LZ7 LAN-party build

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
Original poster
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
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I've not mentioned the hardware yet, let's start with the list:

Case: Lazer3D LZ7 First Edition, with "open" GPU panel option
Motherboard: ASRock Z87E-ITX with the latest firmware
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258, default: 3.2GHz, clocked at 4.5GHz with 1.00V to 1.20V adaptive voltage
CPU cooler: Noctua NH-L9i with custom fan profile and Arctic MX-4 thermal paste applied
RAM: 2x 4GB Crucial Ballistix VLP DDR3-1600 at default clocks
Storage: Samsung SSD 830 256GB with an updated Windows 7 install
GPU: MSI Radeon RX 460 4G OC with fan + shroud removed and Arctic MX-4 thermal paste applied
PSU: Silverstone ST45SF-G (450W SFX 80+Gold) with a NoiseBlocker "fan-mod" and custom cables
Cooling: 2x Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14 with custom fan profiles, one as chassis fan, one attached to GPU (w/ adapter)

Most of the components I already had on-hand for this build, except for the case fans and GPU. I choose the fans because it was recommended by K888D as one of the better performing ones and it gets universal praise from SFF afficionados alike.
The GPU was choosen based on the usage: for the LAN parties I visit, there is rarely more power needed than what a random mainstream card can deliver. This card was cheap, has a flat heatsink and doesn't require extra PCIe power connectors: check, check and check !

I wanted to quantify the noise measurements and have atleast a somewhat scientific aspect to it:




That is a Samson Meteor, a mic suspension (with a custom solution for the Meteor) and a boom arm. This decouples the microphone from surface vibrations and allows me to position it more neutrally.

The microphone signal feeds into Audacity over USB at 100% sensitivity, I take note of the value at idle, which is all the devices, except my own PC running Audacity, turned off. My own PC at about 1 meter distance from the microphone has all Noctua NF-F12 fans at silent settings (300-500rpm) at which point I can't make out the noise over my own breathing. This is not a lab test, but it will do until I find a better way.




Audacity showing the microphone input with noise in the background. Note the negative value to indicate the range.

Since decibels are relative in the sense that there needs to be a point of reference, I think it's best to just look at the idle value, compare it to the load values and take my subjective opinion into the equation. Decibel is also a logarithmic measurement, so from -40 to -30 isn't 33% louder but more in the range of 10 times as "powerful". Many have often frustrated about the difficulty to put noise into the correct perspective, but this is an extremely personal aspect. Some people have better or worse hearing, some people live in very noise poluted or "clean" areas, some play with closed headphones and don't care. So be sure to not read too much into sound measurements.

I also make use of Prime95 to test maximum synthetic CPU load, Heaven 4.0 Benchmark for synthetic GPU load and HWinfo to measure the temperature and fan speeds.




Idle readings showing 32°C on the CPU, 1270rpm on the CPU fan (600-2500rpm range) and from looking it up in the BIOS, the chassis fan is turning at arounf 500rpm. My microphone registers around -42dB and to me this is silent. I could put my head close to the case and make out sounds, but that is not a real use case for most.




Prime95 has been running for 6 minutes and the temperature has stabilized. I did test this a few more times for about an hour in the past month and the results were generally the same. At this load the CPU are at 75°C, the NH-L9i's fan spinning at 2070rpm and I calculate the case fan at about 850rpm. My microphone measures around -39dB and to me this is clearly audible. But low volume music or the soothing voices of LowVolu.me podcast can quickly drown that out. I'm amazed how fast the little fan on the Noctua heatsink can spin without turning into a wailing banshee.




Heaven Benchmark after about 30 minutes, the temperature of the GPU stabilizes around 75°C and as you can see in the graph it consumes about 50W. The simple all-aluminium heatsink on this card isn't very hefty and the temperatures sure can show it, with the second Prolimatech fan at around 1050rpm pushing buckets of air at it. The Meteor mic outputs about -36dB of noise at this point, I'd say loud enough to ruin a quiet office day, but not loud enough to bother someone playing an action-intensive game with the sound at reasonable levels. I'll be amazed if it would bother me at a LAN party.
 
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Phuncz

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Original poster
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
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Conclusion:

After finishing the build I set out to do, I am more than pleased. I was excited building it, the quality is very good and the design is stunning ! The cooling performance is very good and it's going to matter more how capable the heatsinks and fans are than what the case will be able to allow. There is plenty of ventilation in most sections of the case and the diagonal cutouts prove to be more than able to deal with excess heat or cool air.

The design and build quality justify it's price, although it would be too expensive if it would be priced like most project cases, above or around $200. Until you open the box and it reveals the completeness of the case, as if you're opening a retail product making the price more than reasonable. The manual, the box with plenty of screws, various lengths of zip ties, enough to get you started ! Although people who haven't come prepared should probably opt for the included I/O option, fan filters and the case feet, which I didn't because I wanted to customize those aspects.

I can strongly recommend this case if it fits your needs. My build has the goal set at 'LAN party rig' at which it seems to be overly qualified. It does require a patient and careful person to build it, which is not so uncommon in the world of SFF anyway. It's rewarding to make it all come together nicely. I like it, I love it.
 

zhl146

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jul 14, 2016
102
67
@Phuncz is your case fan intake or exhaust? I have it the other way thinking that it's set to intake but there are no arrows and now I'm not sure. It definitely looks better in your orientation, though.

@K888D which orientation do you recommend?
 
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Phuncz

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May 9, 2015
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My case fan to the right, the panel with the power button, is configured as an intake.
Most fans have the the same direction the air flows, meaning the side that has the "sticker" covering the electronic part is usually the side where air exists from the fan. So if the sticker is on the inside, it's an intake fan. Maybe it's not a 100% accurate, but I've not managed to disprove myself on this.
 
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K888D

SFF Guru
Lazer3D
Feb 23, 2016
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2,970
www.lazer3d.com
@K888D which orientation do you recommend?

Personally I would have both fans configured as intake fans, or 1 intake fan and a standard GPU setup, because:
  • You can control dust with a positive pressure setup
  • The fans will work more efficiently and deliver a higher flow rate if they have a clear path on the input side, i.e. free external space vs cramped wires and heatsinks on the inside
  • Blowing air at your components will have a greater cooling effect than trying to pull air through the case as cool air can be pulled in through vents in close proximity to the fan such as on the rear and top of the case, this will lead to stagnant air pockets in the case where heat can build up (this applies to many case setups by the way, the SG13 I've found to be a particularly bad offender leading to high CPU temps). Air being pulled into a fan acts differently than the resulting air being blown out of a fan and can lead to different flow paths through the case.
TLDR: blowing air into the case will lead to better overall mixing of cool air compared to pulling cool air into the case through negative pressure.
 

zhl146

SFF Lingo Aficionado
Jul 14, 2016
102
67
@Phuncz Hrm, I may have been tricking myself all this time then lol. I'm used to regular sized fans where many of them have two arrows indicating spin direction and airflow

I will flip it and try it :)
 
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Phuncz

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May 9, 2015
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Personally I would have both fans configured as intake fans, or ....
I have it configured like that at the moment. I noticed that using the GPU side's fan as an exhaust isn't a better setup than having both as intake. Considering the plenty of exhausts, this is not a problem.
 
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Boil

SFF Guru
Nov 11, 2015
1,253
1,094
@Phuncz

What were the lengths for your MB & CPU cables...?

What might be the standard for measuring PSU cables; end-to-end total length, or inner connector to inner connector ('exposed' wiring)...?

If the heat sink on the GPU were more substantial & the distance from the second 140mm fan to the heat sink were less (ideally the fan is nearly touching the heat sink?), would you expect better performance...?

Thanks...!
 
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Boil

SFF Guru
Nov 11, 2015
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Thanks...!

SATA...? You mean the CPU cable, yeah...?

The MSI Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon AC motherboard has the 8-pin CPU (EPS) literally within 10cm or so of the PSU connection...



So that would be a shorty cable as well...!

And with a Samsung 960 EVO M.2 as the sole system drive, the only other cable needed is a 8-pin PCI-E cable, probably about 20cm (or less) would be needed there...
 
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Phuncz

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May 9, 2015
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No I meant SATA, as I only made a shorter SATA and 24-pin cable. I used the original EPS cable since it didn't make that much of a difference with the location of the EPS connector.
 

Phuncz

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May 9, 2015
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The EPS connector on my board is placed really badly, meaning I have to run the original length of the EPS cable in this specific case.



Yours can be made a lot shorter but you'd have to measure.
 

coughlanio

Typical Gaijin
Aug 22, 2017
17
24
Awesome build!

I'm looking at putting an SF600 in this case, and getting some CableMod cables. Do you think the following would suffice based on your findings? I'll be using a ASUS Strix z370-I.

24-pin ATX: 15cm
8-pin PCI: 15cm
8-pin EPS/CPU: 20cm