[Bmac]

If you talked to Ashley at AVI it might be possible to buy 2 slaves with only the amplification built in, but it probably wouldn't save you a great deal of money and you'd still need an external DAC and pre-amp. You would also lose the remote control functionality which isn't easy to replace on a budget either.

 

[Otakusound]

Hey Bmac, thanks for confirming via photograph that the FT02 can fit a Thermalright Silver Arrow sb-e, I'd been wanting to do the same but the clearance listed with the FT02 was the same number as the silver arrow gave, so I was hesitant to try. Do you get good temps with this setup and can it be made virtually silent?

 

[Bmac]

The fit is tight enough that the top of the heatsink presses into the padding on the inside of the case wall but it doesn't dent the side out.
 
My temps are usually low-30's at most under normal conditions. I've used lots of different fan controllers and found them all disappointing, so with this setup I'm using the Asus FanXpert2 software that comes with the motherboard and it works well. Under most circumstances the only fans running are the heatsink fans (and the gpu fan). It's almost completely silent like this and because the layout is so good the temps are great too. If the case warms up at all the other fans will kick in at low RPM and even then they don't add too much noise. Unfortunately my gpu's fan is quite noisy and that tends to be louder than all the other fans combined most of the time.
 
if I want to do benchmarking I can turn all fans to 100% via the software, and then it's really loud but I can benchmark the CPU at 100% load and the temps still never get very hot. It's all way better than my previous setups; better temps, lower noise and the fan software works better than any harware fan controllers I've used. I wish the fan profiles could be customized a little more, but I can't complain really.
 
I replaced the stock exhaust fan with a Scythe Gentle Typhoon and it is by far the best case fan I've ever used. In my last case I had 5 Noctua's and now they're sitting in the closet. The Gentle Typhoon is way better mostly due to bigger and better bearings than any fan I know of. Everything else looks really cheap in comparison.

 

[Otakusound]

That's what I was hoping to hear, I have the ft02 without the window as well so now I know it'll fit.

Asus Fanxpert2 has provided the same experience in my system and really is a nifty controller, though I do need to fiddle with it a bit more to get a feel for its potential. I haven't done too much benchmarking since I was waiting for a better cooler than the fairly basic CM212 evo, but even with that the idle and load temps in this case are fantastic. I also replaced the stock exhaust fan since it was the most obvious noise generator at first. Was looking at getting a gentle typhoon but it seems like the lower rpm models have possibly been discontinued, so I went for the other fan spcr recommended the noiseblocker m12-s1 and it's worked nicely, though if there's ever a low rpm scythe for sale I'll think about trying it out.

Also so not to get too off topic, here are some crappy pics of my build!

 

[tool462]

Quote:

Because I'm new here I went back through this topic to the beginning of the year, and there are some great systems here. I really like how the small form-factor systems look.
 
I would love to have one of those, but I need a high-end system, and nothing offers enough optical/hard drive bays for me. A CD exploded inside one of my drives today, and it has been very limiting with only one connected to the system, so I definitely couldn't downgrade to a single laptop drive which is half the speed of a desktop drive.
 
 
But I was wondering if someone could give some insight on these two builds:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/397869/pictures-of-your-computer-rigs-post-them-here/7125#post_8473759
http://www.head-fi.org/t/397869/pictures-of-your-computer-rigs-post-them-here/5820#post_7967758
 
What is the reason for such monstrous cases and radiators?
I see they are multi-GPU setups, but is it just to keep them cool, or is it to keep the system quiet? There seems to be a lot of empty space inside them both.
 
I ask because I bought the Silverstone FT02 when so many people said it was the coolest and quietest case you can get for air cooling, and I can still hear it through the walls at night. (solid brick walls)
I'm going to be upgrading all the 120mm fans to the new Corsair quiet editions, but I'm doubtful that it will help much. Noctuas were not available and I needed something now, along with the optical drive, and many reviews say the Corsairs are actually better.
 
Not that I will be watercooling anyway, I was just wondering. With my luck, the system would be dead in a week if I went with watercooling.

 
The reason for huge cases that provide lots of radiator space is the fact that you can achieve two factors that are mutually exclusive in smaller setups:
1) Extreme quiet
2) Very low water temperatures allowing for higher overclocks
 
Sure there is usually a fair bit of wasted volume, but when you are working inside a high end watercooled rig it is often nice to have all that extra room to work.  The CaseLabs cases are second to none in that category, Mountain Mods *can* be nice in that regard but their motherboard trays get tight on the bottom if you are putting 2 or 3 cards on water.
 
I've built in nearly every high end case, most multiple builds, so if you have questions about anything specific drop me a PM.
 
The FT02 is certainly a solid case in terms of airflow, but it is nowhere near the quietest case there is.  Largely factoring into the sound of a fully aircooled case is the fans being used and at what voltages the fans are being used.  Set up a profile in your BIOS to ramp up the voltage only when needed and even the stock FT02 fans can be quiet.  Or invest a few bucks in a decent fan controller and do it manually.  
 
For what it is worth, I have only lost 1 video card to water related death and it was because I was topping off a res while the rig was running and dropped an allen wrench on the back of the card!  It is very safe if you pay attention and skip all the fancy rotating connectors etc.

 

[tool462]

Quote:

Because I'm new here I went back through this topic to the beginning of the year, and there are some great systems here. I really like how the small form-factor systems look.
 
I would love to have one of those, but I need a high-end system, and nothing offers enough optical/hard drive bays for me. A CD exploded inside one of my drives today, and it has been very limiting with only one connected to the system, so I definitely couldn't downgrade to a single laptop drive which is half the speed of a desktop drive.
 
 
But I was wondering if someone could give some insight on these two builds:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/397869/pictures-of-your-computer-rigs-post-them-here/7125#post_8473759
http://www.head-fi.org/t/397869/pictures-of-your-computer-rigs-post-them-here/5820#post_7967758
 
What is the reason for such monstrous cases and radiators?
I see they are multi-GPU setups, but is it just to keep them cool, or is it to keep the system quiet? There seems to be a lot of empty space inside them both.
 
I ask because I bought the Silverstone FT02 when so many people said it was the coolest and quietest case you can get for air cooling, and I can still hear it through the walls at night. (solid brick walls)
I'm going to be upgrading all the 120mm fans to the new Corsair quiet editions, but I'm doubtful that it will help much. Noctuas were not available and I needed something now, along with the optical drive, and many reviews say the Corsairs are actually better.
 
Not that I will be watercooling anyway, I was just wondering. With my luck, the system would be dead in a week if I went with watercooling.

 
The reason for huge cases that provide lots of radiator space is the fact that you can achieve two factors that are mutually exclusive in smaller setups:
1) Extreme quiet
2) Very low water temperatures allowing for higher overclocks
 
Sure there is usually a fair bit of wasted volume, but when you are working inside a high end watercooled rig it is often nice to have all that extra room to work.  The CaseLabs cases are second to none in that category, Mountain Mods *can* be nice in that regard but their motherboard trays get tight on the bottom if you are putting 2 or 3 cards on water.
 
I've built in nearly every high end case, most multiple builds, so if you have questions about anything specific drop me a PM.
 
The FT02 is certainly a solid case in terms of airflow, but it is nowhere near the quietest case there is.  Largely factoring into the sound of a fully aircooled case is the fans being used and at what voltages the fans are being used.  Set up a profile in your BIOS to ramp up the voltage only when needed and even the stock FT02 fans can be quiet.  Or invest a few bucks in a decent fan controller and do it manually.  
 
For what it is worth, I have only lost 1 video card to water related death and it was because I was topping off a res while the rig was running and dropped an allen wrench on the back of the card!  It is very safe if you pay attention and skip all the fancy rotating connectors etc.

 

[tool462]

I should mention that my personal rig in a Mountain Mods Pinnacle 24 was originally "blacked out" completely. All black everything inside, tubing/pump mods/sleeving etc. I covered all the LEDs with tape and ended up having to take some tape off and light up the reservoir because my wife would always try to turn it on when it was already on because it was so quiet.  She had a penchant for hitting the reset switch since it is identical to the power switch and would mess up my Bitcoin mining lol

 

[fizzix]

As of right now.

 

[ohhgourami]

Quote:

The fit is tight enough that the top of the heatsink presses into the padding on the inside of the case wall but it doesn't dent the side out.
 
My temps are usually low-30's at most under normal conditions. I've used lots of different fan controllers and found them all disappointing, so with this setup I'm using the Asus FanXpert2 software that comes with the motherboard and it works well. Under most circumstances the only fans running are the heatsink fans (and the gpu fan). It's almost completely silent like this and because the layout is so good the temps are great too. If the case warms up at all the other fans will kick in at low RPM and even then they don't add too much noise. Unfortunately my gpu's fan is quite noisy and that tends to be louder than all the other fans combined most of the time.
 
if I want to do benchmarking I can turn all fans to 100% via the software, and then it's really loud but I can benchmark the CPU at 100% load and the temps still never get very hot. It's all way better than my previous setups; better temps, lower noise and the fan software works better than any harware fan controllers I've used. I wish the fan profiles could be customized a little more, but I can't complain really.
 
I replaced the stock exhaust fan with a Scythe Gentle Typhoon and it is by far the best case fan I've ever used. In my last case I had 5 Noctua's and now they're sitting in the closet. The Gentle Typhoon is way better mostly due to bigger and better bearings than any fan I know of. Everything else looks really cheap in comparison.

Customize fan setting with software? That's what Speedfan is for. Better than the BIOS settings. Way better.
 
You're also probably better off with no exhaust fan in back. As good as GTs are, I'm replacing mine with Be Quiet! Silent Wings 2. Very pricey though...

 

[corelement]

Here's my bedroom workstation setup
 
 
Components:
 
Jamo Concert 8 / D830 @ 3.3 ohms Reference bookshelf speakers. Seas Excel drivers with copper phase plug heatsinks
Cambridge Audio Azur 840a Dual mono stereo integrated amplifier
THX collaborated speaker cables
Zalman HD135s Full ATX Computer enclosure with 6 low noise ventilation fans 
AMD Phenom 2 x4 965be | 4 gb ram | Radeon HD5850 | Asus Xonar STX | Razer Abyssus mouse | Reclusa Keyboard | Samsung B2230 TN panel (got it dirt cheap new otherwise would have gotten IPS) Monitor
Soundfoundations.in Custom Stands
APC 600W UPS
 
 
 
 

 


 


 
 

 

 

 

 
 

 
 
View from desk
 

 

[qqexpress]

Loving that view from your desk, looks amazing! The depth of that table is so short though...

 

[Destroysall]

Quote:

Here's my bedroom workstation setup
 
 
Components:
 
Jamo Concert 8 / D830 @ 3.3 ohms Reference bookshelf speakers. Seas Excel drivers with copper phase plug heatsinks
Cambridge Audio Azur 840a Dual mono stereo integrated amplifier
THX collaborated speaker cables
Zalman HD135s Full ATX Computer enclosure with 6 low noise ventilation fans 
AMD Phenom 2 x4 965be | 4 gb ram | Radeon HD5850 | Asus Xonar STX | Razer Abyssus mouse | Reclusa Keyboard | Samsung B2230 TN panel (got it dirt cheap new otherwise would have gotten IPS) Monitor
Soundfoundations.in Custom Stands
APC 600W UPS

Very nice setup! I beg you to please share your opinions on your audio setup. It looks superb. I also am really adoring your computer case. 
 
destroysall.

 

[corelement]

Quote:

Loving that view from your desk, looks amazing! The depth of that table is so short though...

 
Thanks! I feel lucky to have such a view. Yes the table depth is pretty short, but luckily, THERE'S A PULLOUT TRAY UNDER that doubles my workspace ^.^
Quote:

Very nice setup! I beg you to please share your opinions on your audio setup. It looks superb. I also am really adoring your computer case. 
 
destroysall.

LOL don't need to beg! 
 
um, what would you like to know? Want me to post a review on the forum somewhere?
 
Yeah the case is pretty good, the 5850's about the biggest video card it can fit. It's not a bad performer so I have no complaints. The best part is I picked up a new piece for just 40$ off ebay. New it was 300usd!

 

[alamakazam]

Quote:

 
Thanks! I feel lucky to have such a view. Yes the table depth is pretty short, but luckily, THERE'S A PULLOUT TRAY UNDER that doubles my workspace ^.^
LOL don't need to beg! 
 
um, what would you like to know? Want me to post a review on the forum somewhere?
 
Yeah the case is pretty good, the 5850's about the biggest video card it can fit. It's not a bad performer so I have no complaints. The best part is I picked up a new piece for just 40$ off ebay. New it was 300usd!

 
 
your listening position is on the bed or in front of the bed

 

[corelement]

The d830's have a very wide off-axis soundstage, almost about 160'
So even when I'm working at the desk or sitting on the bed, the sonic properties don't change. 
However when I had the jamo e875 floorstanders previously, their off-axis soundstage was fairly poor.
I had to compensate by spreading them wider and toe'ing them at a steeper angle as compared to the d830's
 
This was my previous layout - 2011