New Case - advice?

[darkesnow]

Hi all - After reviewing my specs (core 2 duo 6700, 4gb ram, dual sli 7600gs, 600watt ps, ASUS Pn5-sli se mobo) and the case I have it in (some POS midtower from the computer show with the worst card management system I've ever encountered around the back) I decided that I had too much in too small of a space, and I'd be better off with a full size tower. So, after deliberation, I got the AeroCool ZeroDegree SV case from NewEgg.

The thing about this case that completely won me (as you'll see if you look at the specs) is it's been designed completely upside down. This sets the motherboard on the left side wall, with the seven PCI expansion slots at the top where they're easier to get to. The access panel is on the right and has a huge fan (250 mm or something) The psu is also on the bottom, which keeps the whole thing much more stable and not so top heavy - why has no one done this before?

Anyway to get to the advice part - does anyone have any experience with a reversed case like this, and any recommendations as to cable management to get the best possible airflow? My PSU has a lot of extraneous cabling that doesn't get used and the midtower has presented lots of issues. I suspect they may go away with the new design with the psu on the bottom, and the extraneous cables can get tucked away under the tray or something. But what do youall think?
~D

 

[gilga]

I actually have the same case as you. I have the aerocool masstige which has the same internal layout but a different bezel. I personally love my case and have found it to be a real joy to work with.

First of all i did not want my hard drives in the bays above the PSU. My drives got a little hot for my taste, so i installed them in the 5.25 with nexus disktwins to stop any vibrations from the fan.

For the back 120mm fan, route the connector for it behind the PSU area. I placed alot of cables behind there before i stored them all under my cd drive.

Here is a picture of my case. Its a little old, my wire management has gotten much better. But it gives you an idea. I will post updated pics soon.
BTW a realy nice mod to consider is to install a blow hole on top. It will cool of your cards nicely. I also got another front 120mm fan bracket from aerocool, they will sell you one cheap!!! Great service

Congrats on the new case, please post some pics when you are done!!!

 

[Eagle156]

It has been done before, the Lian Li V-series cases are all inverted and pretty much every high end case nowdays puts the psu at the bottom, even if the design isn't inverted.

 

[Dirty D]

Gilga's rite by showing you that he runs his wires up along the back of the case!
Also that he has his hard drives placed in the 5.25 bays

But what's best is Ultras power supplys which have modular lines so you use only whats needed.

This really is a great case,
I've purchased a Gigabyte board which is for amd processors. I'll let you know more about my build later folks...............

 

[darkesnow]

BTW a realy nice mod to consider is to install a blow hole on top. It will cool of your cards nicely. I also got another front 120mm fan bracket from aerocool, they will sell you one cheap!!! Great service

Gilga, where did you get that black rim stuff around your plexi vent? I'd like to get some. I have a piece of plexi from my old case that I'll use, but as of right now, all I have to fix it on with is doublestick mounting tape which is ok for temporary but kind of tacky for permanent use, not to mention too insecure for my tastes.

 

[gilga]

you can order it from most mod sites and can find it at home depot.
here is a link to some at performance pcs Channel molding

If you can, I would love to see some pics of you rig. I will post some of mine later after I dust the innards. IF you have any questions feel free to ask and i will answer them as best i can.