Case & Heatsink Ordered

[MRG]

Greetings all,

I ordered the final 2 parts for my new budget PC today from Newegg. While I don't care for bright & colorful cases, with my current case being an ugly beige beast that is over 5 years old & easily looks it, the Smilodon case somehow caught my eye & judging from it's internal layout features & price, it appeared to be a good deal that I just couldn't pass up. I'll either replace the Blue LED's with plain fans or possibly replace them with dark Green ones, which I have also taken a liking to. Being as it's good Friday, the parts prob won't ship out until Monday. This time next week I hope to be up & running on my new system. It's been several years since I ran an AMD system, though I was extremely happy with my then OC'ed Athlon 2600-m.

I spent a lot of time looking at different HS&F units that were within my budget & space clearance & after reading the 1,000's of positive reviews that the Xigmatek got, I decided to give them a chance. The last quality HS I used was the SP-97 from Thermalright, which was almost a pound of solid copper. It did work rather well though, which almost made me go with them again as a cooling solution. I hope the S1283 works as good as everyone says it does. I also was looking at the Corsair H50 Water Cooler & went so far as to have it in my shopping cart. While the reviews were good, the B1283 was 1/2 the price & cooled almost as good. With a -/+ 2f temp difference.

1) XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 CPU Cooler

2) RAIDMAX SMILODON Steel ATX Mid Tower

-MRG

 

[Acepilotf14]

Look at all dem lights.
I prefer a spartan design.

 

[VirusType2]

I think it looks pretty tight. Give us a quick review of the case once you've set it up.

 

[MRG]

Look at all dem lights.
I prefer a spartan design.

I normally do as well & the last time I had ANY colored fan lights in my case was around 5 years ago when I bought an Xblade case. I had it for about 2 months before I grew tired of it & gave it to my sister. I have about 25 fans of all sizes here among my surplus PC parts that I have salvaged from various new & used PC's I have been given over the years. The first thing I do is remove the colored LED's from the 4 corners. I'm also not a big fan of see-through sides, but again, something about the case "spoke" to me as corny as that sounds. This is the same case, only with the dark green LED's. Being as dark green is my color of preference, I might buy a single dark green fan & see what I think of it & then go from there.

I think it looks pretty tight. Give us a quick review of the case once you've set it up.

I'll post my thoughts once the system is fully put together. To give a quick rundown of the features, I link to Newegg's page where the case is displayed. If you click on the pics of the case, you'll see it displayed from a few different angles & have an idea as to the features the case offers. Such as both the sides opening & the motherboard tray allowing easy access. Not to mention all the fan mounts for a steady intake of cooler air. I just wished the case had the PSU mounted on the bottom of the case instead of at the top. I have little doubt that the PSU that comes with the case is junk, so I'll prob just install my current, though old Antec 400w in it. However, I'll check it's specs regardless. Perhaps I'll get lucky. Once I can save up some more cash, I'll buy a better PSU.

Link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Image...ldout MB Computer Case With 500W Power Supply

-MRG

 

[VirusType2]

I've never heard anything good about PSUs that come with cases. They usually say something like, "PSU lasted a day, a week or a couple months", but who knows. Personally, I wouldn't chance it and I'd never use it.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

I agree with Virus, I've always wondered why people cut corners with PSUs. You can't put a cut back when reliability is absolutely vital...as is with a PSU. You can't go wrong with a modular PSU from Corsair in that regard.

 

[MRG]

I agree with Virus, I've always wondered why people cut corners with PSUs. You can't put a cut back when reliability is absolutely vital...as is with a PSU. You can't go wrong with a modular PSU from Corsair in that regard.

Quite true & in fact I looked for this case without the PSU, & found one, though on another site & for more than Newegg listed it for. To date, I have never used a PSU that came with a new case & have always advised against their use to those I built systems for. That being said, I have an older 350w & 450w generic PSU that came along with a couple cases I bought for a client several years ago & on more than one occasion I have had need to press them into service, of which they have worked just fine. Still, it's wise to use a quality PSU.

-MRG

Update: I'm looking at the following PSU. Good reviews on Newegg as well as over on Hardwaresecrets.com

OCZ Fatal1ty 550W 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - $69.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

 

[TwwIX]

lol I actually have both of those products. I got the green version of the case though.

The case is pretty big and it has plenty of room. Air flow is ok but you are going to have to remove one of the 80mm fans, the one above the cpu, because that heatsink won't be able to fit inside the case otherwise. I have put my HD above my floppy drive and removed the hard drive bay for better intake air flow. It's easily removable. The motherboard tray is also removable. Makes installing things less of a hassle. It has plenty of features and it looks pretty cool. Air flow lacks though.

I plan on modding the side panel and adding two green in take COOLER MASTER R4 fans and one for exhaust at the top.
I will be getting a Corsair H-50 for a push and pull setup soon.
The HDT-S1283 is pretty good but it's not suitable for CPU's such as the i7 series. It has served me well in the past though.
I overclocked my E8400 to 3.8GHz without any hassle and it ran pretty cool. I'd get a backplate for it if i were you.
Installing it with push pins is a pain the ass. I suggest that you install the HS first before you attach the fan to it.

 

[Barney Fife]

Hey MRG, that's pretty massive HSF man. In the reviews, did you see anyone complaining about this HSF vs Mid towers.
I dont know, but maybe its something you should rule out as far as how much space is needed for HSF.
I like the case, and like the other guys said, dont bet on any PSU that comes with a case.

Good Luck.

 

[MRG]

Hey MRG, that's pretty massive HSF man. In the reviews, did you see anyone complaining about this HSF vs Mid towers.
I dont know, but maybe its something you should rule out as far as how much space is needed for HSF.
I like the case, and like the other guys said, dont bet on any PSU that comes with a case.

Good Luck.

Good observation Barney Fife,
As a matter of fact I did look into that before I chose the Case. One of the biggest concerns that I came across when reading about the S1283 HS, was that it was pretty big & tall & for some, didn't fit in their mid-size towers. I also read that on some mobo's, it's size got in the way of the RAM slots if you used all slots or had RAM coolers. As I have standard sized DDR2 modules, I hope to be able to slip them in before I install the HS. I also read that the B1283 HS worked killer with 2 fans on it as shown in the above pic, but which was the cause of the RAM problem I mentioned earlier.

I also took the dimensions of the HS & Case into consideration & if my math is correct, I *should* have enough room. I also cheated & read a few other users had the same case & HS & said it was a tight fit, but was doable.

My fingers Are crossed. However, if all else fails, I will get creative.

-MRG

 

[Barney Fife]

Good observation Barney Fife,
As a matter of fact I did look into that before I chose the Case. One of the biggest concerns that I came across when reading about the S1283 HS, was that it was pretty big & tall & for some, didn't fit in their mid-size towers. I also read that on some mobo's, it's size got in the way of the RAM slots if you used all slots or had RAM coolers. As I have standard sized DDR2 modules, I hope to be able to slip them in before I install the HS. I also read that the B1283 HS worked killer with 2 fans on it as shown in the above pic, but which was the cause of the RAM problem I mentioned earlier.

I also took the dimensions of the HS & Case into consideration & if my math is correct, I *should* have enough room. I also cheated & read a few other users had the same case & HS & said it was a tight fit, but was doable.

My fingers Are crossed. However, if all else fails, I will get creative.

-MRG

Good Luck Bro. I'm sure you did your homework and everything gonna be sweet.

Post back with some Pics, Mkey?

 

[Tyguy]

I think it's a nice looking case. When I bought mine I had a small issue with room because my PSU had more wires than I thought. So like you, I had to get creative and eventually found a way to make everything fit nice a clean.

Post some pics after everything is installed.

 

[PJ]

That Xigmatek looks suspiciously like the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme.

In fact, the picture you've got is the Thermalright; this is your one:

 

[MRG]

That Xigmatek looks suspiciously like the Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme.

In fact, the picture you've got is the Thermalright; this is your one:

LMAO!

Good catch.

Pic updated.

Thx! :thumbs:

-MRG

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Heat sink status: popped

 

[MRG]

2 days ago I got an e-mail from Newegg with a tracking number link for the Case & HS. For whatever reason, the link did not work the past few times I tried it. As I was checking my mail early this morning before going to bed, I decided to try the link once more & was happy to see that the link had been fixed. The more so when I saw that the package is scheduled to be delivered later today.

I was surprised to see that the package weighed 32lbs. I looked at the invoice for the last case I had ordered a few years back, which was the xBlade case, & saw the shipping weight for that package was 18lbs. Damn. Sure must be a heavy cardboard box it's shipped in.. lol.

The HS&F package was shipped by itself & is 3lbs.

Found & dug out a PSU from storage. An Antec 480w. Dang thing weighs a ton. I actually thought it was installed in my current PC, but when I looked, it was a <gasp!> generic 500w. WTF did I have that installed instead? Installed the Antec & everything is running smooth.... Still don't remember why I had the other installed..

-MRG

 

[PJ]

D: No-brand 500w or less PSUs are generally bad news.

I remember when we had to replace my mum's <megagasp!> Dell generic PSU after it literally went bang while she was using it.

(**** knows what the wattage was; I doubt it even had a wattage, knowing Dell, they would have tried to invent their own electricity )

 

[MRG]

My new system is all put together & with the exception of a few odd quirks, I am very pleased.

I have had the system crash twice, though that is only after I plugged in all the case fans & lights. ( x4 fans + LED's ) I believe that my 5 year old Antec 480w PSU is to blame, since when I have only the HDD's, 4850 & Burner powered up, everything runs just fine. Perhaps one of the molly's has a short. Hell, maybe even my copy of WinXP is to blame, since this backup I use has acted up over the years.

The first thing I noticed, was that WinXP booted up to the desktop in under 15 seconds, whereas on my other E6400 system, it took about 25 to 30 seconds, which was even on a clean install. Of course this mobo is quite a bit better than the one the E6400 is installed in & this new system has 4GB of RAM, ( though I'm not sure if past a point, the amount of RAM installed even matters for boot times ) even though WinXP only sees 3.25GB of it. Truth be told, I have only spent the time it took to change a Bios setting & reboot twice to see, but I have not been able to unlock any extra cores on my Athlon X2 7750 Black Edition. I will read further to see which mobo Bios version they had installed & if it's a newer version than the one my mobo came shipped with, I will flash it & try again. It was a tight fit, but the HDT-s1283 fits nicely inside & the black fan cross bar inside the front, fits just under the HS&F, which is very nice as the fan blows cool air in onto both my 4850 & the HS&F.

I left the system on while I was at work & when I got home 10 hours later, I checked the system temps via the Bios. The CPU was idle @ 86F while the mobo was @ 84F. My E6400 idled @ about 96-100F. The ambient temp of my house was 72F. I have yet to check the temps while under load. I took a few pics during the build process, but I am unable to find the USB cable for the digital camera. Once I find it, I'll post them. Not that you all here haven't already seen a PC built a thousand times already...

The PSU that came with the case is by Raidmax, or at least has it's sticker on the side. The model number for the unit is "RX-500S". When I removed it from the case, I was surprised at how heavy it was, since I was expecting it to be light as all generic PSU's are. Newegg sells the unit for about $35 if the customer feedback/comments are accurate. The unit is currently unavailable via Newegg & so the price is not listed. Regardless that it came in the case & thus a generic PSU, the comments agree that it's not the best in terms of dependability. While more people gave it a 5-STAR rating than a negative rating, all comments that have a 4 or lower Star rating greatly outnumber the positive comments. So in other words, it is a cheap PSU & while I'll not throw it away, as it might come in handy during an emergency, it's not going to see regular use.

Even without the fancy LED lights, I love the look of the case itself, "dark". Sleek & black with not a blemish. The clear side panel is THICK & uber clear. All reviews I read or watched, all said it was a great case, with one of the highlights being it's good ventilation. The only negative comment I read about the case actually, was that the back fan was only 80mm. Which I thought was odd as the back fan that was shipped with my case was 120mm & not 80mm. Perhaps that was an old review & the case has undergone a change since.

The case came with x2 120mm fans installed ( Front & Rear ) with x2 80mm fans also installed ( Side cross bar & side panel ) a 500w PSU, Powercord & tool-less connectors for every bay. The HDD bay, swivels out on a hinge for easy access & holds x4 HDD's with space between the HDD's for ventilation. A 120mm fan is directly behind the HDD's, & sucks air in from the front & blows it over the HDD bay. The floppy bay can hold x2 floppy drives or x3 extra HDD's. There are x4 5.25' bays. The mobo tray that folds out is also very nice. The overall feeling I got of the case is that it is in fact quite sturdy. It's easily the biggest, heaviest & best looking mid-size ATX case I have ever owned. Much bigger & nicer than my last new case from several years ago & it is several inches bigger than my previous case that my E6400 system was installed in.

As I said above, I am very pleased & feel the $85 was well spent on this case.

-MRG