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Need component advice for SFF HTPC/Gaming rig overhaul

Tags:
  • Power Supplies
  • Components
  • RAM
  • Graphics Cards
  • Home Theatre
  • Heatsinks
Last response: in Components
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February 1, 2014 6:21:18 PM

Choosing components to overhaul my aging SFF HTPC rig. objective of the overhaul is to optimize 3D Video (blu-ray and .mkv), allow 3D gaming (current system can barely handle Diablo III without 3D enabled), and provide system longevity, all while minimizing noise and maximizing airflow for lower case temps and allow possible overclocking in the future. Carrying over from the current rig : Thermaltake armor A30 case, Intel 120gb SSD, 2x Seagate 1tb HDD, PCI Wireless card, and an LG Blu-ray drive. New components will include
ASUS Gryphon Z87 motherboard (possibly with armor kit)
Intel Core i5 4670k Processor
Silverstone NT06-E cpu heatsink
Noctua NF-A9x14 (rigged under the heatsink blowing up into PSU if necessary)
2x4gb Corsair Vengeance ddr3 1600 RAM
NVidia GeForce 760 GPU (no specific model chosen)
92mm Noctua NF-B9, 200mm BitFenix Spectre (pro if it fits), 3x 60mm Noctua NF-A6x25
???Power Supply???
1)Wondering if I should go with a PSU with good active cooling and let the cpu heatsink rely on that for ventilation, or a passive PSU and rig a fan under the cpu heatsink or both? and what PSU would be good for this set up? current situation with stock CPU cooler and PSU fan competing for air isnt working.
2) recommendation for make/model of GPU? blower fan or not, quiet vs case temp
3) what RAM with heatsink will fit under CPU heatsink, if it's even necessary?

More about : component advice sff htpc gaming rig overhaul

a b ) Power supply
a b U Graphics card
February 1, 2014 6:59:57 PM

The fun begins, I have a Silverstone SG01 which is a nightmare for cooling. Your thermaltake armour A30 doesn't look any easier.

Suggestions:-
Ditch the Silverstone NT06-E cooler, you don't have the space under it for fan (I think there were other components getting in the way)and no quality power supply sucks hard enough to make the cooler effective.
I went for a Nexus LOW-7000 R2 Low profile cooler and turned the fan upside down, another option is the Scythe Shuriken (I would still turn the fan on this so it sucks through the radiator and blows out the power supply)
PSU - must have active cooling, it all helps get that heat out of the case. Any quality supply I've have is capable at higher temperatures so the fan doesn't spin as much. Ironically enough, it's only the poorer supplies I've had that have stronger cooling.
Graphics card - I personally go for cross blowers so it exhausts the heat directly out the rear of the case rather than recirculating it within the case.
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February 2, 2014 3:23:00 PM

thanks for the feedback!, from the specs and measurements i've seen the NT06-E with a fan underneath should fit, but i was planning on picking up something like the Big Shuriken or Cooler Master Gemini II M$ as well in case it didn't work out. how noticeable is the noise from the blower on the GPU? im not too worried about fans raising the case temp dramatically as there is a 200mm exhaust above the card. more concerned that the exhaust off a non blower that is going into the case may be pointing right at the front intake fan and stressing it/impeding the flow. Also, any idea if the Shuriken will conflict with RAM heatsink.
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a b ) Power supply
a b U Graphics card
February 2, 2014 5:48:43 PM

Will the shuriken interfere with your memory slots? The closest I can answer is maybe. The system I built in the SG01 was based on a Asus Rampage II Gene (lga1366) which had six memory slots. Both the NT06-E and the Nexus LOW-7000 prevented me from installing memory in the first slot, not because of radiator overhang or tall heatsinks on the memory sticks but because the heatpipes on the cpu heatsink overhung and completely blocked the first ram slot.

Is a crossblower noisy? Yes and no. Just like your cpu it has fan profiles. Quiet for when your just browsing the net or doing office work. It will spin up and get a bit noisy when you're in-game and making it work but you'll have other noises to distract you .e.g. headset or speakers playing the game noises, so you won't notice it then either. The time you will notice it is when you've just came out of a game and it's still needing a moment or two to cool down.

Personally, I prefer the crossblowers simply because they exhaust the heat from the card directly outside the case with the need for another fan to move it. This is especially important in a case where airflow is limited. I try to stay away from anything which recirculates the hot air within my systems, it makes it the system harder to cool and less stable.
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