New Case Required

[andy06shake]

If have just bought a new GFX card and PSU(XFX Nvidia GTX275 & a Corsair TX650W PSU). The case i have now seems really small to accomodate these new items, dont even know if the PSU will fit without touching the sides of my main board(ASUS P5N32-E SLI). Can anyone reccomend a new case around £60-80 that will acomadate my new GFX card, PSU and also my mainboard? My specs E8500, ASUS P5N32-E SLI, 4GB DDR2 677Mhz, GTX 275(about 10.5" long), Corsair XT650W PSU, Artic Frezzer Pro 7 fan.

 

[red1776]

Hi Andy,
this isn't for everyone, but i own this case and if you like seeing your hardware give it a look. this is the best ventilated case i have ever had. it has a 'core' fan that can be adjusted up/down to be put right on your cpu HS, and 4 120mm fans,and 1 80mm fan on top that hits your memory. i have my phenom II x3 720 OC to 3.8Ghz and it never touches 45C under load. and my OC 4850's run at 36c/60c. every other week the shipping is free. like i said its not for everyone but if you like hardware, it is big. i run a triple 4850 crossfirex, an OCZ vendetta HS, and dual power supplies with room to spare.
oopps, forgot the link
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811166033

 

[LinkedKube]

Umm dont mean to high jack the thread, but how did you mod your psu's to run on one machine, did you spindle the ground wires?

 

[andy06shake]

Cheers red1776, Nice case! But newegg dont deliver to the UK apparently. Any other case ideas?

 

[captaincranky]

This case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021 should be available pretty much galaxy wide, so don't let the Newegg page throw you, it's just that I don't have UK Etailers book marked.

At this point, I think every other, (at least) gamer/enthusiast has this case. If not, a great many have its full tower big brother, the Antec 1200 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

A little bit of patience waiting for the right sale should place the 900 well within your budget.

 

[andy06shake]

Ok im going to go with the Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case for £74. Can anyone confirm that my new GFX card, PSU and mainboard will fit into this case with room to spare?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

I'd recommend this case instead. It's larger than the Antec 900 and comes with more fans too, for the same price. Your card may be a tight fit in the Antec, and this one will give you enough room for two or more cards.

If you don't want a full-tower case though, I recommend this case instead of the Antec one.

 

[captaincranky]

Rage .....? Two "this-es connect to the same that. besides, why wouldn't that VGA fit into a 900?

You would need to elaborate on why any given VGA card would not fit in a 900, since it is more dependent on the layout of the mobo, as is the CPU HSF.

Ok im going to go with the Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case for £74. Can anyone confirm that my new GFX card, PSU and mainboard will fit into this case with room to spare?

OK, the mainboard and PSU are slam dunks. They have to fit, it's the law. As to the video card, it's just as much dependent on the layout of the board as to the case itself. You can check that out on the bench. The 900 has plenty of width, it clears my 9500GT (admittedly small card) by close to 3" to the side of the case, and an additional 3'' to the back of the motherboard. The only area of concern, (and this is true of any case), is the distance from the motherboard to the opposite case side with respect to height clearance for larger CPU HSF assemblies. So, get this measurement before you make your choice of a CPU cooler. Be aware that some HSFs will foul memory banks and/or Northbridge coolers. (This is a motherboard layout issue).

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

Thanks cap, link fixed.

Also, I never said it wouldn't fit. It will be very tight, and he will probably have to remove the HDD cages for it.

 

[red1776]

Umm dont mean to high jack the thread, but how did you mod your psu's to run on one machine, did you spindle the ground wires?

Super,
It is an independent psu, (fsp group booster x5) 500w it gets its signal from a 4 pin molex and supplied from its own AC wall. the grounding is handled by my Sigma shark 635w.

 

[captaincranky]

Also, I never said it wouldn't fit. It will be very tight, and he will probably have to remove the HDD cages for it.

I just measured my own rig, and I'm coming up with 10 and (only) 1/2 from to the PCI slot covers to the back of one of the HDDS. Here again, this measurement must be standard on all motherboards, (because the location of the PCI-E socket in relation to the PCI knockouts must be standardized).

So, everybody is partially correct. The HDD that tentatively would occupy the bay directly behind the video card would likely have to be moved, (offset), but the card clears the drive cages themselves by a country mile, or at least 2 inches, whichever comes first.

This is not all downside news however, because it would clear a path from the front cooling fans directly to the VGA.

I notice that more and more of these cases with monstrous side fans are appearing,. How does the case you propose compare to the "Clio" offerings.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

The card is 10.5 inches long, so even if it fits after removing the drive bays, I would still consider it a tight fit. Cooling would become critical in this case.

No such issue with a full-tower case.

XClio makes decent cases, as well as PSUs. They are certainly of better quality than the el-cheapo $20 cases out there.

 

[red1776]

Cheers red1776, Nice case! But newegg dont deliver to the UK apparently. Any other case ideas?

if your interested in the clear case i suggested, here is a list of 'where to buy' for you.
a 10.5" VGA would net you 3" of clearance to the HDD cage 8" if you move the HDD cage( the HDD cage is adjustable from the top of the case to the bottom) anyway, if you want to look into it, here you go:

http://www.sunbeamtech.com/wheretobuy.html

 

[andy06shake]

Well guys, U lot seem to certainly know your stuff. I went with the Antec Nine Hundred Ultimate Gamer Case for £74. I hope eveything fits and i get some temp reductions. CPU runs about 42c idle and 52c underload. My ASUS EN9600GT idles at 65c and 90-105c underload. So i hope the GFX card upgrade, PSU upgrade and new case will drop the temps a good bit. Thanx a lot!