IMHO. Less ventilation is not the best approach for achieving a silent build. Aim for components that produce less heat and cooling solutions that are passive or use slow moving extremely quiet fans.
The M1 really is great - I love my M1!
I can see that trying to add a hinge for the radiator plate is too problematic. I will say for me personally just about the only thing have found annoying about the M1 is having to screw in and screw out those 4 little screws holding the plate every...
The Prodigy is a little big for my tastes, but as long as you are happy that is all that matters. :)
I love putting a system together with leftover and cheap parts - it's a lot of fun.
You shouldn't even need a case fan. Just swap out the stock cpu cooler if you want it quieter. I like Noctua...
I always remove the top panel by pulling up from that overhang. I have never even put the screw in the top panel and I have never had a problem "accidentally" removing the top when trying to lift the M1.
If I want to lift the M1 I pick it up from the bottom or I grip the front and back...
I love SPCR and HF, although I was a member of spcr long before I found HF. I love to apply what I haave learrned from SPCR (quiet systems) to what I learn here(extreme systems). My passion is making a fairly powerful system that is still as close to silent as possible.
I think it is great...
I had the ISK300-150. I ended up using a Samuel 17 w/ 120mmSlim Scythe SlipStream Fan, a 5570lp GPU and I scrapped the noisy power supply for a 160w Pico PSU. The system was virtually silent.
You should easily be able to upgrade to a Sugo 5 and have a very quiet system. You just need to...
fan adapter cable - http://www.moddiy.com/products/3%252dPin-Standard-Fan-Connector-%28Male%29-to-Mini-2%252dPin-GPU-Fan-Connector-%28Female%29.html
This thread has all the info about the fan swap: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1783965&highlight=noiseblocker&page=2
I have heard a...
The Scythe Slipstream is the best slim 120mm fan I have come across. I was extremely pleased with mine.
http://www.amazon.com/Scythe-Slip-Stream-120mm-SY1212SL12L/dp/B002CYPWTG
While that would be great for us - they have to meet MOQs and I seriously doubt they are interested in laying out $50K+ out of pocket to make things a little more convenient for buyers.
That's the spirit! :) Go for it! Just monitor your CPU temps so you can stop using it if you have a major problem - with thermal shutdown it is pretty hard to fry a CPU anyway.
ps. I should be happy for all of the Aussies getting their cases but I am totally jealous an getting impatient...
My old WD Scorpio black 320gb just felt a lot slower than my 3.5" drives but I just took a look at a few benchmarks and the WD Black 2.5" seems to be faster than the Samsung F1. Maybe they have improved or I had a dud. It is a bit hard to tell because no one really tests them against each other...
You can use a Molex to SATA adapter.
You can use a 2.5" hard drive. They are not as fast as 3.5" drives (no matter what the specs are) but they are smaller, use less power and give off less heat.
The WD Black 2.5 drives are pretty good. You can also consider one of the hybrid drives with...