my quiet, unobtrusive living room build


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This is my modest lil build - designed to be unobtrusive where it sits there, silently, running our house.

 

CASE: SilverStone ML03B

CPU: i5-2500K GMA HD 3000
MOBO: ASUS Maximus IV GENE-Z/GEN3
CPU COOLER: Scythe SCBSK-2100 120mm Sleeve BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B
RAM: Corsair 16 GB Vengeance Low Profile 1600mhz PC3-12800 DDR3

PSU:  Antec EA-450 PLATINUM
CACHE: 120GB Samsung 830 + 250GB Samsung Evo 850

PARITY: 4TB HGST 7200 RPM 128MB Cache

DATA: 4TB Seagate Ironwolf

SECURITY CAM: 4TB WD Purple (not in the array)
CASE FANS: Noctua NF-R8 PWM (x2) + Cooler Master Sleeve Bearing 80mm (Super Narrow!)'

 

Mostly older hardware + new drives.

 

The fun part of this was figuring how to fit 5 drives into this tiny box + adding the additional cooling needed. I have no shame in having used 3M command strips to mount the second SSD to the back wall of the PSU. Or taking my Dremel to key parts of one of the drive caddies to provide more airflow via a small 80MM fan I crammed into the side of the case where it wasn't exactly designed to fit.

 

The best part is that it's so, so quiet with the hard drive temps controlling the case fans to keep everything happy.

 

Right now it's running a couple of Docker containers (OpenVPN, Logitech Media Server, CrashPlan) and a Windows VM to run our security software.


 

 

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@jrd680 - it definitely is quiet enough. My wife and I are both happier with the added silence. When "idle" (i.e. primarily recording ip-cam footage) the drives have enough passive cooling to keep all the case fans off. They generally don't run more than 1000 RPM when disks are under full load - in that case, you can hear them but it's not enough that you'd notice across the room.

 

With respect to the drives - there's another drive under the WD Purple. And if you look at the power supply, you'll see one SSD attached to the back of it with 3M Command strips, and the other on the floor of the case in a proper mounting point.

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