Eiren's Proposed Gaming HTPC Build

Thanks!

You should be fine as there's loads of space above the PCI slots in the case, in fact my northbridge heatsink card has heatpipes on it too:

DSC_0022.JPG


:thumbsup:

Graphics card really depends on whether you want it to do audio as well. ATI cards will do both, but NVidia won't.
 
There should be plenty of space for the heatpipes on a graphics card. I have seen a few installed in the LC17.

However I would advise against getting a card like this as the heat dump in the case would be allot. You would be far better getting a dual slot silent graphics card instead. I recently fitted one of these in my fathers htpc and its a very good non gaming card.

HIS HD 4670 IceQ Edition 1GB VGA DVI HDMI PCI-E Graphics Card - Ebuyer

It has the legendary HIS ICEQ cooler and would be perfect for any non gaming install. The dual slot help move hot air outside the pc case which will keep temps down.

:)
 
There should be plenty of space for the heatpipes on a graphics card. I have seen a few installed in the LC17.

However I would advise against getting a card like this as the heat dump in the case would be allot. You would be far better getting a dual slot silent graphics card instead. I recently fitted one of these in my fathers htpc and its a very good non gaming card.

HIS HD 4670 IceQ Edition 1GB VGA DVI HDMI PCI-E Graphics Card - Ebuyer

It has the legendary HIS ICEQ cooler and would be perfect for any non gaming install. The dual slot help move hot air outside the pc case which will keep temps down.

:)

Second this advice :thumbsup:

The IceQ cards or the Sapphire Vapor-X cards are legendary when it comes to being cool and silent.
 
Cheers Razor and Eiren!

Thanks for the lightning fast reply! Your argument about the heat dump sounds reasonable enough, I will look whether I can find the suggested card somewhere here (in France).
Just as a question: I was planning to use the same multi-noctua configuration in the LC17 as in your rig, don't you think this could be enough to cool down a passive graphics card?

Thanks again!

C
 
You'd still probably be best off having a dual slot card, as that would also pull other hot air out of the case and improve circulation.

Since you're not running games on it... it's always going to be totally silent if you get one of the suggested cards instead. Even if you do run any games with it, you're not going to hear that card once it's in your rig :thumbsup:
 
Cheers Razor and Eiren!

Thanks for the lightning fast reply! Your argument about the heat dump sounds reasonable enough, I will look whether I can find the suggested card somewhere here (in France).
Just as a question: I was planning to use the same multi-noctua configuration in the LC17 as in your rig, don't you think this could be enough to cool down a passive graphics card?

Thanks again!

C

I spec all my HTPCs fairly much the same in terms of cooling and the heat dump from a passive card did effect the cpu temps by a fair amount. Swapping to a dual slot card the temps dropped considerably and there was no increase in noise levels. The user was complaining that the extra heat from the summer weather had raised case temps by a good 12c and this was causing his pc to sometimes shut down due to over heating whilst watching a movie or extracting a large file.

HTPC cases have average cooling at best especially if you want a silent setup. Getting rid of heat build up and getting good airflow is very important in a silent htpc. :)


BTW welcome to the forums. :smashin:
 
Hi again

I am closing in for buying the stuff I need. However, I found this graphics card and would like to have your advise:

Product section

It is a nvidia gforce 9800gt "green" (so not too bad, and it offers CUDA, which I would like for some scientific computations).
It has a max 75W TDP (similar to the ati 4670), because it is slightly slower and has a lower voltage than standard 9800GT.
Finally, I guess this will result in less heat and less noise, also given it is a dual-slot cooler (as recommended).

any thoughts?

thanks a lot!
c
 
If you are looking to game on this card you would be better off looking else where. A silent 4870 or 260gtx would be allot better and more powerful. :)
 
This will then blow back through the graphics card (the slot I am pointing to) and out of the mesh PCI guards I've replaced so that air can exit the rear of the case:
DSC_0021.JPG


Where did you get the mesh PCI guards from?
 
Right, now I've got an nVidia GTX480 installed instead of the 4870 X2... I am also running out of space to put in extra hard drives. I also just fancy a bigger case for future upgrades like SLI etc.

So I have narrowed it down to 3 cases:

Corsair Obsidian 800D:
Corsair Obsidian 800D Full Tower Case - Black [CC800DW] Cases Corsair

Silverstone Raven 2:
Silverstone RV02 Raven 2 Case - Black [] Cases

Coolermaster HAF X:
Coolermaster HAF X Gaming Tower Case - Black (RC-942) [RC-942-KKN1] Cases

The Raven 2 gets fantastic reviews in terms of keeping graphics cards ultra cool because the motherboard is at 90 degrees and case fans blow directly up through the graphics cards.

The other two cases are arguably the best airflow cases out there.

Any experience or thoughts on which to go for?

Am also going to get one of these GTX480 air coolers to get back to totally silent gaming:
GELID Solutions ICY VISION GPU Cooler Review | Futurelooks - Digital Lifestyle and Technology for the Masses
 
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First Razor, and now you........what's happening to the HTPC gaming crowd! :(

If you go for a big desktop case I reckon you should be banned from the HTPC forum.............:p:laugh:
 
First Razor, and now you........what's happening to the HTPC gaming crowd! :(

If you go for a big desktop case I reckon you should be banned from the HTPC forum.............:p:laugh:

It looks like I might be starting a trend. :D

BTW I still have another rig which is in an LC17. :D



Eiren - The Corsair 800D isnt that great for aircooling. Google Corsair 800D poor air flow and see what comes up. The corsair does have great cable management which is its strong point.

The fortress will give you great airflow but there isn't that much room to work with. A friend of mine has this case and he says he hardware temps dropped allot when he swapped to the fortress.

The HAF is a good case but not the prettiest or the most solid. The airflow layout looks very good on the HAF.

I think choosing a case is a very personal thing. Have you looked at any Lan-li cases?
 
Looked at some Llan-Li cases and can't see what's special about them. They seem to offer similar features but cost a lot more.

I think I am definitely decided on the HAF X. It's a monster of a case, and can even fit the massive EVGA Classified 4 way SLI motherboard in it.

Plus it's got a load of GPU extra cooling in it to help give some Fermi love back, as well as loads of space so I can pick either a Spitfire or another air cooler.
 

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