For those with a Zalman HD 160 case

[anonomike]

Hi all,

Couple of questions about this case which I already own - so no case recommendations

I'm looking for CPU fan / heatsink (Intel 775) suggestions. If you have this case you probably know it is a bit fiddly on the inside - esp. with a full ATX MoBo (which I think is my problem).

With the Zalman CNPS9500 fan I bought it's *very* tight around the PSU / Optical / CPU area. I haven't got to the stage of closing the case yet (still the front panel and remote business to deal with ... but there are posts on those I'm following).

So not sure I want to use this Zalman cooler. Even if I expertly handle the cable management any future internal work is going to be a nightmare with this great big (but very funky looking ) copper thing in the way of everything. Perhaps the aluminium one that came with the CPU will be sufficient?

My other question is the bundled remote: Is it any good? I.e. should I forge ahead with it or go for the more discussed MS one.

Thanks in advance,
anon

[fatcat]

Originally Posted by anonomike

With the Zalman CNPS9500 fan I bought it's *very* tight around the PSU / Optical / CPU area. I haven't got to the stage of closing the case yet (still the front panel and remote business to deal with ... but there are posts on those I'm following).

9500 is fine, is this a case of "if there is no problem let's create one"? Aluminium one is fine too, but very noisy...

My other question is the bundled remote: Is it any good? I.e. should I forge ahead with it or go for the more discussed MS one.

Zalman remote is fine, so is the MS one. Harmony one was right choice for me as it controls htpc, amp and tv.

[anonomike]

Nah I'm not creating a problem like you're not creating a solution.

Just asking a question: I know little about coolers, all research seems to bring up even more monstrous devices aimed at gamers. I doubt I'm ever going to be hammering this so I'm interested to know what others have used / know of that is perhaps smaller.

The problem (that does not exist!) is that the power cables of the Zalman PSU (Yes I have shares in the company) don't really fit around the cooler that well. Not much in it so extenders would be creating a problem.

Fatcat: What cooler you use? Is your mobo ATX or mATX? Your gear is not too dissimilar to mine so how about letting me know what makes you happy as per my post.

[fatcat]

I think some wires were crossed...

It seems that you have put some thought in choosing the case and a cpu cooler, which by the way get great reviews on most hardware sites. Not to mention that Zalman recommends the very same fan for this particular case.

Cables that come out of PSU can follow the RH side of case and be tucked under the optical drive, I'm assuming that you will not be using the 3.5 HD bay under the optical drive. However... they can still be tucked under whether you are using it or not. I chose the Corsair HX-620 for my PSU mainly due silentpc reviews and smaller more easily managed cables.

Mobo is full size ATX and CPU cooler is Zalman 9500. See my media center info on the side...

[buccaneerbob]

I'm using a Scyth Mini Ninja in my HD160 with a Nexus fan and some Nexus case fans.





It's a big heatsink, but it fits nice and snug.

The stock Intel HSF is actually very good and should run fairly quiet if you don't have any airflow issues. Mine kept the fan at ~1000rpm if I remember correctly.

The Zalman remote is fine, it is based on the MS one. I found the IR reciever to be a bit of a pain to get working properly with the MS IR Keyboard though and ended up sticking with the MS one because of that.

I would suggest you give it a go and if you don't like it get something else.

[anonomike]

fatcat: No probs, thanks for your time. Yeah good reviews for these devices which is why I got them. So if others (for instance yourself) say all is good with these two plus a full ATX mobo, then I think it is as I feared and my MoBo is actually the problem.

The 4-pin 12v connection is right near the back-panel and edge of board ... meaning a cable has to run a pretty fiddly path next to the PSU, under the copper cooler blades , yet still have the flexibility to make a sharp U-turn and plug into board without getting in the way of the case fans. Main power plug aint's that pretty either.

buccaneerbob: I've got to say you've got a very tidy system there, I like! - sort of where I'm trying to get to.

I'll keep going for the moment and see what I can do and if it can be impoved. It might be necessary to sever a few unneeded power cables from the PSU to improve flexibility of those that are required.

When I can borrow a working digi cam I'll post some pictures. Here are my bits which I should have incl. earlier:

> MoBo: ASRock 4Core1333-Viiv
> CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU, 3.0 GHz
> RAM: 2x 2GB Corsair PC-5300 (667MHz)
> HDD: 2x WD Caviar SE16 500GB
> Optical: Pioneer BLU-RAY COMBO DRIVE
> GPU: Palit HD3850 PCIe 2.0 512MB GDDR2 HDMI
> TV : Hauppauge HVR-HVR2200 MCE PCIe Hybrid
> PSU: Zalman 500Watts ZM500-HP
> Case: Zalman HD160 Silver HTPC ATX case VFD display Remote Controller
> CPU Fan: Zalman CNPS9500