Spec me a case, biznitches

friznit · Post by **friznit** » October 30th, 2007, 12:44

Overheating and airflow seem to be causing me dramas since I upgraded to an 8800. I could also be a faulty PSU and/or RAM, tho memtest reckons the RAM is servicable. Anyway, I want to get a new case and modular PSU, preferably all with large, silent fans and easy to put together.

Anyone got an ideas/experience/ones they really like/hate? Looks isn't a major issue tbfh.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » October 30th, 2007, 12:47

apparently one of these can help with the 8800s a bit.

antec 900 case is big, cheap, ugly and has a million fans.

see budget machine thread for PSUs, cba to say the same thing again.

Post by **HereComesPete** » October 30th, 2007, 13:10

Everyone agrees on get the best psu you possibly can. But I think putting high end kit in any old case is a bad idea. You spend the monies on high performance energy eating, heat shitting stuff, then put it in a box that lets it all heat itself up until it melts. The extra exhaust blower works well, but some people struggle to fit it. The 900 is great, but if you fancy getting different to everyone else, just because, then here you go-

You want understated, something like this Coolermaster CM690

You want flashy try this Aspire X-cruiser

My next case, because everyone does black and blue, and that's so passe, is probably going to be this NZXT LEXA It will match my keyboard (

), has a fuckload of fans, is super midi so the gtx will fit and looks nice.

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » October 30th, 2007, 13:11

HereComesPete wrote:NZXT LEXA It will match my keyboard

faaabulous?

Post by **HereComesPete** » October 30th, 2007, 13:17

Chicken...

spoodie · Post by **spoodie** » October 30th, 2007, 13:22

HereComesPete wrote:You want flashy try this Aspire X-cruiser

My next case, because everyone does black and blue, and that's so passe, is probably going to be this NZXT LEXA It will match my keyboard ( ), has a fuckload of fans, is super midi so the gtx will fit and looks nice.

High-end PC cases and good taste very rarely seem to inhabit the same universe.

I think you should go for this case: http://www.peteredge.orcon.net.nz/casefan.html

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » October 30th, 2007, 13:24

spoodie wrote: High-end PC cases and good taste very rarely seem to inhabit the same universe.

QFT.

I find Lian li and silverstone make good fairly plain cases, but you really do pay a premium for them.

Post by **HereComesPete** » October 30th, 2007, 13:24

Surely that would work like shit, each fan impinging the other until the air flow is actually still static in the case with the fans fighting each other and raising the temp further?

mrbobbins · Post by **mrbobbins** » October 30th, 2007, 13:26

HereComesPete wrote:Surely that would work like shit, each fan impinging the other until the air flow is actually still static in the case with the fans fighting each other and raising the temp further?

yes

Post by **Dr. kitteny berk** » October 30th, 2007, 13:26

HereComesPete wrote:Surely that would work like shit, each fan impinging the other until the air flow is actually still static in the case with the fans fighting each other and raising the temp further?

depends if you do it right*, but still, 2-4 case fans is more than enough for most machines.

*all of his fans are pointed right (so airflow goes in one side and out the other), with a few more sucking than blowing, so should be fine.

Post by **HereComesPete** » October 30th, 2007, 13:28

Well friz might like the mobile disco that is the Aspire! As for the NZXT, whats wrong with it?

spoodie · Post by **spoodie** » October 30th, 2007, 13:41

HereComesPete wrote:As for the NZXT, whats wrong with it?

It said to me "Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?" and that's not my name.

It does look more subtle than the other one, but I don't like case windows or the colour red.

As for some serious help:
It doesn't really matter what case so long as it has nice large holes in the front and back, fitted with decent fans. Organise the internal cables, with cable ties if necessary, to make sure the airflow is as least obstructed as possible. If you can layout the PCI cards, etc so they are spaced evenly and the ones that produce the most heat are in where you think the greatest airflow will be. The location in the room and ambient temperature can also have an effect and should be considered.

This is all fairly obvious stuff but I thought I'd increase my post count anyway.

Post by **HereComesPete** » October 30th, 2007, 13:49

Indeed, post count fattening ftw. A drawback of cheap cases that you can bolt a shitload of fans to is they tend to have no dust filters, so you will suck enough dust into a well fanned case to re-assemble your skin as a kind of flaky, smells like old people suit.

A new modular psu helps a lot with cleanliness and airflow, my Hyper Type-R 580w has proved to be a very nice buy, very stable rails, runs almost silent, plenty of cables, comes with a little toolbox thing thats rather handy and is a piece of piss to fit.

mrbobbins · Post by **mrbobbins** » October 30th, 2007, 13:52

HereComesPete wrote:my Hyper Type-R 580w is going to explode

Fix'd

BOOM

spoodie · Post by **spoodie** » October 30th, 2007, 13:52

HereComesPete wrote: Indeed, post count fattening ftw. A drawback of cheap cases that you can bolt a shitload of fans to is they tend to have no dust filters, so you will suck enough dust into a well fanned case to re-assemble your skin as a kind of flaky, smells like old people suit.

A good point, an air intake felcher is essential as dust will add to your heat problems.

Post by **HereComesPete** » October 30th, 2007, 13:58

mrbobbins wrote:
Fix'd

BOOM

Oh RO-BO, who art in scrapheap challenge, eating the junkyard. Please spare my psu a little longer, my wallet is thin and creaky, it knows no love of monies. The days grow shorter, the nights get longer, the cold sets in and my psu helps heat the room, a selfless act that helps destroy the environment with ozone, I hope this destruction lets you spare it just for now, amen.

Chickenz · Post by **Chickenz** » October 30th, 2007, 15:23

Dr. kitteny berk wrote:apparently one of these can help with the 8800s a bit.

antec 900 case is big, cheap, ugly and has a million fans.

see budget machine thread for PSUs, cba to say the same thing again.

It certainly does, I have one on right now.

amblin · Post by **amblin** » October 30th, 2007, 17:02

Post by **FatherJack** » October 30th, 2007, 19:03

Fans at the front are pretty unneccesary if the front is a mesh, like my Lian-Li A16-B. it's all about planning the airfow. Also, it doesn't look like a Soho clip joint.

I have CPU cooler that's inline with the main rear fan and putting your hand on the mesh at the front you can feel the cool air being pulled in.

That little exhaust blower is a cheap way to add more cooling, but put too close to the graphics card it will interfere with it's fan. My case has a clever fan which sucks air from "above" all the PCI cards and out of the back. Look for similar arrangements, as this seems to me the most efficient way of doing something about GPU heat without upgrading it's own cooling.

Also worth a go is manually setting the GPU fan to 100%, something which I tend to do before extended gaming sessions, simply because allowing it to be automatically controlled lets it get hotter than I would like.

Post by **deject** » October 30th, 2007, 19:48

HereComesPete wrote:Well friz might like the mobile disco that is the Aspire! As for the NZXT, whats wrong with it?

I find most of NZXT's cases (especially the ones most people buy) garish and ugly. People underestimate the beauty of clean, simple lines. instead they make some nasty shit like that Guardian one.

The Zero one looks nice, and the Adamas one does too, even though it's a Lian-Li knock-off.