SG01 vs SG03

[D-Three]

For the past two years, I've been the proud owner of a silver SG01 (non evolution). And although I'm very satisfied with it, I want to try to build an even more silent SFF.
Okay, to be honest, I just want a black case now
I looked around for a new case but it seems I cannot find a good replacement for my SG01 So I just wanted to buy a black SG01e. But the more I look at the SG03, the more I like it. The only doubts I have, are about "the size" of the case and the side venting. I like the "cube look" of my SG01 very much and I'm afraid I will not like the "tower look" of the SG03. And I'm also afraid I will not like the side vent because I like a clean look. So why do I even consider this case then?? I just don't know

What I really like to see, are high-res pictores of a SG01 vs. a SG03 because I find it very to compare. But I cannot find even one photo. Can somebody help me please?

I also took a look at the AOpen G325 but I'm afraid it just might be too cramped in there: 1, 2

 

[tiraides]

Check out dworley's thread about the SG03; in addition to dworley's pics, djt added some of his own to the thread. Hardware Logic also has several pics of the insides of the SG03 -- maybe not "high-res," but well enough to see what's inside. And, for comparison purposes, here is a SFF gallery thread based on the SG01-E. (I couldn't find any pictures that had the SG01-E and the SG03 together.)

FYI, the SG01-E has slightly larger overall dimensions, but the SG03's been designed to handle larger graphics cards (e.g., the 8800GTX). Cooling's also important: the SG01-E has three 80mm fan slots (and it comes with two 80mm fans, one for the HDD cage and one rear exhaust) while the SG03 has two front 120mm fan slots (and comes with one 120mm fan). Regardless, it seems like the NT06 LITE and Silverstone PSU (e.g., the ST50EF-SC or the ST60F) combo still is the best for either case. (Others have had to mod the fan on other PSUs, even the usually-reliable Corsairs, due to the heat produced by the NT06 LITE -- and the overclocking that they've done to their processors.)

Personally, I've had the SG01-E for a while and, although it was a bit difficult for me to set everything up (the way that I wanted to) at first, I love the case. I've installed some 80mm Panaflo M1A fans in there and had a Corsair HX520 PSU (and, earlier, a 500W Enermax Liberty PSU) powering everything, and everything worked out fine. (Then again, I'm not a major overclocker....) But I've just recently upgraded my parts, and now, the SG03 would be better suited for my future upgrades.

It's really a personal preference... as long as you set things up correctly, you really can't go wrong either way.

 

[D-Three]

Check out dworley's thread about the SG03; in addition to dworley's pics, djt added some of his own to the thread. Hardware Logic also has several pics of the insides of the SG03 -- maybe not "high-res," but well enough to see what's inside. And, for comparison purposes, here is a SFF gallery thread based on the SG01-E. (I couldn't find any pictures that had the SG01-E and the SG03 together.)

Thank you for your time tiraides. I've googled a lot but I really wanted a picture of a SG01 and a SG03 together and like you I didn't found any. Dworley's thread gave me the answer because in his first post I saw a fragbox (same dimensions as a SG01) compared to a SG03. It gives me a good idea now of how big/small the case actually is. But more and bigger pictures would even be better

FYI, the SG01-E has slightly larger overall dimensions, but the SG03's been designed to handle larger graphics cards (e.g., the 8800GTX).

That's a big advantage of course. But I've seen a HDD cage mod somewhere that allowed the SG01 to handle larger graphic cards.

Regardless, it seems like the NT06 LITE and Silverstone PSU (e.g., the ST50EF-SC or the ST60F) combo still is the best for either case. (Others have had to mod the fan on other PSUs, even the usually-reliable Corsairs, due to the heat produced by the NT06 LITE -- and the overclocking that they've done to their processors.)

They had problems with their PSU's? I've got a Enermax Liberty 500W but I will also replace the fan because I want a more powerfull CPU (and that means more heat as you know).
I also use the NT06 in my current setup. This is my second setup with this SG01. Believe it or not but in my first setup I had the same idea even before Silverstone introduced the NT06 (it was introduced a half year later toghether with the SG01-E). Since the NT06 didn't exist, my idea was to use a Thermalright XP-120:

You can clearly see that it wasn't such a good fit like a NT06. My Athlon64 got very hot; more then 70°C at full load and not even overclocked. I did a first simple mod; I covered the holes for the optional crossblow fan and the temperatures dropped to 67°C. Still hot but within specs My second mod was a fan-duct from the cooler to the PSU but I never finished that. The PSU was a Antec TruePower 2.0

Personally, I've had the SG01-E for a while and, although it was a bit difficult for me to set everything up (the way that I wanted to) at first, I love the case.

I understand what you mean. It's still not exactly like I want it but I love that darn thing

I've installed some 80mm Panaflo M1A fans in there and had a Corsair HX520 PSU (and, earlier, a 500W Enermax Liberty PSU) powering everything, and everything worked out fine. (Then again, I'm not a major overclocker....) But I've just recently upgraded my parts, and now, the SG03 would be better suited for my future upgrades.

Why did you replace the Enermax with the Corsair? Just curious because I also have a Liberty.
I think I will replace my SG01 by a SG01-E. Then I wil:
- install silent 80 mm fans
- replace the fan of the PSU
- make some kind of duct that forces the PSU to suck the air through the NT06
- cover up the holes that are normally used for the cross flow fan (no need to suck in air from there)
- make shorter power cables for HDD, optical drives, graphical card, ...
- mod the HDD cage maybe... Just in case...

It's really a personal preference... as long as you set things up correctly, you really can't go wrong either way.

You're right. And again, thank you for your time!

 

[Volatile]

I just got my SG03 and am in the process of migrating my parts out of my SG01. I'll try to get some pics of the 2 side by side up for you tomorrow.

They are both silver, sorry...

 

[D-Three]

Thank you very much! And silver is not a problem

 

[tiraides]

That's a big advantage of course. But I've seen a HDD cage mod somewhere that allowed the SG01 to handle larger graphic cards.

The HDD cage in the SG01 prevents a 8800GTX or longer card from being used. If you only have one hard drive, though, you could mount it in the other 5.25 inch bay and remove the HDD cage. (But several people that I know have two hard drives... and so do I.... and/or use both 5.25 inch drive bays... as do I too....) I don't know of any HDD mod, short of removing the cage, that allows the use of longer video cards. (Maybe if you could explain the mod you're talking about, so I could understand you better....)

They had problems with their PSU's? I've got a Enermax Liberty 500W but I will also replace the fan because I want a more powerfull CPU (and that means more heat as you know).

Why did you replace the Enermax with the Corsair? Just curious because I also have a Liberty.

The problem is that the fan(s) in the PSUs were not pushing air out of the case quickly enough... then again, most PSUs aren't designed to be the sole exhaust point for a computer. Regarding the PSU fan mod, this thread is one example of what I'm talking about (it drifted a bit from its original focus). As for why I switched my Enermax PSU, I wanted a better PSU -- and I found an amazing deal on the Corsair 520HX. I'm switching to the Silverstone ST60F (with short cable kit) because Silverstone designed their PSUs (specifically, the ST50EF-SC) to work with the NT06 LITE.

I think I will replace my SG01 by a SG01-E. Then I wil:
- install silent 80 mm fans
- replace the fan of the PSU
- make some kind of duct that forces the PSU to suck the air through the NT06
- cover up the holes that are normally used for the cross flow fan (no need to suck in air from there)
- make shorter power cables for HDD, optical drives, graphical card, ...
- mod the HDD cage maybe... Just in case..

Most people replace the stock fans in the SG01. I'm in the minority because I chose the M1A Panaflos rather than the L1As that everyone else prefers. As for the CrossFlow fan, I've heard from several people that have used it that it really doesn't do much, performance-wise. BUT....

If you really feel that you have to do those things (that I've highlighted for emphasis), then I suggest that you choose the SG03 and purchase the ST60F with the short cable kit. I personally felt like I shouldn't have to mod anything to obtain excellent cooling, and the SG03 appealed to me in that regard. As a warning though: the vertical clearance between the CPU fan/heatsink and the PSU are the same in both cases. IIRC (I could be wrong, though), the ST60F is much longer than the ST50EF-SC and will (in most cases) touch the rear of the CD/DVD drive that you use -- even before you connect the cables -- in the SG01.

 

[Volatile]

Everything tiraides says is 100% true and accurate.

Here are the pics I promised....

First shows how an SG03 holds a NT06 and ST60F (short cable kit is an absolute must)

Now a size comparison... SG01, SG03, and a full ATX case

The biggest thing that brought me to a SG03 is the "desktop footprint" which is greatly reduced. Plus, the front looks so much more clean.

I have 2 scythe fans (s-flex sff21d) in front drawing air in... they are super quiet. My 8800GTS is quiet too.... but the fan in the ST60F is pretty noisy. I'm going to consider dissecting the PSU to replace the fan. Voiding my warranty is something I'll want to think about for a bit.

For reference, here's how a SG01 looks on the inside:

Hope this helps!

 

[tiraides]

Thanks for the pictures Volatile, but now I have a small request....

Could you take a picture of the SG01-E with the ST60F PSU and the CD/DVD drive inside of it? I want to make sure that I wasn't misleading anyone when I said that it would be a tight fit with both of those items inside. (The other components are optional....)

 

[D-Three]

Or he could measure it up for you

If you really feel that you have to do those things (that I've highlighted for emphasis), then I suggest that you choose the SG03 and purchase the ST60F with the short cable kit. I personally felt like I shouldn't have to mod anything to obtain excellent cooling, and the SG03 appealed to me in that regard. As a warning though: the vertical clearance between the CPU fan/heatsink and the PSU are the same in both cases. IIRC (I could be wrong, though), the ST60F is much longer than the ST50EF-SC and will (in most cases) touch the rear of the CD/DVD drive that you use -- even before you connect the cables -- in the SG01.

I like the SG01 because it isn't very high. That's why I'm concerned I might not like the SG03 as much as the SG01. In the aspect of cooling, the SG03 is of course superior to the SG01 (although I've heard the HD's might get hotter?). But if I choose the SG01, I will mod it to find a good balance between cooling and noise. And thank you for your suggestion of the PSU and the short cable kit. It's indeed a very good choice. But that PSU is not cheap here, I can easily make cables myself and I'm satisfied of my Liberty so I think that would be a waste of money.

Thank you very much for the pictures Volatile! Your pictures give me a good idea now how big the case really is. I might consider a SG03 Now I'm starting to doubt again. Black... Or silver after all?? Although I'm not a "fan" of LED-fans, I wonder how Scythe Kaze White LED fans would look like in a black SG03. The black/white contrast might be interesting.

 

[Volatile]

Could you take a picture of the SG01-E with the ST60F PSU and the CD/DVD drive inside of it? I want to make sure that I wasn't misleading anyone when I said that it would be a tight fit with both of those items inside. (The other components are optional....)

I originally bought my ST60F to go in my SG01, ignorant of the space limitation. You can fit the PSU in the case with the optical drive, but there is absolutely no way to fit any cables on either. There is maybe a centimeter of space between the two.

DO NOT TRY TO USE A ST60F IN A SG01.... IT WON'T FIT!!

Sorry i can't do the picture like you want... I just moved all my parts and new mobo into the SG03, only to learn the mobo was DOA... then through the RMA process and I'm finally back up and running after almost 2 weeks. I can't muster the energy to take it all apart again.

(The internal picture of the SG01 is an old one... it's currently an empty box destined for ebay)

 

[Volatile]

Thank you very much for the pictures Volatile! Your pictures give me a good idea now how big the case really is. I might consider a SG03 Now I'm starting to doubt again. Black... Or silver after all?? Although I'm not a "fan" of LED-fans, I wonder how Scythe Kaze White LED fans would look like in a black SG03. The black/white contrast might be interesting.

Everyone has their own tastes and requirements... in my "case", the computer sits on a white Pottery Barn desk that tries to maintain a simple elegance despite the invasion of technological monstrosities. This is the requirement levied by my wife. If I were single, I would have a huge multi-shelved desk and hutch bristling with every gadget imaginable, all slung in dark, glowing mood-inducing gamer lighting.

If I can manage to get the desk cleaned back off, I'll post up a pic of what the whole "computer environment" looks like.

 

[D-Three]

Thank you again Volatile en tiraides. After a lot of doubt, I'll try the SG03 and with white LED fans. If I don't like it, I can always replace the fans. Or sell the case What I still need is a temperature regulated fan controller. I don't want to control my fans manually and I don't need/want a display because I never look at those things. Does somebody know something like that?

 

[xkon]

i'm so excited. i just put a gemin II in my sg03. stoked! too bad mine is black. i really want a silver one. doh!

 

[D-Three]

Lol, why didn't you just order a silver one then?
By the way, a Gemini II will not fit. The CPU cooler cannot exceed 78mm in height.

 

[xkon]

Lol, why didn't you just order a silver one then?
By the way, a Gemini II will not fit. The CPU cooler cannot exceed 78mm in height.

i went to fry's they only had the black one in stock at $139. so me bein el cheapo i am, bought that one (online one can be found for $140 + $15 shipping). the sg03 already looked too expensive to me, but it became even more so at that price. i figured i can paint it... or trade someone one day. ;p

as for the gemin II:
measurements:

dropped in:

psu in:

woohoo!:

31C idle
51C load

 

[reswob]

These SG03 threads make me more and more anxious to finish my build.

 

[D-Three]

Damn! That's even a better fit than a NT06! How are the temps?

 

[xkon]

Damn! That's even a better fit than a NT06! How are the temps?

Temps are pretty good. not the best i've seen. i get average idle temps of about 33C and load temps of 51C-55C. i have an overclocked e6320 @ 3.0GHz stock volts. i don't have any other heatsink that fits in here, so it was a gamble to buy the sg03 to be used with the gemin, but the psu pretty much sits right on top of the heatsink...

 

[xkon]

crap.... so tempted to get an sg01 now too... $99 at frys for the windowed version. it's shorter, and i like having 2x 5.25 bays. i wonder if it can move as much air as the sg03 though... must keep geminII cool. tempted to get another gemin for so cheap.

 

[tiraides]

crap.... so tempted to get an sg01 now too... $99 at frys for the windowed version. it's shorter, and i like having 2x 5.25 bays. i wonder if it can move as much air as the sg03 though... must keep geminII cool. tempted to get another gemin for so cheap.

With two 120mm fans in the front, (if you don't mind the noise from higher CFM-pushing fans) the SG03 cools much better than the SG01. (Then again, I had both of my 80mm top-mounted fans exhausting air out of the case... and the 80mm fan on my HDD cage pushing air in... and the HDDs getting most, if not all, of the cool air.)

But the Gemin II HS that you're using is interesting... does it work better than the NT06 LITE?

 

[tiraides]

Could you take a picture of the SG01-E with the ST60F PSU and the CD/DVD drive inside of it? I want to make sure that I wasn't misleading anyone when I said that it would be a tight fit with both of those items inside. (The other components are optional....)

Sure buddy, whatever you want....

Or he could measure it up for you

... Or, I could stop being lazy and do it myself....

The gap between the ST60F and the Lite-On DVD burner that I used for the pictures was four centimeters. As a reference, the length of the Lite-On DVD burner was 17 cm, and the length of the ST60F was 18 cm. I also measured the mobo/12V power connector, and the plastic portion was 2 cm deep... and when plugged into the PSU, there was still 1 cm visible. And the stiffest part of the mobo/12V cable is right where the connector is. So Volatile was right: you won't be able to connect the cables to both the optical drive and the ST60F in the SG01.

 

[Volatile]

So Volatile was right

w00t!

 

[xkon]

With two 120mm fans in the front, (if you don't mind the noise from higher CFM-pushing fans) the SG03 cools much better than the SG01. (Then again, I had both of my 80mm top-mounted fans exhausting air out of the case... and the 80mm fan on my HDD cage pushing air in... and the HDDs getting most, if not all, of the cool air.)

But the Gemin II HS that you're using is interesting... does it work better than the NT06 LITE?

wish i knew. so far i think i'm the only one i know of that's using it like this. i was hoping more people would try it so i can compare temps with them. i never bought an nt06 because it was too spendy for mediocre cooling. i was always looking at a naked enzotech or squashed si-128 instead. the gemin is shorter, and works great. i think if i could get more air moving, it'd work better. room for 2 x 120mm fans, and i'm pretty much only using 1 x 120mm psu fan. i was very jealous when i saw people with 20C range temps on a c2d in a sg01 /w an xp120.

 

[D-Three]

I find those temperatures not that bad. In my SG01 (non evolution) I got load temps of 60°C... With an E6400 at stock speeds!

For my SG03 setup, I will remove the fan grill and replace the fan of the PSU. And I will try to make some kind of seal between the PSU and the NT06 to force the air through the heatsink. I don't know yet if it will improve the temperatures.

 

[indokyne]

Sure buddy, whatever you want....

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z308/tiraides/IMG_0030.jpg[/IMG

[IMG]http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z308/tiraides/IMG_0032.jpg[/IMG

[IMG]http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z308/tiraides/IMG_0031.jpg[/IMG


[/QUOTE]

now THAT's service

:D

 

[bexamous]

"For my SG03 setup, I will remove the fan grill and replace the fan of the PSU. And I will try to make some kind of seal between the PSU and the NT06 to force the air through the heatsink. I don't know yet if it will improve the temperatures."

I did just that last night... I had some of the rubbery stuff to go around edges of case windows... I used it to make a better seal between the heatsink and the PSU. I also took out the fan grill from the PSU.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2150/2078876992_5055140957_b.jpg
Here is a PIC of the Heatsink with Rubbery stuff... its pretty thin but there wasn't much of a gap to fill in either.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2283/2078089659_403b730403_b.jpg
And if anyone cares theres a PIC of a AcceleroS1 in a SG03 on a 8800GT.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2165/2078088391_83d92cec8d_b.jpg
And a final pic of the case just for the hell of it.


CPU is a 3.0ghz c2duo extreme (stock speed), PSU is a 550watt Antec True Power Trio. Room temp will affect the CPU temp but the highest I've seen so far (running 2 copies of Prime95) is 56/57C I think... only had this current setup for a day or two though. Idle is 39 as I write this.

8800GT w/ S1 & 120mm fan gets to like 51C max @ 650/1900 running ATITool's artifact finder.

I think this is with the Yateloon fans in the front of the case @12v (1100rpm?) and the Antec fan on the S1 at the 'Low' setting... not 100% on these though... I keep changing around fan speeds trying to figure out best setup. I also blocked out the opening on the side panel of the case... that wire mesh.. not sure the benefit of cool air being pushed in the front and going right out the side. I left the IO shield off and stuff hoping that cool air is pushed it the front and has to go across the mobo to get out the back.


--edit--

I put all the fans at 12V for the hell of it 2 Copies of Prime95 and ATITool's Artifact Finder running (700/2000 for video card now) for the last 34 minutes..
CPU Core0 and 1 both show 57C, GPU shows 54C
Air Intake is ~23.6-23.9C and air exiting the PSU is ~38-40C. It depends on where I put the temp probes I get slightly different numbers on the air exiting. Another thing that affects cooling is the PSU varies its fan... I've only heard it hit its max rpm once and then it spun down again.

In a normal case setup the PSU's fan goes something like this (this is watts of DC power draw, not AC):
<90watt fan is 4.3v
150watt fan is 4.6v
200watt fan is 5.3v
250watt fan is 5.9v
300watt fan is 7.4v
400watt fan is 11.3v
550watt fan is 11.4v

Fan is actually temp controlled and I've only heard it hit the max fan speed once (11.3/11.4v) and it becomes significantly louder than the rest of the case. I'm guessing that means the PSU isn't running too hot if it no longer is spinning the fan all the way up. It also means if it was to spin the fan up more the CPU temp would drop more. Kinda hard to compare temps with so many changing variables. Anyways... the only reason I turn this system on is to play games and I'll then be wearing headphones... no big deal if its loud .