V1000+II build photos! (56k get broadband, it's cheap now)

[BillytheImpaler]

To follow up on my two previous threads I'd like to show off my new kit. I was fed up with the noise level from the previous setup and I decided to get a new case and new CPU heatsinks. I decided on a Lian-Li V1000 Plus II and a pair of Swiftech MCX-VPros. With the old setup I was seeing MOSFET temps around 57C with CPU temps around 47C. Hopefully the new kit will help this out a little.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

The Heatsinks
In my zeal to start working I forgot to take photos of my old setup but you can use your imagination; a black generic steel case with a load of fans strapped to it.

This is not my photo but it is the same model mobo and the same stock Intel Wind Tunnel heatsinks.

I took them off along with the Intel mounting hardware as I'll be using Swiftech's mounting mechanism. I could re-use the stock mechanism but Swiftech's is a lot cleaner looking and I hope that it opens up a bit of airflow in the area. At first the old ones did not want to come off. Fearing that pulling too hard on them might rip them out of the socket, thus destroying my carefully-applied U-wire mods, I ran for the missus's hair dryer. 30 seconds of heating later both easily slid off and released. It was a lot dirtier under the heatsinks that I'd expected. When I first opened them up there was a load of dust caked around the socket.

A quick rubdown with acetone had the procs clean and ready for their new companions. Off to the new heatsinks!

 

[BillytheImpaler]

Here they are in all of their glory. They're quite heavy. Together I reckon they're over 1 kg.

Here's the bottom of one. The surface finish is excellent. It exceeds that of the IHSes with which they'll mate. Perhaps there'll be some lapping in my future.

I cracked open my new Arctic Cooling AF8s. These are the fans WJA recommended. So far I'm very impressed. I wired up a PSU and placed them atop the heatsinks to get an idea of what they'll sound like in use. I was not able to discern any sort of noise at all during operation. It certainly wasn't as loud as the PSU's 120mm low-noise fan. I'm well chuffed.

My only concern is that they won't have the power to push air through the heatsink's tightly packed tendrils(?). The old fans, though noisy, moved a ton of air and they were just up to the task of cooling the heavily overclocked processors. If it turns out that these fans are inadequate I'll have to get new ones and relegate these to cool the missus's case. That would be a shame because they look so trick.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

Mounting the fans to the heatsinks was more of a chore than I anticipated. Both the fans and heatsinks came with mounting hardware. The fans came with the traditional fat coarse screws that every fan seems to use. I tried these first but discovered it to be unworkable because the screws did not fit through the hole in the mounting bracket.

I tried Swiftech's hardware next. It consists of those sort of expanding plugs that are becoming so common. This was not ideal either because the holes provided in the fans are not round. The rubber vibration-isolation system shares part of this hole so the plug does not make excellent contact. I ended up using this method because it seems to hold it in a fashion that is sturdy enough. I'll have to remember to check that the fans are seated whenever I open her up to dust, lest a fan jiggle loose and damage something.

In the photo I'm using a pair of scissors to push up on the plug so it can be seated properly before I expand it. Jamming them all in ended up leaving me with a healthy sized blister on my thumb and forefinger.

When I was done mounting the fans I placed a dollop of AS5 on each proc. The heatsinks each come with a tube of Ceramique but I didn't want to open them since I already have an open tube handy.

The mounting mechanism is relatively straightforward. The instructions are clear, well-written (shocking these days), and feature exploded illustrations that make it a snap to install properly. In short I threaded a standoff into a locknut on the back of the mobo, then threaded into each screws with springs that keep pressure on the heatsink. I think this is a lot more elegant than Intel's solution.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

The Case
I had been checking my tracking page at UPS’s web site like a fiend to discover, Monday afternoon, that my case had arrived. I rushed home from work and found her waiting for me.

The packaging isn’t the most impressive I’ve ever seen but it gets the job done. I busted it open and found the case surrounded in Styrofoam in a plastic bag with all the accessories inside. I briefly played with the panel release mechanism and got down to work.

Here she is as I pulled her out of the box. Ooh, shiny.

I dragged it over to my work area and got to work. I started by installing the standoffs. As I understand it this case used to use some sort of signature design standoffs. The example I have uses standard chrome plated (or perhaps zinc) steel standoffs that screw into the motherboard tray. I based the pattern on my old case that I still had nearby. I didn’t want to use the mobo at this point as it’s heavy to the point of being ungainly.

To get at the mobo tray underneath the CPU vent fan I had to unscrew the thumb screws that hold it in place. Perhaps I’m getting weak in my old age but for the life of me I couldn’t unscrew one of them. The problem was remedied with the only pliers I had handy.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

The design of the mobo is very crowded. Getting some of the screws into place was a matter of dropping the screw from as close as I could get my hand then trying to coax them in with the tip of my screwdriver. It took about twice as long as I expected.

Next I installed the PSU. My PSU is not modular so there are a lot of unused cables that I have to deal with. I was expecting the plain gray steel paint job to stand out against the swanky brushed aluminum but it’s not really that bad. I like it.

Installing the ATX connector was a real bear. The socket is located between the CPUs and the I/O shield thus making it impossible for me to reach with my fingers. In most cases I can slide the PSU out for more clearance here but with this case I had to use a butter knife to push it down once I’d dangled it into proper position. God help me when I need to squeeze the connector’s wee clip to remove it next time I need to take the PSU out.

The ATX wires are in contact with the base of the top (bottom?) heatsink. I hope this won’t be a problem.

I slapped the side panel on it to see how it was looking. Not too shabby, I think.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

Researching this case, I discovered that IDE cables were not usually long enough to reach from the ports at the upper end of the mobo. I decided it was finally time to make the jump to SATA for this rig. I picked up a Seagate 7200.10 320 GiB hard disk and a Lite-On SATA DVD-RW.

I’ve seen many on these boards discussing the color of the glue on the bottom of the Seagate drives as an indicator of hard disk quietness. Is this a good one or a bad one?

I ran the cables around the back of the 5.25” racks as to hide them from the view of the window. This photo shows this loop as being rather empty. As it is now that I’m done I don’t think I could fit another wire. The power cables are all but invisible.

To provide sufficient cooling for my mobo’s very hot voltage regulator bank Yewen convinced me to get the Lian-Li EX-33A adaptor. It’s a device that fits into 3 5.25” bays and allows one to rack mount 3 3.5” hard disks. I don’t plan on using this to hold any disks. I’m just using it for its 120mm fan and filter that blow directly into the area that needs the attention. I chose this over other bay fan adaptors because the design and finish perfectly match the Lian-Li’s finish.

After installing the optical drive and the EX-33 I went to install the remaining bay cover for the empty bay. To my horror I discovered it didn’t fit. I loosened all the screws for all the mounted devices and manhandled it until everything was flush.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

It looks good now but there is significant pressure at the contact points between the faceplates. Close tolerances my ass!

My cable management was going so well until the SATA cables barged in! I think I might shell out for extra long 90-degree cables to remedy this situation.

That’s the end folks. I’ve got it sitting next to me installing my OSes. It’s very quiet, especially considering the wind tunnel that used to be there. I’m very happy with my purchase. Watch this thread for updates on temperatures and general thoughts. If anybody wants to see any particular part of the build I’d be glad to take more photos. Thanks for reading!

 

[BillytheImpaler]

The EX-33 and EX-34, as far as I can tell by examining it, will fit any case with 3 5.25" drive bays. The A version is silver aluminum like I have. The B version is anodized black. I have no doubt that it would fit a PC-7.

My system spec is as follows:
Dual Prestonia core Xeons
2 x 1 GiB OCZ DDR 5000 dual channel kit
Asus PC-DL Deluxe motherboard
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320 GB HDD
ATi X850 XT PE (flashed from Pro) with AC Silencer
Swiftech MCX-VPro heatsinks

 

[BillytheImpaler]

After a night with all procs maxed out, as they always are, I found the CPUs to be at 40 and 41 degrees respectively. The voltage regulators were at 50 degrees, a significant drop from the numbers I observed in the first post.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

Do you use this setup as a server?

Not as a dedicated server, no. It's my main desktop/workstation/gaming machine.

Looks very nice, you certainly did a good job with the cable management. I like threads like this with images of new builds into cases and installations should be more of them

I too wish more people did it. Having to take photos of your work means you'll do a less half-arsed job.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

do all the plus cases come with the windowed side panel ?

From the US-based store I bought it from it was an extra $5 for the windowed side panel. I decided to get it as I think that's a good deal. I was hoping they'd include both so I could sell one at auction. Alas they only included the windowed panel.

Nice job mate. How much did you pay for those heatsinks.
I'm fed up with the noise from the stock ones on my Xeons+Asus PCH-dl setup!
They make my whole case resonate and i can feel the vibration through the floor )

I got them for $54 each plus another $6 for each fan. They're very very quiet and I'm quite impressed.

When I get home from work tonight I'll take some more photos of the completed build.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

I've never been too keen on those heatsinks as it looks like the designer was more interested in making them easy to manufacturer, base with screws through it at angles, than being high performance.
Still they seem to be working very nicely for you and that is quite a lot of copper on the bottom.

Screws? The only screws i can see are the ones that hold the fan brackets in place. It's sort of a necessary evil in the design because the heatsinks have to be so close to each other in the dual processor configuration. The fins are not screwed into the base, they are attached with an interference fit. The fins themselves are helicoid in shape and are covered in ridges. I imagine this is to increase surface area. I don't reckon this was a cheap part to produce, especially considering pressing the fins into place in an industrial press.

I'd have much rather had a modern heatpipe style tower cooler. As i understand it you used to be able to get them for this socket but I wasn;'t able to find any except for on the bay where they were fetching ridiculous prices. As it is this will do the job.

How do you find the fans?
I've always been concerned that these edgeless ones would have low pressure, do you find there's a lot of air escaping out the sides or do you think its actually helping the performance to have them without edges?
It certainly makes sense from a noise point of view though.

I had the same concern but I took it on faith as WJA96 knows his stuff. They really are performing very well considering their quietness. There is a lot of air that is coming out of the side but apparently enough is making its way through into the fins. Could probably lose a few degrees off of my temps if I slapped some Tornados on there but as long as these do their job as well as they're doing I'm very happy.

Are you still running that 100% oc?

but of course! To not be overclocked to the limit of your kit is slacking of the highest order in my bood.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

As I promised here're a few shots of the completed build. I think it turned out quite nicely indeed.

Note to self, sort out the fingerprints on the CPU duct.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

ah i was going to say

every photo i've seen has the old horizontal slats

Hmm, I was under the impression that all EX-33s had the holes whilst all the EX-34s had the slats. The design of the faceplate was the primary difference between the two.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

that looks smart, I like the shroud over the cpu heatsink.

I like the concept but I think it uglies-up my view through the window.

I might do a wee experiment to see how it's effecting my temps.

EDIT: Also, does anybody know of a good method to add a washable filter to the rear fan? It's the only intake that doesn't have a filter.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

Just make it an exhaust... problem solved!

That would probably be quite bad for my CPU temps.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

I've been doing a little more work on this rig so I figured I'd take some more poorly lit pohotos for you gentlemen.

I had a go with a Vantec PSU sleeving kit. I originally wanted black but every retailer I tried was out of stock so I ended up settling for blue. The kit was just $7.25 so I didn't expect it to be great but it exceeded my expectations. It took ages to do even with the PSU modding tool set I picked up on a whim.

Here's my squid-like PSU before I started. There are a ton of cables on this beast and I decided that for now I'd just do the main ones; the visible ones.

In this shot I'm using a thumbtack to remove SATA power connectors. The SATA cables are definitely the worst, especially the connectors along the length of the cable as you end up half mangling the wire insulation when you try to line it up how it was before.

Under my hand you see a cigarette lighter. I started using a hair dryer to shrink the heat shrink tubing but it was taking way too long. I found that using the lighter carefully 1-3 inches away from the surface worked best.

I didn't really take enough photos at this stage for a few reasons. First It's hard to take photos when you're using both hands to work. Second, there's not a whole lot to see; pry the cable out of its connector, struggle with the sleeving material, etc. I screwed up a number of times, forgetting to put heat shrink on a cable and having to take it all apart to remedy it, cutting a length too short, putting pins back together backwards, and other silly things that generally made me feel stupid.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

Despite it all, I got done and after quadruple-checking the pins against the ATX standards I inserted it into my machine and fired her up.

I've redone some of my cable management when reinstalling the PSU. I ended up flipping the HDD upside down to make less of the power and SATA visible when the panel's off. I assume that this won't effect the drive's long-term health.

I really like how the ATX and EPS12V cables turned out. When installing the CPU duct I tore the plastic sleeving material where the EPS12V diverges from the ATX cable. I suppose it doesn't matter much because the damage is covered by the duct when in use.

With an eye towards cable management I'll show you the other side so you can learn from my successes and failures in this area. This is the back of the HDD bay. Note the front audio cable stashed away as I'm not using it.

This is the back of the 5.25" tower. I've tried to run as many cables as possible through this area so as to keep them out of sight when in use. It's rather crowded now so if I don't have them properly arranged the side panel won't attach. That said, this plan is working just fine as the panel closes and the cables are hidden.

When the side panel, side exhaust fan, and CPU duct are back in place most of my hard work is rendered invisible but I can be confident that my airflow is just about as good as it's going to get.

Thanks for reading. Questions, comments, and criticism are encouraged.

 

[BillytheImpaler]

How much did the case and EX-33 set you back? (P.S damn lucky Americans )

All together it came to $194.71 including shipping.