After much searching for a new computer I decided it was time to build my own machine which I've not done for many years. I wasn't really inspired by the complete systems available as I wanted a powerful but quiet development machine. That and I fancied a small project.
Things didn't really fall into place until I found the case I wanted. A
Bitfenix Prodigy. Compact, elevated and room for my desired CPU
cooler; a Zalman CNSP 9900 Max.
I was happy with the total cost for
parts ($1100) which was the same as a Dell no-frills grunty desktop with the
same CPU, conventional HDD, half the RAM and an incrementally more
powerful video card. I on the other hand had said premium CPU cooler, a small but modern SSD, a fan-less power supply and video card, and a high-end albeit compact motherboard.
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| Boxed parts |
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| Unboxed parts |
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After removing the two large case fans and unnecessary internals the rough positioning exercise had me breathing a sigh of relief. This was going to work just fine. I liked the CPU sending waste air toward the rear grill, and the heavy CPU cooler was mounted quite comfortably on a horizontal motherboard.
The first obstacle was the fan-less power supply which had to be inserted upside-down contrary to the instructions of the manufacturer. Unfortunately there really was no choice.
It was then that the stress levels started to climb. The instructions for mounting the cooler were a little confusing because they had a mixture of procedures for alternate sockets. And screwing the assembly together required more muscle than I would have preferred. Thankfully I did a practice run with no thermal grease. I was quite happy with the result. The tiny motherboard and giant cooler would suit my purposes quite well.
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| CPU cooler mounted |
The ceremonial placement of the motherboard inside the case proceeded without incident but did require some spacial gymnastics. Unfortunately it was the beginning of the next minor ordeal.
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| Motherboard in place |
The first attempt at screwing things into place yielded a very unhappy looking motherboard. The backing plate for the CPU cooler did not have enough room under the motherboard, and the padding behind the faceplate was unwelcome.
After fashioning some rubber bushes and removing the faceplate padding the motherboard looked much happier although the extra height was causing a minor misalignment with the faceplate. But nothing I couldn't live with.
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| Custom bushes & recycled washers |
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| No room for faceplate padding |
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| CPU cooler backing plate beneath motherboard |
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| Misaligned faceplate; WiFi antenna mount nuts moved outside |
Moving the nuts on the WiFi antenna mounts to the outside corrected a somewhat obvious oversight.
Finally the cabling and video card went in fairly smoothly. Firing up the machine for the first time was a little nerve racking as it was thwarted by a poorly seated RAM module. Thankfully it was quickly diagnosed and I was soon satisfied with the noise level of the one and only fan.
As a bonus the top view of the computer with the panel open looked great as the cooler and fan light took on the appearance of a turbine.
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| Turbine-like CPU cooler |
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| Top view (no flash) |
Hi! Nice post!
ReplyDeleteI have an idea for the backplate issue you're having.
It seems like you've installed the "Loading Block", which is unneccessary for socket 1155, thus making it crooked.
Sweet. Thanks for the post
ReplyDeleteWoo Hoo! I finally got round to removing that "Loading Block" and everything seems to work fine.
ReplyDeleteI didn't need the extra spacers and the ports now line up properly with the face plate.
I gave everything a good clean and put fresh thermal grease and a new CMOS battery. Am feeling much better about my 4 year old computer :)