It's finally time for an all new computer, I've picked out what I think I want but I'm not sure if they will get to hot in the Arc Mini/how loud they will be in there. Case - Fractal Design Arc Mini CPU - Intel Core i5 3570K Motherboard - Asus Maximus V Gene SSD - Samsung 830 256GB RAM - Mushkin Blackline 8GB From my current rig I will be keeping: CPU Cooler - Noctua NH-D14 GPU - Radeon 7970 PSU - Corsair HX650 Disk drive Xonar DX So again, my main concerns are that the Arc Mini can keep all of that cool and that my computer won't be too loud. Also, I have Scythe Slipstreams I can put in the case (if they would be quieter than the stock fans).
Sounds like a good build to me - temps should be fine, though you may want to play with fans (I upgraded to Asaka Apaches with PWM) as you tweak heat/noise. Stonking board by the way
Thanks for the quick response! Right now I have 5 of the Slipstreams, so I'm thinking of putting 2 up front, 2 in the top, and 1 in the rear. I might buy another one and put it in the floor of the case as well. It will be crowded in there with the NH-D14 and a GPU, but I'm excited for the upgrade.
Woah, way too many fans. Have a read of this - http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/02/10/the-big-cooling-investigation/1 Basically, 3-4 fans is about right, but SFF is a little different. I'd probably recommend 1 rear, 1 top, 1 front + CPU. Simply filling every bay isn't going to drop your temps massively, but will increase noise.
I'd put two in the front just to ensure you're pushing air to both the GPU and CPU coolers. You can always use the bundled fan controller to drop the RPM and keep the noise down if you want to. I find the 120mm Fractal fans that come with the Arc Mini are pretty quiet, the 140 is a bit louder, but still not exactly noisy. Fan noise is quite a personal thing though so I would suggest spinning them up and see how they sound to you.
Yeah, I guess I'll just try different setups. What are the temps like in your system? Also, what is your fan setup?
I've got a H100 in the top of the Arc Mini as an exhaust with Gentle Typhoon 1450s in place of the stock fans, the two Fractal 120s in the front drawing air in, and the fractal 140 on the side pushing air in over the graphics card. At 100% load my CPU doesn't go over 64 degrees in a fairly warm flat (about 19-20 degrees). I'm tempted to take the 140 on the side out as I don't fold on the GPU anymore so there is less need to keep it cool.
great info was thinking of getting the design define mini but now getting the arc mini as its cheaper and can get h100 in it. only single roof fan space in define mini
donok, I almost went for the Define mini too, but thought the ability for a H100, or even proper watercooling at some point was too good an option to pass up.
