ANTEC ISK 300-65 EC ITX

So what was the biggest psu able to fit in the ISK without modding? I read that the pico 150w can run a 5770 but I was hoping on more headroom. Saw some server 1u psu but those seem loud.
 
I'm running an Enhance flex 300W. I transplanted the internals to the original 150W Antec units case, replacing the power socket with the lead from the Antec, as well as switching plugs on the fans.

I can probably manage a pic later if you'd like.
 
Izza said:
I'm running an Enhance flex 300W. I transplanted the internals to the original 150W Antec units case, replacing the power socket with the lead from the Antec, as well as switching plugs on the fans.

I can probably manage a pic later if you'd like.
Click to expand...

That would be awesome.
 
Can't find the camera.

Basically though, all I did was desolder the entire AC power cable off of the Antec unit, and removed the fan's connector.

Then, on the Enhance unit, I desoldered the AC plug and it's circuit board (it's small, and contains the same components heat-shrunk onto the original Antec unit's AC power cord, so redundant)

You'll need to solder the power cable from the Antec onto the Enhance main board, using the exact same colors/positions. It's really tight, so make sure all the joints are solid.

You also need to transplant the fan connector from the Enhance 40mm fan, and place it on the Antec fan.

Third, you need to widen the mounting holes on the Enhance board to lay level in the Antec casing. I used a small file, but you could probably use a Dremel with a grinding bit to get it done a lot faster. There aren't any traces or anything real close to the holes so as long as you don't crack the board or something crazy, you should be fine.

Then just close it up and you're good to go. Looks like a stock unit, but a helluva lot beefier. It runs my GTS250 just fine under load, and I'd imagine it would handle a 450 as well.
 
EnderW said:
can you use thicker 2.5" drives in this case? like a velociraptor?
Click to expand...
I don't think a 15mm thick VR is going to fit. A 12.5mm thick drive is already nearly touching the top of the case.
NichoTL said:
If you use the standard HDD tray, it looks like one of the 2 drives can be thicker: a 12.5 mm would probably fit. But (and that's just me eyeballing it) I don't think a V-raptor (which is 15mm thick, right?) would fit. Unless you remove the HDD tray.
Click to expand...
I can confirm that you can fit a 12.5mm thick 2.5" HD in one of the two 2.5" "bays" in the Antec ISK 300. As you can see in the picture below it sits just a touch below the metal edge of the case. The cover slid onto the case without any issues.



However, the other 2.5" "bay" will require modifying to fit a 12.5mm drive because there is a lip / flange in the way. Here you can see a standard 9.5mm drive installed in the second "bay" and how the lip overhangs the drive.



The lip could be cut off, or perhaps folded to not extend over the drive.
 
Has anyone tried to fit an MSI R5670-PD512 (low profile 5670) or know definitively if it would fit?

The dimensions are listed as 195*69*34 mm from here and the images from the Newegg link above show the fan shroud sticking out slightly in terms of thickness and ever so slightly in height.

Trying to decide between an ISK or SG05 but I'd want something faster than a 5570 and I would really prefer the smaller footprint of the ISK, so I'm hoping this combination will work.
 
I have not tried it but I can confirm the cooler will get in the way of the case shell. You have less then 3mm of clearence outside the half height slot.
 
Bullhonkie said:
Has anyone tried to fit an MSI R5670-PD512 (low profile 5670) or know definitively if it would fit?

The dimensions are listed as 195*69*34 mm from here and the images from the Newegg link above show the fan shroud sticking out slightly in terms of thickness and ever so slightly in height.

Trying to decide between an ISK or SG05 but I'd want something faster than a 5570 and I would really prefer the smaller footprint of the ISK, so I'm hoping this combination will work.
Click to expand...

I have the same card in my isk300 and it doesn't fit properly. You can put the cover on the case and close it. However, it will push the card slightly at an angle (not a big deal) and the cooler will be touching the side of the case. The problem is the fans touch the side of the case and creates terrible noise. There are a few options I thought of regarding a fix.

1. Leave the side panel detached as this will keep the cover on the case, but it will detract from the looks. Problems: It is annoying because I cannot close the case and you cannot stand it vertically. However, the vertical issue is not really a problem as during my testing it is not a good position for the ISK300 with the 5670. I played some L4D2 and my temps hit 105C and I put it back to horizontal.

2. Cut a hole in the side panel for the cooler to stick out. Con: detracts from looks.

3. Replace the cooler. Problem: No coolers are available that are slimmer. The dimension is 34mm, but this includes the PCB, chip and cooler. In reality, you need to find a cooler that is at the max of 26mm in height. I found an ideal cooler called the zalman vf100, but it was for OEMs I believe. It is 14.5mm high. Most coolers that are available are around 30mm high. There are some older gpu coolers like the vantec iceberq 4, but I'm not sure if that would handle the 5670 (and mounting would be an issue).

I am using option 1 right now, but I am going to be switching to a different case. I'm going to use the isk300 for another computer than doesn't require a video card.
 
kjeldoran said:
I have the same card in my isk300 and it doesn't fit properly. You can put the cover on the case and close it. However, it will push the card slightly at an angle (not a big deal) and the cooler will be touching the side of the case. The problem is the fans touch the side of the case and creates terrible noise. There are a few options I thought of regarding a fix.

1. Leave the side panel detached as this will keep the cover on the case, but it will detract from the looks. Problems: It is annoying because I cannot close the case and you cannot stand it vertically. However, the vertical issue is not really a problem as during my testing it is not a good position for the ISK300 with the 5670. I played some L4D2 and my temps hit 105C and I put it back to horizontal.

2. Cut a hole in the side panel for the cooler to stick out. Con: detracts from looks.

3. Replace the cooler. Problem: No coolers are available that are slimmer. The dimension is 34mm, but this includes the PCB, chip and cooler. In reality, you need to find a cooler that is at the max of 26mm in height. I found an ideal cooler called the zalman vf100, but it was for OEMs I believe. It is 14.5mm high. Most coolers that are available are around 30mm high. There are some older gpu coolers like the vantec iceberq 4, but I'm not sure if that would handle the 5670 (and mounting would be an issue).

I am using option 1 right now, but I am going to be switching to a different case. I'm going to use the isk300 for another computer than doesn't require a video card.
Click to expand...

Well that's a shame. Thanks for the info though, at least I didn't have to find all that out the hard way.

If the mounting holes on MSI's LP 5670 are the same distance apart as those of the normal/reference 5670 design, perhaps a small, slim, single slot stock cooler from one of those could be transplanted to the LP 5670? Something along the lines of this perhaps?

Doesn't seem to be too many of those out there though. Seems like most manufacturers opted to go with thicker than single slot cooling solutions for the 5670.
 
Bullhonkie said:
Well that's a shame. Thanks for the info though, at least I didn't have to find all that out the hard way.

If the mounting holes on MSI's LP 5670 are the same distance apart as those of the normal/reference 5670 design, perhaps a small, slim, single slot stock cooler from one of those could be transplanted to the LP 5670? Something along the lines of this perhaps?

Doesn't seem to be too many of those out there though. Seems like most manufacturers opted to go with thicker than single slot cooling solutions for the 5670.
Click to expand...

I do not think it has the standard mounting holes based upon comparing the images. If someone knows the measurements I could pull out the card and measure based on the back side.

However, that XFX heatsink would probably be too tall and would definitely need some modding to remove the piece that covers the RAM at the top. Even then it may just be too tall. It also may not fit due to the components on the MSI PCB. Hard to say.
 
kjeldoran said:
I do not think it has the standard mounting holes based upon comparing the images. If someone knows the measurements I could pull out the card and measure based on the back side.

However, that XFX heatsink would probably be too tall and would definitely need some modding to remove the piece that covers the RAM at the top. Even then it may just be too tall. It also may not fit due to the components on the MSI PCB. Hard to say.
Click to expand...

If it's not too much trouble at some point, would you mind measuring the mounting hole distances on the back side? I fired off an email to XFX to inquire about the dimensions of their single slot HSF and mounting hole dimensions, but I'm not entirely optimistic about getting a reply from someone who knows what they're talking about. I'll probably have to seek out someone who owns the actual card.

Alternatively I thought about using an Accelero L2 Pro for the heatsink only. Some filing down of the heatsink thickness would likely be necessary, as well as cutting some of its height. Then either reattaching its fan or a separate 80mm fan to the outside of the case, centered on the heatsink so it can blow through the vents. The only issues I can think of would be clearance right around the GPU area and mounting hole dimensions. There are a few technical drawings of it here that show the possible mounting holes as 43.2mm and 53.4mm. If your card isn't close to either of those then this probably isn't worth pursuing.

I'm not willing to do anything that involves permanently modding the case itself, but I have no problems modding the heatsink or mounting a fan externally as long as I can keep it looking relatively clean. I'm getting kind of determined to find a way to make this work in the case. :)
 
Maybe there's an easier way I've been overlooking. Do you think there's enough clearance for the card and heatsink if just the fans are removed from it? If you wouldn't mind actually trying it, could you measure the remaining clearance between the heatsink and case (assuming it no longer touches)?
 
Last edited:
Mounting holes seem to be 43mmx43mm. So there are plenty of options for mounting, it is just the heatsink size.

The MSI stock heatsink without the fans is about 15mm in height. With the fans and shroud it is about 28mm. The case offers around 20mm of room, but the cover that goes on has about 4mm of space since it is pushed out for the honeycomb vents. So in theory you can go to about 24mm in height.

Finally, the case offers about 63mm in height(from the mounting holes on the card) to the top of the cover.

The L2 pro would need to be shortened two ways to fit into the case. Maybe the aerocool doublepower? You would have to bend the heatpipes so it could become single slot since it is overall 48mm in height. The width is 50mm so it should fit into the case, tough call.
 
kjeldoran said:
Mounting holes seem to be 43mmx43mm. So there are plenty of options for mounting, it is just the heatsink size.

The MSI stock heatsink without the fans is about 15mm in height. With the fans and shroud it is about 28mm. The case offers around 20mm of room, but the cover that goes on has about 4mm of space since it is pushed out for the honeycomb vents. So in theory you can go to about 24mm in height.

Finally, the case offers about 63mm in height(from the mounting holes on the card) to the top of the cover.

The L2 pro would need to be shortened two ways to fit into the case. Maybe the aerocool doublepower? You would have to bend the heatpipes so it could become single slot since it is overall 48mm in height. The width is 50mm so it should fit into the case, tough call.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Thanks for all the measurements, it's been a tremendous help.

From what you've said it looks like there's about 9mm to work with if you include the popout area for the vent grill. Wonder how feasible it'd be to shoehorn 10mm thick fans on the inside there instead of having fans on the outside. Would need another 1-2mm to try and decouple them from the case cover itself so it doesn't transmit all of its vibrations right through the case.

Hm interesting, I wasn't even aware of that Aerocool Doublepower. Another thing to consider. I'd be inclined to try and make it work with the stock heatsink first at this point, since the other possible solutions may or may not completely work.

I think I feel good enough about this now to pull the trigger on my build. Now my dilemma is, do I bother waiting for ITX Sandy Bridge?
 
Bullhonkie said:
Awesome. Thanks for all the measurements, it's been a tremendous help.

From what you've said it looks like there's about 9mm to work with if you include the popout area for the vent grill. Wonder how feasible it'd be to shoehorn 10mm thick fans on the inside there instead of having fans on the outside. Would need another 1-2mm to try and decouple them from the case cover itself so it doesn't transmit all of its vibrations right through the case.

Hm interesting, I wasn't even aware of that Aerocool Doublepower. Another thing to consider. I'd be inclined to try and make it work with the stock heatsink first at this point, since the other possible solutions may or may not completely work.

I think I feel good enough about this now to pull the trigger on my build. Now my dilemma is, do I bother waiting for ITX Sandy Bridge?
Click to expand...

You could possible ziptie a 60x10mm fan to the side of the cover, but I am not sure if it will be adequate for cooling and how it will fit. It will probably be the cheapest option to test first. The fan could go larger, but the part of the cover that bulges out is only about 60mm in width. Maybe 2 60x10mmfans could work. Hmm...I may try it when I get my tax refund since I'm doing other computer hardware purchases.

There is the ECS sandybridge itx board listed on newegg. Was out of stock last time I checked. However...I do not know how a quad would cope with the 5670 on a 150W PSU.

I am planning on buying a different PSU for the ISK300. The 150W PSU runs really warm and I think a pico PSU would be a better alternative.
 
After some more thinking, perhaps a modded scythe musashi without the fans? The musashi has dimensions of (WxDxthickness) 104x250x35 including the fans. The fans are 12mm so it is 23mm thick. Based upon this thread on the EU scythe forums and this post, you could remove the aluminum fins above the top heatpipe and it would be a total of 75mm for the width. This also includes the 30mm for the base and the 16mm for the bottom part. It should fit width wise. Length wise, it will be a tight fit based on my measurements. Overall, it should fit. I believe the first set of mounting holes are 43x43mm. If the thickness is a bit too much, the fins could be shaved down a bit.

I think the musashi should be able to handle the 5670 passively as the TDP is only 61W. The 5570 has a TDP of 42W which uses the same core (albeit at a lower clock speed) but uses GDDR3 instead of GDDR5. Could be a winner?
 
Yeah the HD 6000 cards have been amazing in the segments they're offered so far, mostly more efficient so that'd lend itself greatly to low profile cards, I'd imagine.

By the way, I am thinking about building a new ITX Sandy Bridge PC, and was wondering about the 65W power adapter in this case.

Would I be able to just buy another power brick or would I have to get a different DC-DC converter as well?

I am thinking either i5 2500 or i7 2600 (not sure yet) and a low profile video card on par with that GT430, so it'd need a decent amount of juice, and I highly doubt the 65 would cover it lol. I'm considering the 310-150, although the DC-DC converter would obviously be quieter so I'd like to go that route if possible.

Thanks!
 
mrmylanman said:
Yeah the HD 6000 cards have been amazing in the segments they're offered so far, mostly more efficient so that'd lend itself greatly to low profile cards, I'd imagine.

By the way, I am thinking about building a new ITX Sandy Bridge PC, and was wondering about the 65W power adapter in this case.

Would I be able to just buy another power brick or would I have to get a different DC-DC converter as well?

I am thinking either i5 2500 or i7 2600 (not sure yet) and a low profile video card on par with that GT430, so it'd need a decent amount of juice, and I highly doubt the 65 would cover it lol. I'm considering the 310-150, although the DC-DC converter would obviously be quieter so I'd like to go that route if possible.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You would need a new power brick and DC-DC convertor if you get the isk300-65. Just a side note, the isk300-150 has extra vents on the side where the video card would sit at while the isk300-65 do not have these vents.
 
mrmylanman said:
Yeah the HD 6000 cards have been amazing in the segments they're offered so far, mostly more efficient so that'd lend itself greatly to low profile cards, I'd imagine.

By the way, I am thinking about building a new ITX Sandy Bridge PC, and was wondering about the 65W power adapter in this case.

Would I be able to just buy another power brick or would I have to get a different DC-DC converter as well?

I am thinking either i5 2500 or i7 2600 (not sure yet) and a low profile video card on par with that GT430, so it'd need a decent amount of juice, and I highly doubt the 65 would cover it lol. I'm considering the 310-150, although the DC-DC converter would obviously be quieter so I'd like to go that route if possible.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Contrary to what the other poster said, no you do not need a new DC-DC converter IF you don't require a lot of power. The board is designed to handle up to 135 watts and you can simply grab a new adapter as long as it fits of course.
 
Here's the build I'm thinking:

i5 2500
SSD
Slim optical drive
Low-power video card like an HD5570 or GT430 or something

At full load, 135W will be cutting it close I understand, but I'm wondering if I should go ahead and get another DC-DC converter.

I know next to zilch about Pico PSUs lol.
 
Hmm, the highest wattage Pico I found was 160w....which isn't a whole lot more. It'd be a bit of a gamble either way with that setup.

The i5 2500 has a TDP of 95w. Unless it responds well to undervolting, then it might just be a better idea to go for the isk300-150 and upgrade the PSU if needed.

If you'd still like to go for the low-noise route, maybe consider a different cpu?
 
Well, even if it does end up being somewhat noisy, I'd just be in the same boat I'm in now, so it's not a huge concern, just something I'd like to avoid if possible. I might get away with onboard graphics, as I am seeing more and more since I have a PS3 I don't really play games on my computer anymore, and I can just stream media to my PS3 if I need to. Intel graphics have kernel modesetting and all that jazz out of the box too, which is nice for Linux users like myself.

I have some time to think about it, so we'll see.
 
Hi

which is the max height of the Hard disk that the case can handle?

will this system work with the isk 300-65

Atom 510 / 525 board
1 slim dvd
2 hard disk (7200 rpm) size 500GB /750 GB byte each
1 additional ethernet card
4gb of ram

thanks

Ugo
 
Between the 65w and 150w versions are there any reasons to get the 150w psu other than the extra wattage? I'm looking at building a zacate system once boards start hitting and plan to be in the sub 60w area.
 
Darakian said:
Between the 65w and 150w versions are there any reasons to get the 150w psu other than the extra wattage? I'm looking at building a zacate system once boards start hitting and plan to be in the sub 60w area.
Click to expand...

There are extra vents on the side where the expansion slot is at. Probably nice to have if you have a graphics card, but otherwise it is probably not needed. Maybe the 310-150 with the white faceplate? Really that is the only reasons why you would need the 150W version besides the extra wattage.
 
would installing the big shuriken on a zotac gf9300 in the antec isk 300-65 case interfere with optical drive?

i notice that some members have fit the big shuriken in the isk 300 but mods had to be made...
 
Anyone still playing around with this case? I was doing some shopping for a new low profile card, and thought I'd check in :)
 
endlesssssssss said:
Anyone still playing around with this case? I was doing some shopping for a new low profile card, and thought I'd check in :)
Click to expand...

I stopped using this case because the lack of options for a video card. I just have the case sitting in my closet waiting for a project. I might toss it up in the FST sometime over the summer.

As for video cards, I think the MSI GT430 would work.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127541&Tpk=MSI N430GT-MD1GD3-OC/LP

It is one of the higher clocked models so there should be a small boost and it looks like it should fit just fine. Besides that, there are the ideas in this thread.

There is also a new low profile 5670 from sapphire, but sadly the cooler is dual slot.
 
endlesssssssss said:
Anyone still playing around with this case? I was doing some shopping for a new low profile card, and thought I'd check in :)
Click to expand...

I am still extremely pleased with the case. I plan to upgrade to a DH67CF + 2100T combo shortly.

It's hard to find such a low profile/inexpensive/thermally fantastic case for my needs - for what use it for (HTPC) it's just about perfect.
 
endlesssssssss said:
Yeah...the choices out are pretty...meh. I guess I'll be waiting for the hd 6570 or 6670.

On a side note, I just saw this a page over:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1595218 :eek:
Click to expand...
I saw that too, it is a neat card but it would only work in a few cases (EG: antec nsk1480) where their is enough headroom on the PSU.
fr500 said:
This would be epic with this case

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/news...Mini-ITX-Motherboard-With-GeForce-GT-430/5298

But no news so far
Click to expand...
That looks pretty cool. I would only purchase it if it had dedicated memory on the motherboard. It seems like it would be a good fit for the isk 300 :).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top