I got my custom computer yesterday. Unfortunately, I had to make some modifications.
The computer specs:
- AMD CPU model #955
- Thor’s Hammer Heatsink with fan
- Gigabyte GA-MA790FTX-UD5P fanless model
- Cosiar 4GB DDR3 RAM 1333
- Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 SATA2 1TB
- Cooler Master Silent Pro M 600W with 120mm bottom intake fan
- ATI HD 4350 512M fanless model
- Centurion 590 Case
- Scythe “Kaze Master Ace” Fan Controller
- Scythe “Kama Stay” multi purpose solution (used as video card fan holder)
- Windows 7 Home Premium
As you can see from the picture below, I placed the fans in odd locations. The top fan is blowing at the CPU which can have a passive heatsink. The bottom fan is an intake fan.
The temperature drops within a minute to the idle temperatures when stress test is stopped. There is a 120mm exhaust fan on the back of the case. Two fans and a 3 to 4 adapter are provided by Coolermaster with this case. The temperatures recorded below have a rear exhaust fan running at 1200RPMs. The bottom intake fan is controlled, therefore, it varies depending on the temperature.
These are my results:
NOTE: The maximum speed for all fans except the CPU fan are 1200RPM’s. Furthermore, the video card fan is also blowing on the NorthBridge heatsink. The system fan is blowing on the Southbridge heatsink and part of the RAM modules. They are 120mm fans.
| EasyTune
Temperatures |
FAN
RPMs |
Controller Panel
Temperatures |
FAN
Speed |
| GPU 42
System 38 CPU 31 RAM _ GPU 42 System 40 CPU 36 RAM _ GPU 42 System 36 CPU 34 RAM |
_
764 149 - - - 775 371 _ _ _ 760 227 |
29.5
36.5 28.8 33.0 _ 34.9 47.5 32.6 40.8 _ 28.8 37.2 29.4 35.9 |
Top intake MAX
Back exhaust MAX System MAX Video card MAX _ Top intake OFF Back exhaust MAX System OFF Video card OFF _ Top intake OFF Back exhaust MAX System OFF Video card MAX |
With the addition of the fan controller, the temperatures being measured and fan being controlled are as follows:
- CPU’s temperature under the heatsink. Top intake fan speed.
- North Bridge’s temperature. Rear exhaust fan speed.
- RAM’s temperature. Bottom intake fan speed.
- Video card’s temperature. Fan blowing on video card’s heatsink speed.
There is a total of 6 – 120mm fans being used. 2 front intake fans, 1 back exhaust fan, 1 CPU fan, 1 Northbridge fan, and 1 video card fan. The long metal bracket in the PCI slot under the video card is the Scythe “Kama Stay” multi purpose solution.
A better view of the top intake fan blowing at the CPU heatsink.
A closer look at the fan and the temperature numbers.
I put a lot of thought into this case and realized that I could have saved some money. The silent pro is an energy efficient power supply. The real power, which is also sold by Coolermaster, is not an energy efficient power supply. They are both 120mm bottom intake fans, but the silent pro wastes 15% less energy on average. Furthermore, the real power can be bought for $80 less.
A business that has this computer running 24/7 will benefit from an energy efficient power supply. A regular home user may not. It seems that it maybe quite possible that the amount of money I will save on electricity bills will be minimal. Therefore, a cheaper model may have been better.
As for the fans, it seems that reducing the speed to 900-1000RPM’s makes the computer very silent. Unfortunately, that comes at a cost of more hotter components. I currently set my fans at 900 RPM’s. 1000 RPM’s is also used, but I find 900 RPM’s quieter.