Corsair Obsidian 550d?

I mean theoritically you shouldn't have worse temps but better.
More space, two fans blowing air straight into the gpu's from the side, one fan blowing air feom bottom, assuming that you add one additional fan from the bottom, and more space overall.

Well, I hope it works out for me - I'll be budgeting for a shorter PSU as well as the case because my HX1000W is 200mm long and won't allow a bottom fan to be mounted.

Going to check my actual system load with a Kill-a-Watt meter and maybe I can get away with an AX850 as a replacement (160mm) so I can fit a 140mm bottom fan.

Oh, and I'm not sure if we understand each other - I'm not wanting to use any side fans, just front/bottom/rear. Someday I may switch from rear H60 to an H100 up top though... if I can keep the noise down!
 
Well, I hope it works out for me - I'll be budgeting for a shorter PSU as well as the case because my HX1000W is 200mm long and won't allow a bottom fan to be mounted.

Going to check my actual system load with a Kill-a-Watt meter and maybe I can get away with an AX850 as a replacement (160mm) so I can fit a 140mm bottom fan.

Oh, and I'm not sure if we understand each other - I'm not wanting to use any side fans, just front/bottom/rear. Someday I may switch from rear H60 to an H100 up top though... if I can keep the noise down!

It's guess-work, but I would imagine a 550D with dual 120 intakes + bottom 140 intake + 140 back exhaust, and having the 580's farther apart would drop the temps significantly, and you probably wouldn't have to run fans maxed out/loud (I would say 120/140's at 1200rpm would be sufficient). Is one card hotter than the other in your current setup?
 
It's guess-work, but I would imagine a 550D with dual 120 intakes + bottom 140 intake + 140 back exhaust, and having the 580's farther apart would drop the temps significantly, and you probably wouldn't have to run fans maxed out/loud (I would say 120/140's at 1200rpm would be sufficient). Is one card hotter than the other in your current setup?

Often at idle they are as much as 6C apart, with the top card being hotter. Usually during gaming they actually even out a bit, getting to around 2C apart.

I do have the misfortune of having one reference-cooled EVGA GTX580 SC and one of their DS (dual-fan) models. I couldn't pass up the awesome deal on the DS ($250 like new, 7mos ago!) but it does make for some interesting cooling concerns.

The DS is not rear-exhaust but it is slightly thicker than the standard model so it had to be the bottom card in my current setup. I would test both ways in a new rig - but I'd think that it would do better up top if I could seperate it by a couple slots in a 550D.
 
Just switched out my motherboard and casefans. I got NoiseBlocker PK-2 and PL-2 fans now. Also added a big CPU cooler. Really enjoyed the big cutout behind the socket and the center standoff that holds the board.

Anyway; installing the 140mm in the bottom went OK. PSU cables can go around it. Unfortunately my CPU cooler (Scythe Mugen 2 rev. B) was too high to mount a fan in the top position on the side panel. So I put that one in the top front position (all intake, no outtake, CPU tower in pull setup).

One strange thing was the amount of pressure needed to close the left side panel. Upon further inspection... the lower 140mm fan on the side panel conflicts with the PSU! I have a Corsair HX650W. The fan I used was a NoiseBlocker PK-2, 140x25. That does not fit! :mad:

Question: has Corsair / anyone ever fitted a 140mm x25mm fan on the lower side position? With what PSU?


Right now I have that fan fitted with two screws with it's top on the bottom holes of the top position.

Another suggestion to Corsair: cut out more plastic in front of the bottom screws of the bottom front fan. Now I had to remove the lower HDD cage just to get out the fan in front of it.
 
Often at idle they are as much as 6C apart, with the top card being hotter. Usually during gaming they actually even out a bit, getting to around 2C apart.

I do have the misfortune of having one reference-cooled EVGA GTX580 SC and one of their DS (dual-fan) models. I couldn't pass up the awesome deal on the DS ($250 like new, 7mos ago!) but it does make for some interesting cooling concerns.

The DS is not rear-exhaust but it is slightly thicker than the standard model so it had to be the bottom card in my current setup. I would test both ways in a new rig - but I'd think that it would do better up top if I could seperate it by a couple slots in a 550D.

I would be surprised if the DS wasn't a lot cooler in a 550D in the top position with some room for it to breath. And yeah, $250 on a 580 7 months ago is nuts! They are still going for $300ish new right now with the 670/680 out, good buy.
 
I would be surprised if the DS wasn't a lot cooler in a 550D in the top position with some room for it to breath. And yeah, $250 on a 580 7 months ago is nuts! They are still going for $300ish new right now with the 670/680 out, good buy.

Yep, I was very happy to go SLI at that price...

Well - so far it doesn't look like Computex is going to show a case that beats out the 550D.

Time to budget for it, an AX850, a 5.25" bay adapter, and a handful of fans.

I wonder which Noctua fans would be best for the front intake - the NF-S12B or the NF-P12? I know the intake is somewhat restrictive so I'm thinking the latter. As for the bottom and rear I'll go with the NF-P14 FLX.

The bay adapter I am thinking about is this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817996019&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Accessories+-+Hard+Drive-_-XIGMATEK-_-17996019

I've looked at the images and I think it could be slid in with the fan in the back - so I'd reverse the fan so it pulls air across my 2 Caviar Blacks, that would also help move the warm air rising in the case towards the rear exhaust. I'd replace the fan with a Noctua as well.

Lastly, I figure I will just mount my SSD upside down under the 5.25" bays.

Anyways - that's my current plan, and I'll need almost $500 for all the parts. I'm in no huge hurry - I just like to plan in advance. ;)
 
You should consider the NF-F12's as front intakes, they deliver more static pressure and more direct/even airflow thanks the their new Focused Flow technology. Should work out even better than the P12's.

That's what I'm going for anyway, ordered everything yesterday :)
 
You should consider the NF-F12's as front intakes, they deliver more static pressure and more direct/even airflow thanks the their new Focused Flow technology. Should work out even better than the P12's.

That's what I'm going for anyway, ordered everything yesterday :)

I did check those out - I just thought they'd be bit loud. The Noctua site makes it sound as if they really are just for heatsinks & radiators.

Keep us posted, please - I'm interested in your results!

If a website releases some good test results on the new Corsair fans, I'd go with them to save quite a bit of money... but at this time I can't compare them because I don't think it's a good idea to trust manufacturer's specs.

Corsair's specs read lower, but they claim to be very accurate and that they compared other brand fans and designed better ones. Of course, Noctua has a great rep and you pay more per fan, so they may not consider them direct competition.

It'd be nice if someone did a solid group test of Noctua, NoiseBlocker, Cougar, Corsair, and whatever else is relatively new and highly rated. The tests I've seen are getting somewhat old and out of date.
 
Hi everyone,I just got my 550D (for IB build) after reading every page on this thread. It helped me decide on almost everything. My case came in awesome condition (paid for 1 day shipping) and would like some help with the fan setup. I plan on keeping all panels on,because I am looking to go for a quiet build. My fan setup will be 2x120mm Noctua NF-P12 PWM (front intake), 1x140mm Noctua NF-P14 (bottom intake) and push pull for my Corsair H60 with 2 Noctua NF-F12 (rear exhaust). All my fans will be controlled through my future sabertooth z77 thermal radar software. My questions are:

1- Would it be better to have nf-f12 as front intake because of the restricted airflow?
2- Best way to setup h60 in push/pull?
3- Would it be a good idea to add two fans on the side panel to only use when gaming? (maybe the stock fans)
4- Would you prefer the sabertooth z77 or p8z77-v pro? Thermal radar vs fan xpert 2?

Thanks to everyone

Planned build:

Corsair 550D (own)
Msi twin frozer II 560 ti (own)
Intel i5 3570k
Corsair AX750 (own)
Corsair Vengeance 2x4gb 1600mhz ddr3
Samsung 830 128gb ssd (own)
WD 2tb green drive
Corsair h60 (own)
Asus Sabertooth z77
 
My sabertooth looks like a killer in this case, blends in so nicely like it's a part of the case :)
So I say Sabertooth z77 based on looks :p
 
Hi everyone,I just got my 550D (for IB build) after reading every page on this thread. It helped me decide on almost everything. My case came in awesome condition (paid for 1 day shipping) and would like some help with the fan setup. I plan on keeping all panels on,because I am looking to go for a quiet build. My fan setup will be 2x120mm Noctua NF-P12 PWM (front intake), 1x140mm Noctua NF-P14 (bottom intake) and push pull for my Corsair H60 with 2 Noctua NF-F12 (rear exhaust). All my fans will be controlled through my future sabertooth z77 thermal radar software. My questions are:

1- Would it be better to have nf-f12 as front intake because of the restricted airflow?
2- Best way to setup h60 in push/pull?
3- Would it be a good idea to add two fans on the side panel to only use when gaming? (maybe the stock fans)
4- Would you prefer the sabertooth z77 or p8z77-v pro? Thermal radar vs fan xpert 2?

Thanks to everyone

Planned build:

Corsair 550D (own)
Msi twin frozer II 560 ti (own)
Intel i5 3570k
Corsair AX750 (own)
Corsair Vengeance 2x4gb 1600mhz ddr3
Samsung 830 128gb ssd (own)
WD 2tb green drive
Corsair h60 (own)
Asus Sabertooth z77

I'd read this part of the Noctua website carefully:

http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=which_fan_is_right_for_me

It's just my opinion, but based on that I'd think you should use NF-P12 for front intakes and only one NF-F12 on your H60 - because it's a thin radiator - see here: http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=faqs&step=2&products_id=42&lng=en unless you are using the low noise adapter or PWM control.

Also - you may not be able to fit a Noctua on your lower side panel location - I've read that a couple users had problems with the PSU being in the way. With an H60 CPU cooler, you probably won't have any problem running an upper side panel fan - but you will need to check clearances, especially if you go ahead and run push/pull.

I've got no real opinion on the motherboard choices other than I have a soft spot for the styling of the Sabertooth.

HTH!
 
Hi everyone,I just got my 550D (for IB build) after reading every page on this thread. It helped me decide on almost everything. My case came in awesome condition (paid for 1 day shipping) and would like some help with the fan setup. I plan on keeping all panels on,because I am looking to go for a quiet build. My fan setup will be 2x120mm Noctua NF-P12 PWM (front intake), 1x140mm Noctua NF-P14 (bottom intake) and push pull for my Corsair H60 with 2 Noctua NF-F12 (rear exhaust). All my fans will be controlled through my future sabertooth z77 thermal radar software. My questions are:

1- Would it be better to have nf-f12 as front intake because of the restricted airflow?
2- Best way to setup h60 in push/pull?
3- Would it be a good idea to add two fans on the side panel to only use when gaming? (maybe the stock fans)
4- Would you prefer the sabertooth z77 or p8z77-v pro? Thermal radar vs fan xpert 2?

Thanks to everyone

Planned build:

Corsair 550D (own)
Msi twin frozer II 560 ti (own)
Intel i5 3570k
Corsair AX750 (own)
Corsair Vengeance 2x4gb 1600mhz ddr3
Samsung 830 128gb ssd (own)
WD 2tb green drive
Corsair h60 (own)
Asus Sabertooth z77

Honestly you will not need the side fans with that setup. The IB CPUs run hot internally, but the total power consumption/heat output is actually pretty low (and you'll be dumping that heat out the back off the radiator anyway). 560Ti's also do not run that hot (even when OC'd). Side fans are only needed for really hot components and/or multi-GPUs. Having the panels on the case (especially top panel) reduces the noise significantly, so keep them closed if you want a quiet system.

My setup (see sig) only gets the motherboard temperature up to 30-33c at load, with 20-21c ambient (starting to wonder if the sensor is broken lol). I have the stock Corsair 2x in-take (~1,000-1,200rpm), stock Corsair exhaust (600-1200rpm), GELID Silent 12 PWM bottom intake (400-1200rpm) all using motherboard headers based on CPU temp since that is all Fan Xpert 2 supports and have no desire to add anything further. In fact, to silence my case further I might swap the Corsair fans for something PWM so I can slow them down more, Fan Xpert 2 will only drop the intakes to 1,100rpm for some reason.
 
Double 140's on the side; yeah, the mounts are there.... you just need to be willing to bend the whole panel to make it shut.

I guess Corsair screwed up with placing the fanmounts. The lower fan mount should have been just a little higher so it would actually fit in combination with a PSU.

Or otherwise include a warning that only 15 (?)mm thick 140's would fit on the lower mount.
 
I needed an explanation. -_- the site says that the s12b is better at case ventilation

The reasoning behind that is that the s12b has higher airflow,than the p12. Higher airflow is what you are looking for in a case fan. The p12 has higher static preasure which is better for a heatsink fan. Another added bonus of the s12b is that is quieter than the p12,although the p12 now has pwm control.Hope that helps you out :D
 
Some pics from today, I have a H100 on the way, so give me a break about the stock cpu cooler please :D

z52zh.jpg

-
Srbp1.jpg

-
qxykZ.jpg


Specs:

  • i5 3570k
  • Asus P8Z77 Deluxe
  • 32GB Corsair Vengeance 1600Mhz (ramdisk and virtualbox purposes)
  • Asus GTX670 DCUII TOP
  • AX750
  • Samsung 830 256GB SSD

The case is obvious I think? ;)
 
Thank you stratosrally, just a amateur trying his best :D


Bloodyredd, thats actually correct. The card is full of heatpipes and metall casing so its a tiny bit crooked at the power connection end.

Its much more heavy than it looks, but for standing still its fine. Transport however, I'll probably remove it entirely or fill the case up with non conductive packing material, like newspapers or something.
 
1- Would it be better to have nf-f12 as front intake because of the restricted airflow?

I went for the F12's for that reason.

In theory, they should easily push more air than the P12 through restricted airspace (more static pressure), such as the drive cages right behind the front intakes. Now I guess that point is moot as you can easily remove both cages, but I reckon most people are running more than just single SSD's for their systems.

Note, I'm still waiting on the graphics card due next week, so we'll see about temperatures once I get this beast fully up and running.
 
So it's better to use F12's for front intake than the S12b or P12? And how's the noise of the F12's if it is placed as the front intake? What about the exhaust fan? And also, which would you think is a better heatsink for my future build? U12p or DH14? I won't oc my rig since I thought it would just lessen the life of my cpu. I also want my build to be cool and quiet as possible.

EDIT: I would also like to ask for suggestions for a good and affordable z77 motherboard since as of the moment the vendors here do not sell h77 boards so that they can earn more by selling z77 boards. I really don't have a price range yet since I'm still saving money for my build.
 
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Some pics from today, I have a H100 on the way, so give me a break about the stock cpu cooler please :D

z52zh.jpg

-
Srbp1.jpg

-
qxykZ.jpg


Specs:

  • i5 3570k
  • Asus P8Z77 Deluxe
  • 32GB Corsair Vengeance 1600Mhz (ramdisk and virtualbox purposes)
  • Asus GTX670 DCUII TOP
  • AX750
  • Samsung 830 256GB SSD

The case is obvious I think? ;)

You've got some serious photography skills. Very nice.
 
@Reventon
Great pics! I have some questions if you wouldn't mind answering:

1-Hows the noise with the front nf-f12?
2-What lights did you use?Where did you place them?
3-Where did you mount the ssd?(dont see and hdd)

Thanks and truely a great quality and design on the build
 
I see. By the way, what intake fans are you using? F12? P12? or S12B?
Those are NF-F12's that I bought to use with the Corsair H100. I'm waiting to ship mine back as it has a defect, so instead of leaving the super expensive fans on the shelve I just decided to put them in the front for the time being.

They will be placed in the roof with the H100, sucking air in. They get very saturated for air in the front with the dust filter, and both doors.

You've got some serious photography skills. Very nice.
Thank you very much, learning every day :)

@Reventon
Great pics! I have some questions if you wouldn't mind answering:

1-Hows the noise with the front nf-f12?
2-What lights did you use?Where did you place them?
3-Where did you mount the ssd?(dont see and hdd)

Thanks and truely a great quality and design on the build

Thank you! :D

NF-F12's in the front is not the best place. They get very satured for air on full RPM. They perform much better in an open ventilation area such as the top, preferrably with even the dust filter removed. Noise wise they idle around 700Rpm and are pretty quiet considering the perfomance they put out at the same time. On full blast you will hear them, of course.

The lights are actually for something else, they are made to be used in your house, behind your TV or hidden to light up shelves or other stuff. They run off 12v so it was a simple deal to make a molex plug. The brand is "CASAYA" with the color temperature of "Kaltweiss" or "Cold White". They were bought at a shop called "Hagebaumarkt" in Germany, and the back says "made for ZEUS GmbH & CO. KG, www.zeus-online.de"

Thats about it, picked them up locally. There is one down along the bottom, one along the height of the case next to the exhaust fan and one running along the top at a 45ish degree angle so the light hits the hardware, and not the floor. I have several more sticks laying around that I could daisychain together, but I think 3 so far is enough. 0.8watt is pretty bright for leds.

The SSD is mounted on the backplate, along the bottom behind where the PSU is. Nothing more fancy than double sided tape. I have 2 s-ata cables, one to the ssd and one spare, as I often need to have a 3.5" installed temporarily.

Ive been thinking about mounting it elsewhere to "show it off", samsung 830's look very good, a bit of a shame hiding it :D
 
Regarding the 3 different Noctua 120mm models - we could really use a comparison test in the front intake location of a 550D, with and without HDD cages...

Their website states that 1 model is best for ventilation through an area free of obstructions - like a case, one is best when dealing with major obstructions like thick radiators, and the last is somewhere in between.

As they each have different cfm & decibel numbers you have to decide which is the best tradeoff for each application.

To complicate matters further - the Corsair 550D has a somewhat restricted front intake panel because of the door and the filter, and also HDD cages behind the fans.

Noctua does mention that the middle fan can be used when the case is a little restrictive, but doesn't say the same for the one designed for thick radiators - I'm guessing because it's considered overkill for this application.

A question I have, though - when Noctua uses the term "restrictive", do they mean in pull or in push? Or both?

For example - if you remove your HDD cages, you've removed the push restriction on the front fans of the 550D, but the door & filter still contribute to a pull restriction.

Their site goes a long way towards explaining the difference between their fans - but could go even further!

To summarize :

1. NF-S12B - for no-restriction and lowest noise

2. NF-P12 - for light restriction like tight fan grilles, heatsinks, thinner radiators - medium noise levels

3. NF-F12 - for thicker radiators and heatsinks, but not as quiet

I'm thinking either of the first 2 if you plan on removing your cages, definitely the middle model if you leave them in. For ultimate quietness, the first - of course.
 
Very nice! What if I only plan to remove on HDD cage? Since I would only use 1 hdd and possible 1 ssd. What would also be a good fan for the exhaust?
 
Imo the best bet would be the noctua p12. Now they are pwm so you can control the speed,they have good airflow and static preasure. The webpage even says they work well with more restricted airflow. I am going to use 2 in the front and control them with my asus board.
 
Keep in mind that many of the 4-pin fan headers on motherboard are not properly PWM connectors; they put a constant 5 Volt DC on the PWM pin (=100%) and regulate the fan by varying the voltage on the powerpin.

Many fans put out a whining noise when controlled by PWM in the lower ranges, so this might be beneficially in some cases. Don't expect the benefits from easier fan startup that PWM would bring.

Proper PWM fan headers put a constant +12 Volt DV on the powerpin and vary the fanspeed by changing the pulse width on the PWM pin.
 
@Reventon

Why the lights though since it doesn't have a window?

Isn't there any other spot where to 'properly' mount an SSD by the way?

I'm really thinking about buying this case but I'm still wondering if I should keep the NH-U12P or go for some watercooling.
Specially due to the graphics card which seems to be by now the loudest component on my system!
(I should have to change the card itself since I don't seem to be able to find a waterblock for this one)
 
Regarding the 3 different Noctua 120mm models - we could really use a comparison test in the front intake location of a 550D, with and without HDD cages...

Their website states that 1 model is best for ventilation through an area free of obstructions - like a case, one is best when dealing with major obstructions like thick radiators, and the last is somewhere in between.

As they each have different cfm & decibel numbers you have to decide which is the best tradeoff for each application.

To complicate matters further - the Corsair 550D has a somewhat restricted front intake panel because of the door and the filter, and also HDD cages behind the fans.

Noctua does mention that the middle fan can be used when the case is a little restrictive, but doesn't say the same for the one designed for thick radiators - I'm guessing because it's considered overkill for this application.

A question I have, though - when Noctua uses the term "restrictive", do they mean in pull or in push? Or both?

For example - if you remove your HDD cages, you've removed the push restriction on the front fans of the 550D, but the door & filter still contribute to a pull restriction.

Their site goes a long way towards explaining the difference between their fans - but could go even further!

To summarize :

1. NF-S12B - for no-restriction and lowest noise

2. NF-P12 - for light restriction like tight fan grilles, heatsinks, thinner radiators - medium noise levels

3. NF-F12 - for thicker radiators and heatsinks, but not as quiet

I'm thinking either of the first 2 if you plan on removing your cages, definitely the middle model if you leave them in. For ultimate quietness, the first - of course.

If I end up changing out the stock fans I will get 2x P12's for intake and 1x S12B for exhaust, all PWM models of course (maybe 140mm on the exhaust since it will fit). I probably won't bother changing, I'm pretty happy with performance/noise, the only problem is I can't get the two intakes to go much below 1100rpm on 3-pin mobo headers for some reason and I can hear them at that speed, but I usually have my window open anyway and ambient noise from outside is louder than the case at idle/desktop use.

Skit: he put the lights in to take the pictures I believe.
 
Had them lying around, brand new in a box. Without any plans of using them for something else, I just figured why not, and at the same time snap some pictures.
 
Keep in mind that many of the 4-pin fan headers on motherboard are not properly PWM connectors; they put a constant 5 Volt DC on the PWM pin (=100%) and regulate the fan by varying the voltage on the powerpin.

Thank you for the info, JCV. Could you please tell us what motherboards have this issue? At least, tell us the brand so we can start and document ourselves? I HATE the companies that implement standards poorly and they deserve a minimum 30% shares drop if they are doing this consciously! :)
 
Thank you for the info, JCV. Could you please tell us what motherboards have this issue? At least, tell us the brand so we can start and document ourselves? I HATE the companies that implement standards poorly and they deserve a minimum 30% shares drop if they are doing this consciously! :)

A lot of motherboards have this. My current m/b has this too.

If you consult the English Manual of the Asus P8P67 EVO, page 2-26 you'll see the pinouts for the different fan connectors.

For the CPU fan it is:
PWM / rotation / power / ground

For the 4-pin Cha_fan1 it is:
+5V / rotation / power / ground

Some M/B's give you an option to choose between 'PWM' and 'Voltage', but a lot don't. You'll have to consult the usermanual of the particular motherboard you want. And even then it won't be all clear.

But this is nothing new. There are many motherboard that have 3 pin header that only put out +12 V. The only use of the header in such cases is the rpm readout. What a deal! :rolleyes:

I also heard that some fake PWM headers put out a 100% PWM signal while pulsing 12 Volt on the power pin. This is almost the same as having a properly PWM header, except that you overrule the circuitry in the fan.
 
A lot of motherboards have this. My current m/b has this too.

If you consult the English Manual of the Asus P8P67 EVO, page 2-26 you'll see the pinouts for the different fan connectors.

For the CPU fan it is:
PWM / rotation / power / ground

For the 4-pin Cha_fan1 it is:
+5V / rotation / power / ground

Some M/B's give you an option to choose between 'PWM' and 'Voltage', but a lot don't. You'll have to consult the usermanual of the particular motherboard you want. And even then it won't be all clear.

But this is nothing new. There are many motherboard that have 3 pin header that only put out +12 V. The only use of the header in such cases is the rpm readout. What a deal! :rolleyes:

I also heard that some fake PWM headers put out a 100% PWM signal while pulsing 12 Volt on the power pin. This is almost the same as having a properly PWM header, except that you overrule the circuitry in the fan.

Interesting, on my Asus P8Z77-V Pro it is the following:

CPU_FAN, CPU_OPT and CHA_FAN1: CPU FAN PWM / CPU FAN IN / CPU FAN PWR / GND

CHA_FAN2-3-4: GND / CPU FAN PWR / CPU FAN IN / CPU FAN PWM

So all 6 headers would appear to support PWM, just the connectors are rotated 180 degrees for 3 of them so the pin order diagram is different? Glad to see Asus is properly supporting PWM on all headers on this board.
 
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