Project Gransden

[Team42]

What follows will (hopefully) be a detailed account of my first computer build, more or less as it happens. With pictures. Hopefully.

First of all the spec:

Case: Antec Gamer 900
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA P35C-DS3R
PSU: HiperPower HPU4M730
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E4300
GPU: HiS Radeon X1950 Pro IceQ3 512Mb
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Arctic Freezer Pro 7
RAM: 4Gb Corsair Quad2X DDR2 CL5
HDD#1: Maxtor 80Gb SATA2
HDD#2: 300Gb Seagate Barracuda SATA2
Optical Drive#1: Optiarc AD7120 SATA DVD RW
Optical Drive#2: Samsung DVD ROM
TV Tuner: Leadtek DTV100T
Monitor: HannStar 19" TFT Widescreen DVI
Fan Controller: Zalman ZM-MFC1
Fans: 1x 200mm (exhaust)
2x 120mm (exhaust)
3x 120mm blue LED (intake)

I'm hoping to build this rig to use Windows XP Professional 64 bit edition (hence the 4 Gb of RAM) as mentioned in a previous thread and have sourced all the necessary drivers. However, in case of problems, I'll revert to the 32 bit version.

The rig is primarily intended for gaming (I already have it mind to upgrade the GPU in the nearish future), some office work, a bit of surfing, photo editing and global domination (although I've been told I may need a bigger PSU and some nuclear weapons for that last one...).

I have tentative plans to mod the case right from the outset, but only in terms of maximising the cooling (perhaps a chamber to separate the GPU from the CPU) and keeping the build neat (invisible wiring and matt black interior - idea for that was blatantly stolen from another thread here ). I'm also looking at watercooling for the CPU and GPU if the temps don't turn out right once the rig has been set up and overclocked to my liking - I've read Clunk's Overclocking guide and I bow lowly in his general direction.

Anyway, that's the plan.

Now, where are all the bits I need...?



They're on their way. Those nice people at Scan told me today that the components have been shipped and will be here by noon on Friday. Haven't told the boss yet that I need the day off, but I'm sure he'll not mind. Too much...

I hope this entertains you more than it frustrates me. Constructive criticism and advice are always welcome in the T42 household and I'll keep you all posted on progress (or lack thereof) as and when I have something to report.

First update due on Friday. Until then, Adios, chaps and chappesses.

T42

[Pob255]

Sounds good.

Ok this is a bit late but I would of tried to get a Zalman ZM-MFC1+ but scan don't seem to do it anyway. (it's basically the same but the 2 switchs are changed to adjustable knobs and all the knobs have better setting indications)

The cooling on the antec 900 esp around the cpu is very good as it's got the 200mm above it and the 120mm to the left of it to really suck out the hot air.

Watch out for the Push pins on the cpu heatsink, I had a bit of a strugle getting them in. I ended up putting it on the motherboard outside the case, then just lowering the lot in.
TIP once you've got it lined up, push in one connector then push in the one diagonally opersit it, then the other two.
Make sure the push pins have gone all the way through.
Yon can unclip the fan from the freezer7Pro to make it eaiser to attach.
Also if there are any large/sticky up components on the motherboard near one of the push pins, start with that one first

And good luck.

[Team42]

Thanks for that, Pob255. The build tips will come in handy, esp as this is my *cough* first time.

Funnily, I thought the side fan would be useful as an exhaust too, but the case manual says Antec recommends it as an intake. I haven't calculated the various flow rates yet, or looked to see how the airflow will work within the case, but my first impression was "get rid of as much hot air as possible".

The new rig will have (contrary to Antec's advice) 2x 120mm intakes, and 2x 120mm & the 200mm exhaust. Unless the flow rates and temps prove otherwise, I'll stay with that. A prime concern for me is the cooling. I'd prefer to keep it cool with air (because of expense of the alternative) but I will resort to water if the system demands it.

AND.......

Scan made a slight error (for which, in their defence, they mitigated against and apologised for): The package was delivered today, spot on 12 noon, instead of tomorrow by 12 noon. Luckily, I found out about this in advance, and as I work only ten mins away from home, I was there waiting (I even had time to tidy up). All the stuff was very well packaged and correct. In went into work this afternoon. Didn't get much done: I felt like a 10 year old on Christmas Eve!

Going to start the initial build this weekend (hopefully, if I have the time) just to see how all the bits fit together, and make sure everything works, before disassembling and making the various case mods I want. Once I get the physical build complete, it's on to stage 2 - the overclock.

More later. Time to get Little Miss Team42 (aged 7 1/2) to bed. If she stays up any longer, she'll want to watch "Happy Feet" again (for the 3rd time this week).

Adios.

[Pob255]

But the fan to the left I ment the one on the back of the case (to the left when you've got the side pannel off and are looking into the case)
http://img.hexus.net/v2/cases/antec/900/8.s.jpg

A case fan that goes on the side pannel noramlly blows into the case to help disturbe the air around the motherboard and blow over pci card (esp hot ones like the graphics card)

[Team42]

Ah! I get you. So Antec are right then? More cool air in makes for happy case?

Is positive pressure better than negative pressure, do you know? What I mean is, should the intake fans be pushing in more air (in terms of cfm) than the exhausts are removing?

Do I ask too many questions?

Seriously, all advice is welcome. I mean to measure temps accurately during set up to see what works best, but if anyone knows the best starting point, I'd love to hear from you.

[Pob255]

well actually in theory you'd have a stight negitaive pressuer
in
120mm x2 front + 120mm side
out
200mm top + 120mm rear + 120mm PSU rear

the basics of cooling work on 3 principles, hot air out, cool air in and spot cooling
Spot cooling is basically moveing air across hot components to improve the heat exchange from the component to the air. (eg a fan on the cpu cooler)
In theory all you should need are case out fans as they will draw hot air out and the negitive pressure will draw cool air in, the case in fans are there to control where the inwards flow of air, direct the inward flow where you want it to go and generate turblence within the case so you dn't get any pockets of hot air which is not being moved.

EDIT: unguided air will tend to take the path of least resistance, which tneds to be the shortest route.
An example on your case, with out the front fans the majority of the air getting sucked in would come from the grill in the side pannel and get sucked out from above and below by the case fans and psu, you'd get little movement across the front of the case and athe hard drives in it.
By haveing the two front fans most of the air is drawn in from the front and the amount of air comeing in from the side pannel is greatly reduced. However a garphics card becomes a shelf and natural trap for hot air (if it's not a double height card with a direct case out put, even then they still radiate a lot of heat that can become traped under them) this is the main reason for a side fan, not only does it pull in cooler air (the greater the heat differnce the more effective the cooling) but it also moves the air around the graphics card and provents it from becoming traped.

One other thing to consider is sound, the faster the fan the more air it moves, the louder it is. at the same time the thruver away it is the quiter it is
So haveing the fans at the front of the case slightly slower than the ones at the back can help reduce the noise level.

[Team42]

Some photos...

This is where I'm sitting at the minute, although in daylight: it's my current rig, squeezed into the corner by a sofa that my girlfriend is very reluctant to let me get rid of...



This is the new rig's build area, after several hours of cleaning. Have you ever noticed that big flat spaces attract a lot of rubbish that doesn't really have a home anywhere other than the bin, except you really aren't sure if you can ditch that reciept from B&Q for a packet of 5amp fuses, just in case, so you hang on to it anyway. For two years...



Ooh look! I've had a delivery. A day early!



And unpacked. It's Christmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!

[-N!CK-]

well......put it together now lol

[Team42]

well......put it together now lol

Lol! Oops! It's been a very busy time since the delivery. Daddy and computer are doing well (at long last) after a few hiccups and teething problems. I'll post details soon. I'm taking a break from anything too strenuous (mentally or physically) at the minute.

Just to keep you up to date a little:

The build was relatively straightforward although two things became obvious very early on:

(1) There isn't much room for manoeuvre inside the Antec 900 case. The full-height HDD/Optical Drive bays reduce the working area. It's definitely a good idea to remove everything from those bays before installing the motherboard.

(2) The Hiper 730W PSU has the output of the cables on the opposite side of the case from the motherboard. This results in a very tight run to get the ATX cable up to the socket on the top of the Gigabyte GA-P35C-DS3R. Having said that, the PSU fan inlet is at the back, which means I can flip the PSU over, allowing a little more slack. Alternatively, Plan B (should I find the courage, and the charger for my Dremmel) is to feed the cable behind the motherboard backpanel (there is no separate tray in this case...) in the straightest possible line.

OK, what else....?

After the first trial build, I opted to remove the featured middle case fan and it's housing. You'll see why later. But in the absence of photos, I'm going to tell you.

The configuration of HDD/OD cages I ended up with (the 3 top slots were taken up with 2 Optical Drives and a fan controller, whereas the 2 of the bottom 3 slots are occupied by the 2 HDDs. That leaves the central 3 bays acting like a tunnel into the heart of the case and level with the PCI-E slot. The case has the facility to mount fans on the outside of the HDD cages (provided they are filled with nothing bigger than a HDD). The fans that come with the case are rather nice looking blue LED-lit 120mm numbers.

Having mounted the middle 120mm fan, the harmonics in the tunnel were bloody awful! I figured there was prob no need for two fans in line (it's a computer, not a turbofan aircraft engine after all...) so right-click, delete, and the middle fan is now in the recycle bin.

The removal of this fan left me with some space, which came in very handy, but more of that later...

The rest of the physical build went well. Arctic 7 Freezer Pro went onto the motherboard rather more easily than I'd been led to believe. All other bits and bobs went into their respective slots, wires and cables were connected, fans rigged up and....

I left it alone for about 24 hours! I got nervous at this stage (it's my first time, see )

After a good night's sleep, and getting all my software, drivers, manuals, lucky teddies, cigarettes and excuses ready, I hit the power button and instantly broke into a cold, cold sweat. Nothing. Not a squeak. My bank account flashed before me (very quickly, more's the pity...) and then I reaisled I hadn't switched on the power supply at the surge protector.

OK, start again from scatch, this time using electricity and it lit up! Fans whirred, things went "beep", and I quickly opened the CDROM drive to put the XP disc in, and powered down.

Started it up again and to my huge relief, it commenced and completed installation seamlessly*.

Drivers for chipsets, graphics card, tuner card etc went in relatively smoothly too, except for the drivers for the chipsets. And the graphics card. Oh, and the tv tuner card. I'll post a brand new thread on how not to install a Leadtek Winfast DTV1000 T card later, with instructions on what you really ought to do.

The drivers took a little bit longer to sort out than I'd thought, perhaps down to my noobishness, but I'm convinced that many of the instructions are not as clear as they should be.

After getting it running and doing some basic checks, I decided to rewire the case a bit more cleanly. This is where the space vacated by the middle case fan came in handy. Until I mod the case and get longer SATA leads, they now feed into and out of the cental drive bays, tidying up the motherboard area remarkably. Re-routing the power cables, with the assistance of large self-adhesive cable clips made the whole bay look much cleaner, and got rid of a lot of barriers to the airflow.

Speaking of which: There are 3 intake fan slots on this computer - 2 at the front and another on the side. The side fan I'm using is a xclio 120mm fan that displaces about 92cfm (which is more than the combined flow of the two Antec fans! With the big 200mm exhaust at the top of the case, and another 120mm fan at the rear, the computer blows out cold air! I'll post temp details later, but my first recordings showed a stock CPU temp of 15 degrees C at idle and 20 degrees C under pressure. And that was with the fans turned down low!

I've had a few software teething problems so far (last night being the most recent) but I think it's largely sorted now.

That's enough for now. I'm hungry. I'll upload pics and continue the saga soon.

All the best,

Team42



*This may be a lie.

[Team42]

OK. Photo time. No interesting close ups of the workings, just some general views. I'll do the techy stuff later when I'm doing the re-build and case mods.

Piccy one: The whole desktop.



Piccy two: A close-up of the screen and keyboard.



Piccy three: The front of the case.