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BoilerGamer
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Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Wed Sep 19, 2012 2:29 pm

CPU: I5-3570K
Mobo: ASUS P8Z77 V (Techpowerup 9.0/10)
Ram: 2X4G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US (Yes, this is the 30nm OC maniac,techpowerup 9.8/10)
Cooler: PH-TC14PE_BL
GPU: Gigabyte N670-OC-2GD(in SLI, Techpowerup 9.8/10),Tom's recommended buy.
SSD: Samsung 830 256GB(Techpowerup 9.5/10, Tom's best SSD for $$,Techreport.com editor's choice )
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White(Techpowerup 8.9/10, HTL.com editor's choice, adding 2-4 140mm fans)
PSU: Seasonic X750 Gold



Status: Already have CPU/Cooler/SSD/PSU/GPU, waiting for the other parts coming in this Friday.
Accessories(already have):
24X DVD Burner(LG)
Microsoft wired Keyboard & Mouse(USB)
ASUS VG278H 120Hz monitor w/ 3D Vision 2 Kit

This is my plan to get a SGP(Silent Gaming Platform), goal is for it to be inaudible at idle and not noticeable in game(Battlefield 3). OC Target is about 4.6-4.7Ghz. Might experiment with a windowed panel later.

So is this set-up good? I made sure to read through available reviews everywhere and pick products with good reviews.

More detailed build & tuning log/benchmarks + Photos to come this weekend.
System: i7-3770K/PH-TC14PE/ 2X 4 G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US/Gigabyte Z77X-UP5-TH/EVGA GTX 780/Samsung 840 Pro256GB/2X Seagate Baracuda 2TB/Seasonic Platinum 660 W /Phantom 630
 
DancinJack
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Wed Sep 19, 2012 4:02 pm

You're really going to have to throttle that many fans to keep the build quiet. Overclocking won't exactly help either.

It looks like a great build, just not a silent one. Do you have any other storage than the SSD? Regardless if you have that many games, It's always good to have a big mechanical HDD to store some more games, photos, and videos.
i7 6700K - Z170 - 16GiB DDR4 - GTX 1080 - 512GB SSD - 256GB SSD - 500GB SSD - 3TB HDD- 27" IPS G-sync - Win10 Pro x64 - Ubuntu/Mint x64 :: 2015 13" rMBP Sierra :: Canon EOS 80D/Sony RX100
 
BoilerGamer
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:06 pm

DancinJack wrote:
You're really going to have to throttle that many fans to keep the build quiet. Overclocking won't exactly help either.

It looks like a great build, just not a silent one. Do you have any other storage than the SSD? Regardless if you have that many games, It's always good to have a big mechanical HDD to store some more games, photos, and videos.


I have a 2TB External via usb, it is fast enough for backup & Video playback, All my no video related stuff totals only about 100 GB so I am perfectly fine with SSD only(plus without an internal HDD I can remove the 8X HDD cage to clear up airflow path.

The Default(2fan) temperature isn't that bad:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6102/fractal-design-define-r4-case-review-evolution-not-revolution/6

Review Tested with this setting:
CPU Intel Core i7-2700K
(95W TDP, tested at stock speed and overclocked to 4.3GHz @ 1.38V)
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3
Graphics Card ASUS GeForce GTX 560 Ti DCII TOP
(tested at stock speed and overclocked to 1GHz/overvolted to 1.13V)
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo with Cooler Master ThermalFusion 400
Power Supply SilverStone Strider Plus 750W 80 Plus Silver

Overclocked CPU &GPU with only 2 case fans with OK temps means by doubling the airflow I can easily get the case to an acceptable level.
Ivy should run hotter than a 2700K, but I will be at a lesser Vcore with a Top-End Cooler(PH-TC14PE, 6-7C better than 212 Evo).

The 41 db OC noise is good but I really like that 30 db idle(reviewer said their soundmeter don't register below 30), when I am running my machine full load the noise from my speakers will mask it anyway. Silent is relative, and a low 30 db idle is really what I am trying to get to. Also increasing case fan sometime drop noise because the GPU/CPU fan no longer need to run as fast. With all these fans either connected to my ASUS mobo(Fanexpert 2 & 5 4 pin headers) or my 3 speed fan controller I should be able to find a good balance between silence and cooling.

For reference:
Image
This was done inside a Define XL(full tower size R4 with an additional 180mm top fan), my case with 2 additional fan should have superior airflow to compared to an XL since it is smaller(higher airflow speed inside).
Temp taken with 3570K at 4.6Ghz in OCCT.

From the HTL R4 review, stock setting, PH-TC14PE, Bulldozer FX-8150(OCed) & a ASUS GTX 680 Top(Not OCed):
Image

Temps might not be directly comparable, but as a base reference it isn't too bad.
Last edited by BoilerGamer on Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:33 pm, edited 2 times in total.
System: i7-3770K/PH-TC14PE/ 2X 4 G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US/Gigabyte Z77X-UP5-TH/EVGA GTX 780/Samsung 840 Pro256GB/2X Seagate Baracuda 2TB/Seasonic Platinum 660 W /Phantom 630
 
DancinJack
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:18 pm

Yeah I'm not really talking about heat, although they are related. What I'm saying is that with an overclocked CPU, 2 overclocked GPUs, and the additional case fans that you're planning to add will probably add a lot more noise than what you want. I'd suggest lowering your expectations as far as overclocking goes or cut down on the number of fans you're planning on adding.

I'm not sure what you mean by an acceptable level in your second post. ~70 for a loaded and overclocked CPU isn't bad at all, and you said that was with the the default fan config. I guess that was with one less GPU, but i'd seriously consider your options before adding all those fans.
i7 6700K - Z170 - 16GiB DDR4 - GTX 1080 - 512GB SSD - 256GB SSD - 500GB SSD - 3TB HDD- 27" IPS G-sync - Win10 Pro x64 - Ubuntu/Mint x64 :: 2015 13" rMBP Sierra :: Canon EOS 80D/Sony RX100
 
BoilerGamer
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:21 pm

DancinJack wrote:
Yeah I'm not really talking about heat, although they are related. What I'm saying is that with an overclocked CPU, 2 overclocked GPUs, and the additional case fans that you're planning to add will probably add a lot more noise than what you want. I'd suggest lowering your expectations as far as overclocking goes or cut down on the number of fans you're planning on adding.

I'm not sure what you mean by an acceptable level in your second post. ~70 for a loaded and overclocked CPU isn't bad at all, and you said that was with the the default fan config. I guess that was with one less GPU, but i'd seriously consider your options before adding all those fans.


Thing is I have all those fans lying around( a friend bought a 14PE only to install TY-141s on it, so I got 2 PH-140fans + 2 Xigamtek LED fans he tossed for AP140s , so I will be experimenting a little bit. I think I will start with 3 fans(move stock rear fan to front, add rear top exhaust(leave the rear grill open for the CPU Cooler to blow through).

Acceptable was more related to the GPU, since Kepler GPUs throttle at 70C I am going to have to work the case fans/GPU fans to make sure they don't.
System: i7-3770K/PH-TC14PE/ 2X 4 G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US/Gigabyte Z77X-UP5-TH/EVGA GTX 780/Samsung 840 Pro256GB/2X Seagate Baracuda 2TB/Seasonic Platinum 660 W /Phantom 630
 
Airmantharp
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:37 pm

I have done this build, with slightly slower/older components. It's my current desktop rig. That said, while I know you already have the parts, here's some thoughts for discussion:

CPU- you're fine, just understand that no cooler is going to help you get more than ~4.6GHz out of an Ivy. In reality you're going to need at least chilled water, if not LN2. Ivy is not friendly to overclockers, but at least you're not trying to throw HT in for gaming.

Mobo- Sounds good.

RAM- you can overclock the snot out of it all you want, but your returns will be minimal while you'll be compromising stability. The CPU overclocks independently from the RAM so it's not like 1600MHz DDR3 will limit your overclock.

Cooler- just get an H80 and stick it on the back spot. That giant tower will just get in your way, on top of being heavy and more expensive. You can set the H80 to Low and still get more cooling out of it than a 4.6GHz Ivy needs to operate stably 24/7.

GPU- Look into EVGAs FTWs. You want quiet and SLi, well, you can't have both without spending considerably more. Getting close means using blowers, though, as using one of the aftermarket rigs in an enclosed case is going to choke airflow. The compromise is to get a much larger case.

SSD- Best there is.

Case- I have the R3, and the R4 is gorgeous. Understand that you'll have some difficulty mapping cables behind the motherboard tray, but I did it in the R3 with CFX, so you can do it with SLI in an R4 no problem.

PSU- Overkill. My X650 Gold had no problem running a pair of HD6950's and 2500k at 4.8GHz; power draw was around 500w.
 
BoilerGamer
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:44 pm

Airmantharp wrote:
I have done this build, with slightly slower/older components. It's my current desktop rig. That said, while I know you already have the parts, here's some thoughts for discussion:

GPU- Look into EVGAs FTWs. You want quiet and SLi, well, you can't have both without spending considerably more. Getting close means using blowers, though, as using one of the aftermarket rigs in an enclosed case is going to choke airflow. The compromise is to get a much larger case.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V6BLcVW ... r_embedded

Looks Like I can just leave the side grill open and have the cooler taking care of itself, maybe adding a bottom fan to feed the bottom card more air and/or use the side fan to move the sideway exhaust away.

Ram wise the OC ceiling is just the gravy, the reason I decided to get it was that it was short( 19 inches!!!!), low voltage and cheap(not a common combo). Plus I like the two rock stable setting the review I liked in the OP listed:
9-9-9-27, @ 1.35 V, and 1866 MHz
1.45 V and 2133 MHz, with the default 11-11-11-28
Either of those would be great and a lot more power efficient than the 1.5V DDR3 8G kit I find in this price range($45 on newegg), the ceiling of a stable 2400Mhz is probably not worth the extra voltage.

According to some new reviews(HTL and techpowerup.com) and Overclock.net user feedback, R4 get about half an inch of extra room in the back to fit cables compared to the R3(R4 being a whole inch wider)

Don't think I will be thermally bottle necked by Air Cooler:

Image
This review done with a 4.6Ghz i5-3570K OCCT temp, inside a Define XL(larger than R4 and an extra 180mm top fan, everything else the same), assuming my ACed room(22-24C) is roughly the same ambient as this I have 10 C+ of thermal headroom with 80 being the limit(it doesn't have to be with the Ivy Tjmax at 105)

and I doubt an H80 is going to be that much better at cooling/noise than 14PE, as far as running on low, its twin120mm running on low is probably on par with my twin 140 with PWN adaptors running on .8-1K rpm(1.2/3 max), not counting the pump noise(grinding pump have been a popular compliant on the webs for H80/100)
Image
Image
Can't find a review featuring 14PE vs H80, but sinec 14PE largely ties or exceed D14 in most reviews, these data should suffice.
System: i7-3770K/PH-TC14PE/ 2X 4 G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US/Gigabyte Z77X-UP5-TH/EVGA GTX 780/Samsung 840 Pro256GB/2X Seagate Baracuda 2TB/Seasonic Platinum 660 W /Phantom 630
 
BoilerGamer
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Tue Sep 25, 2012 8:12 am

This is my updated system:
CPU: i5-3570K(3.4Ghz stock,3.6Ghz 4 core boost,yet to OC)
Cooler: Phantek PH-TC14PE_BL
Ram: 2 X 4G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US, DDR3-1866(OC) 9-9-9-24 1T, 1.35V
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V
GPU: Gigabyte N670-OC-2GD (1150Mhz Boost, yet to OC, SLI soon.
Storage: Samsung 830 256GB
Optical: LG 24X DVD burner
PSU: Seasonic X750 Gold
Case Define R4

Pictures:
Image
Enough NT-H1 TIM?

Image
Tail fan & Side fan are Xigmatek XLF-F1454, 1000 rpm, 63.5 rpm, 16 dba, Blue fan w/white LED

Benchmarks:
Ram OC:
Image

SSD:
Image

Mark 11 with stocked CPU and GPU, 1866Mhz Ram already paying off, my highest physics score yet and first P9.1K result.
Image
More photos and benchmarks to come.

Heaven 3.0 run with the stock 1150Mhz GPU.
Image

Tempwise,after a Mark 11 & Heaven 3.0 run back to back.
Image

More Pics to come.
System: i7-3770K/PH-TC14PE/ 2X 4 G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US/Gigabyte Z77X-UP5-TH/EVGA GTX 780/Samsung 840 Pro256GB/2X Seagate Baracuda 2TB/Seasonic Platinum 660 W /Phantom 630
 
UltimateImperative
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Tue Sep 25, 2012 9:16 am

I think you'll find that once you add SLI, your GPU fans will rev way up; at least that's what I found with CrossFired 6950s in an FT-02.

My solution was a bit extreme: a triple 180 mm radiator + full-cover waterblocks for the 6950s, a CPU waterblock, a Laing D5 pump and the necessary bits and pieces to hook it all up. Expensive, and it required a good bit of work, but it works and is nearly silent. You might be able to get something very quiet for less by going with an NZXT Switch, or use a very easy to watercool but expensive case like a Caselabs.
i5-750 @ 3.3 GHz; Asus P7P55D-E Pro; Thermalright Silver Arrow; Antec P183; 4 GB; 2x Radeon HD 6950; Corsair HX650.
 
BoilerGamer
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Tue Sep 25, 2012 10:28 am

UltimateImperative wrote:
I think you'll find that once you add SLI, your GPU fans will rev way up; at least that's what I found with CrossFired 6950s in an FT-02.

My solution was a bit extreme: a triple 180 mm radiator + full-cover waterblocks for the 6950s, a CPU waterblock, a Laing D5 pump and the necessary bits and pieces to hook it all up. Expensive, and it required a good bit of work, but it works and is nearly silent. You might be able to get something very quiet for less by going with an NZXT Switch, or use a very easy to watercool but expensive case like a Caselabs.


Well that is true I have seen SLI Gigabyte pulled off with way less complicated cooling( a Corair 650D with 1 200 intake and 1 200 side exhaust), the bonus is Kepler GPUs heats up a lot less than Cayman(and Tahti for that matter) and the Gigabyte cards shoot all their exhaust side way so as long as I feed them enough intakes and pull the exhaust out with a side fan they should do just fine.

Image

Full Load noise doesn't mean one bit to me as they will easily be masked by the sound of the game, what I wanted out of my R4 was dead slient during idle/web browsing and it does that just fine.

What I might do is grab a few Silverstone AP 141 fans as in a HTL review they dropped a Define XL's temp by 5C over stock fans, also they offer concentrated airflow ideal for feeding CPU/GPU coolers.

Benchmark D - All stock fans are replaced with AP141 intake and exhaust and AP181 exhaust. Tested with and without additional AP121L in front exhaust.
Image
System: i7-3770K/PH-TC14PE/ 2X 4 G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US/Gigabyte Z77X-UP5-TH/EVGA GTX 780/Samsung 840 Pro256GB/2X Seagate Baracuda 2TB/Seasonic Platinum 660 W /Phantom 630
 
DPete27
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:34 pm

Is that all the TIM you used on your CPU? I know that direct-touch heatpipes require more TIM than plate-style interfaces like your Phanteks but that doesn't look like enough for either.
Main: i5-3570K, ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, MSI RX480 8G, 500GB Crucial BX100, 2 TB Samsung EcoGreen F4, 16GB 1600MHz G.Skill @1.25V, EVGA 550-G2, Silverstone PS07B
HTPC: A8-5600K, MSI FM2-A75IA-E53, 4TB Seagate SSHD, 8GB 1866MHz G.Skill, Crosley D-25 Case Mod
 
BoilerGamer
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:57 pm

DPete27 wrote:
Is that all the TIM you used on your CPU? I know that direct-touch heatpipes require more TIM than plate-style interfaces like your Phanteks but that doesn't look like enough for either.


Yeah I will run a Prime & a OCCT to see if it is a serious issue, if it is significantly hotter than my old OCCT & Prime( 57-59) I probably will reapply and remount.
System: i7-3770K/PH-TC14PE/ 2X 4 G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US/Gigabyte Z77X-UP5-TH/EVGA GTX 780/Samsung 840 Pro256GB/2X Seagate Baracuda 2TB/Seasonic Platinum 660 W /Phantom 630
 
Airmantharp
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:54 pm

BoilerGamer wrote:
DPete27 wrote:
Is that all the TIM you used on your CPU? I know that direct-touch heatpipes require more TIM than plate-style interfaces like your Phanteks but that doesn't look like enough for either.


Yeah I will run a Prime & a OCCT to see if it is a serious issue, if it is significantly hotter than my old OCCT & Prime( 57-59) I probably will reapply and remount.


It actually looks like almost too much TIM.
 
BoilerGamer
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Re: Arctic SGP Build, how does it look?

Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:35 am

Airmantharp wrote:
BoilerGamer wrote:
DPete27 wrote:
Is that all the TIM you used on your CPU? I know that direct-touch heatpipes require more TIM than plate-style interfaces like your Phanteks but that doesn't look like enough for either.


Yeah I will run a Prime & a OCCT to see if it is a serious issue, if it is significantly hotter than my old OCCT & Prime( 57-59) I probably will reapply and remount.


It actually looks like almost too much TIM.



OK, Will run a few Prime and OCCT to check out the temp.

Some more Pics, getting ready to OC the GPU and CPU then SLI over the weekend. Next month I might get some UV Silverstone AP Fans and some cathodes to light em up.

Image

Image

Image

Image
System: i7-3770K/PH-TC14PE/ 2X 4 G Samsung MV-3V4G3D/US/Gigabyte Z77X-UP5-TH/EVGA GTX 780/Samsung 840 Pro256GB/2X Seagate Baracuda 2TB/Seasonic Platinum 660 W /Phantom 630

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