Corsair 650d vs CM HAF 932 Advanced

[jli]

I put together my current build yesterday and I'm really liking it, except for one thing. The graphics card I got (EVGA GTX 570 HD SuperClocked) blows air back into the case (its not the reference 570 design). The issue with that is that I got a Corsair 650d case that doesn't have open sides. This makes it hard for the air getting blown out of the graphics card to vent out, which subsequently raises temps.

Here's my question: would it be worth switching to the CoolerMaster HAF 932 Advanced? I hear it has great airflow, and should help a lot since it has a side fan that would blow the graphics card air right out.

Thanks

 

[jli]

Or should I mod my current case and add a fan to the side? It would be annoying but doable.

 

[RedDragon1260]

For what you paid for the 650 i would just mod it. The 932A is an awesome case but if all you want it for is a side fan i would just save the $150 and add a 140mm fan to your side panel. personally i am going to upgrade later to a 932A or a Raven RV-01 but only because my cases sit on desks and i like to show them off (also carpeted floors are a PC killer)

 

[Prime]

The super clocked is a reference card, its just factory overclocked.

 

[RedDragon1260]

i think he means its the one with the fan in the center instead of at the end like the normal reference card.

 

[jli]

Yeah, its the 560 PCB with 570 parts basically.

I'm thinking of swapping it out with the Asus DCII card, it apparently cools insanely well (at the cost of taking up 3 pci slots), or getting a reference card.

 

[RedDragon1260]

to be honest i am more of an ATi fan myself but you are correct, i think these companies are trying harder for you to only use one card rather than go SLi or Crossfire with these new 3 slot cards. Would be insane to see 9 slots taken up by 3 cards on SLi though lol

 

[Prime]

Must be brand new, havent seen that before(just googled it). what are your gpu temps like and system temps? Igf youre not using some expansion slots you could always build a little air duct for the card

 

[jli]

Yeah it looks pretty sweet (but HUGE). I figure if I'm going to build an air duct that takes up expansion slots then I may as well just go for the 3 slot card that cools insanely well.

My temps are reasonable but I'm not satisfied with them considering this is a NEW system so I may as well try to get the best possible.

Running Kombustor with my custom fan profile got me 74C with 82% fan (which is pretty loud). If I use the stock fan profile I get mid 80s. See here for some more info on that.

 

[Theocnoob]

Corsair will (AFAIK) sell you a mesh sidepanel for the 650D. You can also make your own very easily with little more than a drill that you already own, some elbow grease, tin snips, and a sanding tool of some sort. And spray paint. Then you can mount 4 120mm fans on there if you want. At any rate, much cheaper than buying a whole new case.

I swapped the top 200mm fan for two 140mm on my 650D I find it helps a bit, but the lack of a side fan is brutal for sure.

 

[jli]

Yeah I've pretty much decided to keep the case, but swap out the graphics card.

I see from your sig that you have a DCUII card, do you recommend it? I think I'm either going to switch my EVGA HD to a reference or the Asus 3 slot.

 

[Mikester70]

Our builds are almost identical.

I originally ordered the same card as you did, when I seen that the fan was in the middle like the 560 I returned it immediately to newegg and ordered the EVGA GTX 570 reference card.

Where did you order card from? Did you try an RMA it?

 

[jli]

Our builds are almost identical.

I originally ordered the same card as you did, when I seen that the fan was in the middle like the 560 I returned it immediately to newegg and ordered the EVGA GTX 570 reference card.

Where did you order card from? Did you try an RMA it?

I got it from a local store and I can exchange it for a 5% restocking fee.

So I'm deciding whether to go for the reference or the Asus DCII. Do you find the reference is loud?

 

[Mikester70]

I got it from a local store and I can exchange it for a 5% restocking fee.

So I'm deciding whether to go for the reference or the Asus DCII. Do you find the reference is loud?

I cannot hear it at all, I have it overclocked about 10% and have not increased the fan speed.

 

[jli]

So I ended up getting the reference EVGA and I'll install it when I get home and compare temperatures.

Thanks for everyone's input!

Also the store clerk forgot to charge me the restocking fee even though I already registered it =D

 

[Theocnoob]

Yeah I've pretty much decided to keep the case, but swap out the graphics card.

I see from your sig that you have a DCUII card, do you recommend it? I think I'm either going to switch my EVGA HD to a reference or the Asus 3 slot.

Sorry I missed your Q. The DCUII cooler is excellent. TIM is garbage. Toothpaste like. Changed it to MX-4 and took like 7 or 8 degrees off the thing. The card itself is a little meh... Their caps are inferior to the reference caps. MSI's newer coolers are better IMO. Support bracket etc. Not sure if ASUS has implemented this on the ROG verison of the DCU design.

 

[jli]

With the new reference card my load temps are great (all under 70 overclocked to SC level, in kombustor burn in, OC scanner etc) Its a bit louder but meh.

One thing is that my idle temps have increased to about 45-50C or so but that may be because I added a second 1080p display. Not sure though.