Silverstone SST-FT03-Mini (Mini-Itx)

Guys

Will someone be please be kind enough to advise me on which motherboard and Intel Ivy Bridge processor I should buy for this case?

Here's what I want to achieve:

- A small desktop PC that actually fits on the desk
- Has to be quiet and efficient (being quiet is extremely important)
- Has to be powerful enough to carry out day to day taks such as browsing, photoshop etc. I have no desire to install any third party gfx cards at this point in time as I will not be playing games etc so it is important that the built in graphics of the motherboard (and also CPU?) is very important.

I'm thinking something like this:

- FT03 Mini Case
- Gigabyte Motherboard GA-H77N-WIFI mini-ITX Socket 1155 DDR3 (a good choice?)
- Intel Ivy Bridge CPU (needs to be efficient and runs cool but also has to have some grunt)
- 8 Gig DDR3 RAM (1600 Mhz)?
- Corsair H60 (or shall I go for H80 and do away with the DVD drive?)
- SilverStone Modular 450W PSU (is there anything else much better on the market?)

I want to order the kit asap so would really appreciate some feedback and advice before I do.

I know you say you have no desire to install a video card at this point, but do you think you will need that at some point in the future?

You can go a lot smaller and quieter if you choose to eliminate the possibility of having a video card altogether, or at least limit your selection to low profile/low power cards.

H60 is plenty for an Ivy Bridge CPU with no overclocking. If you are using Photoshop then an i7-3770 would be the best performer when resizing and such, but for much less money you can get an i5 and wait a couple extra seconds on a resize.

The decision about bronze non-modular, or gold modular SFX PSU absolutely depends on whether you are planning to put a 3.5" drive in the case.

Guys thanks very much for your input, appreciate it.

WiSK - sorry I should have mentioned earlier that I have no intention of using a 3.5 inch hard drive, only a 256 SSD and maybe another bigger capacity SSD in the future. I will be relying on USB 3 external hard drives and also a NAS. The aim is to keep the innards as less cluttered as possible thus allowing better air flow and hopefully less noise.

I may not bother with a DVD drive and just take out the DVD bracket holder along with the 3.5 HDD bracket. I have an external USB DVD drive that I can use if I ever need it.

I have a full size 650W Nesteq PSU which I really don't want to get rid off as it's a semi fanless design and the fans only kick in when the temps rise to 60 degrees and above. In my current Fractal Design R3 Mini the fan on the PSU never turns on so as a result it's a very quiet system.

Is there no way a standard sized PSU will fit?

If I must go for an SFX PSU then I'd definitely go for the SilverStone 450 Gold Modular as I'm hoping it will allow me to cut back on some cables since I'm not going all out in terms of hardware.

I wanted to use the H80 with two fans on both sides of the radiator in a push and pull config but I have never used these water cooling blocks and not sure how loud they are.

At £230 the i7 sounds like a good deal but not so sure about which model of i5 I should be comparing it to, can you please let me know the model number?

Also is it possible to underclock Ivy Bridge processors to make them more power efficient and produce less heat?

My first choice was Haswell as it's the latest gen but I have read that these processors run hotter than advertised.

Can you please also comment on the mobo, the Asus Deluxe Z77 seems overkill for my needs and I'm trying to be objective and keep in mind that this is to be an efficient low noise machine which should give out as less heat as possible.

vipz - I understand what you are saying and I did actually consider a much smaller ITX case just for casual browsing and general computer use but I would like the flexibility of being able to at least use a decent processor and GPU later if I need it and knowing me, I probably will!

Thanks very much.

The 450W Gold Modular is probably your best bet, assuming you get your hands on a V2.0 unit and that the fan improvement is as good as claimed.

There is also the option to use a picoPSU, which should plenty for a system without any GPU or 3.5" HDD. If you can see yourself re-using it in the future for other projects, it might not be a bad idea to pick one up to play around with even if you end up with the SFX Gold (or whatever awesome SFX PSU there will be) when you do decide to put a GPU in.

vipz that's a great idea but but I didn't think a PicoPSU would be able to power a system like mine.

A google search shows that 160W is the highest I can get for a PicoPSU. Will that be enough to power an i5, one SSD, and maybe even a slim line DVD writer?

The other concern with a PicoPSU is that I will be losing an extra fan inside the case to exhaust the hot air out of the system. I guess I can try and fit another 120 mm fan near the top somehow to help with that.

I've decided to go for the Intel Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz which seems like a sweet spot for performance and price. Plus it has the HD400 GPU which I'm sure will be plenty for my needs.

Still not sure about the Motherboard!

EDIT: The i5 uses about 77 watts, two fans about 5 watts, a dvd writer about 25 watts, SSD about 10 watts max if even that. So total would be around 117 watts which leaves me with plenty of over head. I'm definitely considering the PicoPSU as an option.

Any other power draw I need to take in to consideration? What about the motherboard, RAM etc? Sorry I'm still quite new to this!

The main concern I had is the fan noise of the SilverStone PSU especially with it being an SFX PSU using an 80mm fan!

Cheers

Dead Cell said:

Guys

Will someone be please be kind enough to advise me on which motherboard and Intel Ivy Bridge processor I should buy for this case?

Here's what I want to achieve:

- A small desktop PC that actually fits on the desk
- Has to be quiet and efficient (being quiet is extremely important)
- Has to be powerful enough to carry out day to day taks such as browsing, photoshop etc. I have no desire to install any third party gfx cards at this point in time as I will not be playing games etc so it is important that the built in graphics of the motherboard (and also CPU?) is very important.

Click to expand...

As vipz said, if you don't need discrete graphics, you can absolutely go smaller. I also don't understand your obsession with efficiency. I don't think an underclocked CPU will do much to improve the efficiency to the point of reducing fan speeds...

If you want to use this case, I would say get whatever ITX motherboard you want and either an i5 or i7 (or even an AMD if you wish), a fanless full size ATX PSU that fits, and a basic closed loop liquid cooler with a known quietish pump. Also, be sure to replace the 140mm case fan with whatever PWM fan you like (I recommend the TY-147 but there are many).

With a 3.5" HDD omitted, this will likely be the quietest setup for this case. Note that this will be QUIET but not 100% silent (maybe 100% silent from 3-5ft depending on the liquid pump). For 100% silence, you'll need a bigger case and a huge fanless CPU heatsink:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846

If you're concept of 'quiet' is not really 100% silent or if the room the computer is in has any ambient noise, most things you throw in this case will be fine. I have a TY-143 PWM case fan, the Bronze SFX PSU (which is actually VERY loud), a blademaster 120mm PWM CPU fan, and an EVGA 670FTW (which is also not very quiet). Still with all that, my one 3.5"HDD is the loudest component by a very obviously noticeable margin when it's spinning. The loudest fan is the stupid Silverstone SFX trash. I urge you to stay away from garbage noisy SFX PSU's at all costs (just my opinion though). All that and the only thing I hear over my A/C vent is the HDD spinning. That is if the A/C is on.

If my computer is rendering or gaming, it's actually kinda loud but photoshop, video editing, browsing, or any mundane task won't cause the fans to spin faster. CPU fan is at 630rpm, case is at 780rpm, and GPU is 1440rpm unless I'm doing something intensive. At full blast fans, you can probably hear my computer from down the hall and through a wall. But I've only ever been able to do that artificially, never during actual use.

eatkabab, many thanks for taking the time to post, this is extrmely helpful as it's confirmation that the SilverStone 450 Gold is a no go for me.

I should be more clear, I'm not after a 100% silent build as I know that's not achievable without a bigger case and massive heatsinks.

I am trying to build a system which will sit on my desk next to my monitor with some gentle humming of the fans. My current Fractal R3 Mini underneath my desk is so silent I can barely hear it. It has only one SSD, a semi silent Nesteq PSU and an ATI fanless GFX card. The PSU fan never kicks in as the load is never high enough, even after running Prime95 for 2-3 hours. However, it did kick in during load when I had my old GTX 260.

I will definitely replace the 140mm fan underneath the case as I've read many report that it can be quite noisy. Will definitely try your recommended fan if I can buy it here in the UK. I'm sure I've heard others praise this fan on this thread.

What I really want is to use a semi fanless or a fully fanless standard PSU but I understood that this was not possible as it would not fit inside the FT03 Mini.

Are you saying that it is possible? Please can you confirm this?

If so, I will happily remove the DVD Drive and HDD drive cages and leave the inside as clear as possible if I can use a standard PSU, that will solve my problem as I understand the PSU fan can often be one of the noisiest components inside a case after the GFX card and HDD's.

I have the FT03 Mini on order, once it arrives, I will try to fit the Nesteq standard PSU and see what happens. If it works then I'm sorted and I'll also save myself some money although I don't really like the idea of using a 650W PSU to power my modest system but of course I then have the option to buy whichever standard PSU I want.

By the way, is the Corsair H60 a good buy or shall I go for the H80? I understand the H60 comes with just the radiator but the H80 comes with two fans. Does anyone know how noisy these are?

Many thanks for your help.

eatkabab said:

The loudest fan is the stupid Silverstone SFX trash. I urge you to stay away from garbage noisy SFX PSU's at all costs (just my opinion though).

Click to expand...

Not sure if you've been keeping up with other threads, but Silverstone have updated the ST45SF-G twice since you bought yours. The V1.1 add some capacitors to remove coil whine at high CPU load, and the V2.0 now has a reduced fan profile which bring the rpms at idle down to a similar level as the bronze model. They've responded to user RMAs and customer feedback and made improvements.

I'm not saying they've made it super quiet now, but at least it's not "stupid," "garbage noisy" anymore

WiSK said:

Not sure if you've been keeping up with other threads, but Silverstone have updated the ST45SF-G twice since you bought yours. The V1.1 add some capacitors to remove coil whine at high CPU load, and the V2.0 now has a reduced fan profile which bring the rpms at idle down to a similar level as the bronze model. They've responded to user RMAs and customer feedback and made improvements.

I'm not saying they've made it super quiet now, but at least it's not "stupid," "garbage noisy" anymore

Click to expand...

I haven't been keeping up, but will check it out soon. I actually have the bronze one and have considered just sticking a stick in the fan and making it 'fanless' until it breaks.

If the capacitor update you're talking about is the one from months ago, yeah I have that one too. It's NOT fixed at ALL. Like ZERO none NO fix. When I move my mouse the PSU screams. Thankfully I've moved and my room has more ambient noise and put it on top of a bookshelf so I can't hear the computer at all any more.


@Dead Cell
Yes a full size ATX will definitely fit, but ATX is not a 'standard' size or at least manufacturers don't abide by it. You need to check measurements very carefully to make sure it'll fit. Here is SalemSwift's build with an ATX semi-fanless PSU. It fits, all you need to do is bend one little metal tab a bit: http://imgur.com/a/AE2in#0

Here is the post in this thread: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1642182&highlight=atx&page=18

In retrospect, I ENORMOUSLY regret not going this route. Note that as you said, you likely will not be able to fit a 3.5" HDD in there, definitely no disk drive, and you are required to use liquid cooling as the space above the mobo is greatly reduced. Modular PSU is highly recommended as the long wires will be very difficult to manage. You'll have a considerably easier time if you don't have a GPU card.

Also, in previous posts I've recommended the Rosewill Hyperborea 140mm fan or Akasa Apache 140mm fan (they're the same), but now I do NOT recommend them. Unfortunately at low RPM's there is motor noise in the form of a *clickity clackity* which totally kills the silence. The TY-147 is the best PWM 140mm's I've used yet. I still however keep the TY-143 in my case. It's the same fan, but does 2500RPM. I use it as like a warning sound just to let me know if the CPU is beginning to get too hot. Oh ya, it's VERY VERY loud at 2500RPM but it's at 750RPM almost all the time.

If you're gonna have an IB i5 or i7, literally any closed loop liquid cooler will be way more than sufficient. You can probably even O/C quite a bit. I would say any low end liquid cooler is a more efficient cooler than a high end air cooler (Ultra high end air can be better). Why not go with haswell? It's newer CPU core right?

eatkabab said:

I haven't been keeping up, but will check it out soon. I actually have the bronze one and have considered just sticking a stick in the fan and making it 'fanless' until it breaks.

If the capacitor update you're talking about is the one from months ago, yeah I have that one too. It's NOT fixed at ALL. Like ZERO none NO fix. When I move my mouse the PSU screams. Thankfully I've moved and my room has more ambient noise and put it on top of a bookshelf so I can't hear the computer at all any more.

Click to expand...

You have the bronze unit? I thought you had the gold one. Haven't you considered the noiseblocker mod if it's affecting you so seriously?

Mouse moving making noise is not your PSU. It's something unshielded in the connection to your mouse or loudspeakers or microphone. Can have all kinds of reasons. Which motherboard do you have again? and in which ports are you connecting mouse and audio? Front or back panel? If USB mouse have you tried all different ports? Sometimes there are specific ports USB port for mouse/keyboard.

eatkabab said:

@Dead Cell
Yes a full size ATX will definitely fit, but ATX is not a 'standard' size or at least manufacturers don't abide by it. You need to check measurements very carefully to make sure it'll fit. Here is SalemSwift's build with an ATX semi-fanless PSU. It fits, all you need to do is bend one little metal tab a bit: http://imgur.com/a/AE2in#0

Here is the post in this thread: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1642182&highlight=atx&page=18

In retrospect, I ENORMOUSLY regret not going this route. Note that as you said, you likely will not be able to fit a 3.5" HDD in there, definitely no disk drive, and you are required to use liquid cooling as the space above the mobo is greatly reduced. Modular PSU is highly recommended as the long wires will be very difficult to manage. You'll have a considerably easier time if you don't have a GPU card.

Also, in previous posts I've recommended the Rosewill Hyperborea 140mm fan or Akasa Apache 140mm fan (they're the same), but now I do NOT recommend them. Unfortunately at low RPM's there is motor noise in the form of a *clickity clackity* which totally kills the silence. The TY-147 is the best PWM 140mm's I've used yet. I still however keep the TY-143 in my case. It's the same fan, but does 2500RPM. I use it as like a warning sound just to let me know if the CPU is beginning to get too hot. Oh ya, it's VERY VERY loud at 2500RPM but it's at 750RPM almost all the time.

If you're gonna have an IB i5 or i7, literally any closed loop liquid cooler will be way more than sufficient. You can probably even O/C quite a bit. I would say any low end liquid cooler is a more efficient cooler than a high end air cooler (Ultra high end air can be better). Why not go with haswell? It's newer CPU core right?

Click to expand...

The good news is that my Nesteq Semi Fanless PSU is exactly the same dimensions as the ATX Seasonic X Series PSU used by SalemSwift and nameBrandon.

So this means I can use my existing PSU for the time being.

Also I have decided to go for the i5-4670K Haswell chip which does make sense. I was only considering Ivy Bridge due to it's lower power usage/heat but I guess it's not going to make much difference. Plus in my mind it makes it a little more future proof than IB.

I am opting for the Antec Kuhler 630 as used by SalemSwift instead of the Corsair H60 which I understand has hard tubes that can be tricky to manage, and not forgetting the noise issues related to these Corsair H Series coolers.

The only thing I'm now stuck on is the mobo as I can't find any reviews on a good socket 1150 Mini ITX mobo! Will ask in the motherboard section.

By the way eatkabab, if the noise in your case is that bad why don't you also look in to a full ATX PSU?

Thanks to you all for your help especially you eatkabab, you've been absolutely fantastic!

EDIT: After much shopping around I ordered the following:

- FT-03 Mini
- Asus Z87I-Pro S 1150 Mini iTX Motherboard
- Intel Core i5 4670K
- 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Low Profile Cerulean Blue
- Antec Kuhler 620

I have a feeling it's going to be a tough build but what fun is there if it's not!

Will be sure take pics and share here.

Cheers

@Wisk
I have the bronze and the asus p8z77 mobo. I've tried plugging my mouse into every USB port I've got. The noise is coming DIRECTLY from the PSU. with NOTHING else plugged in (not even the monitor) the noise is still coming out of the PSU. I know it's the PSU because if I put my ear up to it I can hear exactly which corner of the PSU it's coming from. It's not that loud. I'm definitely exaggerating. It's just annoying that they can't do anything about it. I can only hear it in my old room when it was almost completely quiet (computer is next to the monitor too so it's close).

I have considered the NB mod but I don't wanna void my PSU warranty just yet. I've moved since and my new room has much more ambient noise so I don't hear my computer at all anymore. Not even while gaming. Sometimes I have to put my ear up to it or look at the mouse light to make sure it's on so I'm good on noise now.


@Dead Cell
I really like this case a lot even with all it's flaws (I'm very very particular...a dentist...).
If you're going with a liquid cooler, any mobo will work fine. It seems hard tubes are better for longevity as they don't have as much 'osmosis-esque' flow through the tubes but I don't have any long term experience with liquid.

I would ditch my air cooler and get a full size PSU but I already have everything stuffed in there and it's fine for now. Not willing to foot the investment for a little extra silence. Plus I like having a huge 3.5"HDD in there.

I would comment on your RAM choice though. That ram you've chosen is fine, but this ram is easily the highest value and best performing RAM of this generation: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096
Go ahead and read the reviews...you'll see.

It's only got two problems:
1. Tt only comes in 4GB dimms so you can't have 16GB on an ITX.
2. It's painfully difficult to find nowadays. I got it in November of last year for $32 shipped.


Oh yeah, also, note that the USB 3.0 on this case does NOT work...it's a manufacturing flaw that Silverstone refuses to recognize no matter how much I tell them. Please let them know so that they might take notice.

I understand what you mean about not wanting to modify your build for the time being, it makes sense.

I have purchased all the parts except the Antec Kuhler which Scan Computers currently don't have in stock so it means I can do some more research on Corsaire H series.

A search for the Samsung RAM you recommended shows nothing here in the UK I'm afraid so that's a no go for me. I think I'll stick with the ones I ordered for now, there are some very good reviews on them so it should be fine for my needs.

All in all, the whole system is costing me just over £550 excluding the PSU so it's not too bad.

I'm excited about the Mobo which seems feature rich and I really like the layout especially the main mobo power connector and the 6 pin PSU power connector which are right at the bottom side by side.

The CPU is also in the centre so that I guess is only a good thing.

Thanks mate and I hope you get your mouse issue sorted out somehow.

That looks like the updated version of my p8z77 board. Should be fantastic. Few things to note. First off, asus seems to have a habit of not allowing voltage control on the fan headers so just be sure to get a PWM case fan. It says it has 4 headers, but I'm sure you can only really control 2 of them (the "fan Xpert" ones).

Next, if you're going to be running a 1440p monitor (which I highly, HIGHLY recommend), it will NOT work through the on board DVI port but it will work through the HDMI and DisplayPort. This is a CPU limitation, not the MoBo limitation (I don't know why intel hates us). You probably won't find a 1440p monitor with the proper updated HDMI port yet, so just get one with DisplayPort. Unfortunately you won't be able to pick up the cheap 1440p monitors from ebay or other sites because they only take DVI-DL in. The versions that have DisplayPort are a few hundred $US more. I could not be happier with my 1440p monitor from monoprice.com. Easily the #1 computer investment I ever made. Alternately, you could pickup a cheap (probably fanless) video card with DVI-DL.

The design of the wifi/bt antenna on this new MoBo model may be an aesthetic issue. If you can, search ebay and find the style antenna that goes on the p8z77. I say this because I was able to tuck my antenna into the center island of the case. Works perfectly and it's completely hidden and not blocking any air flow. Maybe there are other aftermarket styles or just short stick antennas you can find.

Sorry for the horrible image quality, I didn't take a new one...


Lastly, here is an option to make it all even quieter. You can potentially omit the fan on the bottom of the case and just get a good 120mm fan to mount on top of the liquid cooler radiator. Definitely mounted in a 'pull' fashion, blowing air up in the case. That way the only fan in your case is actually inside the case rather than hanging out underneath, outside the case. The noise will be more muffled by the case walls and it'll probably even improve airflow efficiency through the radiator and the case because of the likely smaller fan blade hub and no flow restriction in front of the fan. This also opens up a TON of other fan options for you as there are probably 20x as many 120mm PWM fans as there are 140mm PWM models. This definitely won't be an O/C setup, but it'll probably be the closest to 100% silent as possibe.

Aside from that, you've set yourself up to have an excellently quiet/silent nifty little computer with, in my opinion, one of the best looking cases there is. Take it a step further and just do a lengthy build video recording with your phone or something. Here's my video (taken with a galaxy S3), granted I didn't have my video card at the time and I have rebuilt the thing probably twice since: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOqZ-Xc3AA4

Note that rebuilding it with a 10" long video card is an absolute pain. There is no way to fit the card in there with anything else in the case, I tried for maybe 30min. It's gotta be 100% empty, the huge honking video card goes in first, and then you load in all the other pieces one by one. Just to save you an hour in case you were thinking of gaming in the future. Since you're using an ATX PSU, disassembling and reassembling may be a bit more complicated for you. Because of the case design, you'll also need a video card with a closed shroud on it which usually means the axial style blower fan video cards. Currently a GTX 680 is the highest (dunno about the 700 series but they seem to all be 10.5" which will NOT fit).

OMG I saw your time lapse vid on youtube about a week ago when the FT03 first caught my eye! Nice vid and the music works with it well especially the tempo lol.

I really like the idea of keeping the fan inside the case and will definitely be doing exactly that but before I can do anything I need to first get my SSD issue sorted!

I've hit a road block I'm afraid. If you get a minute, then please see my thread in the link below.
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1040071278#post1040071278

Hi, I'm planning on build a FT03 mini in a couple of weeks and I was wondering what everyone thought about this card: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007Z574RU/

I was going to go for the mini Asus http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007Z574RU/?tag=pcpapi-20 until I realized it didn't have the blower style cooler.

eoughu said:

...mini Asus until I realized it didn't have the blower style cooler.

Click to expand...

I think that Asus mini 670 is probably the only performance card without a closed shroud blower cooler that would be acceptable for this case because of it's short length and it's 'special' fan design. As JJ from Asus told me when I met him a while ago, they actually designed the card with the SG05 or whatever the Silverstone case which is the same as the Ft03 mini on its side is. The problem is that you'll pay a premium for the mini Asus when you can get a reference card for cheaper that's just as good if not better. Both will likely perform just as well.

Aside from that, the reference 670 you have linked is well within the requirements.

The Asus mini 670 is taller than a regular 670 and if you look at the following picture you'll see the PCIe connector interferes with the optical drive tray. Since the SG05 doesn't have the SSD tray that the FT03-mini does, it seems odd to me that "JJ from Asus" would say it's designed for the SG05 without any suggestion of how you would then mount your drives. (And anyway, the SG05 has vents along the length of the GPU area which means that it doesn't suffer the GPU cooling problems the FT03-mini does.)



Also, the short length and 'special' fan design don't change the fact that it's going to recycle its own hot air. The Zotac short 670 doesn't work in this case either. FT03-mini has been out for a year now and I've been following all threads on multiple forums and have yet to see anyone happy with temps of any mid-range+ card with a non-reference cooler.

JJ is Asus's poster boy PR rep. He sounded like he really knows his stuff but also said that an impeller fan design should also work just as well in the FT03 despite my exclamation that it doesn't and he should stop telling anyone that. Forgot about that part of the discussion...

Thanks for the input!

I've got everything except the case and psu now. I'm still on the wall about which PSU I want, though.

With the bronze I get:
Cheaper price, quieter fan
Less efficient, more cable clutter

Gold:
Less Cable clutter, more efficient
Louder fan, higher price, and from what I've been reading, one of the cables will conflict with the 3.5" drive cage which I planned on using.

I know the fan in the gold can be switched out, but I can only find the noiseblocker running around $25.

Decisions, decisions...

The modular cables don't really offer "less cable clutter". You are always using the ATX24, the PCIe, the EPS cable and the Sata cable. The only one you can leave out is the molex, which has only 4 wires so not really much of a saving. Unless you are planning to make your own short or sleeved cables then there is very little point in spending extra for the modular version.

Is the non-G still quieter, even with the Gold's V2.0?

It's not clear yet. Someone in the thread said the V2 gold version is quieter but has a bit of an annoying hum.

^I doubt it, considering people didn't approve of the GTX 670 DC mini either... I'd stick to blowers & closed shrouds. However people have been saying 700 series cards are half an inch too long, I think, but they may have been referring to the upper division cards (x70, x80).

Hi all, just wondering if there were any noticeable problems with this setup.
Also I'd like to emphasize quietness at idle/low workloads. (Since while rendering or gaming I can't really expect the same, or will be wearing headphones). Could invest in noise dampener?

-Replace AP fan with TY-143? Rather unsure!
-Ditch SFX for a Seasonic platinum 460W passive PSU, same dimensions as the X560/660 used in prev build(s). This would be more quiet than the Gold PSU fix, right? (Not tooo comfortable voiding PSU warranty)

This does indeed mean I ditch 3.5" HDD, disk drive.

And the more mundane stuff:

-i7 4770
-Asus Z87 mobo (basically the daughterboard-ed one for Haswell)
-Antec Kuhler 620. Judged it was better than H60
-2x8GB RAM (Gskill Ares)
-Samsung 840 + Seagate Momentus@7200RPM
-EVGA GTX 660 2GB

Fairly concerned about the 660's noise output, and, of course, the TY-143. It seems that blower cards are just louder than open fan cards?
The 120mm fan inside the case was an interesting proposition, and I'll experiment with that if I deem the 140mm fan to be too loud. Can't be too difficult at that point...
Also, not sure about how much noise 2.5" / 7200RPM drives make, in comparison to the two.

pointfiveo said:

Is this usable on the FT03-Mini or will I still be better off with a blower style 760?

Click to expand...

EVGA GTX 760 Superclocked seems a better choice.

rchktk said:

Hi all, just wondering if there were any noticeable problems with this setup.

Click to expand...

I can recommend Noiseblocker BlackSilentPro PK-PS as case fan. PWM controlled, comes with silicone decoupler. Good, quiet radiator performance.

If you go for ATX PSU, buy it last. This because it might not fit with Z87i daughterboard, or with your radiator hoses, or you might not be able to figure out where to put your drives without the drive cages. So buy from a place where you can return it and exchange for the ST45SF. If you have an old ATX PSU spare, use it for sizing, or even use a cardboard box, folded to size.

If you do end up with SFX PSU, then consider the bronze non-modular version: cables are shorter and easier to route; conveniently bundled together at one side instead of all coming out into the middle of the case. Unless you are planning on crimping your own shorter cables, the gold version is just more hassle and more expensive.

I think GTX660 isn't very loud, because it doesn't run very hot. My reference GTX660Ti is quieter than my open fan GTX560Ti Phantom. But experiences differ - I can't promise that your ears will find this card quiet. Another thing is that you can use EVGA PrecisionX to put a power or thermal limit on your card. That can help to keep any noise under control.

That's a great point on buying it last, since it was the part that had me most worried; will definitely do that, and I'll take a gander at the Blacksilentpro.

I don't think I'll need the power of the GTX660Ti which is why I'm getting the [more affordable] GTX660, since I play nonstressful games like SC2 and Dota2, dabbling in some modern shooters here and there.
And that's good for audio, I guess.

Thanks.

I am interested in building a system with that case. Can you guys suggest specs so that the system will run cool and quiet as possible, and also play modern games? I am thinking in the haswell + gtx 670 direction

Being very busy with work at the moment, I completely forgot to follow the stocks of GTX 680 SCs — they are either out of stock or their prices have skyrocketed north of €500 and there is no way I'm putting that much money towards a last gen GPU.

After a bit of research, I ended up grabbing an EVGA GTX 670 FTW for €270 for the FT03 Mini build I will be doing in the next weeks/month. Considering it's toe to toe with a stock 680 and faster than a 760 it seemed like an okay deal.

_PixelNinja said:

EVGA GTX 670 FTW

Click to expand...

Nice, let us know how your temps are

WiSK said:

Nice, let us know how your temps are

Click to expand...

Will do as soon as EVGA or Asus release respectively their Z87 Stinger and ROG Impact so I can get my hands on one or the other.

What's the fastest graphics card currently for sale that will fit in the case without modification? the 670/760?

Stein357 said:

What's the fastest graphics card currently for sale that will fit in the case without modification? the 670/760?

Click to expand...

A reference GTX 680.
I have one in my system.

Okay so I finally decided to build my first ever water cooling loop. Since I'm waiting for the M1, this was intended purely to be a learning experience. I sure struggled to put my loop together in this case, but it was great fun and quite rewarding in the end.

Loop components:
Rad: HardwareLabs Black Ice SR-1 140mm
Fans: 2x Alpenfohn Wingboost 140mm PWM (600RPM - 1100RPM)
CPU Block: Bitspower Summit EF (LGA1155)
GPU Block: Heatkiller GPU-X3 GTX670 + Backplate
Fittings: 4x Monsoon 3/8" - 5/8" Compression Fittings
Fittings: 4x Alphacool 16/10 Compression Fitting 90 Degree Rotary
Pump: Alphacool DC-LT Ceramic 12V DC (running at 1500RPM. Max is 3000RPM)
Pump Top: Alphacool DC-LT Plexi Top
Reservoir: Alphacool Reservoir For DC-LT Pumps
Tubing: Some old 3/8" - 5/8" primochill tubing that will probably leach in a few months It was only AUD 50c per foot!


Hardware summary:
CPU: i5 2400 (yes I know, no OC - why am I watercooling? for the lols)
GPU: Gainward GTX670
Mobo: Asus P8H67-I Deluxe
PSU: Silverstone ST45SF 450W SFX v2.0 (it's very quiet for me - my single 140mm fan has always been the loudest component in my FT03 Mini - and I've tried a number of fans)

And that's all that really matters.


Build notes:
1. No mods made to the case - I just slot things in here and there.
2. 140mm Radiator with 2x 140mm PWM fans in Push-Pull
3. Radiator is not screwed down. Hence the ugly sticky tape.
4. Water flows from Pump -> Rad -> GPU -> CPU -> Res
5. GPU fittings need to be < 3cm tall once fitted - otherwise they block the SFX PSU
6. I opened up the I/O tray at the top and stuffed my Front Audio cables and USB 3.0 cables in there to shorten their length.
7. I had to do without any of the HDD/ODD/SDD trays, but found a nice snug spot below my GPU for my 2 SSDs using the original 2.5" bracket (that usually sits below the mobo)

Finally, please ignore the lack of colour scheming - this was intended as a test build for my first ever custom loop, so that's why I have blue-themed motherboard, red tubing, chrome 90deg fittings and black chrome monsoon fittings, none of which really fit together aesthetically (but were on the cheaper side of purchases).

Photos:
Apologies for my messy benchtop, crappy camera, and all round first-timer hack job of a loop. That includes the sticky tape on the rad (totally embarrassing)...

But hey, I'm just glad that I even did it! Now to see if it leaks over the next few days or not...

1. Finished loop (still bleeding) but nothing else has been plugged in.


Pump + res is suspended by the tubing alone.


A very short run from the CPU block outlet to the res inlet.




Those bends are scary - I'm worried it's stressing out the alphacool rotaries and might leak. :/ Anyone know if that's possible?


2. Connected everything and... just as roomy as when I only had my Antec H2O 620 and Gainward 670 blower!

Managed to hide my Fan cables neatly, but the PSU, Pump, SATA and USB 3.0 cables have no where to go.


Sorry this is a really bad picture - I'll take another one later if people want to see it, but basically the PSU is and GPU fittings are sitting flush against each other. (Again, I'm so sorry about the sticky tape)


I put my SSDs below the GPU.




Results:

Since I'm not OCing, there's probably nothing too impressive to see here.

My "load" temperatures consist of playing a game of some sort (Borderlands 2 max settings 1080p, Dota 2 max settings 1080p). I know they aren't the most taxing games, but it's the comparison with what I had before that amazes me.

CPU before: ~ 30 idle - 40 load
GPU before: ~40 idle - 70 load

CPU now: ~ 30 idle - 40 load
GPU now: ~ 20 idle - 30 load

EDIT: after running my computer a bit longer, I have to say my overall temps are a bit higher. Will see how it holds up when summer comes round.
CPU now: ~ 33 idle - 45 load
GPU now: ~ 24 idle - 35 load

CPU is pretty much the same, but recall I used a CLC previously (Antec H2O 620), so I'm pretty happy that the CPU temperatures haven't increased since adding a GPU to the loop.
But I have to be honest... I am bloody blown away by my new GPU temps.
I never expected them to be this good. I'm scared I broke the temperatures sensors or something. I'll have to see how these temps hold up over the coming week of games.

Noise wise, it's been a trade-off. My whiny Gainward blower and Antec H2O 620 are gone, but it's been replaced with the Alphacool pump and a second 140mm fan. The Alpenfohn is the quietest fan I've tested so far (compared to Noctua P14 Flex, Nocture AF14 Flex amongst others), but in push-pull I can hear them more now.

The alphacool pump at 12V is much too loud (3000RPM), but I used one of the Noctua low noise adapters that happens to match the pump's load nicely, bringing it down to a very very quiet 1300RPM (quieter than my 140mm fans). So in the end it's my 2x 140mm fans that are noisiest, but since they are controlled by PWM it's pretty quiet, so I'm pretty happy with the noise level overall.
UPDATE:
I installed the asus fan xpert software and have no set the fan curve to idle at 600rpm (pretty much silent for these fans). I can now say my loop has achieved 2 out of 3 goals - run cooler, run quieter.


Anyhow, hopefully I haven't noobed anything in my loop (ie. find a leak tomorrow). Can anyone advise me on how long I should spend bleeding my loop and looking for leaks? I've only run it for about an hour before I hooked the rest of my parts up and started using my computer again.

I won't say it looks stylish, but that's a nice little loop for a first-time-watercooler

You should leak test for 24 hours, but generally you if you use tissue paper you can spot any leak in 10 mins. Bleed until there are no microbubbles.

WiSK said:

I won't say it looks stylish, but that's a nice little loop for a first-time-watercooler

You should leak test for 24 hours, but generally you if you use tissue paper you can spot any leak in 10 mins. Bleed until there are no microbubbles.

Click to expand...

I'll be the first to admit my build is pretty fugly.

Okay the leak test puts me more at ease, just need to bleed it for longer now. Thanks WiSK.

Have to say though, you get what you pay for. The pump is a bit of a worry at lower voltages... It actually stopped running on me last night. Will have to find a weaker voltage reducer.

I've fallen in love with this case, and would like to use it for my next build. My dream is to cram in a GTX 780 and an i7-4770K and cool them on the same loop. I expect this would be impossible with a 120mm radiator. However, I see that justcme has managed to fit a 140mm radiator into his case, which provides me with a glimmer of hope. I have three questions:

1) Justcme, if your graphics card was longer, would it run into the radiator? It's hard to tell from your pictures.

2) Does anybody know if it's even possible to cool a stock-clocked GTX 780 and i7-4770K on a single loop using a good 140mm radiator?

3) If yes, would the noise levels be so high as to not make it worthwhile?

Any feedback/suggestions would be much appreciated, thanks!

Nice to see someone get a res in there justcme!

theASMRnerd, I've got a 140mm rad and a GTX670 in mine and the PCB clears the fan by about 1mm (my Rad is 60mm thick though). You would have to compare the PCB lengths of the 670 and the 780. My build is on page 53 of this thread if you want some pics.

Cheers!

theASMRnerd said:

2) Does anybody know if it's even possible to cool a stock-clocked GTX 780 and i7-4770K on a single loop using a good 140mm radiator?

3) If yes, would the noise levels be so high as to not make it worthwhile?

Click to expand...

I have been running folding@home in mine 24/7 for the last 6-7 months. Obviously my 660ti generates much less heat than a 780, so it's a bit apples to oranges comparison, but I've been able to keep CPU core temps under 65C and GPU temp under 50C with a single AX120 rad. I have fans in push-pull running around 1200rpm which is on the cusp of noisy. The CPU and RAM seems to be very sensitive to overclocking in this setup, for my 24 hour a day load I've kept my delidded i7-3770K at 4.2GHz otherwise the temps start to go toward 70C. If you are planning to only game with yours, I think it'll still be quieter and lower temps at load than stock air cooling.

Two other things though:
- GTX780 is longer than the case frame is high. Do you have a plan for that?
- reports I've read are that the ST45SF-G will struggle if you overclock both GTX780 and i7-4770K.

theASMRnerd said:

1) Justcme, if your graphics card was longer, would it run into the radiator? It's hard to tell from your pictures.

2) Does anybody know if it's even possible to cool a stock-clocked GTX 780 and i7-4770K on a single loop using a good 140mm radiator?

3) If yes, would the noise levels be so high as to not make it worthwhile?

Any feedback/suggestions would be much appreciated, thanks!

Click to expand...

Hey ASMRnerd, unfortunately if my card was even just 5mm longer it indeed would touch the top fan. I have lined my radiator up against the 140mm holes for the bottom fan, and this puts around 1CM of the radiator into the GPU space.

Now it's possible to move the 140mm rad closer to the back panel (that is, away from the GPU slot) to clear the way for a longer GPU (you'd have to measure it to be sure though), but it would interfere with the back panel's plastic latch, not to mention the bottom fan would no longer be aligned with the rad.

At the end of the day it will largely depend on the dimensions of your radiator.

Samb said:

theASMRnerd, I've got a 140mm rad and a GTX670 in mine and the PCB clears the fan by about 1mm (my Rad is 60mm thick though). You would have to compare the PCB lengths of the 670 and the 780. My build is on page 53 of this thread if you want some pics.

Cheers!

Click to expand...

Sounds perfectly in tune with my build - my rad is 56mm thick, and the space between the GTX670 PCB and the top of my fan is 5mm.

But I think the main problem here is the radiator encroaching on the GPU space beyond the 17.5cm length (670 PCB is 17cm, same length as mITX motherboards).

I don't think there are any 770 or 780 PCBs that short unfortunately.

At least not yet.

Samb said:

Nice to see someone get a res in there justcme!

Click to expand...

Thanks Samb! It was your build that inspired me to do my first loop in this case! Thank you for sharing - without your build I probably wouldn't even have considered it.

While my colour scheme is horrendous, I was mostly concerned about making a loop that wouldn't pee on my components and sound like a grinder, so I'm pretty happy in that respect.

I hope I can make my next loop look as nice as yours.