Hey all, I've been reading the CPU upgrade topics and want to give my pro pioneer its maximum boost with a quad core. This will require new cooling so far I've read. I am understanding cooling solutions are hard to find due to lack of space around CPU and between CPU and case? Is there a determined dimension that always works?
Would something like these be viable? http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Cooling-Heatsink-Radiator/dp/B009SJR3GS http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Liquid-Cooling-System-CLW0216/dp/B007UIX1M4
I like Gelid fans, they are super quiet, dust-proof, and have an interesting patented nanoflux bearing, so I was also thinking about getting these two if water cooling didn't work out: CPU Fan/Sink: http://www.gelidsolutions.com/products/index.php?lid=1&cid=8&id=104 System Fan: http://www.gelidsolutions.com/products/index.php?lid=1&cid=2&id=35
Might even get that system fan to replace the fan on the cooler master since it'll operate more quietly and efficiently.
I do, read my signature. Last night I was doing a NFS back transfer and everything was pegged. The only thing was that my SYSFan was running ~ 1100 RPM, WAY slower than the stock. My worry came that my SYSTemp was 149*, which was the MAX "normal" range. However, it never went above this. The CPUFan was ~ 700 RPM and CPUTemp never went above 95* 🙂
Keep in mind that I used ULNA and LNA in my Noctua Fans. I LOVE THEM and fit just fine. No modifications needed at all. The CPU fan though @ 80x80x25mm was a SNUG fit, BUT it will fit. Even doing a NAS to NAS transfer, I could BARELY hear my fans. However, when I peg my CPU with transcodes will be the real test.
Lastly, I inadvertently set my CPUFan backwards (to pull from CPU) rather than to push to CPU. Actually it is cooler, BUT I will fix this when I complete my back ups.
I love the mods I have done on my ReadyNas Pro Pioneer. Although HATE that I cannot bond the NICS, but I am working on that also!
I do, read my signature. Last night I was doing a NFS back transfer and everything was pegged. The only thing was that my SYSFan was running ~ 1100 RPM, WAY slower than the stock. My worry came that my SYSTemp was 149*, which was the MAX "normal" range. However, it never went above this. The CPUFan was ~ 700 RPM and CPUTemp never went above 95* 🙂
Keep in mind that I used ULNA and LNA in my Noctua Fans. I LOVE THEM and fit just fine. No modifications needed at all. The CPU fan though @ 80x80x25mm was a SNUG fit, BUT it will fit. Even doing a NAS to NAS transfer, I could BARELY hear my fans. However, when I peg my CPU with transcodes will be the real test.
Lastly, I inadvertently set my CPUFan backwards (to pull from CPU) rather than to push to CPU. Actually it is cooler, BUT I will fix this when I complete my back ups.
I love the mods I have done on my ReadyNas Pro Pioneer. Although HATE that I cannot bond the NICS, but I am working on that also!
Good luck
Hmm when you mention your Noctua 80x80x25mm - that must be just the fan itself? Not including heatsink? I'm a gelid fan, so I was looking at their slim products: this one more desirable, but is larger http://www.gelidsolutions.com/products/index.php?lid=2&cid=12&id=91&tab=2 this one more slim, and very close to the 80x80x25 even WITH heatsink. (all dimensions are clearly spelled out on specs page - unlike other manufacturers)
By eyeballing things, I'm pretty sure the liquid cooling Cooler Master will work well: http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Cooling-Heatsink-Radiator/dp/B009SJR3GS
Frees up space on the CPU, and replaces the system fan which seems to have enough space for the radiator/fan combo...
Hmm when you mention your Noctua 80x80x25mm - that must be just the fan itself? Not including heatsink? I'm a gelid fan, so I was looking at their slim products: this one more desirable, but is larger http://www.gelidsolutions.com/products/ ... d=91&tab=2 this one more slim, and very close to the 80x80x25 even WITH heatsink. (all dimensions are clearly spelled out on specs page - unlike other manufacturers)
Frees up space on the CPU, and replaces the system fan which seems to have enough space for the radiator/fan combo...
The Gelid solutions looks interesting. I don't know the total height yet. When I change my CPU out of the Business Pro, I will advise. If the Gelid fan + heatsink is <= the 25mm + whatever the heatsink height is, then it will work. My only concern at that point is mounting the hatsink on the board. But it should work...
The Cooler Master will definitely need a case mode.
Don't know if I like this solution as the side fan draws air into the case and out the back. Maybe you can have it where you drill into the case where the 80mm is currently, make sure you are pulling in rather than pulling out. That might be OK, but I personally don't like to mod cases. I just like the look of original on the outside, and beast on the inside. That is juts my opinion.
Once I get the dimensions of the current Noctua fan + the heatsink and post back to compare. It obviously needs to be <= 59 mm for the Gelid.
As promised, the stock heat sink + the Noctua 25mm height fan is ~ 50mm.
Here is the proof:
Here is the underside of the heat sink:
Note that I measured from the copper plate to the top of the Noctua fan.
The Gelid will NOT fit as at ~50mm, it is already a VERY snug fit. I noticed the Ultra 6 Plus has maybe 1-2mm more, but even then, it is nowhere the needed 59mm of the Gelid.
Also, the RAM is right next to the heat sink. Also there is some type of passive cooling, which I am pretty sure the dimension of the GELID: Heat Sink with Fan Dimensions (mm): 131 (l) x 123 (w) x 59 (h)
😞 man its a tough battle to try to cool a 95watt TDP cpu in one of these cases then eh?
I was looking at this one by noctua http://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-L12-Low-profile-Quiet-Cooler/dp/B007C861WO
But even with removing one of the fans, its still 65mm height - and this one is actually branded as a LOW profile 😮
That cooler master seidon though has a rating up to 140watt TDP if I remember correctly, it had a great review on a 125watt TDP I7 even with it overclocked.
Since I can't seem to find any fan cooled solution that has a rating of at least 95 watt TDP and is also VERY low profile thanks to netgear design, it seems I'll have to push forward with the seidon. I'm not sure it needs a case mod though. If the radiator and fan is placed to blow OUT where the system fan is now, it should effectively provide enough airflow while pushing the hot air out. I am hestitant to place it in reverse, because it'll pull air in, but then the air passes over the radiator, making the air hotter that its pulling in.
If this wasn't enough to keep system temperature down, i was considering just bolting a fan to the intake above where the CPU fan would've been for the fresh cool intake air. Tiny mod to the case with just a few holes. Use the CPU fan plug for the seidon, use the system fan plug for the new fan bolted above the cpu.
But even with removing one of the fans, its still 65mm height - and this one is actually branded as a LOW profile 😮
That cooler master seidon though has a rating up to 140watt TDP if I remember correctly, it had a great review on a 125watt TDP I7 even with it overclocked.
Since I can't seem to find any fan cooled solution that has a rating of at least 95 watt TDP and is also VERY low profile thanks to netgear design, it seems I'll have to push forward with the seidon. I'm not sure it needs a case mod though. If the radiator and fan is placed to blow OUT where the system fan is now, it should effectively provide enough airflow while pushing the hot air out. I am hestitant to place it in reverse, because it'll pull air in, but then the air passes over the radiator, making the air hotter that its pulling in.
If this wasn't enough to keep system temperature down, i was considering just bolting a fan to the intake above where the CPU fan would've been for the fresh cool intake air. Tiny mod to the case with just a few holes. Use the CPU fan plug for the seidon, use the system fan plug for the new fan bolted above the cpu.
Whatcha think?
I think this is an interesting idea. I would love to see pics once completed. However, I would not go with a Quad Core personally. It is a pretty big jump from the standard E2160 CPU to E7600 CPU without any modification on FW or HW. I only changed the fans out because my girl was complaining it was loud :s Now she doesn't even hear it. Now if I could only find a fan replacement to make her less whiny. LOL!
Note that I tried to put in a Quad Core CPU and got warnings, one of the fan's "stopped working" and my SysTemp got wayyyy to hot for my tastes. This was on the Ultra6 Plus. When I updated the CPU on the Pro Pioneer/Business with a E7600 CPU, at first it didn't even boot up. After upgrading the FW, then it booted with the E7600 with no issues.
If you like, I can try the Quad Core on the Pro Pioneer. I have all the latest FW's installed. Let me know what you think.
I think this is an interesting idea. I would love to see pics once completed. However, I would not go with a Quad Core personally. It is a pretty big jump from the standard E2160 CPU to E7600 CPU without any modification on FW or HW. I only changed the fans out because my girl was complaining it was loud :s Now she doesn't even hear it. Now if I could only find a fan replacement to make her less whiny. LOL!
Note that I tried to put in a Quad Core CPU and got warnings, one of the fan's "stopped working" and my SysTemp got wayyyy to hot for my tastes. This was on the Ultra6 Plus. When I updated the CPU on the Pro Pioneer/Business with a E7600 CPU, at first it didn't even boot up. After upgrading the FW, then it booted with the E7600 with no issues.
If you like, I can try the Quad Core on the Pro Pioneer. I have all the latest FW's installed. Let me know what you think.
Not sure about fans, but you can try a platinum credit card, that helps make them less whiny lol
Yea, I was reading through a long thread here on CPU Upgrade for the Pro 6. Everyone concluded the same, that with the bios update, the system can handle that Q6700 quad, but it ran hot. I really wanted to be sure I had the firepower i needed for multiple simultaneous transcodings, and didn't mind updating the cooling systems, so wanted to go for it.
Looks like it'll fit, but also doesn't look very robust. I can't find the TDP rating for it, but it lists the Q6700 as a processor that its good for. I bought it as well just in case. So now I have the seidon cooler, your noctua, and that P199 coming to me. I should be able to manage some sort of appropriate cooling setup out of this... hopefully!
Not sure about fans, but you can try a platinum credit card, that helps make them less whiny lol
Yea, I was reading through a long thread here on CPU Upgrade for the Pro 6. Everyone concluded the same, that with the bios update, the system can handle that Q6700 quad, but it ran hot. I really wanted to be sure I had the firepower i needed for multiple simultaneous transcodings, and didn't mind updating the cooling systems, so wanted to go for it.
Looks like it'll fit, but also doesn't look very robust. I can't find the TDP rating for it, but it lists the Q6700 as a processor that its good for. I bought it as well just in case. So now I have the seidon cooler, your noctua, and that P199 coming to me. I should be able to manage some sort of appropriate cooling setup out of this... hopefully!
A platinum card will make anything be quiet. LOL
I am currently in the process of hopefully procuring a Pro 6 to Frankenstein that box as well, so I can't comment on that one. My experience is limited to Ultra 6 Plus and Pro Pioneer/Business.
What are you going to be transcoding with? FFMPEG? Are you going to be transcoding using Plex?
If the former, then definitely will see a great improvement from the E2160 to E7600. Haven't started my transcodes, but once I do, I will advise.
If the latter, here is some that you might find helpful: Plex Media Server only – ReadyNAS
Minimum requirements
An Intel based ReadyNAS device 1GB RAM
Recommended configuration - For transcoding HD Content (720p and 1080p):
Specifically, look at line 13: NAS Type Transcoding Level Supported (1 Client) NAS Make NAS Model CPU Type PMS Installable on NAS SD (480p/576p) HD (720P) HD (1080P) Notes ReadyNAS Pro 6 Pentium E5300 2.6Ghz Yes Yes Yes Yes* *Struggles transcoding Full Bluray bit-rates. Dropouts will occur.
As you can see, row 13 in the attached spreadsheet, a E5300 @ 2.6 GHz CAN handle transcode, but will you be doing Blu-Ray transcode (~20-40 Mbps) or sourcing from Blu-Ray to more aggressive bit-rates, for mobile/tablet devices to stream locally or over 3G/4G/Internet (2-4 Mbps)?
I have yet to stream my new E7600 from Plex Media Server so I cannot comment on that yet. As soon as I do have metrics, I will advise. Worse for me since all my clients are wireless that will be streaming.
interesting links! This thing says pro pioneer cant do 1080p transcoding, but it actually does half decent with some pauses here and there to allow buffering. Problem is if ANYTHING else happens on the nas, tits up she goes! My library has a lot of blueray MKVs that have the unfortunate pleasure of streaming out to a few Roku 3s (most of which are hardwired). With that agitating Roku bug of not being able to http stream an MKV, we end up with heavy transcoding needs. I've looked into replacing all the rokus with something better, but there aren't many options while still maintaining client cost around $100, easy remote control, and MORE than just plex accessible from that simple remote. We also frequent netflix, amazon, and other services.. so even a mac mini doesn't fit the bill since I'd have to leave plex and grab a keyboard and mouse.
I tried offloading my transcoding to my imac with the NAS just drive mapped in, but the plex installation on that computer is all fubared. I have really wasted way too many hours trying in vain to fix plex on that computer, just gave up on it: http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/top ... k-bundles/
So then I started looking at new NAS that might have the horsepower, all of them however seem to sit back on old tech while charging premiums.
and so here I am, hoping to squeeze as much oomph out of the readynas as I can. Just trying to support at least 2 simultaneous transcoding streams.
interesting links! This thing says pro pioneer cant do 1080p transcoding, but it actually does half decent with some pauses here and there to allow buffering. Problem is if ANYTHING else happens on the nas, tits up she goes! My library has a lot of blueray MKVs that have the unfortunate pleasure of streaming out to a few Roku 3s (most of which are hardwired). With that agitating Roku bug of not being able to http stream an MKV, we end up with heavy transcoding needs. I've looked into replacing all the rokus with something better, but there aren't many options while still maintaining client cost around $100, easy remote control, and MORE than just plex accessible from that simple remote. We also frequent netflix, amazon, and other services.. so even a mac mini doesn't fit the bill since I'd have to leave plex and grab a keyboard and mouse.
I tried offloading my transcoding to my imac with the NAS just drive mapped in, but the plex installation on that computer is all fubared. I have really wasted way too many hours trying in vain to fix plex on that computer, just gave up on it: http://forums.plexapp.com/index.php/top ... k-bundles/
So then I started looking at new NAS that might have the horsepower, all of them however seem to sit back on old tech while charging premiums.
and so here I am, hoping to squeeze as much oomph out of the readynas as I can. Just trying to support at least 2 simultaneous transcoding streams.
The Pro Pioneer cannot do 1080p transcoding on the stock CPU, according to the spreadsheet. Like you, I have also been able transocde HD files, but only 720p, which is acceptable since I am streaming to an iPad 2. If however I have 2 iPads streaming, then I have issues.
Seems we have similar sources. Most of my HD library are AVC MKV files as well. I just got tasked by my SO to "make the movies play on the iPad". Since the iPad's are only Wi-Fi, I have a bit of transcoding to do, hence why I beefed up my gear. I could cheat and use Perian with Compressor and make iPad compatible m4v's, but I prefer using X264 algorithm and not Apple's -- that's where FFMPEG comes into play for me. But I digress...
I have a mac mini that was originally a HTPC, but once I got the ReadyNAS, it just sits there, waiting for me to do something with it. I cut the cord so to speak with certain streaming providers, but I also have a Samsung Smart TV, which has all the widgets, like Netflix, Hulu, etc. It even has a Plex client and with my ReadyNas as a server, it is awesome. Again, I digress...
The 2 streams that you are trying to transcode are for 720p or 1080p? I am thinking that a Quad Core will give you more trouble than it's worth. I am pretty confident that a E7600 will be able to meet your demands.
The above is speculation based on the links above. It should be good, I am just not there yet. Will advise when I can.
...I could cheat and use Perian with Compressor and make iPad compatible m4v's, but I prefer using X264 algorithm and not Apple's -- that's where FFMPEG comes into play for me. But I digress...
Apple m4v's use H.264 (what you call X264). So one can usually remux the MKV to an m4v without transcoding the video (though of course the audio may need to be transcoded).
Personally I use avplayerHD on the iPad, and connect it to the NAS using it's FTP client feature. It plays MKV. Generally that works quite well (network conditions permitting).
I've been able to do 1 x 1080p MKV BluRay to a roku from my stock Pro Pioneer. Previous to the latest plex transcoder update and the roku3, i was not able to pull it off. But now it can handle it with only a few hiccups.
well i'm locked in for that quad core with liquid cooling, its in transit now... so I'll be sure to post back my results!
I've been using a Zalman USA ZMOP1 80MM Slim Fan for the past few years, it matches with the factory spec fan in that its only 15mm thick, unlike most of the 25mm thick 80mm fans out there.
