File Server

[danthegeek]

Hello Everyone.

Well I have embarked on a new adventure this week andbefore I started cutting I wanted some opinions on my design. The airflow is my biggest concern because it will be at full load most of the time and the cpu only has a heatsink, no fan. I could strap some 40mm fans to it but I also want this box to be as silent as possible. Also, the case will not have a CD-Rom because it is a file server for my home and It needs to be small.

Here are some pics. Yes I will be using a M-ATX PSU.
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/danthegeek/view3.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/danthegeek/view2.jpg

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m65/danthegeek/View1.jpg

Thanx and any comments are welcome.

[Drum Thumper]

What are you planning on using for the CPU?

[Nagoshi]

If CPU is going to run at full load most of the time, but if you don't mind about losing some performance, you could get an AMD CPU and lower the multiplier so that it produces less heat. Actually, underclocking your chip. It will produce less heat.

And for your PSU, what will you use? passive cooled? if you use one with a fan, make sure you are using one with "Noise Killer" technology that will slow down the fan when the PSU is not used, and if you have the cash I may suggest getting one with a better wattage, as it will develop less heat at lower usage.

[SgtM]

I would suggest 120mm fans for the front and back. You get more air movement at lower RPM's, and they're not as loud as 80mm. Just a thought for ya. I like the looks of it. Good luck with the project.

[danthegeek]

The CPU that im using is an old 366MHZ Intel. Yeah I know its old as dirt but it works just fine. I think the 80 mm fans will be enough because all its using for cooling curantly is the PSU. The heatsink barely gets warm as is. I was just wondering if this will be an efficient way of cooling the box? Ill be using these fans.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835185035

I may even get another one for the PSU if its to noisy.

The new Psu does have a fan that will be almost directly above the CPU. My other alternative is to get 2 40mm fans and make a bracket to attach to the heatsink. Id probably use these if I had to, I just dont like using 40 mm because they always seem to get noisy after some use but thats all that will fit.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835119049

Ill be using this PSU. Its 200 watts and will be more then enough for this old system.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817154008

[Nagoshi]

"Cons: Transformer was shorting, several leads in contact with casing"

"Other Thoughts: Bought because it was cheap, read 30-some positive reviews. I turned off my computer at night and come morning when booting it, everything was dead. I have a UPS that protects against brownouts and power surges, so it's not like I got a freak electric toasting of my computer. I took everything out and left my brand new motherboard and the PSU, and confirmed that the PSU was the culprit (because my CPU fan wouldn't run). I don't blame Newegg, nor APEX, I blame myself for choosing this power supply."

Maybe a tad bit too cheap. I know the PSU is not going to be really used... but a cheap PSU should not be bough, especially nowadays, since it can toast a computer anytime. It did it to my uncle and his P4, and he wasn't doing anything when it happened.

Maybe if you could find a 200-250w Sparkle or a brand PSU...

And as he said, instead of using 2x40mm at full power, you could use a single 120mm controlled, so it doesn'T make noise and still moves quite some air.

[Redundant]

The CPU that im using is an old 366MHZ Intel. Yeah I know its old as dirt but it works just fine. [/URL]

What OS do you plan on running? Windows 3.1? MS-DOS? :p That processor won't be able to run anything useful so I don't see the point in using it...

You can get a celeron for $40 new or you can try to get an old PC (but not THAT old) from a school/ebay/a neighbor/ etc for little or no money.

EDIT: Quite a few people on here have bought dual Pentium IIIs for $50 on ebay (at least it's better than that Pentium pro) [URL="http://cgi.ebay.com/Huge-lot-of-computer-componets-MB-PS-Ram-Cables-etc_W0QQitemZ220084732676QQihZ012QQcategoryZ3666QQ rdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]Here's something. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817154008) This looks better too (http://cgi.ebay.com/BRAND-NEW-ECS-P4M890T-M2-PENTIUM-DUAL-CORE-LGA-775_W0QQitemZ320084362543QQihZ011QQcategoryZ1244QQ tcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) Or this (http://cgi.ebay.com/Intel-Pentium-D-805-Dual-Core-LGA-775-Motherboard-COMBO_W0QQitemZ260087731190QQihZ016QQcategoryZ1244 QQtcZphotoQQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

[tybrenis]

Now, I don't know if you're going for a small form factor, but as it's a file server, you probably just want it tucked away. You can eliminate a lot of the height in that case, and have your PSU hang over the mobo closer - it seems like you have a lot of unnecessary void space in their.

[danthegeek]

The system does run xp pro just fine. There is a little lag but its not like im sitting in front of the thing. The only thing this thing does is upload and downlad files and it does it at about 57mbs. I dont need anything any faster for music and movies. I would love to have something better but thats not free like this. I have a desktop that I use for gaming already.

I do want this to be small and this design is from an existing case. I could shorten it a bit but i do not have a way to weld it back. Any suggestion on how I might be able to shorten this thing (height). Its curantly 7 1/2 in high, 11 in deap, and 11 1/2 wide from the front.

Thanx