First build in years, advice please?

You can try it like it is. Probably be okay, just not the best airflow.

If it was me I would turn cooler or duct it out a top vent (I opened both top vents and ducted cooler out top).
Add another fan in bottom (increased air pressure/flow into case means more going out.

Remove unused PCI slot cov).rs (for airflow out back).
Move GPU down to next slot (so air will flow out both above and below GPU).

I might have a fan you for bottom intake if you need one but don't have an extra grill for it. I use the round wire target like grill to protect fan blades. ;)
 
Thanks. I've turned the cooler for now, and will try the GPU in the lower slot - thanks for the tip.

Do I need to fit the supplied fan controller, or does the motherboard control fan speeds based on temp? The fan connectors are only 3-pin and I'm not sure if that makes any difference - I'm aware of PWM but not really up on the details.
 
You can either use controller or motherboard. Suggest trying motherboard first. Case is easy enough to open and change if needed.. and you don't have to mount fan controller. Could just put it behind side cover or in bottom HDD rack. The bottom 2 HDD spaces in mine have a false cover made from a cardboard box and painted black. ;)
 
Side23612charcoal.jpg

You can see the black front on bottom 2 HDD slots.
If you look real close you can see the duct over top fan to top of case.
 
Side23612charcoal.jpg

You can see the black front on bottom 2 HDD slots.
If you look real close you can see the duct over top fan to top of case.
 
Well, it's all built and is booting fine. I left the GPU in the top slot for now, as it's x16 and the other is x8.

I've tried to make the cables as tidy as I can at the back (or I guess the side), but it was a tight fit getting the side panel on. Any tips for "flattening" them so the panel goes on more easily? Or is that normal?

Only thing I think is untidy at the front is the power leads to the GPU. They only just reach around the back, and so don't have much slack in them for me to be able tie them back.

Will take some photos later, need to pop out now. :)
 
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Sounds like a plan. Look forward to pics later.

The cables on back I should have warned you... sorry. They just fit as long as none overlap each other... especially the motherboard cables. I think you R3 has provision for using cable ties on mobo mount back plate to organize cables with
 
Yep, I've cable-tied a few to the back plate, will just need to organise them a bit better I think so they don't overlap. The main 24-pin cable is probably going to be the tightest fit. But it's better than it was.

Pic attached. The cabling needs more careful reorganising at the back, but I'll do that at the weekend. The CPU power cables are still bugging me, but compared to the spiderweb of cables inside the PCs I was building 5-10 years ago, it's miles better. :D

2012-07-26%2015.54.44.jpg
 
Do you have some double sided velcro cable tie strap? Is really nice to use even if only to get cables where you want before using zip-ties.
 
Yep, cheers - got some on your recommendation in fact. :)

I've used it to bundle some of the thinner cables together before tying them to the case.

Just got a few overlaps now, which I'll try to sort out later. The side panel goes on more easily now, it's still tight but I don't worry I'm squashing the cables.
 
It won't hurt them at all for cover to press on them. At first I had trouble getting all the side cover clips to catch on top and bottom when putting it on.... made even harder by case being on casters ;) I solved it by flexing it so top and bottom edge ends touch before middle does. Did this by setting the ends on a couple of magazines about 10mm thick and gently pushing down on middle area.. Spread the pressure out over 5 or 6 inches.. then sighting along the edge to see if ends will touch case first. Now when I put side cover on I only have to put pressure in the middle of top and bottom and slide forward. Once the catches engage I hold front and back and push it on tight. ;)
 
Cheers for that.

Well, it's up and running fine - I'm writing this on it. :cool:

I want to monitor the internal temps and fan speeds for a while, at least until I decide if I want/need an extra case fan. Any thoughts on the reliability (or not) of HWINFO versus AIDA? Are there other better utilities? I want something that can use to log values and look at pretty graphs. ;)

I don't want to pay for something where there's an equally good free alternative, on the other hand I don't mind paying for good software.

Also I'm seeing 58 degrees on the PCH (which I think has taken over from the northbridge and southnbridge?). Is that high or likely to just be a symptom of the fact it's a warm day?
 
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I use Open Hardware Monitor. Can keep a graph of what is happening with it too.

I use a simple indoor/outdoor thermometer
http://www.gadgettown.com/In-Out-LCD-Car-Thermometer-with-Backlight-Q01015.html
I put the probe wherever I want, then can see what temp is by probe. ;) Mine shows both indoor and outdoor at same time but you get the idea.

Suspect 58c is okay. Mine is 49c

Defines need more fans. 2x in front at least. As you know I have a 140mm in bottom too.

My primary work station (notebook & remote desktop to other computer) is dying. Thought it was cooling fan but after 5 hours to completely strip it down to put a new fan in it's still no fan... monitor is now dead so have it hooked to external monitor.. So if I get lost you'll know why. ;)
 
Ouch. Sorry about your laptop. :(

The Gigabyte EasyTune app currently shows PCH temp of 55c, and so does HWINFO 4.00, but 4.01 shows 38c, and OpenHardwareMonitor doesn't even show a value for that sensor even though it says it supports IT8728F. Been reading on the HWINFO board that they've added an offset to the PCH values for this board, but I'm inclined to trust the GB app to be on the safe side. Will look in the BIOS shortly to see what it's reading.

But regardless I always suspected I'd put more fans in, so no big deal.

The SYS fan headers on the board have speed control, so I had assumed they would adjust the fan speed based on the CPU temp, but is that correct or am I better off linking them all to the PWM on the CPU header?

Edit: LOL, I see the Define R4 is out now. :D Seems much the same as the R3 but with a fan controller in front.
 
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Big differences in R4 are 140mm fans front and back, slide out filter on bottom covers both PSU and fan vents, and it's 232mm wide instead of 207.4mm... and it's £100. :D

Are your case fans PWM? If they are a Gelid or Akasa PWM splitter will let you run them based on CPU fan speed.

Notebook is 5 year old HP Pavilion dr6235 (Core duo T5200 @ 1.6GHz, 2GB, 120GB HDD) Guess it's time to replace it. Trouble is it's as fast as I really need for what it does. Hoping of find a good used one just a little faster.
 
The existing fans are PWM, and I'm looking at some additional Akasa Apache Black Ultra Silent fans. I could spend hours reading fan reviews but it's possible to get too bogged down in the details. ;) A random sampling of the ones on the OCUK site make the Akasa's look okay, they seem to have good air flow with low noise (57.53 CFM, 6.9-16.05 dBA) compared to others.

Also an Akasa 5-way PWM splitter.

Not sure what's going on with the PCH reading. GigaByte EasyTune6 and HWiNFO stable say it's 57c, OpenHardwareMonitor and HWiNFO beta say it's 39c (OHM does show PCH, not sure why I didn't see it before). The reading in the BIOS itself is 57c.

There's a lesson in there somewhere about getting too obsessed over numbers, I think, but it's a big enough gap to leave me confused. I think I'll believe the BIOS for now!
 
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I thought R3 came with 3 pin fans.. my bad. Why not get MOTS (More Of The Same) as case already has? Reason is that way all case fans will run the same speed with Cpu as master.. which might be slightly different rpm.
 
Hmm, I think you're right - they're 3 pin. I assumed because the headers could control speed via pin 2, that meant 3 pin fans would use PWM, but I guess they're linear voltage. I'll go for the Akasa ones all round then.
 
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