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I am dreaming of a new case, case mod/project.

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Pierre3400

Pierre3400

annnnnnd it's gone
​
Joined
May 15, 2010
Location
Euroland, Denmark
Hey guys,

For a long time now, i have been dying to build smaller. Its been too long with my current case, and in all honesty, the build become too large for my use now.

Hardware will remain the same, apart from i wan to get mATX, and back to a single pump, af dual pumpe honestly has just been a bother, its noisy, and vibrates.

I want to get a mid prices /cheap case, but with options! I have looked around, but i feel i may need some help eyeing out possible cases.

Must have:
Space for watercooling (modding possible, want all on inside) Will be cooling 5930K + 2x GTX980 (maybe ram)
mATX space
at least 1 5,25" bay
space for 3x 2.5" drives.
larger space for PSU (since mine is fairly big)

Would like:
Clear side window, nothing special.

These days i dont play much, so most working with pc doesnt push it up in heat, so i can accept going smaller loop, with higher RPM on fans.

Case ideas is basically what i am looking for, I have the dream of a cheap case turned amazing, but the cheap cases often have space issues.
 
Last edited:
Great case, great quality, but it has one problem. The 5,25 bay is vertical, and i must have mine horizontal, and i know the case turns, but that wont work.

I have removed my wish for a cube case.

I am looking for something i can mod a lot, custom metal work, and cheap cases tend not to the painted on the inside, which in my case is a plus.

My issue with cheap cases is they tend to be more office cases, without space for rads. On top of this, i have lost touch with how much watercooling i would need to cool my CPU and GPU's.

I am not looking for an easy build, where everything is how i need it, but i need the space inside to reach my end goal.
 
Ahh, I almost Pierre's waffling... :p

There are other cube cases. You want a monster? Thermaltake Core X9, or its little brother, the X7.
 
EarthDog said:
Ahh, I almost Pierre's waffling... :p

There are other cube cases. You want a monster? Thermaltake Core X9, or its little brother, the X7.
Click to expand...

No, i am looking for compact. I want to go small as possible, i am looking back at my Bitfenix really. http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php/732471-Project-Prodigy-mATX/page6

Maybe A little bit more room to play with :)

This project was more fun because i made the mATX fit, but i wasnt the first, which, bugs me abit. Im looking to do something useful for my needs, but also maybe a first. Not fitting a bigger board in a tiny case, but maybe something else, the rear of the pc, and insides could be something i would change.
 
Tiny case and trying to cool dual 980s and a 5930K? At stock you will want at least 4x120mm worth of radiator... so there is that to consider.
 
If you're looking for a mATX case your issue will be finding one that will house enough rads to cool the cpu + 2x gpu's. I've been looking at going to a mATX water cooled build for almost a year now and there are very few cases to house custom loops. The tT Core X2 is the only mATX case that I'm aware of that can house big water. There may be some mountain mods or case labs cases that can do it too but those are big bucks. Some other options for true mATX would be FD Arc Mini R2 or Corsair Obsidian 350D.

If you want my honest opinion your best bet would be to sell your dual 980's and pick up a single 1070. MSI will be releasing the GTX 1070 Seahawk soon.
 
EarthDog said:
Tiny case and trying to cool dual 980s and a 5930K? At stock you will want at least 4x120mm worth of radiator... so there is that to consider.
Click to expand...

That wont be an issue.

Blaylock said:
If you're looking for a mATX case your issue will be finding one that will house enough rads to cool the cpu + 2x gpu's. I've been looking at going to a mATX water cooled build for almost a year now and there are very few cases to house custom loops. The tT Core X2 is the only mATX case that I'm aware of that can house big water. There may be some mountain mods or case labs cases that can do it too but those are big bucks. Some other options for true mATX would be FD Arc Mini R2 or Corsair Obsidian 350D.

If you want my honest opinion your best bet would be to sell your dual 980's and pick up a single 1070. MSI will be releasing the GTX 1070 Seahawk soon.
Click to expand...

In all honesty, your are right, but im not changing my setup, only hardware change will be motherboard, rads and maybe fans.

I think i have found a case that suits me, its ATX with with a little modding, i thik it will hit the sweet spot for me.
 
I have been looking at Bitfenix, as the Nova was getting my attention, but after a better look at it, it simply will not work, as lack of space behind motherboard would be an issue.

I looked at the Bitfenix AEGIS, and this case is spot on what i want from the chassi, but its damn ugly, and has many failings, but i want the "mid" mounted mATX, with space above for water cooling.

Are there other cases that come with similar mounting options? https://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/aegis
 
See post #7.

Arc mini R2 & Obsidian 350D are the only ones I'm aware of. Manufacturers just aren't making many mATX big water cases.
 
Blaylock said:
See post #7.

Arc mini R2 & Obsidian 350D are the only ones I'm aware of. Manufacturers just aren't making many mATX big water cases.
Click to expand...

The Arc Mini R2, i have looked at, but i am not a fan of covering up my motherboard with rads and fans, the Obsidian 350D on the other hand, is interresting. I have been missing Corsair since i have my 600T which i modded the hell out off.
 
I have yet to make a choice on a case.

The Obsidian 350D is an acceptable case, but it has things i done like.

The is ONE case that suits all my needs, and makes me happy, but its so new that it is not available.

This one caught my eye: http://www.chieftec.eu/en/chassis/midi-tower-high-end/sj-06b.html

I has no real water cooling options, and zero in the way of cable management, but it could have been a great case to attempt something with, but it seems best for air, and waaay to big for that, and is only really something different.
 
Pierre I think your best bet is going to be to determine what you want to put inside the case first. Then figure out what case best fits what you're looking for. Otherwise you'll never decide and/or will end up regretting getting one that doesn't fit your needs.
 
I know every single part which is going into the the case (apart from rads and fans, limit by case choice, but i have a minimum requirement), which is why its an issues to find a case. There are many cases that suit me, apart from a missin 3,25" bay, since i have Aquaero 6 Pro, i want the front display, but i want a little space for water too, Zalman have some cases that are great, apart from being too slim and no window. In-Win make a sweet Cube, but the price tag is triple my budget. Tt make a similar case on price point, but im kinda meh on it at the same time.

I looked at the Phantek Evovl, cool case, but having the 3,25" bay in the rear surves no purpose at all.
 
Go with a Fractal Design Define R4 (or R5), the two front lower drive bays are removable and with some slight modding (dremel off excess metal on bottom of upper 3.5" non-removable drive tray and create a mounting plate on the front) you can put a 280 rad there. There's room up top for a rad too depending on the clearance of your motherboard. Plenty of room in there for what your asking.

I was planning on doing this exact thing but never got around to it. Life got in the way :) I'm transitioning to mITX with the Fractal Design Nano S shortly. These cases are stellar, you will not be disappointed.
 
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