SATA HD placement in Antec 300 case & fan question

[ATrebeau]

Yes Yes, I'll finally be putting this build together this weekend, lol and I agree...it's about darn time. ha!

I'll be populating all available 120mm spots with Antec TriCool fans; ie, 2 front intake filtered and 1 side intake not filtered. It already has 120mm back exhaust and 140mm top exhaust.

My main question relates to the placement of my single SATA HD. I purchased:

Scythe SCY-HDS2 "Anti-Vibration HDD Stabilizer 2" for 3.5" HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817984001

so I could mount the HD in a 5.25" bay if I wanted to and if there is any noise-dampening as a result, that would be a bonus.

I planned on mounting my SATA DVDburner in the topmost 5.25" bay.

Basically, I have two choices:

1-Mount HD in 3rd from top 5.25" bay with no fan support
2-Mount HD in 2nd from bottom 3.5" bay and have fan support

This will be my first SATA HD...yes, I am a SATA-virgin, it is true and I'm not sure about cooling requirements. The Antec 300 case does have a bezel all the way up the front but I would like to keep it closed on the top bays (lessen noise) except for the DVD, of course. An additional option, if I put the HD in one of the 3.5" bays is to put the DVD in the middle 5.25" bay to allow open air above and below it, even though there will be no fan blowing on it.

As I said earlier, I do have a spot for a 120mm in the side panel and have a fan for it. Wasn't sure if I should use it or cover the area to provide better airflow, which I "use to" read (years ago, lol) created a better front to back airflow.

I also should mention that I opted to use a top-down HSF:

COOLER MASTER RR-CCH-PBU1-GP 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835103046

but got it when it was onsale at their sister site, chiefvalue.com. It is well-reviewed and tests very well; ie, temps and noise.

Well, there you go...always too much information given and multiple questions, lol. Yep, that's me. ha! Just know I always appreciate your feedback and certainly will doing this new build.

THANKS, everybody.

[kylepaddock]

I have that same case that I am using for my building. do you really think I need might need the HDD noise dampaner also?

[RockyAMD]

I would mount the hard drive on the bottom half of the drive bays, SATA connectors on a motherboard usually are at the bottom, that way you don't have a sata cable running from the bottom of the board to the top of the drive bay.

I'm all about wire management

[ATrebeau]

Thanks, Rocky.

Kyle...the primary reason I got the dampener was so I would have the option of mounting the SATA HD in the 5.25" bay, wasn't so much about the dampening effect.

[jimmy-j]

I think you will be best served with the hard drive as low as possible and in direct path of the air flow, Also agree on closeing off the centre vent as the front to rear will have less turbulance. It is always better to have a slight positive pressure inside the case as this prevents dust from being drawn in through your DVD orifice and contaminating the lens.

[ATrebeau]

Thanks for the input, Jimmy.

I think I will give the "closing off the vent" a shot. I'll take a look at the system temps and if I don't like what I see, I have the TriCool 120mm to fill it.

On positive pressure, I agree with that. Not sure I will be able to achieve it, though. 2x120mm in the front, 1x120mm back, 1x140mm top, and the PSU with the 120mm. So it looks like I'll be putting more out than in. My whole reason for using the Antec 300 case was so I could use more fans and run them at lower speeds to have the same airflow as less fans at higher speeds. But I can always set the 2 out's to lowest of three settings and the two front intake to second setting. We'll see how it goes on the noise level.

Oh, just got back from hardware store, needed to pick up some cable ties, I was out. I did not go modular but do have sleeved cables on my Corsair 550VX. And I picked up a couple of these in a larger size for under $2:



Why have I never bought them before for a build? They are perfect for putting one at the bottom side wall (mobo fits on) just to the left of the hd racks and another about 4" from top. Is large enough to fit 4 sleeved cables in, I believe and perfect for routing your Optical Drive cables (SATA and power) and running your cpu power cable up. I know I know...you guys already use these things probably but it just hit me today. lol

Still have not decided on placement of SATA HD yet...am taking all the advice via replies in...thanks for all of them.

EDIT: Did not even need the ties I bought or the little hook thingies, either, lol. I would take them back for a refund but I'm sure if they are sitting on the shelf, I'll soon find a use for them elsewhere.

Not using the side fan right now, have it closed off. System temps are at 33C and that is with my 8800GS single slot video card now installed. I am running the 2 front, 1 rear, and 1 top fan on low. If I oc the videocard, I may have a need to increase those fan speeds to medium but even then, it is a very quiet build.