|
Installation & Testing
A Pentium 4 system was installed into the LC13
for our testing sequence. This is mostly the same gear that was featured in
our Temjin 6 review, with the addition of a few new toys. On this first
attempt, the power supply used was the Silverstone ST30NF 350W power supply. I
quickly found this unit to be unacceptable in the LC13, as even with fans
running at full blast the system would overheat. I ended up using a simple 2
fan Cooler Master Power Supply, and the system ran perfectly. I would
seriously recommend looking into a unit with a single large 120mm if you’re
serious about building an HTPC out of the LC13.
|
**click to enlarge** |
**click to enlarge** |
**click to enlarge** |
Overall, the installation was fairly smooth.
There are a few instances where you’ll want to have a short or variable angle
screwdriver to make your life a little easier. Things only started to get
cramped when I added in the power supply, and most of the cables were easily
rolled up and zip tied underneath the 3.5” bays. All of the header, USB, and
Firewire cables were plenty long enough. The 5.25” bays are a little
interesting to work with, because if you want to remove or replace a drive,
you’ll have to remove the whole 3.5” drive cage to do it.
The system is certainly not a silent or a near-silent solution with the stock
fans…I would rate it about average. You are probably going to need to look
into some better ones as soon as you get this unit.
|
Processor |
Intel |
Pentium 4 3.0E |
|
Motherboard |
Intel |
D875PBZ |
|
RAM |
Generic |
PC3200 DDR 2x512 |
|
Video Card |
Asus |
9280S Geforce 4 128M
Ti4200 |
|
Hard Drive(s) |
Western Digital |
Caviar SATA 200Gig x
2 |
|
TV Card |
Hauppauge |
PVR-500MCE |
|
Audio Card |
Chaintech |
AX 710 |
|
CD/DVD Drive(s) |
Pioneer |
DVR-108 |
|
Chassis |
Silverstone |
SST-LC13 |
For my temperature test, I simply ran a probe into the vents on the side of
the chassis after the system had been up and running for about a week. For
reference, I have also included the ambient temperature of the room.
|
Ambient |
Internal |
|
22°C |
25°C |
This second set of numbers I added after
speaking with Silverstone about the 60mm fans. They actually recommended that
I turn them around to increase the cooling effect. So, with the same system I
gave it another run. REVISED 05/17/05: We don’t recommend using
a fanless configuration with this chassis, but Silverstone recommends that
you reverse the 60mm fans with the NT01 and the Fanless power supply.
|
Ambient |
Internal |
|
25°C |
37°C |
Aesthetically the system is great. The physical
dimensions mix perfectly with the audio gear I already have and fit in
comfortably on a rack designed for stereo gear. Aside from the small noise
issue, you’d never notice it.
|
