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Thread: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Quote Originally Posted by kalniel View Post
    Well sounds like you should get a better CPU HSF anyway, so maybe get the best one you can for the current layout first and see if that helps.
    Yes im just looking at my low profile options at the moment, thanks for all the help again!

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    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Sorry I didn't get here sooner.

    The problem with the elite 120 is the side 80mm fan and the bad vent design.
    Remove the cover from it and you'll find the noise almost halves.
    If you flip the 80mm fan over so it's an exhaust rather than intake and you'll find the noise goes down, it's the restrictive vents on the sides that add so much to the noise.
    Slowing it down helps too.

    The easy fix is to cut the vents out and replace them with something better, some nice Hex modders mesh http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/...pid-13524.html or a fine screen mesh (to act as a filter as well as a vent http://www.themeshcompany.com/cgi-bi...A3#aWSS20_2dA3 (the #20 one)

    I know this because I went through it myself http://forums.hexus.net/chassis-mods...ni-review.html

    You cannot fit a 120mm fan beside the motherboard, unless you use a slim fan. and you have to move the psu as that blocks any larger fan on the right side.

    I don't think there is space in front of the motherboard to put in an ATX psu, an SFX psu might fit if you put it in to exhaust out the front

    EDIT: I questioned the use of a slim 80mm fan in my review, but I forgot about the folded metal lip of the cover that holds the cover onto the bottom of the frame, there's not enough space for a 25mm thick fan and this lip, you should be able to get a 25mm thick fan in if you attach it directly to the inside of the cover, but then the PSU gets in the way.

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    root Member DanceswithUnix's Avatar
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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Quote Originally Posted by kalniel View Post
    In layout 2 it's fighting for air if you *don't* invert it. By inverting it you allow it to take air from outide the case (and expel it outside too) - it effectively becomes a separate system which can't interfere with the rest. But if it's noisy then being near the front may not be a good move.
    I think I misunderstood, the previous comment, so yes and we agree

    Another look at that layout 2, if you are venting hot air forwards from the PSU won't it just get sucked back in the front instead of cold air?

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    Banhammer in peace PeterB kalniel's Avatar
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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Quote Originally Posted by DanceswithUnix View Post
    Another look at that layout 2, if you are venting hot air forwards from the PSU won't it just get sucked back in the front instead of cold air?
    As I understand it from the pictures, inverting would simply expel it from the other side, rather than front. But in an open system (as the area outside of a computer case is) there's much less of an issue of expelled air being drawn back in by a nearby fan anyway.

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    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    The easiest way to regig the layout for a better cpu cooler should be the following.

    Remove the hard drive cage, put the hard drive into the 5.25" bay (get a usb optical drive)
    Remove the 80mm fan all together
    Get a 120rad based all-in-one cooler eg http://www.scan.co.uk/products/corsa...diator-scan-ex

    This way the bad vents shouldn't effect you too much as you're not blowing air directly at them or pulling air through them, you've got a positive pressure design so the air is going to be more evenly distributed through the vent holes.

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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    How on earth did I not find you review and mods POB! I have been scouring google for the past 4 or 5 days to see if anyone has done anything about the vents and nothing!
    I have already ordered some fine modders mesh (looks very similar to what you have used). I was going to cut out all he vents, smooth the edges to look good, then just glue the mesh to the inside. I know your removable mesh's are more practical, however when i need to clean the mesh i can just take the cover off which is so easy to do and hoover off all of the dust or give it a quick wipe with a wet cloth.

    If i was to try and up my budget to get that cooler, how quiet are those fans.

    My main goal here is get everything is quiet as possible, and my CPU cooler is the only thing that quite loud atm

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    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    What are you currently using?
    Apart from the 80mm fan I didn't really have much problems with noise, the front 120mm is a bit loud, moving that inside onto the other side of the hard drive reduced the noticeable noise although I'm not sure it did anything much for the cooling. mainly for the chipset on that motherboard which gets quite hot.

    those fans are good ones, it's a special scan has with the good corsair fans not the standard ones, same as the fans on the H80i
    Not sure if they are PWM fans or not, best to ask, if they are then get a pwm splitter cable and run them off the cpu header.
    If they are not then get some voltage reducer cables http://www.scan.co.uk/products/shark...m-and-noise%29 these things are always handy to have around.

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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Currently, everything in my case is stock, so a stock i5 2500k cooler.
    I also have two HDDs, so if i was to mount on on the floor after the rad and fan (if there was space) would this have very hot air going over it due to the rad being in front of it?

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    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Ahh no I don't think there will be room for a hard drive in front of a thicker rad in this case, it's too small, if you swapped to 2.5" drives then you can fit more into the 5.25" bay.
    If you remove the 5.25" bay you might be able to get two 3.5" drivers side by side in the top you'll have to make a custom bracket to mount them.

    This bloke did it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpSs1hchWX8 (not a great video) but that's the antec 620 which is only a 27mm rad and only one fan
    Still better than the stock cooler.

    You're going to need to take you pc apart an start measuring, you can get a better idea of size and area if you make some cardboard boxes for various bits.

    You can avoid drives getting hot if you make the rad an exhaust not an intake, which in this case would be a good idea seeing as you have no other fans.

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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    I'm trying to find a way to increase my budget, but I'm just not allowed to go over the £50 mark. Hence I am going to have to stick to air cooling and find a sufficiently quite air cooler and a silent fan for the front.

    Thank you for all the idea though, and especially for the link to your review. But I'll just have to stick to air cooling for now.

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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Ignore the last post, I just ordered the H70 from scan!

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    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    One thing I've found is that high performance + mini-ITX + budget don't go together.
    mii-ITX is about compromise, if you want small form factor then you have to give in another area, if you want high performance and quiet then you're going to have to give on the budget.

    The stock cooler shouldn't be that bad except under heavy load unless you're overclocking it.
    Have you got the psu fan upwards? if you've got it fan down then while it adds to extraction it'll also be directly fighting with the stock cooler.
    Check the fan control PWM settings if it's that loud at idle, remember 60-65c is fine for the cpu, so set that as the target and drop the minimum speed as low as you can.

    What motherboard have you got? the simple answer is a good low profile cooler but most of the 1155 motherboards have the cpu socket right next to the pci-e slot, it's only the more expensive ones that move it away.
    You could try out the newer longer lower profile version of the akasa cooler I'm using http://www.scan.co.uk/products/akasa...-s775-1155-115 no need to mod that one.
    Or the Noctua L9i http://www.scan.co.uk/products/noctu...1150-1155-1156 that's very low profile so you could replace the slim fan with a normal 92mm PWM fan
    There are other bigger low profile coolers but the bad cpu socket placement often rules them out if you also want a graphics card

    Or you could go for a cheaper narrower all-in-one cooler such as the antec 620 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/antec...plus-am3-3plus

    EDIT:lol I was still looking up clearances when you posted

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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Yeah I was limiting my budget due to wanting to get an SSD at the same time, but I shall just wait for prices for those to do down a little more before I get one now.
    Also im going to assume that even if i do upgrade my system in say in 4 years time (Im not planning on changing the CPU or mobo till then) this cooler should still be good for whatever I upgrade too.

    So in essence I'm hoping this CPU cooler is a longer term investment (or i could just be completely wrong).

    I just realised the wire mesh I have has 2.5 mm holes which i think is too big, and i would prefer a finer one, do you think this would be suitable:
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Modelling-Wire-Mesh-Fine-Aluminium-Mesh-20cm-x-30cm-A4-Sheets-Flat-Packed-/120985997111?pt=UK_Crafts_Other_Crafts_EH&var=&hash=item1c2b53cf37

    Also thanks for taking the time to carry on looking, even though i used you original suggestion.

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    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Well for that cost might as well depends if you want a "mesh" look or a filter type.

    I get mine from the mesh company's ebay store http://stores.ebay.co.uk/MeshCompany but that offer looks good, slightly smaller holes would be good around 1mm if you want a good filter but at 1.5mm it should be ok and get most of the dust and all the fluff or pet hairs (if you have a dog or cat.)

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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    No pets so none of the hair thatncomes with them. Just dust. I got a week till i start modding and installing everything so im going to continue to look for better mesh during that time.

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    Re: CM 120 Elite, layout change. Thoughts?

    Quote Originally Posted by Pob255 View Post
    One thing I've found is that high performance + mini-ITX + budget don't go together
    Well the OP went for a budget case - at around £35 to £39 the Coolermaster Elite 120 seems like a steal
    However, in some circumstances, its not the most appropriate case. So he has to spend £70 on a water cooling solution.

    Could have spent say £65 on another case and £15 - 20 on an air cooler and saved some bucks

    What did you do with the Lian Li case listed in your system spec?

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