quest_for_silence wrote:
doveman wrote:
but I want to try and keep it as quiet as possible
Then you should not have pick the Corsair CX-750M, and you should pick a better fan for the Hyper 212...
I should have phrased that better. I mean I want to keep it reasonably quiet without spending a lot to get the quietest components. I only really got the CX-750M as it was on offer and if I hadn't ordered it with the rest of the stuff, I would have had to pay another £8.95 P&P to get it later but maybe I can still return/exchange it. I've got a few Nexus 120mm fans lying around I think (maybe a couple of 140mm as well), so I can try them with the Hyper 212, although I need to be careful to ensure the airflow and thus cooling stays sufficient for the OC'd 4670k.
Quote:
NZXT Source 210 or 220, Corsair 230T, Cooler Master N200, Antec One, Zalman Z9, maybe the cheaper Zalman Z5 too (check the specs), maybe the Aerocool VS92.
Thanks for the suggestions.
The Corsair 230T is much the same as the 200R except with a mesh front and dust filters for the front and PSU. It's £58 though and I'm not sure it's worth £20 more than the SPEC-01 or £14 more than the 200R. Looking at these photos (which show the removable PSU dust filter at the bottom of the page), the SPEC-01 doesn't look so bad without the red fans, which I could obviously replace with something unlighted or at least more tasteful
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/ ... 1-review/1 so if it only had more than 150mm space for CPU coolers, I'd probably go with that.
NZXT Source 210/220. Good: USB/Audio ports at top of the case. Bad: HDD cage would block long GPUs. Restricted front panel airflow (Source 220 is better in that respect, having a mesh front), no dust filtering.
Cooler Master N200: Good: CPU cooler up to 160mm, HDD cage not blocking long GPUs, open mesh front, bulging sides to accomodate cables, dust filter on PSU. Bad: No dust filtering on front. Only one 5.25" bay, front panel ports not at top.
Antec One, Good: mesh front and PSU dust filter, front ports at top, sturdy steel construction. Bad: CPU cooler max 155mm, Drive cage blocking long GPU, no front dust filter.
Zalman Z9: Good: Generous with USB ports on front panel. Front and PSU dust filters Bad: Front panel ports only USB 2, Mesh/Windows side panel (I always block off any side panel fan mounts to improve front to back airflow and this would be hard to block off without looking messy), detail on front panel blocking airflow, only 290mm for GPU (330mm on Z5), only 150mm for CPU cooler (with Z5, maybe slightly more with Z9)
Aerocool VS-92: Good: Open mesh panel, VFD temperature display (not sure how this works) Bad: HDD cage blocks long GPUs, CPU cooler max. height only 158mm, no dust filtering
The Cooler Master N200 would have been the best choice but the single 5.25" bay is a deal breaker and no front panel dust filtering and the front ports positioning isn't ideal either (the last point I could compromise on if I have to but it causes difficulties keeping cables tidy and out of the way and accessing the USB ports). This review identified that whilst the bulging sides allow it accomodate even a 171mm CPU cooler, there isn't much space at the top for the CPU HSF which might be a problem
http://www.hitechlegion.com/reviews/cas ... l=&start=4So, any suggestions for something with room for at least 160mm CPU HSF and long GPUs, at least two 5.25" bays, front and PSU dust filtering (preferably removable), open mesh front panel, front panel ports at top-front (and including at least one USB 3)?