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SuicidalGoat
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2004
- Messages
- 1,913
I have been wanting a "flat" desktop style case for a long time. The problem has always been finding a good combination of space and cooling for a decent gaming rig. I did not want to spend too much money to switch back to a micro atx motherboard, so motherboard size was another issue.
I ended up ordering this gem: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121010
I read through all the egg reviews so I knew what I was getting into and was prepared to make certain sacrifices. I had a plan. The build quality of this case is something that I have not seen since the days of my InWin Q500. It is a solid case.
The first problem was size. My rig is in the sig, full atx board with a 5850. I removed the internal 3.5 drive bay to fit the 5850 comfortably and to have room for cable management. I then installed the hard drive in the 5.25 bays using an adapter. For a cpu heatsink I used: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...5185097&cm_re=shuriken-_-35-185-097-_-Product I changed out the 100mm fan for a 90mm (got it from a friend the fan was dead).
The other problem was cooling. I initially had concerns about the airflow of this case with only two 60mm for exhaust and the 80mm intake. I had this laying around from a previous build: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...16&cm_re=drive_bay_fan-_-35-192-016-_-Product I cut out the mesh with a razor and painted the grill black to match the case. When all together, I have decent airflow and my cpu idles around 28c-30c. While gaming it doesn't reach past 40c. These temps are about the same as when I was using the NZXT Beta Evo.
The sacrifice? The cdrom. With the drive bay fan, there is no place for the cdrom so I ended up using an external USB enclosure. This does not hinder me as I rarely use the cdrom anyways. With Steam as my main source of games, I just download everything there.
This post is mainly to share with everyone the possibility of a "flat" style desktop case. Information regarding these types of cases is few and far between with most of the attention on the HTPC style cases that typically range from $100-$600!! The HEC is inexpensive and solid. I had the benefit of having some of the extras beforehand but others should have no problems. I am very happy with this case and its classic style/feel.
I ended up ordering this gem: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121010
I read through all the egg reviews so I knew what I was getting into and was prepared to make certain sacrifices. I had a plan. The build quality of this case is something that I have not seen since the days of my InWin Q500. It is a solid case.
The first problem was size. My rig is in the sig, full atx board with a 5850. I removed the internal 3.5 drive bay to fit the 5850 comfortably and to have room for cable management. I then installed the hard drive in the 5.25 bays using an adapter. For a cpu heatsink I used: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...5185097&cm_re=shuriken-_-35-185-097-_-Product I changed out the 100mm fan for a 90mm (got it from a friend the fan was dead).
The other problem was cooling. I initially had concerns about the airflow of this case with only two 60mm for exhaust and the 80mm intake. I had this laying around from a previous build: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...16&cm_re=drive_bay_fan-_-35-192-016-_-Product I cut out the mesh with a razor and painted the grill black to match the case. When all together, I have decent airflow and my cpu idles around 28c-30c. While gaming it doesn't reach past 40c. These temps are about the same as when I was using the NZXT Beta Evo.
The sacrifice? The cdrom. With the drive bay fan, there is no place for the cdrom so I ended up using an external USB enclosure. This does not hinder me as I rarely use the cdrom anyways. With Steam as my main source of games, I just download everything there.
This post is mainly to share with everyone the possibility of a "flat" style desktop case. Information regarding these types of cases is few and far between with most of the attention on the HTPC style cases that typically range from $100-$600!! The HEC is inexpensive and solid. I had the benefit of having some of the extras beforehand but others should have no problems. I am very happy with this case and its classic style/feel.