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Advice Needed by a WC n00b...

M

Maska

n00b
Joined
Oct 27, 2005
Messages
4
Ok, I'm toying with the idea of going WC with my rig... temps and noise are the biggest reasons... I'd like advice from anyone on what would be the best solution.

Here's what I got:

- A8N-SLI Deluxe
- 3500+
- (2) BFG 6800GTOC
- Maxtor 10k SCSI Hardrive (this sucker pumps ALOT of heat and would like to get it cooled as well while i'm at it)
- SATA harrdive
- Silverstone 650w SLI-ready PSU (not for cooling, just what I have for power)


What I need is advice from soup to nuts would be the best performance/price options to use... I got it all housed in a INWIN Full Tower case (i.e. heavy) and would prefer to keep everything internal if possible...


THANK YOU in advance
 
What is your budget and what is important to you: Looks or cooling ability? Just because you get a few degrees cooler doesn't necessarily mean that your computer will go any faster. ;)
 
I'm not wanting asthetics (if I could get away with it by keeping it looking like the regular case then all the better), I want performance and noise reduction.

Right now my GPU's hover in low/mid 50'sC, CPU in high 30'sC and the SCSI drive idle at 105F... and that's with the cover off the side in a room ambient of ~68F.

I'm hoping to do it rather inexpensively... and hope since I'm looking for cool, not kewl it can be done.
 
"What I need is advice from soup to nuts would be the best performance/price options to use"

Swiftech APEX Kit plus a few Danger Den Maze 4 or Swiftech MCB55 GPU blocks.
 
seriously, what is you're budget? it matters.

there are tradeoffs between easy/quiet/performance and cheap that we should know if we need to make.

for the 10K drive, if you have a free 5.25 bay, the zalman passive drive cooler might be a good option for that atlas. those things put out heat, but they were also made to tollerate it and last. they are server/workstation drives, after all. some of the units at the university are running constantly, un-cooled and stacked up in drive cages, and they have been running fine for more than 5 years now. a bit of case airflow and some breathing space should keep that drive running fine for a long time.
 
well, no real budget as of yet... that's reason I'm asking for help... ;)

But I suppose if I had to set a budget for everything, I'd love to keep it in the neighborhood of $300-$350... since I've already spent alot on the computer itself (and besides, still have to talk the wife into it :eek: )
 
Maska said:
well, no real budget as of yet... that's reason I'm asking for help... ;)

But I suppose if I had to set a budget for everything, I'd love to keep it in the neighborhood of $300-$350... since I've already spent alot on the computer itself (and besides, still have to talk the wife into it :eek: )
Click to expand...
if you're willing to spend that much, and you are looking for noise levels in the mid 20 dB range, then the swiftech apex, with an added waterblock, is an easy answer to you're needs. the swiftech lets you run the fans at 5, 7 or 12 volts. at 5 volts, the whole thing puts out about 25 db of noise, which is pretty darned quiet.

if you want quieter than that, things get a bit more interesting. i think that i could name parts to do it, within your budget, at a reasonable performance level. however, if the apex is within you budget and noise level requirements, then that's about the best that you can do.

having that kit on the market probably makes performance oriented people like myself look pretty un-creative in what we suggest, however it's just the best thing out there for a pretty broad range of needs, so it's hard to suggest something that's any better unless the OP has some pretty specialized requirements.
 
Ok, that's the kit that mounts externally in the back right?

That could be an issue if I have to move the computer forward from its location another 6 inches (from the looks/pics I'm seeing) forward...

The case I've got is: http://cyberexchangeinc.com/Products/Cases/IW-Q2000.html and be willing to remove the lower (3.5) bays if something could be mounted inside... :rolleyes:
 
you don't HAVE to mount the rad on the back like that, it's just the method that involves the least cutting and modding.

in a big case like that, you can usually cut holes in the top, and bolt the rad in up there. however, you said that this should look stock, so it's a bit of a catch 22. if the rad is hidden in the back, and externally mounted, you might have to move the case forward. if you mount the rad up top, the case does not look stock.

if there is nothing other than the fan above the PSU, then that might be a trophy location to mount a thermochill PA160.1 rad, having cut a larger opening where the 80mm fan now sits, and have everything hidden away, without needing to move the case forwards or skimping on performance.
 
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