A Silent SFF PC for Grump: o2 Whisper

[Grump]

This isn't my first project. I have built systems for myself for many years (I think my first home-built was in 1994) and I was heavily involved in modding several years ago (a feature in Oct 2003 CPU Magazine and a project sponsored by Cooler Master were some of my best work). I got sick about 4 years ago and had to give the painting and dust creation up. Now, though, I find I have to build another machine, keep it simple and relatively paint and dust free because my lungs are shot.

This is the case I am starting with. It's an AeroCool M40. I chose it because of looks and size - just like I've chosen my women (oh my God, I just realized what a failure that has been, so now I'm really worried about this case). As you will see, this case has several air flow obstructions and it may have other issues that might cause some noise. My main goal is to silence this case and the components so that when it sits on my smallish desk, it doesn't irritate the crap outa me.


Please click on any of my pictures to see a full-size image.
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper001s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper001.jpg)

Nice looking, hu? Well, here are some of the problem areas. You'll see the 3 layers of mesh or grill work the 120mm front fan has to pull air through. There's also some stamped grill work on the backside and virtually no other pre-set locations for fans (that grill for a small fan upper-front is weird because there's no venting through the plastic bezel in that area).


http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper002s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper002.jpg) http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper003s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper003.jpg) http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper004s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper004.jpg)

I can use a Dremel pretty well, so I'm guessing I'm gonna have to remove some excess metal and even try to remove some of the plastic on the inside of the lower-front bezel. Something in my head is telling me that reducing the obstacles will reduce the turbulence, which will reduce the sound of air flowing into and around my case. Right?

It's odd that this case has a big 120mm fan, but the actual open area to draw air in is much less. That big power button, the smaller reset and even part of the front I/O housing cover some of the space the fan could be pulling air past. But clearing some of the obstacles may have the added effect of being able to bring in a little more air.

Now, I'm no gamer by any stretch of the imagination. Even though Cooler Master sent me on a Southern California LAN party tour with my "Grump Case (http://forum.coolermaster.com/viewtopic.php?t=100)," I was quite uncomfortable amongst all them gamers. So I have to make it clear this is not a gaming system. However, I enjoy creating graphics for websites and love photography (and I might, on rare occasions, late at night when no one is looking, in the privacy of my own home, have a look at some... well, you know), so I will be going for some medium power capability and a half decent video card. I can't afford the high end stuff I used to use, but I can take a little time to save enough for some better components, even if they might be last year's, good stuff.

This means the system might get a little warm, so cooling is going to be important. But silence is a big priority. I bought a couple Noctua fans - a 120mm and a 80mm. At first I thought of using the 80 as an exhaust fan, which I may still do. But I was thinking I could punch a hole in the front, below the 3½" cage, to mount an 80mm fan for intake to cool the RAM and other mobo components.


http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper006s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper006.jpg) http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper007s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper007.jpg)

Another issue with this case is the size of the power supply. AeroCool recommends a PSU no longer than 140mm, but there aren't many of those available. And they may not be the quietest PSUs around either. From what I understand of the reviews I've read, it's the HDD cage that prevents the use of a larger or even just normal size PSU.


http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper008s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper008.jpg) http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper009s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper009.jpg)

Well, I don't plan on a RAID setup and have no real need for 2 HDDs, so I thought I could move the HDD location. There's a few spots that would work. I have an adapter from an old case that allows the use of a 3½" device in a 5½" cage. It even has rubber grommets to eliminate the vibration. It fits perfectly in the top or bottom optical drive locations of this case. And what th' heck do I need 2 DVD drives for? I can only watch one por... I mean movie at a time.


http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper010s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper010.jpg) http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper012s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper012.jpg)

So, there you have it; the beginnings of Grump's o2 Whisper project. I am here to ask for your help and guidance to make this a very quiet machine that will provide me with plenty of power to run Adobe Fireworks, Corel Paint Shop Pro, MS Office Professional and various other software on a Windows 7 Professional 64bit system.

I haven't selected any other hardware yet and will be seriously considering some of the hardware recommended by the silence specialists, as well as the input of you members of this forum. I like teh Intel a lot and think I may go for a i5 P55 board - remember this is a Micro ATX case. But some of that hardware is not in this month's budget. First things first.

Looking forward to your help and the (possibly slow) progress of this project. I hope I'm in the right place. :D

R'gards,

Grump - aka Jim McClain

[OvRiDe]

Welcome to TBCS!! Sorry to hear about the lungs. I am so happy you are sharing your project with us. I vaguely remember your last project. We have some great new talent but I love to see projects from the vets! Looking forward to see what have in store for us.

Since painting is out, maybe if you want to do some color changing you could use some vinyl films?

[blueonblack]

Glad to have you, Grump. I've liked that case since I first saw it, nice choice. Though I've never tried them myself, the Noctua fans are supposed to be top-of-the-line in silence. Afraid I can't offer much in the way of core hardware advice, being an AMD fan myself, and with the case you're working with I'll not be much help with cooling either. All of my work has been in large cases with huge coolers.

So, since we've established that I will be no help whatsoever with this build, I'll just sit back and watch it progress. :D

Again, welcome.

[Grump]

Since painting is out, maybe if you want to do some color changing you could use some vinyl films?

I haven't given it much consideration yet. The last vinyl films I looked at weren't as durable as paint over the long haul. They scratch easier and attract dust and lint because of the static buildup. But they do look nice.

Powder coating is another option. I used that on my Grump Case project. I originally was going to do a painting article for Sandhills Publishing when I ended up in the hospital the first time - the booth I was using had a broken exhaust fan I didn't know about and I wasn't using a very good respirator. Hard to admit because I have always been a stickler about safe modding practices. I missed the deadline, later on had the case powder coated and finished that as my last major mod.

Unfortunately, you can't powder coat plastic and the front top and bottom bezels are both plastic through and through. I like the black okay enough.

I think this project is going to have visual mods that are very subtle, and hidden mods that make this case and the computer a lot better than stock. It may not have the flash and drama that some of the case mods have here and some of the younger and gamier (pardon the pun) members may not appreciate the finished style. But the executive or a business person who deals with the public sitting on the other side of their desk are gonna say, I wouldn't mind that sharing desk space with me.

Being an older guy, I've no doubt my idea of a class case will not be the same as some of the younger members. But I think there may still be some appealing parts of the build. I'm looking forward to sharing what experience I have and I hope many others will share with me their experience and knowledge.

I think the first real piece of hardware I get for this is a power supply. Since it will be (prob'ly) a i5 P55 board and maybe a nVidia based graphics card with 1GB of memory (or maybe 512MB), a PSU in the 600-700W range would be good. I read some nice reviews of the Seasonic X-650 (http://www.seasonicusa.com/X.htm) that indicate it might be one of the quietest PSUs around. Anyone have any experience with that power supply? Anyone have other suggestions?

Thanks,

Grump

[Grump]

... Afraid I can't offer much in the way of core hardware advice, being an AMD fan myself...
Which burns hotter, the Intel i5 1156 CPU or the equivalent AMD CPU? I've used AMD before, but I've had more Intel inside machines I've built than AMD. I think the first incarnation of Functional Design (http://www.computerpoweruser.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles/archive/c0310/30c10/30c10.asp&guid=n4tf4480) was an AMD - that was a loooong time ago.

Thanks for the welcome.

Grump

[blueonblack]

From what I've seen they run pretty close to the Phenom II x2 processors (73 watts for i5 vs 80 for the Phenom), but the max recommended temp for the Phenom II is 62 vs 72 for the i5, so it would seem the AMD runs cooler. Don't quote me unless and until one of our Intel fanboys... er, experts chimes in.

[x88x]

I've used the m40 case before; it's actually what my current PC started out in. They're great little(ish) cases, but they do have a couple little quirks, most of which you seem to have found already.

For HDD placement, another option is the 3.5" bay. Mounts are on the bottom of the upper level floor, and if you're careful you can even modify a media card reader to fit in there in addition to a HDD.

I can't vouch for the X-650's silence, but Seasonic does make high quality stuff. There's a good reason they're on the list of ~5 or so manufacturers I actually recommend to people. ;) FWIW, I found that you can actually HDDs and a longer PSU in at the same time. If you drill new holes in the HDD mount so that you can have them facing the opposite direction, so the cables are connecting on the side away from the PSU, you can fit a PSU up to I think 170mm long.

Your previous mods linked look like very impressive work. I look forward to seeing what you do with this, even if you can't paint/etc. :D

[Grump]

...so it would seem the AMD runs cooler. Don't quote me unless and until one of our Intel fanboys... er, experts chimes in.
Okay, I'll wait to decide until there are more definitive replies to the question.


For HDD placement, another option is the 3.5" bay. Mounts are on the bottom of the upper level floor, and if you're careful you can even modify a media card reader to fit in there in addition to a HDD.
A little too close for comfort. That would put a very warm device (the HDD) too close to some hot components (RAM) and no direct cooling method that would be efficient. I have a card reader in the 3½" cage already.


Click for larger view.
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper013s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper013.jpg)

A 500-750GB HDD would create a fair amount of heat that doesn't actually need direct cooling. But put it next to some high heat producing RAM sticks and it could be a problem. There is an idea I have about cutting an 80mm hole to the other side of the 120mm and mounting a fan there, but its effectiveness at cooling the RAM and mobo could be weakened by having to also indirectly cool the HDD (the air from the fan would be flowing under the HDD, not on it).

Mounting the HDD inside the 5½" adapter, with that mounted in the upper optical cage could prevent the heat from the HDD from adding significantly to other components. The exhaust fan in the upper back of the case would pull the heat out well enough.

I think. :think:


I can't vouch for the X-650's silence, but Seasonic does make high quality stuff. There's a good reason they're on the list of ~5 or so manufacturers I actually recommend to people. ;)
All the reviews seem to indicate it's a record breaking PSU, both in efficiency and silence. I think I am going to order it from FadFusion (http://www.fadfusion.com/selection.php?product_item_number=10024417545) in the morning - <$140.00.


FWIW, I found that you can actually [put] HDDs and a longer PSU in at the same time. If you drill new holes in the HDD mount so that you can have them facing the opposite direction, so the cables are connecting on the side away from the PSU, you can fit a PSU up to I think 170mm long.
I may test that therory, even if I still mount the HDD in my adapter. The Seasonic X-650 is 160mm long (by 150mm W. and 86mm H.). I've seen no actual pictures of the PSU fitment in the AeroCool M40 case, so that should add to the available information searchable on this site and search engines.


Your previous mods linked look like very impressive work. I look forward to seeing what you do with this, even if you can't paint/etc. :D
Thanks. I will try to do a nice job on this. It may not be in the same category of mods I've seen a lot of here, but I hope the quality of what I am able to do meets the high standards exhibited by many on this site.

Grump

[x88x]

I may test that therory, even if I still mount the HDD in my adapter. The Seasonic X-650 is 160mm long (by 150mm W. and 86mm H.). I've seen no actual pictures of the PSU fitment in the AeroCool M40 case, so that should add to the available information searchable on this site and search engines.

I'll try and remember to pull mine out of the closet tomorrow after work and take some pictures with stuff thrown in for sizing reference. I actually had it running for quite a while with two HDDs there (got crazy hot though) and a ~160-170mm PSU installed.

[Drum Thumper]

Very cool idea. I'll be following, as I have one of these cases also.

[Grump]

Very cool idea. I'll be following, as I have one of these cases also.

I ended up getting the Seasonic X650 from SuperBiiz.com (http://www.superbiiz.com) for $153.99. I read too many bad reviews of FadFusion. The PSU arrived in just a couple of days and came in a shipping box nearly the same size as my case. :eek: I removed the retail box, but haven't taken the PSU out of the packaging yet.

The fitment test won't be much good without a hard drive to put in the cage. I ordered a 500GB SATA2 Samsung HD502HJ from Compuvest (http://compuvest.com/Desc.jsp?iid=1210675). When it arrives, I will post pictures of the way it all fits together.

I apologize if this build will seem to drag on, but my income doesn't allow me to get all my components at once.

Grump

[OvRiDe]

No apologies necessary! I think every modder knows what its like to have to work and wait. Heck, we have some worklogs that went on for years with no end result. (Yes, Tribaloverkill, I am talking about you! :P) Just as in his case, we all understand that modder's can only mod at the pace life will let it. So don't worry about that.

Looking forward to seeing how you tackle this one.

[diluzio91]

Just adding my 2 cents, this build appeals to the side of me that loves a slight purr from a beastly engine right before the car burns some rice rocket with a glass pack.(SP?) But if it were me and pricing was one of the things you were looking at i would get the phenom over the i5, for half the price you cant go wrong, especially when the boards are cheaper for better quality in many cases.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103652 - tripple core
$104

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103847 - dual core
$87

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846 - dual core
$100 (this is a blackbox ed)

Just throwing my 2 cents into the ring. :D

[SXRguyinMA]

and if you live near a microcenter you can get a free MBB when you buy an AMD proc. or if you're not close to one, I have one about 40 mins from me and would happily go for you :up:

[Grump]

Just throwing my 2 cents into the ring. :D

and if you live near a microcenter you can get a free MBB when you buy an AMD proc.
Still not convinced that an AMD will give me the balance of power and reliability per dollar that an i5 750 will. Granted, I am not as familiar with AMD as I am with Intel, and even then I don't have much technical acumen to do real comparisons. It's a comfort thing. I'm old, I need peace of mind. ;) But I am curious... what th' heck is a MBB?


... or if you're not close to one, I have one about 40 mins from me and would happily go for you :up:
I appreciate the offer, but again, I'm an old guy. There's very few people I trust with my money online. Especially one I only just met online. It's another comfort thing. Hope you understand. :glasses:


+++

Today was the first time I have taken a Dremel to a piece of metal in over 4 years. It was good. You may remember that the chassis has a number of restrictions to smooth air flow. Here's a reminder of two of them:

http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper004tn.jpg
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper015tn.jpg

The stamped mesh in the front fan area would create additional turbulence that may result in noise, so it had to go. The same is true of the restrictive hole pattern under the power supply fan. In addition, these would inhibit the volume of air being pushed or pulled by the fans. In order to meet my goal of a very quiet computer, I must reduce the restrictions and turbulence so the fans can work at minimal speed to keep the components cool.

So, I dusted off some of my old modding tools. Please click any of the following images to see full size.


http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper020s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper020.jpg)

It took me a couple hours of cutting, filing and sanding to get what I wanted. Nothing I hate more than trying to work on a computer and getting cut by the case, so the filing and sanding are important. Even though I will be the only one looking inside this thing (well o' course, now you), I want it to look nice too.


http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper016s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper016.jpg)
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper017s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper017.jpg)
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper018s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper018.jpg)

And with the Seasonic X650 power supply in position:


http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper019s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper019.jpg)

I am still waiting on the hard drive to do some fitment tests. I won't be ordering from CompuVest again. I placed my order shortly after midnight last Friday morning. The company is in Washington and their website said the item was in stock. It still hadn't shipped today, so I called in the early afternoon. I guess I failed to realize "in stock" didn't mean their stock. The lady I spoke with said they had to wait 2 days to get it from their distributor. I got a tracking number a little while later and the package was picked up by UPS at about 7:30PM tonight (Tuesday) and it's due to be delivered Thursday. Nearly a week to get a HDD located just 12 hours driving time away is a bit much - and I don't like it when a site lies about a product being in stock. I don't care how good the price.

Maybe I'll chill my heels by cutting more metal tomorrow. The CPU cooler I think I will get doesn't have enough room to breathe. I will cut more of the second story floor of this case to allow for good air circulation. I really had a good time modding the case today. Even the small amount of cutting, filing and sanding I did played hell with my breathing (yes, I wore a mask), but I liked the results. And I enjoy sharing them with you.

Thanks,

Grump

[OvRiDe]

Nice metal work, its seems that you have not lost the touch! As for the i5-750 vs. Phenom II X4 debate. I think the i5 is the way to go. They perform very similarly in the tests I have seen, even though the i5 is only 2.66 GHz and the Phenom II X4 955 is a 3.2GHz. In this set of tests, http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/819/ it appears to me that the i5 edges over the AMD in more cases then it doesn't.

Looking forward to seeing more, keep up the great work!

[Grump]

Interesting comparison review, thanks for the link. I see the i5 750 uses less power and is easier to cool than the AMD too.

I haven't etched anything in stone yet, but I'm pretty sure the other hardware I may be getting is the Gigabyte GA-P55M-UD4 (http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3166#ov) motherboard, the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 (http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=35&lng=en) CPU cooler and PowerColor SCS3 HD5750 1GB GDDR5 (http://www.powercolor.com/Global/products_features.asp?id=211) video card (it's fanless). I'm gonna have to do some research on RAM and find prob'ly 8 GB of Gigabyte's supported memory that fits my budget - and I don't even know what a fair budget for it should be.

R'gards,

Grump

[diluzio91]

looking at the holes you cut with that dremmel im getting envious... how did you make the edges so smooth???? i tried using a round file and it didnt get me anywhere... could it have just been because it was old?

[x88x]

Looks great so far, Grump. I like the PSU vent hole..I always kinda worried about that when I was using my m40 case...


looking at the holes you cut with that dremmel im getting envious... how did you make the edges so smooth???? i tried using a round file and it didnt get me anywhere... could it have just been because it was old?

Much time with a file and sandpaper, I'm guessing. A bare cut from a Dremel is fairly rough most of the time (at least for me), but spend some time on that cut with a good handfile and it can be nice and smooth. Personally I rarely use sandpaper on cuts like that, but that's just usually I'm just gonna be covering it up with a fan/etc, so it's not worth it to me to get that last little bit of rough edge off.


But I am curious... what th' heck is a MBB?

In case you weren't kidding.. ;) MBB == Motherboard. No, I have no clue why we put two 'B's on there... :think:

EDIT:
Oh, and any DDR3 RAM should work fine with that MBB. Two of these (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231347) should do you nicely.

[Grump]

looking at the holes you cut with that dremmel im getting envious... how did you make the edges so smooth???? i tried using a round file and it didnt get me anywhere... could it have just been because it was old?
I started with the Dremel. It was sorta like connect the dots because I was just tracing out the stamped holes. I cut very close to the edges of the holes because trying to get rid of the saw tooth edge in metal is not that easy. Just hold the tool firmly and perpendicular to your cut. I use an arching motion when going around a corner. But in this case, those corners were very sharp, so I had to cut away the stamped section before I could go back to the corners. These corners cut easiest by just pulling the underside of the cutting blade against the metal as I nibbled away at the corner. Cutting too much with the Dremel is bad, but the more metal you leave for the files, the harder you will have to work.

A combination of flat and round files got the metal to the shape I wanted. You do have to round the corners out nice before you can finish the flat parts because the corners will be deeper cuts. Filing at a slight angle from left to right will give you the quickest and smoothest shavings. I use a coarse file and then a fine toothed file. Take your time. Make sure you finish by filing those tiny raised shards from the top and bottom of your cuts.

Those shards come off easily with the Dremel drum tools. I used 2 sizes - the small one for the corners and then the large one for the flats. Keep the passes in long even pressured strokes to keep from creating a dip. Of course, the dip was necessary along the flats of the front fan hole to make it gently curved, so I used the drum on the edge of that cut to give it shape.

I finished with sandpaper (120 grit) to give it a clean finish. It really does make a difference, even if you aren't going to paint (and especially if you are going to paint). Even though the holes are inside the case and it will be the rare occasion to be putting my hands around those areas, I want the job to look good for my own satisfaction. If I take shortcuts on things like this, then it will be easy for me to justify taking shortcuts elsewhere. Sooner or later, I will have talked myself into compromising something that will not be so hidden away. This is as true in life as it is in modding. When I'm gone, I want people to say, "this was one smooth and polished guy." ;)


Looks great so far, Grump. I like the PSU vent hole..I always kinda worried about that when I was using my m40 case...
Thanks. I'm gonna try my best to let this case breathe better than I do (that won't be hard). :glasses:


In case you weren't kidding.. ;) MBB == Motherboard. No, I have no clue why we put two 'B's on there... :think:
No, I wasn't kidding. At first I thought it was motherboard or mainboard, but for all the years I been computing (since 1992), motherboard was either spelled out or truncated with mobo or mb (Mb=megabit, MB=megabyte, although I've often seen this capitalized abbreviation for motherboard). Two B's has to be a typo - except when it's used to refer to mobile broadband or a file extension.


Oh, and any DDR3 RAM should work fine with that MBB. Two of these (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231347) should do you nicely.

Serious? MBB? C'mon, some "7337 mOdduR" made a typo and ever'one who wants to be as cool as him now has to make the same mistake?

It's hard to take a motherboard manufacturer to task if you don't use their suggested RAM sticks. Gigabyte has a long list to choose from. I'm not going to settle for only 2GB though. I'm gonna try to afford 8GB (and populate all 4 slots) and it looks like I can do that with a budget of around $250.00, give or take. Dang, that's more than the CPU. :eek:

Grump

[x88x]

Serious? MBB? C'mon, some "7337 mOdduR" made a typo and ever'one who wants to be as cool as him now has to make the same mistake?
To be honest, I don't know where the term originated, it could very well have been that, or it might have been to get around the similarity to Mb/MB. It's been around since before I knew what a motherboard was though, so personally I feel no 'leetness' factor using it, it's as much a technical term to me as CPU or RAM.


I'm not going to settle for only 2GB though.
Whoops, sorry about that, I must have misread the product page...for some reason I was thinking I saw 2x2GB, not 2GB. :P

[diluzio91]

yea... ram prices are through the roof lately, some (korean/chinese/japanese, i dont remember which) chip manufacturer closed down and demand has gone through the surpluses that they had before... the ram i put in purple (also blue, lol... same guts different case) was $55 when i got it for a friends rig, to $75 when i got it 6months ago, and now if i follow the link in my invoice its $110... i shud have stocked up and made a killer profit!

[Grump]

The hard drive arrived from CompuVest this afternoon. I was busy modding my fence though, so not only did I not get to cutting the CPU cooler hole in the case, but I didn't get to the HDD/PSU fitment test until just an hour ago. Can't cut case in the dark and the fence kicked my ass, so I just relaxed a while and vegged out on TV.

Here is what the fitment is like with the HDD mounted in the supplied cage and the data/power connectors facing rearward. I didn't bother connecting any cables - you'll see why below (please click images for full-size).

http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-1s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-1.jpg)

No way that configuration will work. Even using right angle connectors for the drive, there's just no room to spare for the PSU cables. AeroCool suggests the power supply used in this case should be no more than 140mm long. The Seasonic X650 is 160mm. In addition, AeroCool recommends the PSU have hard wired cabling instead of modular connectors. So, this power supply falls far short of the AeroCool recommendations. But, in fact, the Seasonic X650/750 (both are the same size) does work in the M-40 case.

Here is the fit with the hard drive mounted with the data/power connectors facing to the front of the case. I also installed some PSU connectors right at the part of the PSU that comes closest to the HDD cage.

http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-2s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-2.jpg)
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-3s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-3.jpg)

There is plenty of room for the HDD connectors too - even standard straight ones. But... I got a bug under my hat to mount the HDD in an after market cage with rubber grommets and better air flow around the drive. I plugged and unplugged several connectors while both the PSU and the HDD and optical drives were mounted and found that it was quite easy. It is impossible to do that in the stock configuration.

http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-4s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-4.jpg)
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-5s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-seasonicx650-aerocoolm40-5.jpg)


M-40 Case Limitations: Standard ATX PSU but recommending the depth no longer than 140mm and preferably Non-Modular connect type PSU.

I am happy to report my tests with the Seasonic X650 modular power supply is one of probably many exceptions to those recommendations.

Best R'gards,

Grump

[Grump]

Today I worked a little on the fence and a little on the case. I got the metal removed from the CPU cooler area. Of course, since I don't have the motherboard yet, nor the cooler, I've got no way of knowing if the section I cut will be sufficient. That will have to wait a couple more weeks until that hardware is in my budget. As far as I know, what you see below is the extent of the chassis cutting. Enjoy the final picture of this phase as it sits on a floor I installed just before Christmas (I live in a converted garage).


Click for full-size image.
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper023s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper023.jpg)

Grump

[Trace]

Looking good!

[Grump]

Short update tonight. I finally got some good weather, so it was time to paint the areas I wanted. I can't handle too much painting, so I decided the case looks good the color it is. But I like the back of the case to look just as good as the rest of it. And I don't like seeing the grey carcass of the chassis through vent holes an' such. So, I painted the lower part of the carcass (there's mesh screen in front of this area) and the whole back of the case, including the I/O panel.

Click for full-size images.
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper024s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper024.jpg)
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper025s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/o2-whisper025.jpg)

I started to do some assembly, but the case was short one motherboard standoff. I don't have any 6mm standoffs and there's no computer store around unless I want to take a 160 mile drive. I sent an email to AeroCool and asked them to send me a single standoff. It's not a big issue now because I don't have any RAM, a CPU or a video card yet. So the short delay won't hurt.

R'gards,

Grump

[blueonblack]

I sent an email to AeroCool and asked them to send me a single standoff.

Nice. :D

[Grump]

My CPU cooler came in today. I worried that it would be too tall, but I shoulda worried it would be too wide.

http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-zipang2-01s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-zipang2-01.jpg)
http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-zipang2-04s.jpg (http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/fitment-zipang2-04.jpg)

I think even a 120mm would be too wide. I didn't know this would be a problem in a mATX board, but it is. I'm wondering if the Nexus FLC-3000 cooler might be a better choice. It's a little tall, but it's slanted so only a small portion of it might poke through the hole I cut in the second level floor.

http://www.grumpsplace.com/images/comp/o2whisper/nexus-flc-3000.png

Any ideas rattling around in some of you's heads?

Grump

[blueonblack]

I had planned to use this Cooler Master (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103041)cooler for my HTPC, should I ever get around to building it. Would this fit your space?

[Grump]

No, that doesn't support the Intel 1156 or 1366 socket. I found a Vortex Plus on the Cooler Master site that would work, but I can't find the darn thing for sale anywhere.

Thanks,

Jim

[SXRguyinMA]

grump, how many standoffs, what style and length do you need? I've got a ton. pm me your addy and I'll get some out :D

[diluzio91]

grump. i know this might seem a little excessive... but since you already have a 120mm fan on the front you could look at this guy
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010&Tpk=corsair
otherwise post the cooler you were looking at, the power of the many to google outweighs the power of the few.