Air cooling for future rig

[xK1LLSW1TCHx127]

Hello guys, first post here. I'm struggling to find a case/heatsink setup that will keep a rig I will soon build (hopefully) nice and cool. The rig i have in mind right now will be either a 2600k or a 3570k on a BIOSTAR TZ77XE3 with 8 gigs of gskill ripjaws and a OCZ Fatal1ty PSU (no graphics yet due to budget, GTX 480 will come around December). This is my first build ever (suggestions for the noob are more than welcome)
All i have left is a case to choose. Problem is i'm on a bit of a budget and i want to keep the system as cool as possible with something in the range of 100 bucks. Here is what i have come up wit so far, help me choose or make suggestions please and thank you

NZXT Gamma or M59 midtowers with an extra fan or two and a CM Hyper 212
CM HAF midtower 912 with CM Hyper 212
Antec 300 Illusion midtower with CM Hyper 212
Antec DF-35 stock heatsink
Rosewill challenger with CM Hyper 212\
NZXT Phantom with stock cooler
Rosewill thor v2 with stock cooler
HAF 922 stock cooler

I know the aftermarket heatsinks will keep the cpu cooler, but which setup will keep the entire system cooler? Suggestions are more than welcome =)

Note: I plan on getting a GTX 480 for the system, please help me out with that too if you wouldn't mind =) Thanks Guys!

 

[azuza001]

I would go with the CM Haf midtower with the CM Hyper 212 out of those choices. Whatever you do I would NOT go stock heat sink if you want a cool running rig. That leaves the NZXT, Cool Master, Antec 300, and Rosewill Challenger. I personally like the look of the CM better than the others.

Good luck bud.

 

[Knufire]

First of all, MEH at Biostar motherboards.

Second, (assuming you're ordering from Newegg), picking parts individually isn't going to get you the best price. Buying combo deals will, and you can usually knock off a good $50 from your build, which is pretty much the cost of a good air cooler. Why don't you go and post your entire build over in the General Hardware section.

And for this, I'd go with the 300 Illusion and the H212+. But I bet there's other options.

 

[xK1LLSW1TCHx127]

First of all, MEH at Biostar motherboards.

Second, (assuming you're ordering from Newegg), picking parts individually isn't going to get you the best price. Buying combo deals will, and you can usually knock off a good $50 from your build, which is pretty much the cost of a good air cooler. Why don't you go and post your entire build over in the General Hardware section.

And for this, I'd go with the 300 Illusion and the H212+. But I bet there's other options.

Yeah I don't know why I put that biostar board haha I'm actually planning in getting the asrock pro4 z77, must have misclicked somewhere, and ok, yeah I'll post my build there and see what the forum thinks. Something interesting is that you said I should go for the antec and before you he said to go for the coolermaster, that's what I've been getting from almost everyone I've asked haha. Which of the two cases is roomier? Thanks for the tip about the combos I am buying newegg =)

 

[xK1LLSW1TCHx127]

I would go with the CM Haf midtower with the CM Hyper 212 out of those choices. Whatever you do I would NOT go stock heat sink if you want a cool running rig. That leaves the NZXT, Cool Master, Antec 300, and Rosewill Challenger. I personally like the look of the CM better than the others.

Good luck bud.

Sweet thanks I appreciate the reply=) I think I like the looks of the haf the best=)

 

[azuza001]

Your welcome. They are both good cases, but the Coolmaster has a few things that should be noted.

First, if you look at the pics on newegg look at where the power supply is located. On the Coolmaster it's at the bottom and there is a vent down there to allow air in from the power supply's fan for proper ventilation. The Antec also mounts on the bottom but there isn't a vent there. If your going with a power supply that has a fan in the downward facing position this could be an issue.

Second the coolmaster looks like it has room to install a 2.5" drive down near the bottom next to the power supply. This could be important later down the road if you go with an SSD.

Mentioning HD's the coolmaster case has the side mounting hard drive cages which in my opinion are easier to deal with and use as well as avoiding the problem that sometimes happens when you have a hard drive hanging out the back a bit interfering with a longer graphics card.

Finally the coolmaster case has the holes in it's back side for routing wires through the case. If your someone who MUST have a neat looking case (and you should always try for a neat case if for no other reason than to help air flow) this can help a lot.

NOTE: I do not currently own any coolmaster products or antec products. I just like the way the coolmaster case looks (Armor Superiority!)

 

[Knufire]

Essentially:

Antec - Less features, more fans
HAF912 - More features, less fans

Quality and price and such are about equal...so it's heavily debated. I personally would take the 300, but you can't go wrong with either case.

 

[xK1LLSW1TCHx127]

Your welcome. They are both good cases, but the Coolmaster has a few things that should be noted.

First, if you look at the pics on newegg look at where the power supply is located. On the Coolmaster it's at the bottom and there is a vent down there to allow air in from the power supply's fan for proper ventilation. The Antec also mounts on the bottom but there isn't a vent there. If your going with a power supply that has a fan in the downward facing position this could be an issue.

Second the coolmaster looks like it has room to install a 2.5" drive down near the bottom next to the power supply. This could be important later down the road if you go with an SSD.

Mentioning HD's the coolmaster case has the side mounting hard drive cages which in my opinion are easier to deal with and use as well as avoiding the problem that sometimes happens when you have a hard drive hanging out the back a bit interfering with a longer graphics card.

Finally the coolmaster case has the holes in it's back side for routing wires through the case. If your someone who MUST have a neat looking case (and you should always try for a neat case if for no other reason than to help air flow) this can help a lot.

NOTE: I do not currently own any coolmaster products or antec products. I just like the way the coolmaster case looks (Armor Superiority!)

Awesome! That's what I've been wanting to hear for a long time now=) thanks! And for the member who told me to look at combos for a better build, I can get the same build but with a much nice gigabyte board and a corsair power supply for 50 bucks less thanks!

 

[azuza001]

Glad to hear it! Better board + lower price = awesomeness aways lol.

 

[bluezero5]

Consider

CM Storm trooper.

enough room for 240 rad on top and on bottom.
and another 120 rad at the rear.

Flexible bays makes it very easy to swap things around

I swapped my optical and reservoir to the mid section, so I can get a very good airflow to the RAM and VRMs.
you can also see if you go liquid, it has enough room to make it a push/pull on top rad.

You can see here.




then enough room for water cooling and a VERY sturdy body, I would challenge any other chassis to have a head-on collision with the storm trooper, this thing is a STEEL MONSTER.

Has it's own built in Fan controller, so you don't need to get another.
this is my system at Idle


and when Loaded at 100% (I have those fans lite up when CPU above 75% by all cores.)

Pros:
Flexible Features are useful, kicks ***.
VERY sturdy, as the name implies a trooper indeed.
Fan controller built in, you can save a buck there.
Rotatable bays gives lots of options for creativity.

Cons:
Very heavy.
Not exactly cheap. but add in the fan controller cost.

 

[EpicMango]

Storm Trooper is a very good case, although I think the front is horrid!

Essentially:

Antec - Less features, more fans
HAF912 - More features, less fans

Quality and price and such are about equal...so it's heavily debated. I personally would take the 300, but you can't go wrong with either case.

If you want a little of both, I would suggest you look at the tempest evo!

Its basically a hybrid of both

6 fans, good features, options for water cooling..

 

[Knufire]

Storm Trooper is a very good case, although I think the front is horrid!


If you want a little of both, I would suggest you look at the tempest evo!

Its basically a hybrid of both

6 fans, good features, options for water cooling..

Tempest Evo's like double the price of the Antec 300/HAF912 .

 

[EpicMango]

Tempest Evo's like double the price of the Antec 300/HAF912 .

Oh sheit!

I read those as Antec 900/ HAF 922

Damn.

 

[azuza001]

bluezero5 thats a beautiful case/wiring job but I think thats outside his price range.

 

[Conumdrum]

bluezero5 thats a beautiful case/wiring job but I think thats outside his price range.

Yep.

" All i have left is a case to choose. Problem is i'm on a bit of a budget and i want to keep the system as cool as possible with something in the range of 100 bucks. Here is what i have come up wit so far, help me choose or make suggestions please and thank you "

Nice pics though..............................