Unnamed M-ATX build

[Phuncz]

Wow that first pic would have never convinced me that the fan was ~60% unblocked
Perspective !

 

[confusis]

Not the final board, but the CPU/Board I will be getting should work fine Planning on running a picoPSU and blanking off the ATX psu mount - the entire planned system should be 110w total!

 

[Phuncz]

It's coming along nicely, can't wait to see the finished build !

 

[confusis]

slowly getting there finances are tight as always. However I have organised an 1155 m-dtx board and an IVB pentium which will arrive soonish. Looking to upgrade that to a i3-2120 in the near future too, as they are very cheap locally (NZ$56)

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

From my own experience (i3 2100 + gt730) i suggest getting some ventilation at the top if you can. The intake on these C2 does get air moving but it has a sort of dead spot at the top of the case and it can get very hot to the touch.

 

[confusis]

From my own experience (i3 2100 + gt730) i suggest getting some ventilation at the top if you can. The intake on these C2 does get air moving but it has a sort of dead spot at the top of the case and it can get very hot to the touch.

ive popped the top panel up, leaving a 5mm gap all around the perimeter to achieve this more ventilation area this way and cleaner than cutting a hole!

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Nice idea, I like it !

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

Mind if I ask how you did this so I may do the same?

 

[qwerty]

I'm planning on doing a build with the C2. Does it really get so hot that you need to make modifications like these? Or is it just because you want to have the CPU passively cooled?

 

[confusis]

It does get hot. The only standard intake is the 120/140mm fan mount in the base, and the only standard exhaust is the PSU and a small amount of venting at the rear of the case. In stock config I'd recommend a max of a 65w cpu and 75w GPU (unless blower GPU)

 

[confusis]

Mind if I ask how you did this so I may do the same?

With the case empty, look at the inside top. You will see 4 screws - undo these to release the top. Remove the rubber grommets and then place them on the standoffs on the top panel. Place the panel back down and screw it in.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I'm planning on doing a build with the C2. Does it really get so hot that you need to make modifications like these? Or is it just because you want to have the CPU passively cooled?

I put an E3 xeon + R9 370 in mine to try it out, and it would get very warm but not to the point of throttling. My bigger concern was heat would get caught in the front and top so the SSD and HDD would get up around 47-50C even when the computer was idling. The top panel would get very warm to touch. I think Confusis' simple mod to have a gap in the top panel will solve most of this problem. You can also use an SFX power supply with Silverstone PP08 adapter to get about another 20mm of CPU clearance.

 

[confusis]

My issue with my previous build in this case was twofold;
-The noise from fans spinning up to full speed due to the high ambients inside the chassis
-un-heatsinked VRMs boiling

In saying that, I was running a 125w CPU and 120w open air GPU

 

[qwerty]

It does get hot. The only standard intake is the 120/140mm fan mount in the base, and the only standard exhaust is the PSU and a small amount of venting at the rear of the case. In stock config I'd recommend a max of a 65w cpu and 75w GPU (unless blower GPU)

I put an E3 xeon + R9 370 in mine to try it out, and it would get very warm but not to the point of throttling. My bigger concern was heat would get caught in the front and top so the SSD and HDD would get up around 47-50C even when the computer was idling. The top panel would get very warm to touch. I think Confusis' simple mod to have a gap in the top panel will solve most of this problem. You can also use an SFX power supply with Silverstone PP08 adapter to get about another 20mm of CPU clearance.

I haven't decided on the parts yet but a 65w i5-6400 paired with R9 Nano or something from Pascal or Polaris if there will be ITX cooler models shouldn't get too hot I think.