Hey guys, been a long time lurker and I've learned huge amount from this board. This summer I started my first mod on my Lian Li A-05 to install my main gaming rig along with a Windows Home Server and watercool them both. I just finished it since I've been home for winter break and I wanted to get some opinions on it. It's my first serious mod even though I've built countless of other computers. Tell me what ya think and if you have any questions. Main Rig: Intel Core i7 920 @ 4.0ghz Asus X58 P6T Motherboard 6GB DDR3 OCZ Gold Nvidia GeForce GTX570 Server: Zotac Mini-ITX LGA775 Intel Core2Duo E8400 @ 3.00ghz 4GB DD3 OCZ Gold
Nice sleek build you have there Rat949 What model of Corsair watercooling are you using on your main rig? Hows the NZXT fan controller working for you? I was thinking of getting one for my build but i've heard mixed reviews.
Thanks man. I'm using a pair of Corsair H60s for the cooling. They do a decent job of cooling, but it's nothing like custom water. My i7 @ 4.00 runs around 50 at idle and a little over 70 in games. I really like the fan controller a lot. It automatically adjusts the fan speeds based on temperature which is pretty convenient, and the fit and finish on it isn't bad either. Also you can turn the screen off when you want which is a big plus.
Hmm, are you using any venting fans on the side? I know nothing about i7 temps when overclocked so maybe that's just normal temps Thanks sounds decent how long you had it for now? its the "NZXT Sentry LX High Performance Fan Controller" right? I'm checking reviews on amazon and its seems really hit or miss with it which is sad cause its so shiny... i love shiny things. I think i might just go with a SunbeamTech RheoSmart 6 Fan Controller after all they say simpler is better.
No side fans for me. The temps are on the high side, but it's been absolutely rock stable, so I'm not complaining. I've had it all finished for about a week now and yes that's the fan controller. I've never put much faith in user reviews, much less on amazon. If you read the professional reviews of it, it receives very high marks. If you have enough fans to fill it up, i would go for the automatic control of the NZXT, but that's your call.
Hey, looks good! From what I can see, the Top H60 is drawing in cool air, and the back H60 is blowing air out? You may want to put another intake fan on the side panel or something, because the top H60 is going to make your entire case hot!! Also it is directly blowing on those hard drives which may make them hotter than they should be.. Also, the rear H60 has a filter on the outside, which isn't doing ANYTHING! You should never put filters on the outside, only the inside.. removing this may give you a little more air flow Also as those drives are probably linked to your server, they will be running a lot of the time and so you want them to last as long as possible.. so cooling on them would be a good idea.. I've never used that processor, but 50 on idle is quite high.. i use a H50 on my 2500K and on full load I just about reach 50.. and this is blowing air outwards from the case! Apart from that, looks good! I like the incorporation of the switch, its almost like a complete LAN party in 1 box!! EDIT: Also where did you get the sound-dampening material? I need to find me some! G
I appreciate the feedback geebles, but you're mistaken in a couple of places. First of all, the top H60 needs to be an intake because it's cooling my main system which is a major priority in my build. The drives are all well under 50C even with my system under full load, so they're totally safe. The rear H60 is also in INTAKE rather than an exhaust to keep the radiator as cool as possible. Typically, the most dust gathers behind my case and I want to keep it out. The reason my chip runs so much hotter than yours is not just the tight confines of the case or the airflow. It's also that I don't have a Sandy Bridge chip, but rather a first generation Nehalem i7 which run considerably hotter than the new chips such as yours. But I do appreciate the time and effort put into your post. It's easy to overlook those kinda details. The switch was the inspiration of the whole build to begin with so I'm glad you like it! The sound dampening material came from www.performance-pcs.com.
Ah hah i see, then the filter on the back is fine So with both as intakes, where does the exhaust go? All that hot air needs to exit somehow All of it exiting through the graphics card may make that warmer then usual? Just adding my input, I apologise if i've over looked anything! And you've probably had it taken care of anyway but its just an observation Yeah I've heard Sandybridges are quite a bit more efficient with heat (OC-ing to 5Ghz on Air i've heard) so that could make sense! Thanks for the link, I need to invest in some of that, its been hard for me to find the proper stuff.. G
The exhausts are the GPU and the front fan that's behind the hard drives. I tried a couple of configs and the difference in temps was negligible. There's essentially two airflows in the case. One with the inlet up top heading out the back, and another from the rear fan through the hard drives. It also seemed to create the least amount of noise. No hard feelings man. Thanks for the feedback!
