan controls either on their bios or software, it can control PWM fans fine, there is no need for switches or knobs anymore, as long as the fan has a good range of control via PWM.

7) Forget about the 120mm fan on the bottom, there is no need for that tray, i understand the view of caving toward watercooling, but the fact is that the FT05 is the best air cooling case, and never will be a even a great watercooling case, it might be fine for some using 180mm rads as they have done with the TJ08, although for this to happen you do need a taller case, still i think FT05 is the best air cooling case in the market, and this is because it uses the AP181 (i use 182) and the direct flow it has toward the components, continue this philosophy, make the FT06 to be the best air cooling case in the market, i personally think the extra 120mm bracket on the bottom hinders some the 180mm fans airflow, and this come to deny whats the best of case, i would simply drop it. You can design a water cooling case from the ground up thinking on rads an pumps like phantek has done, but making the FT05 have some flexibility toward this to me its a mistake, if i go water ill go with a better water cooling case.

8) USB C on the front (top), the industry is starting to move toward USB C to be the standard, i know USB A is still the main requirement, so give us 2x USB3 A, and one or two USB C on the top, if the fans are PWM there is no need for Knobs/switches. The Fortress is a flagship and the best from silverstone, to me its only natural that things like this are included on the FT06.

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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by NeilBlanchard » Thu May 11, 2017 4:46 am

Thanks for the feedback, folks. My FT05 is estimated to be delivered next week. I will do the cable stuff myself, though my son will want to do the transfer from my Phanteks case. It can't be any harder than in the old Evercase, since that had no access behind the motherboard.

The main thing is the vertical orientation of the video cards. I personally prefer a slight negative pressure case, but to do that the motherboard would have to be inverted from the way it is in the FT05 - the I/O panel at the bottom so that the (bigger) fans could be at the top. That would make plugging things into the I/O harder, and you would have to lay the case on its side.

Q: how did you control / power the 180mm fans? I am hoping my motherboard works with them, possibly in combination with the 3 speed switches? Or, do I need a variable controller? Phanteks makes a PWM controlled 12v fan hub that might work.

Abula
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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by Abula » Fri May 12, 2017 5:39 am

NeilBlanchard wrote:Q: how did you control / power the 180mm fans? I am hoping my motherboard works with them, possibly in combination with the 3 speed switches? Or, do I need a variable controller? Phanteks makes a PWM controlled 12v fan hub that might work.
I use AsRock bios fan control, I had to use the autodetect Heather's to control the fans via DC, I also have used MSI bios fan control with decent success using the cha_fans that are voltage controlled. Any new Asus motherboard should also be fine with the switchable headers. Gigabyte idk.

Test the switches, my experience on the ap181 is on the tj08e, that switching it to low plus undervolting nets you around 450rpms.

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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by NeilBlanchard » Fri May 12, 2017 10:57 am

Thanks - I have an Asus motherboard, so I should be good.

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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by NeilBlanchard » Wed May 17, 2017 6:18 pm

I am bummed - the 2nd video slot on my motherboard has apparently dies, so the whole point of the FT05 is negated.

The cable management is tough - I will take a crack at it soon. Even with a standard length PSU, and splitting the HD carrier so it holds my one drive, the bend of the wire bundles at the PSU is tight.

Abula
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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by Abula » Wed May 17, 2017 6:56 pm

NeilBlanchard wrote:I am bummed - the 2nd video slot on my motherboard has apparently dies, so the whole point of the FT05 is negated.
Sad to hear, but tbh, i dont recommend to do a SLI even on the FT05 unless you have it far away, the AP181 are decently quiet around 450rpms, but once you go above 1k rpms they are very noticeble, right now im testing MK26, and even with the monster size, with a single card 1300rpms of ty147A are not enough to keep it under control with the ap182 around 500rpms, i need to bump them around 800rpms to get it around 82C on load on long gaming sessions. When i had the SLI of ASUS GTX970, it was a jet engine, really, once the first gpu reached 84C the rpms went to 2.2k.... and we have a lift off, i just couldnt stand it. Then i move to twin MSI GTX980Ti, and to my surprise, even if it had a higher tdp, the first card never went above 2k rpms, and never past 84C, dont get me wrong, was not quiet, was noticeble, not loud, but accepatable or thats what i kept saying to my self, but upon time, a friend wanted a card so i sold one, and then upgraded to MSI GTX1080Ti, which is alright, i can keep the ap182 around 500rpms and still manage below 2k rpms and overall its not noticeble unless you get closer to the case, now i would never do SLI again unless im going water, i think SLI of high end gpus is where it really makes water quieter than air, but also GPUs this days are enough with one.... so maybe when 8k becomes a trend i would do a water sli setup, but for now, single cards with the FT05 is good enough.
NeilBlanchard wrote:The cable management is tough - I will take a crack at it soon. Even with a standard length PSU, and splitting the HD carrier so it holds my one drive, the bend of the wire bundles at the PSU is tight.
Yea thats one of the downsides of FT05, i do hope when a new iteration comes they give us a little more room on the back and between the PSU and hdd, overall i think if they do an inch more on height and width everything will work out better.

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Re: Quiet SLI Gaming PC Build Guide

Post by NeilBlanchard » Thu May 18, 2017 4:43 am

In the end, the FT05 will be a fine case, with the cable space being the main caveat. I was running SLi for Folding@Home and getting better draw distance playing No Man's Sky on my 34" 2K monitor.

The card and my old case will be fine for a computer for my daughter.

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