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the proposed machines (10 in total) will all be on m-ATX boards.


1Ghz Duron
20GB 7200RPM HD
256MB DDRAM
no CD-Rom
no Floppy
8MB AGP card
PCI soundcard

will a setup like this require extra case cooling? we were hoping to go with reasonably priced mini-ATX cases and use HD blowers, or some type of PCI (slot) cooler/blower to better dissipate heat.

the rooms where the 10 computers are in will have AC 24/7 as well.

First time to use AMD for office machines, so we're kind of in-the-woods here. specially regarding temps.

thanks for any suggestions.

We have Athlon XP 1800+ PC's at work without any case fan and they all seem to be doing fine. An extra intake fan (if possible) would certainly not hurt. It all depends on what the machines are used for. Ours are mainly used for Word and e-mail so the CPU is rarely taxed. Just make sure the PC's are in a well-ventilated area. Avoid putting them under desks. Other than that, you should be ok.

I think, in light of what is currently going on here, that 7200rpm drives are to be avoided in a 24/7 situation......the 5400rpm drives run much cooler, seem not to fail as often.

Full size case?

Just get them up off of the floor (6-8 inches)

Good point about the heat. The ATX Evercase at newegg (itemid E4252WEF5: beige $39 w/ 300w enhance psu $24 w/out psu and black $42/$28) are the only cheap case the I've found with hard drives mounts located at the bottom of the case directly behind the intake fan. This is a feature that I particularly like. I do not have one of these cases, but the reviews are high (btw, newegg deletes or doesn't post some/all bad reviews) and my friend has and likes his, although he said it was really tight getting the cpu fan on. For $39 and $15 shipping, maybe you can afford to test one?

If the room they are going to be in has AC that is going to be on all time I don't think you really need a ton of cooling, especially for a Duron system. The PCI slot cooler seems a bit excessive. As long as you get a decent case with an intake and outake fan, I think you'll be okay.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.a ... 603&DEPA=0

I have the Antec version of that case (which is exactly the same except it comes with an Antec case badge) and it is a dream to work on. You might try shopping around to get a lower watt PSU since 400W is overkill on a Duron. If you can find that case with a 300W PSU I think you will be very satisfied. Just pick up the extra 80mm fans to put in all the fan slots and the case will be nice and cool. If you are worried about noise, just make sure the fans have low RPMs (like around 2000) and check the decible rating.

ok, thanks.

I think we were getting a little too nervous about the AMD (for no apparent reason). 1st time jitters i guess.

The computers will be used to listen to audio files which will then be transcribed. (we're a data transcribing outfit) we're upgrading because our new audio/transcribing software needs a lot more than the PII 300's we've had the last 5 years. we tried it on one of our existing machines, and it was a dog!

its pretty CPU dependent. as the audio file is playing, the software then "tags" specific words, and checks them with a custom dictionary-type list. Plus, when the audio file is being transcribed, the software is simultaneously matching what's been written with what the software "heard." that's a basic explanationf of it.

the evercase, the 5400RPM HD's and 6" above the floor suggestion all seem to make sense. Plus, I'm thinking 80mm L1A Panaflos for intake/outake.

unfortunately we can't go with full size (full-tower) cases, because we might have to remodel the cubicles for that. a mid-size ATX would probably work though.


BTW. this is a very good board.

I went a few rounds getting my 120mm Panaflo to work, but not because of the fan. Some Panaflo's don't have an integrated tail (electrical 3 or 4 pin connector). Even though I ordered both a three pin and four pin to be safe, both batches were defective and it took a week or two to get it all sorted out. Now I'm very pleased with my selection. So, if appropriate, get some extra tails, they're cheap.

Also, even though Enhance does not have a bad reputation, you might consider better psu's (i.e. Antec 330/385 true power). Some mobo's (i.e. ECS K7S5A) don't always agree w/ < 350 watt psu's (i.e. 300w in Evercase). It also gives you more upgrade overhead next time around. But it's hard to pay $40 more per unit for no visible difference.

Two great things about your setup
1) 1G Duron's have SSE
2) You can upgrade in two years to 2G XP's for next to nothing.

Based on what you have said, a single 80 mm case fan (~40 cfm) along with the PSU fan should be adequate enough for cooling even under high CPU loads.

I have a duron [email protected] (1.8V) running 24/7 with a globalWin FOP32-1 and a YS Tech 60 mm fan. Case cooling is a single 120 mm Sunon running at 7 V (~40 cfm) in the bottom of the case and a 80 mm sunon in a blowhole also at 7V.

Case runs about 8 C over ambient, with the processor at 20 C over ambient. Most days it runs at 45-50C. Crank the voltage up on the fans and the temps drop to 4C and 12-16C over ambient respectivly.

A more modern heatsink would go a long way to cooling the cpu better, but I thought it a good example of what older and cheaper equipment might do in your particular enviornment.