Memmento Mori

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Revolution in the case fan market: Alphacool Apex Stealth Metal (Power) Fan in an exclusive review

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With the Apex Stealth Metal Fan and the Alphacool Apex Stealth Metal Power Fan, Alphacool is likely to succeed in jolting its competitors out of their dreamy sl

Hi Guys,

do you have any experience with the MSI z490 godlike m.2 xpander-z gen 4 s?

Having it in the first PCIE slot and it recognizes just 1 x M.2 disk.. both are initialized but just 1 is found... 

In the manual they saying that it should go to the second PCIE slot, but i have there my GPU and even if i would switch it to the first PCIE then the second one will be covered with the fans on the GPU....  And even i change the lines to the PCIE 8x8x  or keep it auto nothing...

Is there any "hack" how to get it running?  

Having now in total 3 M.2 hdd in the first and third slot... But its under the GPU and becomes a bit hot there - for this i wanted to move it to the expander as well...  

any advice will be appreciated..

thanks!

9 hours ago, kaliz said:

i found a ballistix memory cooler from the ddr3 era, modded it straight away with those fans and it looks really awesome now! 

 

for me is the Mem Cooling era not gone lol... 

Using it still actually on my DDR4 mems...

13 hours ago, ozlay said:

looked at it 10 x and still not sure what im looking at.. 

13 hours ago, SoloCamo said:

 

Loved that keyboard, unfortunately mine died randomly after only two or so years of use.

i think i would buy a new one if i would fide one...

15 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

 

This isn't my oldest working, but its my oldest working that I daily drive still.  I actually use this rig a LOT just playing around in Win9X.  Definitely my favorite older build to play with.

reminds me on a PC i started to play  "DUKE NUKEM 3D" and "Worms"  running the games in DOS... 

13 hours ago, Snakecharmed said:

Microsoft Natural Keyboard (1.0)

 

This is actually my second Natural Keyboard after my first one yellowed from being under a halogen desk lamp for years and the keycap printings wore out. I finally replaced it after its spacebar broke (IIRC). Anyway, I've had this specific unit since 2017. I don't know the manufacture date on this one, but this Natural Keyboard model debuted in 1994 and had a 4-year run.

 

I'm only learning now that it was manufactured by Keytronic, which may be why this one feels so different from subsequent Microsoft ergonomic keyboards. As far as the layout, I've gotten so used to this split-key layout over the years that I never seriously considered changing it up.

 

I haven't paid much attention to keyboards since getting the second of these, but while shopping to replace the first one, I did look into mechanical gaming keyboards which were more expensive than what I wanted to pay at the time. I also followed the evolution of Microsoft ergonomic keyboards and all the subsequent versions of their Natural Keyboard had some dealbreaker in terms of key layout, feel, or build quality, which is why I also didn't get a newer model.

I Absolutly agree with that.. I think that back in the days the products came out in a higher Quality and futfilling higher standards then today.. Today its about making the number - not anymore to create product we are proud of and will last a while... At least thats my feeling ... Quantity above Quality..

11 hours ago, Fluxmaven said:

Since it seems like a lot of these responses will be peripherals, I guess I'll toss in my original Logitech Trackman Marble from 95ish. I admittedly don't use it daily anymore, but I did semi recently and still like to pull it out from time to time. The Clueboard has also been in the collection for a while, and is coincidentally the board I'm currently using in my work keyboard rotation. 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

My go to work trackball has been the CST (Clearly Superior Technology) L-Trac Glow for the past few years. Turns out they went out of business, but their trackballs are made by PI Engineering now. 

 

I remember i was always wanting one of these  back in the days...

4 hours ago, J7SC_Orion said:

...still rumbling away in a corner somewhere...

 

a.) old back-up dev server from latish 2013 with 4930K proc, 64 GB of GSkill Ripjaws, Corsair TX850 (btw, have 3x of those PSUs, all still running fine). We keep that oldie running for some strange reason... 

 

 

 

b.) Toshiba Laptop from 2011ish; used perhaps once or twice a year these days, but still hanging in there...has to run on wall plug though as the battery is 

 

 

   

 

c.) 3x of many Antec 302 cases from 2012 still in use...

 

Living in a DC? nice builds  

This is/was my first gaming keyboard i buyed 2011 and is now taking strongli the duty of a office keyboard! 
 

Microsoft Side Winder X4 keyboard

Im still impressed that its working after so many years of gaming duty and now office life since 2 years… 

12 hours ago, The Pook said:

have you already tried PCPartPicker?

 

you aren't able to set a CPU cooler height requirement on the case page, but if you add your CPU cooler to your parts list and then go back to cases and enable the compatibility filter then it'll filter out cases that won't fit your cooler. 

 

Just a moment...

PCPARTPICKER.COM

 

or you could buy a new CPU cooler 

thanks for the TIP... will take a look, but there are no cooler with a 170mm height.. anyway lets see what i will find   As told im not ahving any time pressure and i have to gather some infomations about the toppic of choosing the right platform for the NAS..   Thanks for the guidance  

7 minutes ago, The Pook said:

Fractal Design Node 804 is still the goat for a small NAS case. it only officially supports 6 3.5s but you can squeeze in 8+ with some ingenuity and/or a 3D printer

 

mATX though 

 True, even the guy in the video I posted earlier made it in this case and as well moded it a bit..  (3D printed front with a 200mm fan opening :D) 

Anyway, i have true spirit power which is collecting just dust and would like to reuse it, for this reason i need a CPU cooler clearance of 171 mm ... For thi reason the torrent were looking ideal with the PSU in the upper area leaving the space for some HDD at the bottom.  Here as well a small inspiration ... 

Link

Interesting to see the chipset cooler as this.. first time i see something like that but OK.... 

Anyway, if there is any other case having good Airflow with a PSU in the upper position, 171 mm CPU cooler headroom and the bottom free then please let me know... 

6 hours ago, The Pook said:

 

any chance on moving away from TrueNAS and moving to a "true" Hypervisor like ESXi or Proxmox? Then you might want to look for a board with good IMMOU groups.

 

Doesn't really matter for TrueNAS + a few simple containers but if you want to virtualize all the things then it will. I tried moving my server to Proxmox but my board puts everything useful in one group

 

consumer boards are all over the place and price doesn't really effect how good/bad the groups are (there are ~$120 boards with better groups than >$200) so it might be worth considering at least 

to be honest with you, first i have to take a look what Proxmox is and educate my self a bit..  But thank you for the hint! I will for sure consider it before i buy any HW (besides the case)... 

4 hours ago, Fluxmaven said:

Since you like Fractal cases, the Define 7 in storage mode holds up to 14 3.5" + 4 2.5" drives. The XL version bumps that to 18 3.5 + 5 2.5" drives.  (you do need to buy extra drive trays to max out capacity)

 

I have a regular Define 7 with 8 drives currently. Fits big coolers as well. My Thermalright True Spirit 140 Power fits with room to spare. 

Well i was to slow with the Torrent case and before i decided i was sold.... But im as well found another guy selling a Fractal Design Define 7 XL Black TG Light Tint for approx. 140 USD and as well a ventilated front cover approx. 46 USD..  Im tempted but on the other hand the case is too big for my use - not having the space for it as its a bit bigger then the "Compact" Torrent and for this price i could buy directly a new torrent...  And in the end i would not use the capabilities of the case to the max which means waste of resources.... Im looking to have around 6-8 HDD , which is plenty space for my personal use....   As told - a "Pre"Basic user here  

9 hours ago, The Pook said:

 

overkill for what? what specifically are you going to use it for? 

 

if's 95% NAS and you're only going to have Portainer or a few VMs then it's likely fine. 

for the beginning it will be for sure just a nas and "Media" server..  Maybee later to hook up on it some cameras, but not expecting to run any sites, or hosting anything.. 

And i have to discover the world of True NAS and the other platforms what they offer and what i could do with it...  This here will be a bit of a sleeper thread as im slow progressing and its not urgent...

5 hours ago, tictoc said:

 

It is a pretty small case.  I was just using it as refernece to show that if you are going to do a bit of custom work, most any desktop case will work just fine.

 

If you go with the torrent you could get some of these rubber stackers: https://www.amazon.com/SEDNA-Hard-Disk-Rubber-Stand/dp/B07XYBKGWN/ref=sr_1_3?crid=20N040NWGAQVW&keywords=hard+drive+stacker&qid=1690330434&sprefix=hard+drive+stacker%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-3#customerReviews

 

Those require a bit of additional work if you are going to stack a bunch of drives, but in a situation like the torrent, you can install the drives with the cabling facing the motherboard tray.  That will make for a nice and clean look, allow the lower front intake fan to cool the drives, and dampen the vibrations from the mechanical drives.

i like this..  having some experience how good they damping the vibrations?  I saw soe "silencer" trays for 3,5 HDD but from the informations i found it also increases the temps of an HDD by like 10 degrees..   and then i found as well some 3,5 HDD coolers but dont know what to think about it..  I want it as wel to be silent... 

but yeah many things to discover for me in here  

On 24/07/2023 at 19:16, ozlay said:

If you haven't chosen a CPU/motherboard yet. I'd recommend looking at used Eypc motherboard/CPU/Ram combos. Ebay is flooded with them. You can get a 32c/64t with a good motherboard and a bunch of ram for under $500. 

well im a not even a casual user with a Synology DS211+, for this reason this combo what you recommend has 3x more cores then i use now on my 10900K  and would be waste of power basically, too much overkill for my user scenario... 

Im looking more into deals like 9600K with MSI Mortat mobo and 16 gig Memory for like 150 USD?  Not sure if eve that would be not to much overkill.... 

took a look at this guy here... 

On 23/07/2023 at 22:35, neurotix said:

Look into a Corsair Vengeance C70. I have one empty and unused but it is missing some of the drive cages. From factory though I think it could fit 6 3.5" drives and a 5.25" drive (stick a 3.5" in). It is fairly plain but has really good airflow. Two fans on the side panel up to 140mm and fans on the back of the drive cages (they are supposed to blow towards the rear but if you turn them around they can cool the drives...) If you want visual appeal, stick some RGB fans on the side panel and throw in a light strip or something.

 

Hope this helps.

I like the military look of the case.. But idk - i probably got bewitched by fractal design and the Torrent model ...  cant help my self... 

On 22/07/2023 at 03:45, tictoc said:

How many drives slots do you need/want, 2.5" or 3.5"? 

 

It looks like the torrent compact is wide enough that you could stack hdd cages up in the the front of the case. You would just need to make sure that whatever cages you use/print allow for airflow from the side.  I would definitely suggest using rubber dampers at all attachment points, but other than that, if you are willing to do a bit of modding you can stuff quite a few drives into most cases.

 

My backup server is about to be transplanted into a 22L case (about half the volume of the Torrent Compact), and that machine will have 6x16TB HDDs, mitx board, 10Gb nic, and an HBA.

hmmm that way to small as i want to reuse my Thermalright cooler... and i need a CPU cooler height of 170mm  

But hey im just getting in to the whole topic  But its very interesting, so i take m time and just gathering info i can.. If any other advice, please just share it  

Thank you very much.

my 2 cents - but i have a 6900 XT

I was thinking about something like this...

3.5" Vertical HDD Mount - Fan-Mounted

1 hour ago, The Pook said:

 

Originally wanted it for my WH14NS40 with rip-friendly-firmware so I could rip BluRays directly to my NAS for Plex, then I got tired of doing that. Now just acquire the media from elsewhere 

 

I moved from 6x4 to 2x14 when I changed cases and now I just use them for backups to external drives ~weekly. But there is a bunch of neat 5.25 bay stuff depending on what you want to do. Icy Dock makes a bunch. 

 

true but not my case. 8 years ago i god an external dvd-drive and used it 2x since then… all is  asi ally oneline and the biggest problem is a storage now whre i can run backups of any devices …  

will take a look at icy Dock saw already some addons they do.. thaks for the thougts and info 

30 minutes ago, The Pook said:

my server was in a P400S with a bunch of added HDD cages but they just made the case/cabinet rattle. but if you can do it right then go for it

 

but no 5.25 would be my biggest beef 

Ok, now you made me interested….Why do you need a 5.25 today? (Besides hotswap hdd cage)…

29 minutes ago, StrunkenCap said:

66 Euros for Fractal Design Torrent Compact White TG Clear is really good price. But I don't think It will be really good for NAS. Since It's lacking 3.5 Drive slots and for NAS you will want atleast 6x of them If not +10x.

 

I don't know your local market but you should be able to buy old cases which should have more 3.5 Drive slots and be cheaper.

yes wight, but my idea is that for relative cheap and some time invested you can build in the cages.. eighter 3D printed adapter (Fan/HDD cage) and stock it up and you get a nice vented NAS which is as well visually appealing   Or am i missing here something?

Long story short - my synology 212+ is stilli alive but is not up to date anymore for the tasks i would like to do have/do/test/playwith... So i was looking at some options and decided the best would be to DIY.... More cost efffective, better expansion/upgrade options and i could reuse some older HW which would give me better performance for less money.. Just a upfront infomation, its a project with not an urge and will take some time, but i thought i would be nice to have a thred where i can put my questions and get some advice... Hope you dont mind to share some opinions..

First Question would be Case related... 

Found a local deal for a  used Fractal Design Torrent Compact White TG Clear in a mint condition,  for about 66,66 EUR (epic number after conversion - is it a sign? ) It has good airflow, and i like the looks but is it any good for a NAS? were thinking to buy some drive cages and mount them on the botom as there will be anyway no big VGA...  Any thoughs?  Y/N? pull the triger?

12 hours ago, Snakecharmed said:

 

That's $450 USD worth of fans if they were all new, so that's a great deal. You could resell the ones you don't use at almost the original retail price and make a small profit, or perhaps you do have a use for them all, which would also be great. Hopefully there aren't any issues with them.

 

I had a Silent Wings 4 120mm (non-Pro) that Be Quiet replaced under warranty because it was making a horrendous squealing noise a couple of months after I installed it, but overall, I like the Silent Wings 4 family of fans. I found them to have the best balance of static pressure and noise levels at low RPMs for my build.

Im not gonna sell them, i will change the ones i have in y case and hope it will be a bit quiter.. Im using now 3x 140 Silent WIngs 3 and 7x Thermalright TL-C12 Pro. Not that im not happy with the combo, but if i can make it better (upgrade it) and got this opportunity it was not possible to resist   And i hope that all the fans will be OK, after a first examination of each i could not see any problem or hear anything.. But i have to put them first in the system..... 

I got a deal i could not resist:

used fans but with the following conditions: 

10 x Be Quiet Silent Wings Pro 4 120mm (6 x of them not even opened and used)

3 x Be Quiet Silent Wings Pro 4 140mm ( 2x of them not even opened and used)

On the used one no dust, no scratches and the bill is from 02/2023.... 

All together for 216 EUR (shipping fee included ) 

Impossible to resist! Or am i just WEAK?

and here is the Answer for a cool laptop and and a cool "LAP"  

just change the orientation of one fan and you get as well your lap cooled during the summer time   and you can store the laptop in it as well... ppl selling it used for nothing lol....

Pros:

- cools your laptop

- cools your lap

- cools your wrists 

Cons:

- burns your wallet....  

18 hours ago, J7SC_Orion said:

  

...I would love to see some additional upcycling ideas here, re. fans and 'other'...pic on the left is just one of three bags of old fans (OEM, custom, 80mm - 200 mm) and the fans need to find some gainful employment instead of just taking up space / dust !

 

Pic on the right is an upcycling solution of sorts . This thing with its three GPUs and TR gets normally used for some light ML and as a rendering backup machine. However, we had some window closing / locking issues right at the coldest time mid-winter, so in the evenings, I fired that thing up and ran a bunch of Octane benches which maxed all three GPUs at once; within 5 min, room temp had risen by 3 C (and more when running it longer). Nice and cozy space-heater !

 

well it strongly depends on the situation, weather and other multiple conditions, but you could make something like small wind turbines? 

Stacked like 5 together in a nice place where you are able to create a draught it would be giving you a bit of free electricity   Its just a question of time, effort and possibilities / abilities    

I saw once a Spain guy which was experimenting with this kind of stuff, but he had dry conditions and build a wall of it on the roof....  Cant find it anymore but here is another guy :

Just an inspiration  

Just my basic 5 cent to the topic: synology nas 2 bay in mirror 2x8tb) satisfied  and works great as well as a media centre … as told basic simple kinda lost in the server/plex topics 

12 hours ago, pioneerisloud said:

I've up-cycled plenty, I have not zip tied a bunch of spare case fans together to make a personal desk fan though.  That's a new one.

can you share what you did with the fans? Lets inspire  Any good idea should be shared  

16 hours ago, ENTERPRISE said:

I love it. Pure upcycling and a great use of unused hardware, hopefully will help with the upcoming summer, could always put an ice pack behind it and have poor mans AC lol.

poor mans AC it is  but just not able to place properly the ice behind the  fans. But if i would be able then i would turn it in an defrost / AC device    2in1  

26 minutes ago, bonami2 said:

Just realised after a cleanup that i have like 25 random crappy 120mm fan. Lot of them just grind but uh.

Great idea maybe a laptop cooler could be an option too

to be honest it was my first idea/conclusion with the 20 cm fans but after properly cleaning the notebook cooler its working like a charm again. But yeah will work for sure especially if you have a cooler like the cooler master notepal U2 /U3 which i bought today  (used on a secondhand shop) and it will be easy to replace the fans there as it is just a bend aluminium  

and in the end even a crappy fan  will cool a notebook better then nothing   and for a distance of 1-2 cm you dont need a expensive fan to get the job done...

Just wanted to share 

Well i still have some  stock fans which are just in the box and ofc after some years of "building" computers you gather a fair amount of HW which becomes kind of obsolete but you don't want to throw it away as it works. Trying to sell it is mostly an effort which turns out to be a energy and time burner. So i just thought what to do out of it.... And hey Fans are meant to cool HW - so why it could not cool me? Not having an AC bcs i get mostly a cold from it... And a classic fan has a problem that even on the slowest speed it becomes kind of too much "wind" after a while and annoying   (mostly in smaller rooms).... 

I got 1  desk fan powered by USB - its not bad but not enough when the summer hits my HO/Gamer room which is just 3mx3m ... :

So i dusted my old Fan controller:

Connected it to a molex extendercable to my PC and some fan extension cables and biuld my first "Drone-like" personal FAN:

Now to be honest im rly very positive how it turned out, it does not blows you away but its makes a gentle breeze. An here is a Pros vs Cons summary:

Pros: 

1, upcycling - not creating unnecessary E-waste

2, It fulfills  my expectations way better then expected  

3, its not louder then my case

4, the energy consumption is around 12W (don't have a way to separate the measurement just on the Molex and measured it with a watt meter on the whole case - idle turned on and off - difference is the result)

5, its one of its kind  

6, - just my personal thing - but i like the ghetto look and anyway i like to watch fans  spinning  

Cons:

1, DIY 

P.S. - would be here enough brains for a upcycling thread?  

3 hours ago, damric said:

Looks defective... RMA

well this is the biggest fail .. i could give it back and get the money back.. i decided to mod it, and moded just my pocket in the end