A6-3500 Mini-ITX First HTPC Build - Thoughts?
#16
Looks good ,I'm almost done with my a6-3500 build just waiting for my case fan. I have similar CPU cooler to psu clearance check my build pix.
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#17
nice to share those pics with us!
congratz!
and yes, as suggested in my HTPC guide, u should get a 120mm fan in there.
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#18
saitrix Wrote:Let me know how you get on with cooling/noise with the A6-3500 in that case. I do like the case but I am worried about how quiet I could get the cpu cooler as I would run it with a picopsu (would allow a lot more hard drives).

The PSU is not actually al that loud itself, and despite some mediocre reviews, its more than powerful enough for the rig I have (same as Mike's).

The fan on the stock heatsink for the processor, however, is rather loud, and while its not a problem when I am watching movies with the sound turned up, I might try and replace the fan with a quieter one at some point.

In terms of the case, you might have trouble replacing the psu if you wanted as it is soldered into the case. The case itself is hardly small, but does look nice when placed next to other AV equipment. Only other issue I had was a lack of instructions, and the fact the IR sensor module needs to be plugged into the power switch, of which there is only one on my mobo. You therefore need to choose whether you want to turn it on via remote, or by the power switch on the front - you cant have both!

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#19
Quote:The Thermaltake Element Q case is longer than I expected it to be.

yes it is, its a bit longer then the APEX MI-008/100...
but still looks great to me Smile
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#20
ubiquitous_rich Wrote:The PSU is not actually al that loud itself, and despite some mediocre reviews, its more than powerful enough for the rig I have (same as Mike's).

The fan on the stock heatsink for the processor, however, is rather loud, and while its not a problem when I am watching movies with the sound turned up, I might try and replace the fan with a quieter one at some point.

In terms of the case, you might have trouble replacing the psu if you wanted as it is soldered into the case. The case itself is hardly small, but does look nice when placed next to other AV equipment. Only other issue I had was a lack of instructions, and the fact the IR sensor module needs to be plugged into the power switch, of which there is only one on my mobo. You therefore need to choose whether you want to turn it on via remote, or by the power switch on the front - you cant have both!

Image

Looking at the picture, it seems you have the Mini ITX version of the MOBO? Do you know if the same setup would work with the micro ATX version, or should I spend a bit more and go for the Mini MOBO?
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#21
dannycorker Wrote:Looking at the picture, it seems you have the Mini ITX version of the MOBO? Do you know if the same setup would work with the micro ATX version, or should I spend a bit more and go for the Mini MOBO?

You can go with the micro ATX in preference to the mini ITX. The reason I went with the ITX mobo was simply so I could fit in a 120mm fan. with the ATX mobo, you can only go up to 80mm with the fan. Great case for the money imho.
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#22
1QWK510 Wrote:Looks good ,I'm almost done with my a6-3500 build just waiting for my case fan. I have similar CPU cooler to psu clearance check my build pix.

Hey, just checked out your pics. well at least I'm not the only one with psu-cpu clearance worries.

ubiquitous_rich Wrote:The fan on the stock heatsink for the processor, however, is rather loud, and while its not a problem when I am watching movies with the sound turned up, I might try and replace the fan with a quieter one at some point.

Yep. same. Have adjusted it in the BIOS to Level 5 with 50'c target. still is clearly audible. Looks like I'm gonna have to switch it out. Best bet looks like a Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile CPU Cooler and some fun cleaning off the stock cooler's thermal tape Confused
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#23
ubiquitous_rich Wrote:You can go with the micro ATX in preference to the mini ITX. The reason I went with the ITX mobo was simply so I could fit in a 120mm fan. with the ATX mobo, you can only go up to 80mm with the fan. Great case for the money imho.

Great, I'll be a cheapskate and save £15 or so getting the micro version then - cooling would be alright with the 80mm I'd have thought?

What are your thoughts on the noise of the heatsink by the way? A couple of people have mentioned it being loud, or is that a side effect of the small gap between the heatsink and the PSU with the Thermaltake case?

EDIT: My bad, just re-read your post with pictures and saw you mention the heatsink sound. Will deal with that when I get to it I suppose!
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#24
cooling should be fine with 80mm, but it might be slightly louder than with a 120. I have cpu motherboard temps in the early 30s currently (although I always use arctic silver thermal compound rather than OEM thermal paste/tape)... There is plenty of space for a larger heatsink in the case, although simply replacing the cpu fan with a quieter one should yield good results as far as noise is concerned...
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#25
mikepegg Wrote:Yep. same. Have adjusted it in the BIOS to Level 5 with 50'c target. still is clearly audible. Looks like I'm gonna have to switch it out. Best bet looks like a Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile CPU Cooler and some fun cleaning off the stock cooler's thermal tape Confused

Did you try using Speedfan? I've set CPU fan to spin at 10% until my CPU temp goes to 55C. Then, the fan will gradually increase to 100%, between 55C and 65C.

You need to set your fan in the BIOS to "Full ON".

With speedfan at 10%, the noise is not really noticeable. Especially if your HTPC is in a closed cabinet.
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#26
mikepegg Wrote:Have adjusted it in the BIOS to Level 5 with 50'c target. still is clearly audible. Looks like I'm gonna have to switch it out. Best bet looks like a Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile CPU Cooler and some fun cleaning off the stock cooler's thermal tape Confused

Mike I bought a scythe heatsink / fan for my gpu - it actually increased the temperatures rather than decreased! Not to say that cooler is not good, but not had good experience with the company (tall block for heatsink, small footprint). Thinking maybe a new, decent, fan would be a good starting point!

If you want to borrow my Arctic silver cleaning solution / prep solution / paste let me know - its pretty handy for cleaning up gunk and polishing the surfaces before applying new.

I had completely forgotten about the existence of speedfan, used that previously for attempting to overclock my GeForce 460! Might give that a shot...
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#27
@ MikePegg

Hi... since you are in the UK I wonder why your element q case came with a USA power cord.

There is 2 versions....

Thermaltake Element Q VL52021N2U

Thermaltake Element Q VL52021N2E

U=USA E=EUROPE

witch model did you get?

And did you end up getting a 120MM fan in there or did you change the stock CPU cooler?
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#28
a reply after 9 months Smile

http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/compo...1n2ed.html
Manf.Code: VL52021N2ED

That's whats on the site atm, so looks European. Possibly they updated since I ordered though? No Manf Code on my order note.

I never did add a 120MM fan, I changed the stock Scythe Shuriken cooler which improved things. It still isn't silent though which I guess is most likely the mini PSU that came with the Thermaltake Element Q Case. Not too fussed though, it's acceptable.

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#29
Was the voltage on the PSU correct when you bought it or did you switch it? as I can see it is manual.

Witch shuriken are you using?
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#30
(2012-10-13, 12:46)Beer40oz Wrote: Was the voltage on the PSU correct when you bought it or did you switch it? as I can see it is manual.

Witch shuriken are you using?

Pro delay update again....

PSU was correct and it is autoswitch.

The CPU cooler I bought was a Scythe Kozuti SCKZT-1000.

The fan just died on it (19 months in). Emailed Scythe support, sent invoice, free replacement on its way. Can't say much fairer than that.

Taking this time to swap out the crappy loud PSU that came with the case that has also started making noise for a Be Quiet SFX Power 300W Small FF PSU and plan to place it above the SSD and make a new case hole.
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