Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possible?

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yannis1976
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:51 pm

Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possible?

Post by yannis1976 » Thu Oct 03, 2013 1:21 pm

Hi,

I am thinking of changing my wonderful 550D case with a nice SFF case. The main reason is I want to take the case out of my feet (under the desk) and put is on a drawer next to printer.

The components, apart from the mb which will be changed to mini/micro atx are the following:

1) Intel 3570K
2) 8GB DDR3
3) ATI 7970 DC2
4) 2 ssd + 1 hdd
5) 1 dvdwr
6) Soundblaster Z

Apart from the volume reduction what are the advantages/disadvantages of such move? Noise? Heat?

I like the looks of the small micro ATX cases and the fact that you can put them on a desk, however I dont want to loose the silent performance of 550D. Currently judging by the looks, I like these cases:
- Silverstone sg10
- Lian-li pc-v355
- Bitfenix Phenom matx

Personally, I like the lian-li but none of the above is perfect:
- with the sg10 i will need to buy a new optical drive slot loading which costs around 60€.
- with the 355 i will probably have to change my cooler (nh-u12p) which will cost me around 50€
- with the Phenom i will just have to forget the optical drive.

Taking into account the noise and the components I mentioned above do you such a move would be possible?

thx

Abula
Posts: 3662
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:22 pm
Location: Guatemala

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by Abula » Thu Oct 03, 2013 6:12 pm

Welcome to SPCR.

On micro ATX i would build on Silverstone TJ08-E, as long as you can undervolt the frontal fan to around 500rpm it should be quiet (not silent), an Asus motherboard with FanXpert2 should help you achieve a very quiet setup with the AP181. Else be prepared to undervolt the AP181, its very loud on stock settings, but likes undervolting, even SPCR gave it the editors choice, once you tame the frontal fan you can build a very nice compact PC on it.

If you have access to Scythe products (EU should have), the i would go with Silverstone PS07, its very similar to the TJ08-E just cheaper, it has a frontal door and twin 120mm fans instead of the 180, the rest is the same, i would swap the fans with 3x Scythe 120mm PWM Glidestream/Slipstream, get a Scythe Mugen 4, get a PWM Fan Splitter, like akasa 5fan splitter. Get a motherboard with good bios PWM fan control, MSI Z77-G43 is what i used on friends build.

Another micro atx case that caught my attention recently is Xigmatek Aquila, kinda like a Bitfinix Prodigy but in micro ATX and imo better on the hdd/ssd management.

Image

yannis1976
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:51 pm

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by yannis1976 » Thu Oct 03, 2013 11:00 pm

Abula wrote:Welcome to SPCR.

On micro ATX i would build on Silverstone TJ08-E, as long as you can undervolt the frontal fan to around 500rpm it should be quiet (not silent), an Asus motherboard with FanXpert2 should help you achieve a very quiet setup with the AP181. Else be prepared to undervolt the AP181, its very loud on stock settings, but likes undervolting, even SPCR gave it the editors choice, once you tame the frontal fan you can build a very nice compact PC on it.

If you have access to Scythe products (EU should have), the i would go with Silverstone PS07, its very similar to the TJ08-E just cheaper, it has a frontal door and twin 120mm fans instead of the 180, the rest is the same, i would swap the fans with 3x Scythe 120mm PWM Glidestream/Slipstream, get a Scythe Mugen 4, get a PWM Fan Splitter, like akasa 5fan splitter. Get a motherboard with good bios PWM fan control, MSI Z77-G43 is what i used on friends build.

Another micro atx case that caught my attention recently is Xigmatek Aquila, kinda like a Bitfinix Prodigy but in micro ATX and imo better on the hdd/ssd management.

Image
thx for the reply.

Regarding the cases you suggest i want to leave the tower style and go to stg more boxy. The case will be placed upon a drawer next to my desk, so the look of it plays a big role. As far as the mb I will get the Asrock z77 extr4-m in order to avoid the new Windows setup.

The xigmatek is very interesting but its not out yet, no reviews, nothing...

boost
Posts: 661
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Location: de_DE

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by boost » Fri Oct 04, 2013 4:33 am

The Bitfenix Prodigy M has the same layout as the Phenom but with room for an optical drive.
If you look at the gallery you'll see that it's very cramped and even if you could fit a tripple slot graphic card, optical drive and soundcard, the graphic card would be starved for air and at least turn up the fans or even throttle it's speed.
The AeroCool DS has the same internal layout as the Xigmatec Aguila without the ridicolous handles. It comes with a 120mm 900 RPM fan and a 200mm 500RPM fan. with a 7v adapter they could be quiet (if they have ok bearings). The open mesh front on the Xigmatec allows for better airflow, the Aerocool is optimized for noise at the expense of airflow. If you're interested you should wait for thew reviews. There are no reviews on either case yet because they were introduced this week.
If you like the look of Lian Li cases you might like the Xigmatec Gigas. The only other cube (beside those mentioned above) I know that will fit all your components and has enough airflow for them. The included fans are supposedly good only assembly takes a little longer.

yannis1976
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:51 pm

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by yannis1976 » Fri Oct 04, 2013 5:44 am

boost wrote:The Bitfenix Prodigy M has the same layout as the Phenom but with room for an optical drive.
If you look at the gallery you'll see that it's very cramped and even if you could fit a tripple slot graphic card, optical drive and soundcard, the graphic card would be starved for air and at least turn up the fans or even throttle it's speed.
The AeroCool DS has the same internal layout as the Xigmatec Aguila without the ridicolous handles. It comes with a 120mm 900 RPM fan and a 200mm 500RPM fan. with a 7v adapter they could be quiet (if they have ok bearings). The open mesh front on the Xigmatec allows for better airflow, the Aerocool is optimized for noise at the expense of airflow. If you're interested you should wait for thew reviews. There are no reviews on either case yet because they were introduced this week.
If you like the look of Lian Li cases you might like the Xigmatec Gigas. The only other cube (beside those mentioned above) I know that will fit all your components and has enough airflow for them. The included fans are supposedly good only assembly takes a little longer.

I am really glad I joined this forum, since you are giving me some great ideas. The Xigmatek seems very good but is more expensive than the Lian-Li and exists only in silver in my country(!!)
By reading your post I assume that the Bitfenix cases are not for my case. What about the Lian-Li and the SG10?

thx again

Abula
Posts: 3662
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:22 pm
Location: Guatemala

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by Abula » Fri Oct 04, 2013 5:51 am

The AeroCool DS seems intersting, do you know who will retail it? or how much will it cost?

yannis1976
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:51 pm

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by yannis1976 » Fri Oct 04, 2013 7:32 am

It seems I have narrowed my choices to these 3:

1) Lian-Li PC-V355b...120€ + 60€ for a new low profile cooler
2) Xigmatek Gigas...142€ imported from UK (amazon)
3) Silverstone SG10...125€ + 60€ for a new slot loading cd

About the Aerocool DS I don't know since there are no reviews and cannot find it in my country.
It seems the Xigmatek is the cheapest. Any impressions here?

boost
Posts: 661
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Location: de_DE

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by boost » Fri Oct 04, 2013 7:39 am

yannis1976 wrote:By reading your post I assume that the Bitfenix cases are not for my case. What about the Lian-Li and the SG10?
The Bitfenix mATX cases are too cramped for your system.
The Lian Li V355 can work if you can squeeze the tower cooler next to the PSU. If it works it'll be very tight, if not you'll need a new CPU cooler. The case only has a small intake grate in the front and I think it won't have enough airflow for your system.
The Lian Li PC-V354 has the same problem with the PSU obstructing CPU coolers. Lian Li PC-V353 has better airflow, but also a devider that limits CPU cooler height to ~100mm. If you want to get a Lian Li cube I recommend this model.
The Silverstone works with your components. The included fans are far too loud even for non silent systems. Besides the slim optical you'll definately need different fans for quiet operation. I think the Silverstone SG9/SG10 look like prototypes brought to market if not unfinished than certainly unpolished.
Here's another thought, if you wanted the smallest possible system with enough airflow you could buy a Silverstone SG03/SG04 and a watercooler like the Antec 620.
If you want to spend less money and keep all your components you could get a small tower like the Coolermaster N200 or Coolermaster Silencio 352M.
Abula wrote:The AeroCool DS seems intersting, do you know who will retail it? or how much will it cost?
MSPR is 70€, two etailers list November availabilty.

yannis1976
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:51 pm

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by yannis1976 » Fri Oct 04, 2013 8:36 am

boost wrote:
yannis1976 wrote:By reading your post I assume that the Bitfenix cases are not for my case. What about the Lian-Li and the SG10?
The Bitfenix mATX cases are too cramped for your system.
The Lian Li V355 can work if you can squeeze the tower cooler next to the PSU. If it works it'll be very tight, if not you'll need a new CPU cooler. The case only has a small intake grate in the front and I think it won't have enough airflow for your system.
The Lian Li PC-V354 has the same problem with the PSU obstructing CPU coolers. Lian Li PC-V353 has better airflow, but also a devider that limits CPU cooler height to ~100mm. If you want to get a Lian Li cube I recommend this model.
The Silverstone works with your components. The included fans are far too loud even for non silent systems. Besides the slim optical you'll definately need different fans for quiet operation. I think the Silverstone SG9/SG10 look like prototypes brought to market if not unfinished than certainly unpolished.
Here's another thought, if you wanted the smallest possible system with enough airflow you could buy a Silverstone SG03/SG04 and a watercooler like the Antec 620.
If you want to spend less money and keep all your components you could get a small tower like the Coolermaster N200 or Coolermaster Silencio 352M.
Abula wrote:The AeroCool DS seems intersting, do you know who will retail it? or how much will it cost?
MSPR is 70€, two etailers list November availabilty.

Again some great suggestions!! I am impressed with the Silencio and how cheap it is. My problem is it looks like a tower and don't think it can be placed on a desk

yannis1976
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:51 pm

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by yannis1976 » Fri Oct 04, 2013 9:02 am

I I am torn between these the PC-V355 and the Xigmatek Gigas.

I like the looks of both of them but I am bit afraid of the Aluminum.
I used to have a HAF ATCS 840 and hated its noise and the vibrations. The Obsidian is really quiet compared to that.
I am also afraid of the fact that the case will be placed on the desk and the noise might be closer to me.

boost
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Location: de_DE

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by boost » Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:32 am

yannis1976 wrote:I I am torn between these the PC-V355 and the Xigmatek Gigas.

I like the looks of both of them but I am bit afraid of the Aluminum.
I used to have a HAF ATCS 840 and hated its noise and the vibrations. The Obsidian is really quiet compared to that.
I am also afraid of the fact that the case will be placed on the desk and the noise might be closer to me.
I find my case (Lian Li V600) does transmit vibrations from the harddrives (I only use 2.5" drives) more than I would like it to. If you want to use a 3.5" disk in an aluminum case you should get some decoupling like this. If you don't want to spend so much on a pre-made solution there are plenty of threads in this forum on silencing hard drives.

quest_for_silence
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Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by quest_for_silence » Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:49 am

yannis1976 wrote:The case will be placed upon a drawer next to my desk, so the look of it plays a big role. As far as the mb I will get the Asrock z77 extr4-m in order to avoid the new Windows setup.

A possible alternative could be the CM HAF XB-series, if the drawer is enough wide: I think it will let you use the old mobo.

yannis1976 wrote:My problem is it looks like a tower and don't think it can be placed on a desk


I have a tower on a desk, an Antec NSK-3480, so I know it can be feasible (my 22" LG is taller than the Antec, and more than two times wider): but both those CM should be bigger than it (so check the relevant measures online).
Last edited by quest_for_silence on Fri Oct 04, 2013 11:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

yannis1976
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:51 pm

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by yannis1976 » Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:57 am

People,

I have decided to get the Lian-Li and also use some dampening material if needed.

Thank you all for the support.

I will get back when I finish the system (it will take some time...)

yannis1976
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:51 pm

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by yannis1976 » Sat Oct 05, 2013 1:44 am

Hi again!

I have also ordered a Noctua NH-L12 cooler. Is this ok regarding noise and thermal performance?

thx

Abula
Posts: 3662
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:22 pm
Location: Guatemala

Re: Dumping Corsaur 55D for a micro ATX quite case...Possibl

Post by Abula » Sat Oct 05, 2013 4:21 am

yannis1976 wrote:Hi again!

I have also ordered a Noctua NH-L12 cooler. Is this ok regarding noise and thermal performance?

thx
SPCR reviewed the cooler, Noctua NH-L12 Low Profile Cooler and it came out with the silver award, should be a good cooler for its size. Noctua PWM fans have a good range of operation, so if you set it up properly, it should be fine. One thing to remember is that this coolers are meant more for HTPC or low profile PC, so the cooling cooling capabilities is diminish due to the size, but this is one of the best for its size.

Regarding size, its 66mm without a fan, 91mm with the top fan, the clearance of the Lian Li PV-V355B is 100mm, you do need to decide if you its going to be pull down or up, depending if it overlay with the PSU fan, but this more for your to test.

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