Have had it with this hot box

[RedDragon1260]

I am tired of seeing my temps go up in this hot box Asus calls a case. I was trying to save up for a 600T in white but with the temps i am getting and the need for a new power supply (running an old BFG Tech 650w from '06) it is really making me reconsider other options.

The case i have right now only came with an 80mm fan for an exhaust and i had to make a port hole on the side panel for a 120mm i took off my old Thermaltake radiator to cool off my XFX 5670. The three majors problems i see with this rig is the 5670 is just pushing hot air into the case and the exhaust fan is not powerful enough to relieve all that heat. Also the power supply itself is making alot of heat. The other issue i have with it is there is no intake fan except for the one i made.

I know alot of people love the HAF X and HAF 932A but how is the HAF 912 holding up. I am looking for a budget case to hold me off for now till i can get the 600T in white or a HAF 932A.

 

[pbcranium202]

The HAF series is a solid series of cases. For a mid tower in that price range, it is a good performer. It also has better cable management than most cases for its price. Cable management doesn't sound like much, but if done right can help increase airflow, helping out overall heat in the case.

Another solid case, for a bit less, but also a few less features and a little less "spiffy" is the Antec 300. My original build used the basic version, with only one intake and one exhaust fan, and still kept everything cool with a decent overclock. When I added two out of the three extra fans you can add it was great. You can pay an extra $10 for an illusion model that comes with all the fans, with LED's so its a little fancier too. But cable management is almost 0, and it takes a lot more effort to try to keep everything neat and tidy. One thing I did truly like was its front intake air filter. Its a great feature, esp for me seeing as I have two dogs and a cat.

 

[RedDragon1260]

looks like i might just stop by CU this weekend and hope they have a 912 there and just pick it up with a power supply. I know they have a HAF 922A there but its most of my budget and i will not be able to get a decent power supply with that.

 

[wagex]

just take the side off for time being

 

[RedDragon1260]

Ambient in my room: 23.3C
Case ambient: 26.1C
Rear exhaust: 26.6C
PSU exhaust: 32.7c

and thats because i just turned it on not even 10min ago. Here are my Core Temp and Speed Fan screen shots (still cant figure out what Temp 1 and Temp 2 are)



*Temps taken with a Duratrax Flashpoint that i would use for my RC cars*

 

[Vortaku]

How much are you looking to spend? I would look into the coolermaster 690 2, if you want to spend a slight bit more then that then look at the advanced model. My sig rig was transplanted into it when the top fan of the antec 900 v1 went out. I love the case. I do have the advanced model tho. It has the holes for cable management if your into that. It has a button to turn the front led on the fan off. It has 6 hard drive slots. It can fit 2 240 rads for watercooling if you go this route in the future. It was a very nice case to build with. I absolutely love it!

edit: where in texas are ya?

 

[RedDragon1260]

I will look into that but i have a budget of $175 for right now and that is to include a power supply so i trying to stick to something less expensive so i can get a Corsair power supply. thats why i liked the 912 because it has cable management. and i live in Mercedes so i am DEEP south lol. About 4 miles from the border of mexico.

 

[Vortaku]

oh damn, i only ever been down to sa, i am from dfw. Yeah look into the cm 690 2 . fully decked out with the advanced package which is what im rocking its like 90 bucks. so you would still be set for a corsair i think.

edit: just priced the 912, its cheaper then the cm 690 2 base model. the base model comes in at 79.99 at newegg, and the advanced is 89.99. the haf 912 is 59.99 there. so take it for what ya will. Let us know what you decide to go with. I dont have that much experience in the case department. I know i hated my damn antec 900

 

[Seebs]

I will look into that but i have a budget of $175 for right now and that is to include a power supply so i trying to stick to something less expensive so i can get a Corsair power supply. thats why i liked the 912 because it has cable management. and i live in Mercedes so i am DEEP south lol. About 4 miles from the border of mexico.

$175 is more than enough for you to get a quality case and a quality PSU. I don't know if you're going to buy locally, or order on line... But prices should not vary too much either way.

Corsair TX650V2 - $89.99 with $10 MIR

Cooler Master CM 690 II Basic - $79.99 with $10 MIR

or

CM HAF 912 - $59.99 with $10 MIR


And if all you're powering is that rig in your sig... You don't even need 650W of power supply; hell I power my Daily driver (AMD 955BE + HD6950 + HDDs + Ram + Optical + Fans) with a Corsair VX450 and it handles the whole thing without any problems.

 

[RedDragon1260]

I am trying to avoid ordering online for right now while i am switching banks so i do not have to bum a friends card or paypal to order. So really i am confined to either Best Buy or Comp USA for my parts. I called earlier and they said they have 2 HAF912s but the only 690 IIs they had were NVidia editions for $109. They are very limited to what they have in stores.

As far as getting a larger than 450W power supply is because i want to be able to set it and forget it as far as power supplies goes. I don't want to go 1kW or 850W because i am not going to be going crossfire or anything but i do plan on running LEDs, blu-ray burner, sound card, graphics card, some SSDs, and a couple of fans. plus i know i am upgrading to the Crosshair V Formula when it comes out and an X4 965BE. I was thinking a 650W or even a 700W would be fine and gives me room to grow.

 

[Seebs]

I am trying to avoid ordering online for right now while i am switching banks so i do not have to bum a friends card or paypal to order. So really i am confined to either Best Buy or Comp USA for my parts. I called earlier and they said they have 2 HAF912s but the only 690 IIs they had were NVidia editions for $109. They are very limited to what they have in stores.

As far as getting a larger than 450W power supply is because i want to be able to set it and forget it as far as power supplies goes. I don't want to go 1kW or 850W because i am not going to be going crossfire or anything but i do plan on running LEDs, blu-ray burner, sound card, graphics card, some SSDs, and a couple of fans. plus i know i am upgrading to the Crosshair V Formula when it comes out and an X4 965BE. I was thinking a 650W or even a 700W would be fine and gives me room to grow.

Yes they are quite limited to what they have in the stock at the actual stores. If you don't mind waiting a little bit you can go to CompUSA and have them order the parts into the store for you from their online catalog. That way you pay for them and pick them up a few days later. They offered me that service when I wanted to buy a motherboard they did not have at the store but was available online.

Failing that; try Microcenter if you have one around.

As for the PSU, a 650W would give you enough room to grow. I only mentioned the 450W as a point of reference for you.

 

[RedDragon1260]

I wish we had some kind of alternative, the closest thing i can think of is Frys in Houston and i believe there is a microcenter there too but that is a 5-6 hour drive for me just to get there but i think i will just grab that 912 and save and just have them order me an HX650 or an AX750 from their online store.

 

[RedDragon1260]

"shes ALIVE.....ALIVE!!!!"

my build thread will be up soon with pics

 

[WhitehawkEQ]

I see from your sig, that you got the HAF 912, if it's anything like the HAF 932 or 922, I bet it has lots of space in it. Can't wait to see your pics.

Here is a inside pic of my HAF 932.

 

[RedDragon1260]

My Build Thread