EVGA Hadron, Anyone done one yet?

[rat]

Would like to see pics of the build or any tips you have for modding, etc. Surprised there hasn't been a thread about this style of case yet.

 

[cowsgomoo]

We don't recommend it because of the 1U server PSU with the teeny weeny 40mm fan, which sounds like a hair dryer under high load.

 

[rat]

We don't recommend it because of the 1U server PSU with the teeny weeny 40mm fan, which sounds like a hair dryer under high load.

That was the main reason for creating this thread. Mods people have done to fix that issue.

After looking at a lot of build pics, it looked like there's enough space to put two 80x80x10mm fans on top of the PSU after cutting out some holes for them to blow into.

 

[Kaos_Drem]

That was the main reason for creating this thread. Mods people have done to fix that issue.

After looking at a lot of build pics, it looked like there's enough space to put two 80x80x10mm fans on top of the PSU after cutting out some holes for them to blow into.

...This is a really dangerous and terrible idea. You would be running EMI like mad all over the inside of your case not to mention the possibility of shorting stuff out. Better idea would be to find a way to use the hdd bay area for a sfx power supply or something similar and then mount your drives on the bottom of the case.

 

[rat]

...This is a really dangerous and terrible idea. You would be running EMI like mad all over the inside of your case not to mention the possibility of shorting stuff out. Better idea would be to find a way to use the hdd bay area for a sfx power supply or something similar and then mount your drives on the bottom of the case.

That was the other option I've seen and the one I'm leaning towards doing when I have the funds. I had figured someone here would have tried this by now and had some tips on what to keep in mind when modding the case.

 

[iFreilicht]

...This is a really dangerous and terrible idea. You would be running EMI like mad all over the inside of your case not to mention the possibility of shorting stuff out. Better idea would be to find a way to use the hdd bay area for a sfx power supply or something similar and then mount your drives on the bottom of the case.

Well you could just perforate the top of the PSU instead to leave it as an effective shield.
Or enclose the fans as well. Or put the fans between PSU and bottom of the case (if there's space there) or something like that.
Also, I don't see where you could create a short circuit if you don't cut any of the cables inside except for the fan cables or drop something inside, but people rewire complete PSUs just to change the colour of the cables, so he'll probably be fine if he pays a bit of attention and tests it before wiring it to his actual components.

 

[Wizzard]

You can squeeze an AC/DC power supply in the 1U area, and use a solid-state Dell X51 power supply, or a HDPLEX, or a cheap Chinese model, to replace the 1U ATX supply. If you really wanted to.

 

[rawrr]

You can squeeze an AC/DC power supply in the 1U area, and use a solid-state Dell X51 power supply, or a HDPLEX, or a cheap Chinese model, to replace the 1U ATX supply. If you really wanted to.

I don't think that's worth it for this case. Alternatives to that method exist, and the main advantage of going HDPLEX/similar is that you can make a case smaller; however the Hadron being quite large doesn't really make it as suitable (lots of people dislike the bricks).

 

[iFreilicht]

I don't think that's worth it for this case. Alternatives to that method exist, and the main advantage of going HDPLEX/similar is that you can make a case smaller; however the Hadron being quite large doesn't really make it as suitable (lots of people dislike the bricks).

But another reason is that those can be passively cooled. Putting the brick inside the case and having it cooled by the airflow around it could actually be quite interesting.

 

[rawrr]

But another reason is that those can be passively cooled. Putting the brick inside the case and having it cooled by the airflow around it could actually be quite interesting.

No. The HDPLEX (and I assume similar boards) need to have active cooling of some kind. In the A4 prototype this was achieved with two fans. Passively cooled the board can only go up to around 250W, especially in a cramped case.

Also having the brick inside would be a pain. It is quite large, and either you'd have to mod some cables or deal with some very inflexible cables.

 

[iFreilicht]

No. The HDPLEX (and I assume similar boards) need to have active cooling of some kind. In the A4 prototype this was achieved with two fans. Passively cooled the board can only go up to around 250W, especially in a cramped case.

Also having the brick inside would be a pain. It is quite large, and either you'd have to mod some cables or deal with some very inflexible cables.

Yeah I meant you don't have to put fans right next to it, you just need to place it in the general airflow for it to work decently enough to support a 970.

Well you'd certainly mod the cables, that's for sure. But you can place the brick in such a way that the C13 connector is accessible from the outside easily and the general shape of the brick is similar to that of a 1U PSU which makes its usage a little easier here.

 

[rat]

Fortunately they fixed the problem or I got a magic unit. The GTX 470 in my case is louder than the tiny PSU fan. The PSU is basically inaudible except during boot when everything revs up to highest speed. Don't seem to be hitting any situations where the PSU fan revs high enough to make more noise. I figure this will likely be the case when I get the additional 3 casefans hooked up to the controller when it arrives as the motherboard only has headers for one.

 

[DarkStar01]

Possibly a stupid question, but does anyone have the dimensions on the PSU?

Edit: Never mind, I found them - 1.60"H x 3.90"W x 8.66"D, for anyone curious. I'm considering using one of these for a personal project.

 

[rat]

Possibly a stupid question, but does anyone have the dimensions on the PSU?

Edit: Never mind, I found them - 1.60"H x 3.90"W x 8.66"D, for anyone curious. I'm considering using one of these for a personal project.

Sounds about right. Standard 1U ATX PSU from what I understand. My Shuttle XPC case uses (nearly) the same thing and I considered buying a 500 Watter to not have to use an external PSU to power my video card when I saw the Hadron on sale. It was about the same price as a 1U 500 Watt PSU by itself.

 

[rat]

Little bit of an update for those curious.

I did some modifications to the case... removed the drive cage, popped off the front plexi panel. Used 3M Dual Lock strips to give the plexi front a gap... enough to allow airflow into the front of the case via two front fans mounted to the case (a 140mm and a 80mm)

I also got the NZXT Grid+ 6 channel fan controller. 80mm fan at bottom feeds air towards the GPU (GTX 470) and the PSU. 140mm front feeds air over the ram and towards the CPU. CPU heatsink is the Noctua nh-u9b se2.

All 6 fans in the case, save for the GPU and PSU, are controlled via the Grid+

I did my test and disabled the fans all at once, raising each one individually until I could just barely hear it and then kicking it back down by 5%.

Not once was the PSU fan audible. Even under full load with the GTX 470 doing rendering. The GTX 470's fan is the nosiest in the entire case and is the only fan I hear both idle and under load.

Either I got a great PSU fan or they fixed the issue.

 

[Zap]

Either I got a great PSU fan or they fixed the issue.

Alternately... maybe the "problem" got blown (pun intended!) out of proportion?

Some people are more sensitive to others to noise. Also, some may see the 40mm fan in the specifications, and just assume that it will be noisy. Some parrot what others say about noise, without firsthand knowledge. Those who have worked with servers may have experienced what actual server PSUs sound like, and assume this to be exactly the same. Some may also intentionally push the PSU harder just to "test" it. Alternately, maybe stick their ear to the PSU without having other noisy fans on like your GTX 470 stock fan.

I have an FSP300-60LG which is a 300W 80Plus Bronze Flex ATX PSU, which is just like a 1U PSU but shorter. Is the 40mm fan audible? Yes. Is it noisy? To my ear, not any noisier than any stock GPU fan.