I have had this build since July, 2012, and was thinking of upgrading some, since I'll get a new job next january.
Current build:
i5 3570k
Asrock Z77 Extreme 4
MSI GTX 670 Power Edition
CM 690 II Adv. White (w/ side window) - stock fans
Antec HCG 520
What I'm thinking of getting (i5 and Mobo will stay the same)
Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming (probably... will decide for real when I'm actually buying the parts, next year).
Corsair 760T
Corsair AX760i (mostly for headroom for GPUs in the future. I know HCG 520 can handle one single GTX 970, but still, not that comfortable).
So, seeing as 760T has more fan slots, and its stock fans are okay, but not great at all (2 front fans intake x 1 rear fan exhaust), I began to search for some fans. That's when I found CM's XtraFlo, Akasa's Viper (unfortunately, no LED, but huge static pressure and CFM for the price point), Noctua's NF-A14 (silent, but a bit expensive and ugly, though) and Bitfenix Spectre Pro LED.
I first thought of only getting XtraFlo (PWM), then Spectre Pro LED, but now I'm leaning towards an all-Viper (6x, with 3 exhaust fans on top, or maybe only 5x, with 2 on top) build. The problem, here, is that Viper is PWM, which, according to Swiftech's article, could be damaged and have its lifespan shortened without a proper PWM fan controller (Lamptron FC-2, which is recommended so often, is not for PWM fans). Also, it's only somewhat less ugly than Noctua NF-14, and none of them have LEDs, which would kinda defeat the purpose of having a side panel like 760T's.
Basically, what I'm getting at is:
- Is it really that bad to put PWM fans on normal fan controllers? Not nearly enough motherboard fan headers, so that's not an option.
- Vipers are the least expensive for me (could get them on a national store, instead of having to import them, like I'd do with XtraFlo, Spectre Pro and NF-14). Are they worth it? Or should I get one or some of the others instead, and use Vipers only for front intake (because of the static pressure)?
Current build:
i5 3570k
Asrock Z77 Extreme 4
MSI GTX 670 Power Edition
CM 690 II Adv. White (w/ side window) - stock fans
Antec HCG 520
What I'm thinking of getting (i5 and Mobo will stay the same)
Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming (probably... will decide for real when I'm actually buying the parts, next year).
Corsair 760T
Corsair AX760i (mostly for headroom for GPUs in the future. I know HCG 520 can handle one single GTX 970, but still, not that comfortable).
So, seeing as 760T has more fan slots, and its stock fans are okay, but not great at all (2 front fans intake x 1 rear fan exhaust), I began to search for some fans. That's when I found CM's XtraFlo, Akasa's Viper (unfortunately, no LED, but huge static pressure and CFM for the price point), Noctua's NF-A14 (silent, but a bit expensive and ugly, though) and Bitfenix Spectre Pro LED.
I first thought of only getting XtraFlo (PWM), then Spectre Pro LED, but now I'm leaning towards an all-Viper (6x, with 3 exhaust fans on top, or maybe only 5x, with 2 on top) build. The problem, here, is that Viper is PWM, which, according to Swiftech's article, could be damaged and have its lifespan shortened without a proper PWM fan controller (Lamptron FC-2, which is recommended so often, is not for PWM fans). Also, it's only somewhat less ugly than Noctua NF-14, and none of them have LEDs, which would kinda defeat the purpose of having a side panel like 760T's.
Basically, what I'm getting at is:
- Is it really that bad to put PWM fans on normal fan controllers? Not nearly enough motherboard fan headers, so that's not an option.
- Vipers are the least expensive for me (could get them on a national store, instead of having to import them, like I'd do with XtraFlo, Spectre Pro and NF-14). Are they worth it? Or should I get one or some of the others instead, and use Vipers only for front intake (because of the static pressure)?