dpawl31

OK so here it goes.
I originally planned on buying some small stuff to upgrade my old rig.

Celeron 2.8Ghz
Shuttle AS45 MoBo with SIS chipset
1.5Gig Patriot DDR-667
PowMax Demon Case
PowMax PSU 450w
PNY Verto 128MB Geforce 4 ti4400 DDR128MB

After buying and returning an Asrock 775DUAL-VSTA board because it was just plain old junk, I did some research and found the P5N-E SLI 650i board.
In fact, I started a thread which is over 10,000 views at the moment.

Anyway, I originally bought the Asrock, a PentD820 2.8Ghz, and an Arctic Freezer 7 Pro. Then I got my P5N-E. What a difference. Of course, to get the P5N-E, I had to upgrade the memory and video card as well. What resulted was my system below in my signature.

Here it is, as it stands. (See Pics 1,2,3) Keep in mind pics were before I fixed CPU cooler direction. It was hitting the NB HS and I had to modify that HS to get it to fit right.

Now, I have successfully OC'd to 3.7Ghz with my chip. But my case cooling SUCKS. I can't go any higher only because the heat is reaching 61C @ full load, which is too much for me.

So I decided I needed a new case and better cooling. After quite a discussion in the cooling forum, I decided on the Antec 900. I know, I know, everyone has this thing. But whatever, it works right?

I have designed plans for the cooling and case setup. (See Pic 4)

My custom plans, after initial rebuild in the new case, are:
Custom Fan Controller below optical drives.
Possible additional USB headers in the sideways vent next to the slots?
Possible 80mm/100mm x 4 block of fans w/ LED to replace the 200mm.


That last mod is only because I would love LEDs up top. Due to the massive airflow and low noise of the 200mm, I may opt to just mod LEDs into the top of the fan area.

I will be scrounging every thing off my old case that I can, including LEDs.

Any suggestions welcome!


**EDIT 2/1/07 1pmEST**
OTHER PLANNED UGRADES:
Cable Management! hah. With PSU at the bottom, it should be WAY easier.
I will be getting another 7600GT to SLI for about $90
RAM I will be adding 1GB somewhere down the road.
Mod old Powmax case power and reset buttons into my 900. (those stock ones look like un-punched out plastic for firewire and whatever! UGLY! I want my shiny chrome buttons back )
As far as the fan control mod goes, I will be using automotive type switches, with 3 settings (low med high) and will mod them into the front panel after extending the wires from the fans.

Attached Thumbnails

       

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mcogan10

yep, the 900 is a great case...no offense, but your current case isnt really in my taste. its great that you are planning for the future (aka quadcore).

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dpawl31

Well lets put it this way. The old rig came in this case, off Ebay, from my dad.
Gamer cases were new to me at the time.

I will tell you this: I reviewed this case on EBAY after 2 years of ownership.
This REALLY was a GREAT case. It is only $30 on the egg.
Yeah, the lights on front were a wee bit gay, lol.
But, coming from anyone that has never seen a case besides the standard tan box, it was awesome. Not to mention the window, the LED fans, the reg grill on top, etc.

But let's look at the reality of the case. It is plenty strong enough... survived a fall down the stairs and three times getting dropped, w/o breaking a thing.
Was able to fit all my new stuff into, which is hard to do in a low end mid tower. You guys may rag on Powmax, but I have had the original PSU (450w Powmax) original 80mm fans (Powmax) and original case and wires etc, and after 2 years the only thing not working is the front door because the damn cat landed on it when I had it swung open (oops).

I was VERY pleased for the past 2 years. It may be tougher than the newer model because it has red electroplating or something on the interior. It is REAL shiny and REAL thick, it might just be paint but its REAL shiny and thick. Did I say shiny and thick?

Anyway the reasons I am tossing it are:

Front Panel is really hard to get fans behind, and really hard to remove.
I just plain old need more airflow.
Cat broke the door
Audio ports are Ac97 compliant only, need HD ones.
USB ports on front are, uh, rusted. lol.

So, after all that, what do you think about my current setup for airflow?
How much temp drop do you think I will get? I am hoping for around 10C idle drop.

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pablo420

I wouldn't call it "hardcore". It only has a 7600GT. An extra GB would be nice. But get a 8800GTS.

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Drzprince973

From the pics i can see that you have a cable mess...lol....if you want to get the best possible temp. for your rig then i suggest you organize your cables more.....it would look better and decrease your internal PC temp. a bit

dpawl31

Hardcore was referring to the Pentium D. Almost at a 1Ghz OC, and plan to push to 1.4Ghz OC. This is a build LOG, so it is a build in progress.
I updated more plans in first post.

Yeah that was a problem with this case setup and the non-modular PSU.
With the new case, it will be on the bottom, and I can spread the excess cables out down there.

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dpawl31

I am off to pick up the 900 right now, but I have to work to cover a friend after so I won't be home to work on it right away.

I need some quick replies for this, I am leaving in 15 minutes.
Do I need anything besides a phillips to uninstall and reinstall everything from old case to new? I am going to do it at the table at work before I punch in. At least start it...

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dpawl31

OK, I got my 900 and everything is IN it!
All 3 tricools on LOW, CPU fan on LOW, and 250mm on HIGH because its SO QUIET!

Oh by the way, DAMN thats a big fan. Seriously lol. I can't imagine those 250mm fans.

Anyway, I am running into some stability problems, which doesn't make sense.
I ran Orthos for 2 hours before with my 3.7 OC, and I was stable. Now that its in the new case, I am idling 10C lower, and yet I get errors 3 minutes into Orthos.

So for now I reverted to my 3.5Ghz OC saved in my bios profile.
Stable as a rock in the ground.

I can't do the DUAL COOL HDD thing, as the HDDs stick out the back of the cage. I did not know that. I really don't need it, as they dropped from 40C to 22C in the 900!
I will be taking pics tomorrow. I took some tonight but they are 6megalpixel pics and they wont upload here! hah.

I added some more upgrade/mod ideas again in the main post.

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