Girlfriend's build (pictures 'n stuff)

fortyways · 02-25-2008, 01:30 AM

This is the computer in blue in my sig. I built it for my girlfriend who's training to be a 911 operative or something. She's also taking some courses online.

Budget, silence and reliability were the goals here.

Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2C mobo: $50 at Newegg (USD)
Antec EarthWatts 380 PSU: $35 at Newegg
Pentium Dual Core E2160: $75 at Newegg
Lite-On DVD Burner: $25 at Newegg
CoolerMaster Elite 340 mATX case: $35 at Fry's Electronics
D-Link wireless G adapter: $25 at Fry's Electronics
Western Digital 120GB 8MB Scorpio Laptop HDD: $50 at Best Buy

The total was about $300. The RAM, case fan and CPU cooler were some things I had left over.

Here's the outside of her case. She likes the Zalman stickers.

Here's the inside.

This is what I did to her exhaust fan. Those with cheap CoolerMaster cases have probably noticed how restrictive the vents are - they're more closed than open. So I removed it. I may or may not add a grill later.

This is how I mounted the laptop hard drive. It's suspended with elastic, which is actually the stock elastic mounting system from an Antec Solo case. It's held together with the zip ties that come with Corsair PSUs. The foam under it (for when it hits the flo') is also from Corsair's packaging.

The exhaust fan is the stock fan from a Scythe Ninja CPU cooler. It's at 5V, I'm not sure about he RPM. The Zalman fan is connected to a fanmate at 5V through a resistor cable, so it's actually even lower than 5V. It spins at 600RPM.

The PSU has a silicon pad between it and the case to reduce vibration. The case fan also has silicon mounts. The hard drive is mounted the way it is for this reason as well. The CPU fan and DVD drive, when in use, still cause vibration in the case.

The computer in inaudible above the air conditioner/heater, music, or the fridge in the apartment. If all of these are off and the house is silent it can be heard up to 5 feet away. I may replace the PSU fan with a Noctua fan in the future to fix this.

I'm looking for suggestions on how to light up the case a bit. Girlfriend would like blue lights. I had some Antec TriCool LED fans but they were too loud, so I'm wondering what the best noiseless type of lighting is?

reddevil6 · 02-25-2008, 01:38 AM

i have never heard of people using laptop HDDs in a destop computer!
looks good , an even better for $300

diduknowthat · 02-25-2008, 01:40 AM

Looks great! Seems like you did a better job than me in trying to make a quiet computer with the Elite series case. I've given up and reverted back to my good old P180b.

Also, I would mount a fan grill on the back as a wire might be accident find its way to the fan.

fortyways · 02-25-2008, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diduknowthat

Also, I would mount a fan grill on the back as a wire might be accident find its way to the fan.

Or one of her fingers. The problem is I'd have to use screws with a fan grill which would make it louder. I'm still playing around with ideas of how to fit it there without causing vibrations.

also, thanks for the compliments both.

diduknowthat · 02-25-2008, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortyways

Or one of her fingers. The problem is I'd have to use screws with a fan grill which would make it louder. I'm still playing around with ideas of how to fit it there without causing vibrations.

also, thanks for the compliments both.

Try wire ties, string 3 of them together and loop it across the fan, it should work.

fortyways · 02-25-2008, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diduknowthat

Try wire ties, string 3 of them together and loop it across the fan, it should work.

Do you mean actually use the wire ties as a fan grill?

diduknowthat · 02-25-2008, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fortyways

Do you mean actually use the wire ties as a fan grill?

No, what I went is that you use the wire ties to mount the fan grills. Thread the plastic ties through the screw hole and connect them together using the other hole. This way, you'll have 2 loops of wire ties holding the grill and fan onto the case.

fortyways · 02-25-2008, 02:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diduknowthat

No, what I went is that you use the wire ties to mount the fan grills. Thread the plastic ties through the screw hole and connect them together using the other hole. This way, you'll have 2 loops of wire ties holding the grill and fan onto the case.

Okay I think I see what you mean, I'll see if I can make that work.

**mep916** · 02-25-2008, 02:19 AM

I built a rig for my sister with that same case. Bought it for $35 from Fry's as well. It's really nice.

fortyways · 02-25-2008, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mep916

I built a rig for my sister with that same case. Bought it for $35 from Fry's as well. It's really nice.

I was really impressed with the removable mobo tray, 120mm fan spots, included case speaker and the fact that the power LED is two seperate plugs. Very well thought out for such a cheap case.

02-25-2008, 01:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
fortyways banned Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: USA Posts: 1,134	Girlfriend's build (pictures 'n stuff) This is the computer in blue in my sig. I built it for my girlfriend who's training to be a 911 operative or something. She's also taking some courses online. Budget, silence and reliability were the goals here. Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2C mobo: $50 at Newegg (USD) Antec EarthWatts 380 PSU: $35 at Newegg Pentium Dual Core E2160: $75 at Newegg Lite-On DVD Burner: $25 at Newegg CoolerMaster Elite 340 mATX case: $35 at Fry's Electronics D-Link wireless G adapter: $25 at Fry's Electronics Western Digital 120GB 8MB Scorpio Laptop HDD: $50 at Best Buy The total was about $300. The RAM, case fan and CPU cooler were some things I had left over. Here's the outside of her case. She likes the Zalman stickers. Here's the inside. This is what I did to her exhaust fan. Those with cheap CoolerMaster cases have probably noticed how restrictive the vents are - they're more closed than open. So I removed it. I may or may not add a grill later. This is how I mounted the laptop hard drive. It's suspended with elastic, which is actually the stock elastic mounting system from an Antec Solo case. It's held together with the zip ties that come with Corsair PSUs. The foam under it (for when it hits the flo') is also from Corsair's packaging. The exhaust fan is the stock fan from a Scythe Ninja CPU cooler. It's at 5V, I'm not sure about he RPM. The Zalman fan is connected to a fanmate at 5V through a resistor cable, so it's actually even lower than 5V. It spins at 600RPM. The PSU has a silicon pad between it and the case to reduce vibration. The case fan also has silicon mounts. The hard drive is mounted the way it is for this reason as well. The CPU fan and DVD drive, when in use, still cause vibration in the case. The computer in inaudible above the air conditioner/heater, music, or the fridge in the apartment. If all of these are off and the house is silent it can be heard up to 5 feet away. I may replace the PSU fan with a Noctua fan in the future to fix this. I'm looking for suggestions on how to light up the case a bit. Girlfriend would like blue lights. I had some Antec TriCool LED fans but they were too loud, so I'm wondering what the best noiseless type of lighting is? Last edited by fortyways; 02-25-2008 at 01:36 AM. Reason: grammarrrrrr

02-25-2008, 01:38 AM	#2 (permalink)
reddevil6 Diamond Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Australia Age: 15 Posts: 1,069	i have never heard of people using laptop HDDs in a destop computer! looks good , an even better for $300 __________________ (1) GA-MA770-DS3 - AMD 6000+ @3.3GHz - WD SE16 2x500G - Gigabyte 3870 @855 - 2100 (upgrading to a 4850 soon) - Apacer 2x2G DDR 800 - Thermaltake Soprano RS100 full tower - Coolmaster extrema power duo 650W - 3DMARK06 10812 (2) GA-81945P-G-RH - Pentium D 945 (3.4GHz) had it @4.42 GHz - SATA 3.0G 1x250G 2x500G - ASUS 3850 - 3G DDR 533 - Topower 750W - 50''(127CM) 1080P 1920x1080 plasma - 3DMARK06 7250.

02-25-2008, 01:40 AM	#3 (permalink)
diduknowthat formerly liuliuboy Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Massachusetts Age: 17 Posts: 6,166	Looks great! Seems like you did a better job than me in trying to make a quiet computer with the Elite series case. I've given up and reverted back to my good old P180b. Also, I would mount a fan grill on the back as a wire might be accident find its way to the fan. __________________ Silent Tuned \| 3D Marks 06: 11566 Q6600 2.4ghz CPU \| Gigabyte GA-P35 LGA 775 MB EVGA 8800gt 512mb Video Card G.Skill 4GB Ram \| Western Digital 400GB HD X-Fi Xtrememusic Sound Card Antec P180B Case \| Scythe Ninja HSF CM Real Power Pro 650watt PSU

02-25-2008, 02:19 AM	#9 (permalink)
mep916 Moderator - F@H Guru Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Northern Cali Age: 28 Posts: 3,612	I built a rig for my sister with that same case. Bought it for $35 from Fry's as well. It's really nice. __________________ Q9450 @ 3.6 GHz \|\| Zalman CNPS9700 ASUS Rampage Formula 320MB 8800 GTS (G80) 4GB Ballistix Tracer @ 900 MHz 150GB WD Raptor 1TB Hitachi Deskstar Antec Nine Hundred Case 750W Quad Silencer FOLDING FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND:F@H Team 44358 \|\| Team Stats \|\| My Stats \|\| Hardware Contributions: Q9450/PS3/P4

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Game Boy Stuff!	diduknowthat	Computer Equipment For Sale	1	12-06-2006 11:45 PM
Exporting pictures from slide shows	Xyle	General Software	6	03-04-2006 08:33 PM
Newb's first build - Please check my components.	socalcyclist	Desktop Computers	12	03-04-2006 12:41 AM
Another nood asking for build help	MachLX	Desktop Computers	6	11-24-2004 07:43 AM