- Joined
- Nov 14, 2006
- Location
- Warsaw/Poland
Hi guys. I realize I ask a lot more questions than I ever give answers, so, like always, this is supposing you really have the time and don't mind reading your way through the OP and taking part in a little bit of discussion that's not as interesting as something more advanced. Okay?
Now, here's the config:
Asrock Z70 Fatality K6 (the only difference from K6+ is the panel, in case you're personally familiar with the other board), this is a full ATX board
i5-6600 locked, but mobo supports Sky OC up to a certain BIOS version (relatively up to date) and comes with an external clock chip anyway
Ultra 120 Extreme (163mm) (yes, I know I need custom mount)
Samsung 951 NVW for sysdrive)
Saphhire Dual-X 280X
OCZ ZS 650W (non-modular)
X-Fi Titanium PCIE
No HDD for the time being, maybe one in future for storage if not relying exclusively on SSD and/or external drives)
DVDRW — prefer to keep it but not a must
By not a must I mean connecting it in an unorthodox way or having to connect it to a bayless PC whenever watching a film wouldn't be the end of the world if getting superior airflow in exchange for the sacrifice.
Speaking of sacrifice — asking my cat not to sit on the case would be too much. Hence, no Ravens or anything else critically reliant on top exhaust or top anything significant.
Location — either under the desk in the very corner of the room, or out in the open. Either way, probably on the floor. No space on the desk, little space for a shelf, stool or anything else like that.
Water — not really, not yet, probably later, before the case retires.
Optional fans — quality stuff only; large flow, large noiseblocking, large price unfortunately. Not wasting time on crappy ones, though.
My typical acoustics reflect the combination of multiple fans that are each silent individually but not totally silent in a combination. Plus, some vibration. I can't hear the PC even with a wing removed at daytime. At night time it's audible, but not annoying this way; total silence would still be better, though not the expense of cooking the guts or giving on a good OC.
Dust is a problem, I always catch a heckton of it, even if I keep cleaning all the time. Solid dust filters will be welcome, though it's not like I can't buy or make some on my own, so I'm not critically reliant on the chassis manufacturer to provide them, though an elegant solution is always preferred over DIY.
Cases I'm looking at:
(And all are good, probably none would disappoint, but gotta pick only one, so here we are.)
Phanteks Pro obviously is people's favourite case and for good reason. I understand airflow to be superior to Fractal (20cm front fan included, 20cm top optional, plenty of 12/14 sockets) but not as good as specially engineered custom designs that shuffle things around in the case. Acoustics aren't bad, though Fractal's are better. Fractal's radiator clearance is better too. Plenty of CPU (19cm) and GPU clearance. I would understand the large size to be conducive to better airflow, even though there's no straight but only a diagonal path in consequence of intake versus exhaust location. I'm also a little afraid of the reportedly cheap and flimsy wings (vibration? but thin/light may be better than rigid/thick depending on the mounting).
Fractal Define R4/R5 is another popular darling and for good reason. Better sound properties and build quality than Phanteks Pro, but inferior cooling, though this is not an oven either. No 20cm fan. But all fan sockets accept 12cm fans. For water, even 420 top and 360 front can fit in, which means superior water support to Phanteks in addition to better soundproofing, with probably somewhat worse air properties. Still, probably nothing that a bunch of overpriced 14cm fans can't handle. Enough CPU/GPU clearance. Skeptical about the soundproofing — my friend has one, and it doesn't sound quieter than my old Chieftec w/o wings, so what's the point of it? Also seems like you have to open the door to get better cooling; the good thing, of course, is that you can.
Phanteks Evolv, Phanteks Eclipse, Fractal Define S — apart from being full ATX but without any bays — I can't tell much about these boards.
Phanteks Pro M and similar designs — about one 5.25'' bay, which is about exactly what I need. But smaller fans and obviously less room for radiators.
CM HAX XB Evo — good old-fashioned desktop-like design. Great airflow according to tests. But some problems: I don't need hotswap drives or drives at all (apart from DVD). I don't like 90mm rear fans (tier 1 under the mobo). Air can theoretically be swept through the mobo all the way, starting just from the edge of it. Except top vent (mesh panel) or top exhaust (20cm) means the air can escape just after getting in through intake, without sweeping through mobo. I don't know enough about physics to analyse this, but it kinda looks worrying. And top fan reduces CPU clearance to 15cm. Some room for water, not much, the mobo obviously is meant for air. A cat sitting on the top for a while probably won't cook the PC with mesh top. I'm not enthusiastic about having to choose between the 20cm top fan and a decent CPU cooler (orbs are expensive, 15cm towers are weak). Structure is very rigid and resilient — so it might be good at vibration dampening. Also, no torque from CPU cooler and GPU while moving around. Mobo lies flat always. GPU is not hanging and bending, always a straight position.
Corsair Carbide 540 — more tower than desktop cube. The most expensive of all, I would only buy it on very strong recommendations showing a clear benefit. Seems to have better thermals than most towers. Doesn't look bad. Has room for DVD inside. Nicest window ever. Reportedly poor acoustics, though, although I somehow doubt it's going to cancel the dampening/blocking on high-quality aftermarket fans, now can it, somehow?
Both cubes share the same potential problem — PSU on the other side of the mobo, near GPU. GPU thermals look good (net gain?), but this is still begging to be noticed. Not that the PSU is going to ran terribly hot anyway.
***
Aesthetics — a bit torn on the window. Never hand one. Always intrigued me but also always creeped me off a bit. Hard to decide. $25 premium isn't helping it. On the other hand, if I'm paying money for parts that are made to look good, I might as well take some consolation in actually looking at them. You know, a nerd aquarium.
Thoughts?
And if we ever wind up in the same bar, I'm buying.
Now, here's the config:
Asrock Z70 Fatality K6 (the only difference from K6+ is the panel, in case you're personally familiar with the other board), this is a full ATX board
i5-6600 locked, but mobo supports Sky OC up to a certain BIOS version (relatively up to date) and comes with an external clock chip anyway
Ultra 120 Extreme (163mm) (yes, I know I need custom mount)
Samsung 951 NVW for sysdrive)
Saphhire Dual-X 280X
OCZ ZS 650W (non-modular)
X-Fi Titanium PCIE
No HDD for the time being, maybe one in future for storage if not relying exclusively on SSD and/or external drives)
DVDRW — prefer to keep it but not a must
By not a must I mean connecting it in an unorthodox way or having to connect it to a bayless PC whenever watching a film wouldn't be the end of the world if getting superior airflow in exchange for the sacrifice.
Speaking of sacrifice — asking my cat not to sit on the case would be too much.
Hence, no Ravens or anything else critically reliant on top exhaust or top anything significant.Location — either under the desk in the very corner of the room, or out in the open. Either way, probably on the floor. No space on the desk, little space for a shelf, stool or anything else like that.
Water — not really, not yet, probably later, before the case retires.
Optional fans — quality stuff only; large flow, large noiseblocking, large price unfortunately. Not wasting time on crappy ones, though.
My typical acoustics reflect the combination of multiple fans that are each silent individually but not totally silent in a combination. Plus, some vibration. I can't hear the PC even with a wing removed at daytime. At night time it's audible, but not annoying this way; total silence would still be better, though not the expense of cooking the guts or giving on a good OC.
Dust is a problem, I always catch a heckton of it, even if I keep cleaning all the time. Solid dust filters will be welcome, though it's not like I can't buy or make some on my own, so I'm not critically reliant on the chassis manufacturer to provide them, though an elegant solution is always preferred over DIY.
Cases I'm looking at:
(And all are good, probably none would disappoint, but gotta pick only one, so here we are.)
Phanteks Pro obviously is people's favourite case and for good reason. I understand airflow to be superior to Fractal (20cm front fan included, 20cm top optional, plenty of 12/14 sockets) but not as good as specially engineered custom designs that shuffle things around in the case. Acoustics aren't bad, though Fractal's are better. Fractal's radiator clearance is better too. Plenty of CPU (19cm) and GPU clearance. I would understand the large size to be conducive to better airflow, even though there's no straight but only a diagonal path in consequence of intake versus exhaust location. I'm also a little afraid of the reportedly cheap and flimsy wings (vibration? but thin/light may be better than rigid/thick depending on the mounting).
Fractal Define R4/R5 is another popular darling and for good reason. Better sound properties and build quality than Phanteks Pro, but inferior cooling, though this is not an oven either. No 20cm fan. But all fan sockets accept 12cm fans. For water, even 420 top and 360 front can fit in, which means superior water support to Phanteks in addition to better soundproofing, with probably somewhat worse air properties. Still, probably nothing that a bunch of overpriced 14cm fans can't handle. Enough CPU/GPU clearance. Skeptical about the soundproofing — my friend has one, and it doesn't sound quieter than my old Chieftec w/o wings, so what's the point of it? Also seems like you have to open the door to get better cooling; the good thing, of course, is that you can.
Phanteks Evolv, Phanteks Eclipse, Fractal Define S — apart from being full ATX but without any bays — I can't tell much about these boards.
Phanteks Pro M and similar designs — about one 5.25'' bay, which is about exactly what I need. But smaller fans and obviously less room for radiators.
CM HAX XB Evo — good old-fashioned desktop-like design. Great airflow according to tests. But some problems: I don't need hotswap drives or drives at all (apart from DVD). I don't like 90mm rear fans (tier 1 under the mobo). Air can theoretically be swept through the mobo all the way, starting just from the edge of it. Except top vent (mesh panel) or top exhaust (20cm) means the air can escape just after getting in through intake, without sweeping through mobo. I don't know enough about physics to analyse this, but it kinda looks worrying. And top fan reduces CPU clearance to 15cm. Some room for water, not much, the mobo obviously is meant for air. A cat sitting on the top for a while probably won't cook the PC with mesh top. I'm not enthusiastic about having to choose between the 20cm top fan and a decent CPU cooler (orbs are expensive, 15cm towers are weak). Structure is very rigid and resilient — so it might be good at vibration dampening. Also, no torque from CPU cooler and GPU while moving around. Mobo lies flat always. GPU is not hanging and bending, always a straight position.
Corsair Carbide 540 — more tower than desktop cube. The most expensive of all, I would only buy it on very strong recommendations showing a clear benefit. Seems to have better thermals than most towers. Doesn't look bad. Has room for DVD inside. Nicest window ever. Reportedly poor acoustics, though, although I somehow doubt it's going to cancel the dampening/blocking on high-quality aftermarket fans, now can it, somehow?
Both cubes share the same potential problem — PSU on the other side of the mobo, near GPU. GPU thermals look good (net gain?), but this is still begging to be noticed. Not that the PSU is going to ran terribly hot anyway.
***
Aesthetics — a bit torn on the window. Never hand one. Always intrigued me but also always creeped me off a bit. Hard to decide. $25 premium isn't helping it. On the other hand, if I'm paying money for parts that are made to look good, I might as well take some consolation in actually looking at them. You know, a nerd aquarium.
Thoughts?
And if we ever wind up in the same bar, I'm buying.
