Can I run this rig fanless?

[ivoltage]

I've been saving an Atari 2600 for my first mod. I plan to fit it with this 5.25" board - http://www.commell.com.tw/Product/SBC/LS-570.HTM), a 16GB SSD drive (to minimize heat) and a single 2GB stick of RAM.

I was hoping to use a Nexus air-cooling copper heatsink for the CPU. I managed to get a Core Duo L2400 chip on eBay for a good price and I know it has a TDP of 15 watts. I am planning on adding a low-profile ADSL modem in the PCI slot.

Given the case constraints and my choices, can anyone take a guess at whether I could run this setup fanless? I intend to run the box as a firewall and server (running Astaro in a virtual Xen machine and assigning the PCI card to it).

Any tips would be much appreciated. :)

[dgrmkrp]

I'm no expert.. This is a nice thing you got going.. very cool looking parts and the idea is brilliant, but if you want to run this in passive mode you will need 2 things: a good heatsink on the cpu and another good one on the northbridge :) Also, you didn't mention anything about the PSU.. if this isn't fanless, then a unit with a 12cm fan would cool the entire board in the right configuration. If you wanna Run completely fanless.. it is a thought, but why not have it made to run fanless and still have a 5V quiet fan there to give some airflow :) and keep things below fanless temperatures :)

edit: try to find a good northbridge heatpipe heatsink for both heat sources.. like from thermalright or noctua.. they can cool any northbridge, and seeing that higher-en models are rated at 35W.. It would keep your l2400 cool :) Of course, these are tall heatsinks.. So maybe something more low profile.. errr... I'll look around..

[Spawn-Inc]

i would say try it fanless and if temps are to high then just add a 5v fan as said above, it will be whisper quiet.

[ivoltage]

Thanks for the great feedback, guys!

dgrmkrp, I have this CPU cooler on order http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_2624.html and, taking your advice, thought this baby might be good on the northbridge http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_2841.html. I'll check the clearance, should be fine. What do you think?

Sorry to ask a stupid question but heatpipe heatsinks have, er, heatpipes that need bending, right? Just trying to work out what I would attach them to for diffusion - the case is all plastic.

Oh yeah, the PSU is external. The board has ATX and DC input. Was intending to use a 80w (?) silent brick.

Once again, thanks for the help!

[Omega]

I would say to just go ahead and run the system with two fans (intake and exhaust) in a well placed scheme. And get quiet fans. Because you obviously want quietness.

[dgrmkrp]

Thanks for the great feedback, guys!

dgrmkrp, I have this CPU cooler on order http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_2624.html and, taking your advice, thought this baby might be good on the northbridge http://www.kustompcs.co.uk/acatalog/info_2841.html. I'll check the clearance, should be fine. What do you think?

Sorry to ask a stupid question but heatpipe heatsinks have, er, heatpipes that need bending, right? Just trying to work out what I would attach them to for diffusion - the case is all plastic.

Oh yeah, the PSU is external. The board has ATX and DC input. Was intending to use a 80w (?) silent brick.

Once again, thanks for the help!

Ok, seen the link.. Nexus.. In server applications, fanless is a far away concept, as a server case, in that heatsink's case, will have a kick-ass fan or two blowin thru it :( That heatsink is made of copper which is good, but with a skived fin technology >> high density, bad for fanless... The distance of 1.6mm between fins is what bothers me.. For a fanless design, manufacturers leave like 3+ mm of breathing room.. This may be a good sink if it has forced flow.. But as fanless, I think it will start working when it gets much hotter, as convection will start moving the air more.. But waiting for the chip to get too hot isn't that good an idea.. That's why a heatsink that works more efficiently is good. It gets thing cooler, faster.
Still, don't take my word for it.. Judging from the low TDP of the CPU.. who nows? Have you found a good review that uses this with the 2400?

The zalman is actually a good choice. I personally had one installed and I also put one of those on a video card (fx 5200), and it kept it cool to the touch.

Heatpipes are tubes, made of copper usually, filled with stuff.. You shouldn't bend them as they could brake.. They can be bended, but I highly recommend against it! They might develop micro fissures and leak in time the fluid inside (could be at lower pressure too, then air goes in and it looses it's properties.. no more cooling).. Some pipes can bend a little, but it is rare.. In case of a tightly packed heatsink, I see no way of "bending" it.

also, I back up omega: 2 fans at 5V placed around the mobo, in a case of your desire, would keep everything cool.. Unless you think of something else :)

I'm not sure of your space limitations.. and compatibility issues with the board.. But I would search for a more passive heatsink.. try linky (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=55&zenid=45fb27bc0efa6139aee33eac73289d08)
Look for the smallest models and make sure they have heatpipes. If possible I would go with ninja mini ;) (for tower install, as in the fins always have to have the openings facing upwards) or maybe the silverstone nitrogon lite (desktop install, the fins have the open side upwards).. Made to fit, one of the above could be really passive..

Hope I helped :)

[crazybillybob]

While I was unable to look at the motherboard that your running..If it's fitting into a atari 2600 I'm going to guess it's a little mini-ITX board. MY Mini-ITX setup had the board in an aluminum case...I had heat issues untill I got my 5V 40mm installed. I had it aimed to blow past the proc, then over the ram..The setup also allowed some air to flow past the HDD (a 250Gb Seagate IDE..it got warm :) ) I don't think you can get it fanless, but if you set it up right one fan should be all you need.
For cheap fans of all sizes and voltages go here All Electronics Corp. -->FANS (http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?type=store&category=220&orderby=INVENTORY%2Estore%5Fquantity%2CORGANIZATIO N%2Ecategory%2CINVENTORY%2Ebrand%2CINVENTORY%2Emod el&start=0)
the 40mm ones are only $3.50us.

Good Luck!
CrazyBillyBob

If you want to see my Mini-ITX setup Go here..R2 SRV Worklog (http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1092&page=3)

[ivoltage]

Wow. Seems like I'm in good hands here :D. You guys really know what ur talking about.

dgrmkrp, I checked thru ur heatsink suggestions. Really useful. I also took a peek @ the Scythe u recommended. Looks like a cooling monster. Only problem is it's 115mm high. :(

I took a look inside the Atari case and I put the maximum heatsink height at 50mm. Hmmmm. Tight. I know the Nexus is used in the Psile (http://www.psile.com) which works quiet and cool in a tight space. Oh yeah, and the case is aluminium not plastic and wood effect. Hehe.

Sooooo... while I was cursing my case choice, I spotted this (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=55&products_id=21334). Looks like it could work well. What do you think?

I thought u bent heatpipes cos of my moments drooling here (http://www.atechfabrication.com/products/mini_client_2500.htm) and also this (http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=55&products_id=4395)... but more likely cos I saw the pipes and thought the clever designs were bent. I can be off-key sometimes like that.

Omega, I'll take your advice on the fans. The only problem is where to have an intake and outake for air. I want to keep the case intact to as large a degree as possible. I guess I could make venting holes on either side so there would be good flow over the memory and CPU. Not much space left around board so mounting the fans will be a challenge. :think: Any ideas? Also what size?

Checked your current build and just gagged. Awesome. The attention to detail. I have an empty Apple G5 case, I will mod into a mini-fridge 20 years from now when I can do the stuff u guys can. Inspiring.

Back to mod #1 for me. :eek:

Thanks for the help again and sorry for the dumb questions, too!