Fractal Design Core 500; PSU and DVD compatibility help

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ignatz
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Fractal Design Core 500; PSU and DVD compatibility help

Post by ignatz » Tue Sep 06, 2016 6:18 pm

I'm thinking about downsizing to an ITX build as my one and only machine.

I've spent a couple of days on research and reviews and need confirmation on a couple of key points.

I will NOT be using a video card--strictly integrated graphics.

I will NOT be using water cooling.

I will be using a traditional DVD burner in the only 5.25 inch bay.

Questions:

1: I know my Noctua U12S cooler is within the cooler height limitation, but I'm not sure if there might be clearance issues with certain DVD burners, depending on the latter's length. Can I be assured that any standard DVD burner will fit when the U12S fan is mounted in the standard "push" mode?

2: Will I be able to use a full width (25 mm) exhaust fan in the top panel if I use the U12S cooler and a "full length" DVD burner? I kinda think such a fan would NOT fit, but I also doubt I'd need a fan in that spot anyway.

3: I have access to 2 different full size ATX PSUs: Seasonic KM 560 Gold, fully modular, 160 mm length, and Rosewill Silent Night fanless 500 semi-modular, length 170 mm. Fractal specs say modular PSUs are limited to 160 mm and non-modular limited to 170 mm. So, in theory, it should be a very tight fit, possibly a show-stopper.

But build logs and reviews I've seen strongly imply that the 160 mm and 170 mm limitations do NOT apply if a video card is not used and/or if one is willing to mount the PSU inverted--which I'm willing to do. This will be a low power build (6600K, SSD, 2 HDDs, perhaps 150 watts maximum), so I don't expect PSU venting to be an issue regardless.

Any insight appreciated.

CA_Steve
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Re: Fractal Design Core 500; PSU and DVD compatibility help

Post by CA_Steve » Tue Sep 06, 2016 8:20 pm

The case is 450mm deep and if you look at this picture the front edge of the Kotetsu's fan in SPCR's review is clearly behind the midline of the case....and the Kotetsu is 12mm thicker than the U12S. That would give >225mm for the ODD. I looked at a couple of Asus BD drives and they are 170mm deep. Add another 10mm if right angle connectors...more if not. Looks like a lot of space...unless your ODD is from the 90's (like an old HP CD drive I've got lying around). The second picture from the bottom of this page gives a better look at the ODD and cooler positioning.

There is absolutely no need for a top fan.

ignatz
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Re: Fractal Design Core 500; PSU and DVD compatibility help

Post by ignatz » Tue Sep 06, 2016 9:56 pm

Steve:

Thanks for that. I just checked my 2 available DVD burner specs and they are said to be 170 mm deep also, so I should not have any clearance issues.

Do you have any comments regarding possible PSU size issues per question 3 in my original post? I don't want to make unwarranted inferences from reviews I've read. I likely wouldn't rebuild at all if my current PSUs were incompatible.

It may well be that a build in this case without a video card has no PSU issues at all, but I don't want to take the plunge without confirmation as I've never even laid eyes on an ITX computer. They seem to be prone to more compatibility issues due to size.

Have you built with this case? I toyed with the idea of just downsizing to a smaller micro ATX case, but the better candidates are nearly as large as my current ATX mid-tower---thus my interest in ITX to get a significant reduction in size.

CA_Steve
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Re: Fractal Design Core 500; PSU and DVD compatibility help

Post by CA_Steve » Wed Sep 07, 2016 7:09 am

I haven't had hands on experience with this case, so can't comment on PSU size/modding. Maybe another member can pipe up.

If "I have access to 2 different full size ATX PSUs" means you have them available...why not just try them out?

Or, have you considered the Corsair SF450 with the SFX to ATX mod plate?

quest_for_silence
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Re: Fractal Design Core 500; PSU and DVD compatibility help

Post by quest_for_silence » Wed Sep 07, 2016 9:19 am

CA_Steve wrote:I haven't had hands on experience with this case, so can't comment on PSU size/modding. Maybe another member can pipe up.

A while ago I made a similar build with the very similar Node 304, which suffers of the same PSU limitation (even better, it's more restrictive), and without a discrete graphics I got no real issue mounting a deeper PSU (that time I used the 165mm modular EVGA P2, I don't remember whether I flipped it or not): I guess many of us had similar experiences with the Node 304 (hey, Abula, I'm looking at you...). :wink:

ignatz
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Re: Fractal Design Core 500; PSU and DVD compatibility help

Post by ignatz » Wed Sep 07, 2016 10:29 am

Steve:

I meant that I already own both of the mentioned PSUs.

Being a cheap SOB and having a 1 PC household, I wouldn't want to buy the Fractal case and just experiment to see if I can make it work. I rebuilt with Skylake and a new micro ATX board only 4 months ago and can't justify the extra expense of replacing a 1 year old Noctua U12S. My current case is an Antec Solo II, nearly 5 years old--so I can talk myself into replacing it.

I'm older than baseball and could appreciate not having to wrestle a mid-tower. I figure the Fractal build would be 8 or 10 pounds lighter. The Fractal's cube form would also make it less awkward even at an identical weight.

Luca: I appreciate your comments based on personal experience. It does relieve my PSU anxiety. Do you recall what motherboard and cooler you used? Did you mount more than 2 drives?

I see warnings online about using certain ITX boards (Gigabyte I think) due to a centrally located USB 3.0 port, behind any largish cooler, making the connection very difficult.

The Asus and EVGA boards are said to avoid that problem due to the USB 3.0 port being nearer the perimeter. But I'm not overwhelmed by the reviews I see of those boards--which unfortunately is par for the course.

I've rejected at least a dozen other ITX cases already for one reason or another---typically the lack of a
DVD burner bay, cooler height limitations, or major flimsiness.

Any extremely smaller case is likely out of the question. I'm going to need 3 drives (SSD, two HDD) for the foreseeable future. An external DVD drive would only add to my desktop clutter, although that's not absolutely ruled out.

I'll look forward to any other comments.

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