SFF Questions

Tute

Tute

Tute

Soldato
Joined
24 Jul 2004
Posts
22,593
Location
Devon, UK
Hey all!

Just to let you know that after using a full size case for a couple of months that I miss SFF and that i'm putting together a build to allow me to return to the realm of the "elite"! :D

Firstly I have a few questions - i'm trying to get this build spot on, so they're spec related.

a) I can't seem to decide on a case. I want small, but at the same time I don't want to be fighting with it when i'm putting stuff in or taking it out. I tried the SG03 and didn't really like it, so that's off the table.

The two i'm down to is the SG01 Evolution and the V350. I'm leaning more towards the V350 due to the 2x120mm fans and the room for a mini-ninja, but I like the styling on the SG01 so much more!

What are people's thoughts? Which would be the better case? What about size? Is one hugely bigger than the other? It's hard to tell from measurements.

It's most likely the Sugo would be paired with an NT06 cooler, and the V350 with the mini-ninja. I'm going for power but low noise with this build.

b) Motherboard. I know i'm going to get *GA-G33M-DS2R* yelled at me, and fine, that's the best mATX board currently available. But is it worth waiting for G45? Anybody know if any of the boards will be good, and how far off they are?

c) Case fans. Of course this depends on the answer from a), but what do people recommend in the 80mm and 120mm fan categories that give a good balance of noise and airflow? Bear in mind this would be sat on my desk and therefore any irritating noise would be that much worse!

For what it's worth, this is what's going in it.

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
4GB G.Skill PK-6400 4-4-4-12
ATi Radeon HD4870 (most likely, although a GTX260 might find it's way in instead)
Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB
Asus Xonar DX PCIe
Corsair HX620
And a SATA DVD-RW drive of some description, not sure which

Thanks all, sorry about the wall of text, but I want to get this right. :)
 
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Hey- I am also in the process of thinking about a new SFF rig- iv asked similar questions to yourself- people have told me that thr V350 is slightly better quality and also larger so easier for installing the componenets etc- also id imagine for that reason possibly better in terms of cooling- bigger volume within the case? Also the v350 has the optional 120mm fan mounts for additional cooling. In terms of fans and which ones to go for i cant help you.
 
I had an SG-01, although the build quality is very good, there were a few niggles, it's not Silverstone's best.

The styling actually wore off on me towards the end, Initially I loved it to bits.

Get a Modular PSU if you do this one. Installation is easy, despite the lack of a motherboard tray, and it fits surprisingly long cards:

img0512mediumko4.jpg

The limiting factor here was a 5.25" -> 3.5" adaptor, without it you can go about an inch longer than an X1900XT
 
Well I love the styling of the SG01, as far as looks are concerned i'd take the Sugo anyday. The Lian-Li is a nice case, but it's too "cube" shaped.

But if i'm going for a gaming rig I think the V350's improved cooling and airflow would make more sense.
 
Simple - get the sg01e (I have one) plus the new nt06 "evolution" (it has 5 heatpipes instead of 3) to go under the modular psu (must have the 120mm fan for the nt06)

Personally I think the silverstone fans are pretty good, not too noisy and give pretty good airflow too.

Make sure the 80mm fans at the top are set to pull air out and you will get an airflow from the side of the case over the gfx etc.

Length of the ati card may be an issue (without moving the hd's/modding) on the sg01e (there is a version of the sg02 for longer cards) - max length is really about 9.6" - the size of an matx board.
 
Well as I said above, it's the cooling that's worrying me about the Sugo. It doesn't really create airflow does it? There are two fans above the GPU and one on the HDD bays - all 80mm.

The V350 however creates like a "wind-tunnel" across the motherboard and add-in cards, made up of 120mm fans.

It's my heart against my head really. :)
 
Tute said:
Well as I said above, it's the cooling that's worrying me about the Sugo. It doesn't really create airflow does it? There are two fans above the GPU and one on the HDD bays - all 80mm.
Click to expand...

yeah it does - it's actually segmented (like a mac pro) when used with a longer graphics card.
area 1 - cooled by psu fan - cpu
area 2 - hard drive bay - single 80mm
area 3 - cooled by 2x80mm fans

area 1 pulling air in from side (right from front) through (in my case) nt06 and out the back
area 2 and 3 are pulling air in from the same side (left from front) and out the top, ignore the output from the hd's fan as it has no real effect on anything.
 
Tute said:
Okay then, which 80mm fans for a balance of airflow and silence?
Click to expand...

thats actually an individual taste but I quite like the silverstone ones, a review on another forum said they pretty much match some high end silent fans so I would say try them first.
 
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