Log First Build - XTIA Butterfly Case

[lasfsw]

First time builder with the following items:

XTIA Butterfly Case
Asrock B550 ITX/AX
Ryzen 3600X
Noctua NH-L12S
Vengeance LPX 32gb 3600
WD SN750 NVMe 1TB (front)
Sabrent Rocket NVMe 1TB (back)
MSI Mech OC 3600XT

Plan to use Butterfly also as a test bench in the future or if I’m waiting on another case, like the Sidearm T1. Everything powered on but having a no display signal issue right now. Reseated the GPU card but same issue. Going down the checklist right now with connections and reseating ram. Hopefully will get it resolved this weekend. TIA for helpful tips.

 

[rfarmer]

Looks good, there is a typo in the parts list says 3600XT.

 

[lasfsw]

Oops. Meant 5600XT.

 

[tinyitx]

1. Is there any reason why the fan is installed in the low profile mode? You prefer the look? As there is no restriction to the clearance, maybe you should consider installing the fan in Noctua's high clearance mode (fan on top of heatsink, blowing air down toward the motherboard)? Some review sites say, with the high clearance mode, the air blowing down will further cool the ram modules and mobo VRM by about 2C.
Suggest do a test to confirm.

2. The L12S is installed with its heatpipes pointing south. This may (or may not) negatively affect the heatpipe efficiency (due to gravity). Perhaps you can put the open frame upside down (so that the heatpipes now pointing north) as well as in an horizontal position. Then, you can run some tests to check the max CPU temp. Maybe the difference will be big enough to consider reinstalling the L12S in another orientation?
Suggest do tests to confirm.

3. The MSI Mech 5600XT is in a similar situation as the L12S. 3 of the 4 heatpipes are 'pointing down' (ie the condensation zone (tip) is below the evaporation zone. There is no fix to this, unlike the CPU cooler. But, you can still check how much this affect the cooling efficiency, by putting the test bench on its side (similar to the standard case orientation of an A4-sandwich case) and do a few tests to compare max GPU temp.
Suggest do tests to confirm.

Could you take a couple pics showing all the cables (mouse, keyboard, display card...etc) connected at the top?

 

[lasfsw]

1. Is there any reason why the fan is installed in the low profile mode? You prefer the look? As there is no restriction to the clearance, maybe you should consider installing the fan in Noctua's high clearance mode (fan on top of heatsink, blowing air down toward the motherboard)? Some review sites say, with the high clearance mode, the air blowing down will further cool the ram modules and mobo VRM by about 2C.
Suggest do a test to confirm.

2. The L12S is installed with its heatpipes pointing south. This may (or may not) negatively affect the heatpipe efficiency (due to gravity). Perhaps you can put the open frame upside down (so that the heatpipes now pointing north) as well as in an horizontal position. Then, you can run some tests to check the max CPU temp. Maybe the difference will be big enough to consider reinstalling the L12S in another orientation?
Suggest do tests to confirm.

3. The MSI Mech 5600XT is in a similar situation as the L12S. 3 of the 4 heatpipes are 'pointing down' (ie the condensation zone (tip) is below the evaporation zone. There is no fix to this, unlike the CPU cooler. But, you can still check how much this affect the cooling efficiency, by putting the test bench on its side (similar to the standard case orientation of an A4-sandwich case) and do a few tests to compare max GPU temp.
Suggest do tests to confirm.

Could you take a couple pics showing all the cables (mouse, keyboard, display card...etc) connected at the top?

Thanks for the feedback and appreciate the knowledge being shared.

1. I installed the L12S the way it came out of the box. I’ll eventually be placing the board in an enclosure that requires low profile mode. I’ll will try the setup you recommend for better cooling for now.

2. If I change the fan to being on top and blowing, I‘lol re-orient the cooler to have the pipes pointing south.

3. Yeah, I’ll have to keep an eye on GPU temps and see the difference between horizontal and vertical case setup. I spoke to XTIA and they’re planning on releasing an attachment to the case for water cooling which I think will solve the potential GPU vertical mounting temps in the future.

I’ll try to post pics with all the peripherals attached at some point. As stated above, I’m currently trying to solve the no signal to monitor issue. Looked online for troubleshooting guides. I’ve already checked all the connectors and plugs, reseated the ram, reseated the GPU, borrowed another monitor from wife’s computer (still no signal). Plugged my monitor into her computer to make sure it works (it does). Motherboard, cooler fan and GPU fans come on when I turn it on. I think next on the list is to clear the CMOS. This motherboard has a two pin CMOS jumper. But they didn’t include the jumper cap. I read I can use a screwdriver and touch both pins together. If that doesn’t work, I guess I’ll tear everything down and restart. I know it’s risky using new unproven parts like the B550 boards.

 

[rfarmer]

Have you tried running the GPU plugged directly into the motherboard? Might be a riser issue.

 

[lasfsw]

Have you tried running the GPU plugged directly into the motherboard? Might be a riser issue.

Not yet. Thanks for helping. I’ll put that on the list also if the CMOS clear doesn’t work.

 

[lasfsw]

Alright, spent the afternoon running down the rest of the list. rfarmer was right on the money. I plugged the GPU directly into the motherboard and got the start-up screen. The new included riser is faulty. Looks like I’ll have to grab another one and wait.

tinyitx, I also played around with the cooler positioning and ended up with pipes pointing east since I had to make room for the direct GPU plug-in test. With the cooler pipes pointing north, the pipe bends pressed against the ram. Also, changed the fan to high clearance push to blow onto the motherboard.

I guess I’ll be idle for a few days until I can get a new riser sent. I’ll post completed pics once it comes in. Thanks to everyone for their help!

 

[rfarmer]

Glad you got it figured out and I am sorry about your riser, hopefully it won't be too long.

 

[tinyitx]

Alright, spent the afternoon running down the rest of the list. rfarmer was right on the money. I plugged the GPU directly into the motherboard and got the start-up screen. The new included riser is faulty. Looks like I’ll have to grab another one and wait.

tinyitx, I also played around with the cooler positioning and ended up with pipes pointing east since I had to make room for the direct GPU plug-in test. With the cooler pipes pointing north, the pipe bends pressed against the ram. Also, changed the fan to high clearance push to blow onto the motherboard.

I guess I’ll be idle for a few days until I can get a new riser sent. I’ll post completed pics once it comes in. Thanks to everyone for their help!

Pointing east is OK and good enough.
Look forward to see some pics of an up-and-running system.
Since the open frame is brand new, I suppose the riser cable is still under warranty and should be replaced with a free one. Or, do you have to buy another one? If so, how much?