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Interested in HAF XB EVO, some concerns based on reviews.

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Suppressor1137

Member
Joined
May 4, 2011
I'm not into case modding all that much, so I'd like to avoid doing them if at all possible.

My current case is a bit too large and bulky(not to mention heavy!) for me to even consider moving with any ease, and so I was on the lookout for a new case that would carry into my next build.

After looking though 30 pages on newegg, I found this, which I really like, but as the title says, I'm worried about a proper airflow and clearance for the heatsink.

As expected, the go-to heatsink for cheap air-cooled computers is the Hyper 212+ EVO, and several reviews state that clearance between the top fan and the heatsink is just a bit too shallow, 5-7 mm too shallow.

So, there are three routes available to me.

1: Different heatsink choice.

2: potentially a low profile 200mm fan. I don't think even a low profile fan will shave off the required space needed for 5 mm of clearance, however.

3: Mod the case and bump it out a bit more.

Or perhaps there is another cube case that supports a full atx mobo and two 5.25 bays? I really like the case, but I want to use a top vent at the very least to make up for the "tight quarters".

Thanks!
 
After going over my options, I have added another to the list of possibilities.

Corsair H80i GT or non GT, the 100i Seems overkill for light overclocking.
 
I have seen that case, but what mainly steers me away from it is the price. That is to say, If a sale comes along, sure, It's an option. But I can't justify spending $156 after shipping for a case, And the vertical 5.25 bays just don't look right to me. Sure, I could flip it on its side, but then I would have pegs on the side and glass(acryllic, plastic?)being hidden as well as loosing the top vent capabilities.

Are there any low profile*max height: 145 mm* air coolers that are sufficient? Otherwise, I may just go the route of the Corsair H80i GT with the HAF XB.
 
So it is.

Sadly, It is not white or silver that is on sale though...

The Swiftech isn't an all-in-one solution though, If I'm not mistaken, leading to quite the hike in price for a custom loop... scratch that, they sell complete loops, tad pricey though. That apogee cpu mount is sexy though.
 
The performance of the Swiftech is MUCH better than any Corsair out there.
 
I have an air 540 (thanks atminside) and a lanbox.
with the lanbox even a blind man can get good airflow, but be ready to fill the 80mm fan mounts in the lower section if you have a power hungry cpu.
mine takes a 2x 120 rad in the front intakes that might get in the way of a longer gpu if used in push/pull.
on a cooling note, even my wanky, larkooler 300 is better than the corsair stuff.
for a sealed, AIO cooler, look at the coolermaster line, mine is a wonderful unit.
on the lanbox, the mesh top is a double edged razor blade, looks cool, helps get the heat out but at the same time lets the dust right in, i use a three speed antec bigboy fan mounted as exhaust in the top to keep the dust and heat out.
 
Even the 140? I mean, its only $10 more for the 220, and $20 more for the 240, its still a lot more money than I anticipated spending on a cpu cooler*This is for my upcoming Skylake build*

I'm guessing you would want the rads set up as an exhaust to keep the ambient temps of the case down, and unless you flip the HAF XB EVO's intake orientation, you can only do it on a 200mm rad on top, or a 120 mm rad in the rear. Then there is a 100% vertical line for it, as the MOBO is mounted horizontally rather than vertical, meaning the pump probably has a lot of extra strain working against gravity...

I'll keep an eye out on the two, and hope the silver or white one goes on sale soon. Pure black is boring to me, even though the HAF XB is pure black, I liked its design, and would have bought it no questions if clearance wasn't an issue.
 
with the big fan in the top airflow direction does not matter, my rad is run as intake, the top fan is run as exhaust.
hammering all 8 cores of my 8350 at 4.6 with a very taxing computation over a very long time frame I have to cool the socket with the 80mm fan ports in the lower section.
pumps will have no problems at all, the tube runs are short in this case and not very high, my coolermaster siedon has an easy time of it.
 
Trust us, don't buy the Corsair ones. There's much better on the market.
 
if you look at the sales sites, the only refurbed AIO coolers you see are corsair, for the most part.
this should tell you something...........
 
Was referring to the cases, Swifftech sells a 140, 220, 240 as an AIO unit. They are a mere $10 apart for larger radiators.

Looked at some more reviews, Leaning more towards the Air 540, Just a bit concerned on the weight side of things at that point. The idea is to reduce the weight of the case and allow me to move it more easily. My old Phantom case has nothing wrong with it, except that it is heavy, and I just wanted to get a smaller case for the next build to reduce the strain.

With the Air 540, I could also use my Xigmatek gaia without worry, assuming the mounting holes aren't moved around too much, saving another $120-150 right there, making up for the cost of the more expensive Corsair case.

I guess I was attracted to the horizontal motherboard orientation and two 5.25 bays with a normal orientation. I'll keep you guys updated on my decision, Got plenty of time to choose(As December/January is a ways away.)

If i were to buy one though, This Is what I'm considering.
 
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If you really want a light system, go mITX.
My main desktop is 12"x12"x6" and runs an I7 equivalent Xeon with a 980 for gaming at 5760x1080.

Need to take it somewhere? Unplug some cables, throw it under my arm, and go.
 
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