OK, so ive finally got round to putting everything in my case, and i have to say, first impressions: WOW!.. this case is indeed quiet, but it seems that this is largly due to the larger fans spinning slower (when on 'L' setting)
This is what the finished product, installed looks like. I did spend several hours on it, mostly because i like to keep everything neat and tidy in the case, and im sure you'll agree that i managed to do that:
What i did is take out the thick PSU chamber fan as my PSU has its own and this exta one's not needed (cuts down noise & gives more space for cable management). I also took off the top fan and put it at the front (upper chamber), as there wasnt one to pull cool air in. I think a fan at the top AND one at the rear was a little too much so i just left the one at the rear (which is enough). also, the top fan allowed noise to leave the case. I blocked the hole up with black insulating tape as a temporary measure, but i'll be putting some soundproof material to block the hole from the inside. I also put the only hard disk i have, in the bottom chamber (as suggested in the manual). Not putting it in the upper chamber prevented poor air-flow from the fan situated at the front of the upper HDD chamber.
To keep IDE cables free from the upper HDD chamber also (as this would also restrict air flow) i folded them and positioned them in the convenient gap behind the upper HDD chamber, along with the front panels connectors i didnt use:
This is the VGA duct, which i conviniently had a fan on the rear of my old case which fits nicely on it.
I installed the duct to see what difference in temperature it made.
let me say that WITH the duct, i got the temps down a further 5 degrees, BUT it became the noisiest thing in the case. The noise of the fan on its own isnt too loud, but the fan noise resonates in the duct quite a bit, becoming much louder. As soon as i removed the duct and fan, the case is much quieter.
This is how the rear of my case looks like installed:
Positives:
Door cuts down noise of CDs / DVDs spinning in the drive (not by much but anything's a bonus). PSU at the bottom is a stroke of genuis. The hot internal air was being pumped into my PSU in my old case, which got hotter inside the PSU, causing hot temps. At the bottom, the PSU sits cool and quiet.
Side panels cut down noise, and i found them VERY easy to take off and put on, as i've read some difficulties others have had. I also DIDN'T have that HDD LED flashing problem when installing. HDD LED flashed perfectly when the HDD is in use. (make sure the white lead is connected to ground on the moard header - this might be the cause of the anomoly).
Netagives:
Its a big pain to move around for 2 reasons:
1) getting a finger-hold on it is hard. Other than from underneith, it can only be lifted by the ridge at the rear, and the ridge at the top of the case inside the door. This plastic ridge flexes and seems like it might snap is continuously lifted in this way. The door also has to be open in this way, and also flaps around.
2) The rubber feet make it difficult to 'slide' the case around to wehere you want it, so it has to be lifted. Although, i do like the feet.
Compatibility:
Board: ASUS P5GPL (fits nicely and cables reach from PSU chamber)
PSU: Seasonic S12 430W (Molex cables reach with length to spare) (board cables reach no problem at all)
Temperatures:
As a comparison, my old case with the same equipment had an average of:
CPU 45 / Board 48 degrees when passive & CPU 64 / Board 58 when playing something like Halflife2 game.
Playing the same game with the Antec P180 (with fans positioned as above) produced the following results:
Both fans set on 'Low': CPU 54 / Board 47 degrees
Both fans set on 'Med': CPU 52 / Board 42 degrees
Both fans set on 'High': CPU 48 / Board 37 degrees
The VGA duct only knocked about 4-5 degrees off, which isnt bad, but increased the noise level.
Just passive, my temps are now CPU 34 / Board 38, that's 10 degrees cooler already!
I think this is a very nice case. I have not used the duct, and have the fans on low, so the only noisy thing in the machine is the CPU fan, so i'll be seeing what i can do about alternative cooling for it. I'll post more points as and when i think of them.
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A quick question...
Does anyone have any spare thin soundproofing material that they would be kind enough to donate? I only need a little square of it to block the top fan vent at the top of the case, from the inside.
This would be a massive help, and much appreciated.
)