New SFF gamers case: presentation and advices

faugusztin said:
Aditional question - did anyone try the Coolink Corator DS cooler in this case (even better if on AM2/AM3 system).
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Nevermind, Corator DS can't be rotated by 90° on AM2/AM3 and in standard position it won't fit (it will overhang the motherboard by about 1cm).
 
faugusztin said:
Nevermind, Corator DS can't be rotated by 90° on AM2/AM3 and in standard position it won't fit (it will overhang the motherboard by about 1cm).
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That doesn't necessary stop you from installing it. I know that there's at least 1cm clearance (more likely 2 cm) from the motherboard edge and the case side.
 
Ok, so in short this would be the setup, except the few things i already own most of the stuff can be changed.
  • Da Box 100 BlackHeart (of course) (160+38,3€)
  • MSI 880GMA-E45 (95€) - center of AM3 socket is 63.66mm from the right side and 115.55mm from back panel according to my measurements based on product picture and official motherboard size.
  • AMD Athlon II X3 440 (3GHz) (73€)- this should be enough for the graphics card
  • Zotac GTS250 Eco + Accelerero L2 Pro - 19cm long, 2,5-3 slots wide, in PCI-E x16 slot of motherboard, taking all slots but the PCI-E x1 above it. (i already own this card)
  • Coolink Corator DS (40€) - 140x121x155m, can be mounted only in the way towards the back of the case, thus the cooler will overhand the motherboard on right side by 140/2 = 70 - 63.66 = 6.34mm. Do i need to remove the side fan for this ?
  • Corsair XMS3 CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 (95€) or OCZ OCZ3BE1600C8LV4GK (105€) - both 2x2GB, DDR3-1600 kits. I will probably use them only at DDR3-1333, so there shouldn't be any problems.
  • Intel X25-M G2 80GB ( (i already own this SSD)
  • Seasonic S12II-330 Bronze PSU (i already own this PSU, but can be replaced)
  • Enermax T.B. Silence fans
My main concern is stil the CPU cooler (size) and PSU (non-modular). Would you recommend me to change CPU cooler to something else (NH-U12P SE2 - 52.6€, Megahalems - 52.3€ + 12.65€ for AM3 kit, HR-01+ - 46.15€, Ninja 2 - 39.3€) ?
 
faugusztin said:
Ok, so in short this would be the setup, except the few things i already own most of the stuff can be changed.
  • Da Box 100 BlackHeart (of course) (160+38,3€)
  • MSI 880GMA-E45 (95€) - center of AM3 socket is 63.66mm from the right side and 115.55mm from back panel according to my measurements based on product picture and official motherboard size.
  • AMD Athlon II X3 440 (3GHz) (73€)- this should be enough for the graphics card
  • Zotac GTS250 Eco + Accelerero L2 Pro - 19cm long, 2,5-3 slots wide, in PCI-E x16 slot of motherboard, taking all slots but the PCI-E x1 above it. (i already own this card)
  • Coolink Corator DS (40€) - 140x121x155m, can be mounted only in the way towards the back of the case, thus the cooler will overhand the motherboard on right side by 140/2 = 70 - 63.66 = 6.34mm. Do i need to remove the side fan for this ?
  • Corsair XMS3 CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 (95€) or OCZ OCZ3BE1600C8LV4GK (105€) - both 2x2GB, DDR3-1600 kits. I will probably use them only at DDR3-1333, so there shouldn't be any problems.
  • Intel X25-M G2 80GB ( (i already own this SSD)
  • Seasonic S12II-330 Bronze PSU (i already own this PSU, but can be replaced)
  • Enermax T.B. Silence fans
My main concern is stil the CPU cooler (size) and PSU (non-modular). Would you recommend me to change CPU cooler to something else (NH-U12P SE2 - 52.6€, Megahalems - 52.3€ + 12.65€ for AM3 kit, HR-01+ - 46.15€, Ninja 2 - 39.3€) ?
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Non modular PSU may be a problem, but as far as fitting the heat sink, look at this shot of my Cogage Arrow:

013e3e22.jpg


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You can see that I was able to fit my 4/8 pin auxilliary power connector beside the motherboard, but you also have additional room beyond that. I've already fit an HR01+ in this case:

50cc68fe.jpg


decb3373.jpg
 
mattinv said:
Hi everybody,

Working on these front audio ports.
I'm not sure where the problem is at this point... It's a big headache!
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hey matt,
does this mean that once the front audio issue is solved you'll notify us? Do you need anything from us (e.g. email in order for you to track the number of people having this issue)?

thanks
 
MassiveOverkill said:
Non modular PSU may be a problem, but as far as fitting the heat sink, look at this shot of my Cogage Arrow:
...
You can see that I was able to fit my 4/8 pin auxilliary power connector beside the motherboard, but you also have additional room beyond that. I've already fit an HR01+ in this case:
...
Click to expand...

In short - if i give up the side fan, it fits. I already ordered the CPU cooler, decided it is worth a try, but i'm waiting with the motherboard and CPU as i got a chance to get a unused i3 530 for 75€ without warranty (it is a CPU donated by Intel at some LAN party) or i5 750 for 120€ again without warranty (because the current owner lapped it). So for now i'm waiting at the info about the i3 530 and then i will either order a H55 board, decide for i5 750 and some mATX P55/H55 board or get the AMD board+CPU i wrote in my post. If i decide to go S1156 way then it will be a lot easier, as Intel sockets allow rotation of Corator DS.

PS: It is a real shame EU shop doesn't have the custom 5,25" bay front panel.

Edit: Case ordered, but i was surprised to see my order number - #000009. Only 8 others ordered from EU shop before me :D.
 
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what a silly little case, it's totally obscene what you can stuff into it! hahaha, I think I may have to get one for my next build if I decide to go with the R3G (still looking for reviews). it would actually be perfect for my next build considering that I was going to name it "sleeping monster", hahaha!!

edit; does it come with a 5.25" bay door cover? like something you could glue or stick to the tray of a dvd burner? that's the only thing that's bugging me about the looks.
 
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I'm still waiting, the bloody DPD got it to Germany just today (btw nice city name of DPD hub - Worms :D). DPD takes it's time, that's for sure (they got the package on Friday, moved it between their hubs in France until Saturday 2AM and then only about 20 minutes ago they got it to Germany, about 500-600km distance. Well, let's hope that the remaining 800km will be quicker :).
 
Hmm. I am looking to shift my full tower to something smaller to more easily move it from college back home. Would this case be a better choice for an i7 922 D0 and 2 GTX 460's than the mini p180?
I don't usually overclock but its a nice option to have, and water cooling scares me.
 
Mini P180 ? Mini P180 is anything but mini. the length of Da Box 100 (or height of Lian Li PC-A05N) is 5cm smaller than the height of the Mini P180. Even the Fractal Define R2 full ATX case is same size as Mini P180.
 
Haha yeah I have heard that is a misnomer, but compared to my Silverstone TJ09 it is mini. I am hesitant to get a cube case because of airflow concerns and it definitely wouldn't fit in the computer intended compartment of my desk. They are unique and that is what interests me in them.
 
Me, I'd definitely get Da Box rather than Mini P180. For both features and size, in fact. But if the shape is not suited to your wants/needs, I guess that is indeed an obstacle. But for hauling around, the Mini P180 really isn''t a good pick. Even my SG03 (about same volume as Da Box, but tower-shaped) is larger than I'd prefer for that, which is why I might go to ITX later this year if I can afford it after medical bills I'm forced to deal with soon.

That said, I'd take SG03 over a Mini P180 without hesitation, too :)
 
Fair enough. I only NEED to move my computer once every six weeks or so, but if I COULD move it, who knows what the possibilities are. I have only ever build a full tower so I am intimidated by this. I suppose my priorities are cooling my components properly and simplicity of the build/maintenance. Pretty much the opposite of SFF cases. I am going to read this whole thread over the next few days and decide, but Da Box looks pretty awesome right now. Any glaring issues with it I should be aware of?
Thanks again for your advice.
 
tvih said:
Me, I'd definitely get Da Box rather than Mini P180. For both features and size, in fact. But if the shape is not suited to your wants/needs, I guess that is indeed an obstacle. But for hauling around, the Mini P180 really isn''t a good pick. Even my SG03 (about same volume as Da Box, but tower-shaped) is larger than I'd prefer for that, which is why I might go to ITX later this year if I can afford it after medical bills I'm forced to deal with soon.

That said, I'd take SG03 over a Mini P180 without hesitation, too :)
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I eventually gave up on mATX cube (SG02), because while fun, it was utterly frustrating to deal with the tiny size, and often... my poor planning. Eiher way, I ended up with (possibly) the largest mATX case ever created, the P180 mini. My SG02 was too heavy to be a real "lan rig," either, since I use a duffle bag to carry it around. Or maybe I am just weak, lol...



Anyhow, for my current LAN rig, I already have an empty SG05 at home, and am still pondering between ASUS AM3 mITX or Gigabyte LGA1156 mITX (funny thing, their HQs in Taiwan are across the street from each other :p).
 
avalanche0316 said:
Fair enough. I only NEED to move my computer once every six weeks or so, but if I COULD move it, who knows what the possibilities are. I have only ever build a full tower so I am intimidated by this. I suppose my priorities are cooling my components properly and simplicity of the build/maintenance. Pretty much the opposite of SFF cases. I am going to read this whole thread over the next few days and decide, but Da Box looks pretty awesome right now. Any glaring issues with it I should be aware of?
Thanks again for your advice.
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Well, since I don't have Da Box, I don't have personal experience on it. But based on comments and temp test results from other people here, as well as looking at images of builds and judging airflow possiblities from those, I don't think cooling is an issue with the Da Box, at all. People have done some serious overclocking in this case (and even in cases with lesser airflow) with both air and water cooling, so since you say you generally don't overclock, you should be fine and dandy indeed with this case as far as cooling goes. Honestly, I can't think of a single reason why I'd take a Mini P180 over Da Box.

Also, before trying out a SG06 ITX build a year ago I had only basically built ATX tower systems. What a difference! The build was harder to assemble, but man was it nicer to have that tiny size! I ended up swapping to this SG03 build after only a month though, mainly because I wanted a more silent build, something for which the SG06's PSU wasn't very good. Now with the upcoming Lan Gear ITX box with the SG06-like size and its ability to have silent ATX PSUs and also both the current H50 I use and a silent air tower cooler like the Noctua NH-U9F that I have lying around spare, therefore making it possible to have it as silent as my SG03 is, it's hard to resist - if I can budget it, that is - getting an ITX mobo and the Lan Gear case and simply reuse the rest of my current components for all the power and silence I currently have, but in half the case volume!
 
That ITX build sounds awesome. I am still reading through this thread to get the best picture of the box in my head before I make a decision. I definitely like the product and the company going out like this to get suggestions and actually utilize them is a big plus for me.

The Mini P180 does fit well with my desk arrangement and I have heard its nearly inaudible, but its hard to carry and I feel like it wouldn't handle cooling 2 video cards as well. I may need to sleep on it. The mini would be free because Dell has it and my Dad offered me anything sub 200 from Dell.com for my birthday.

I think that says a lot about my intrigue in this case to withstand that offer :)
 
avalanche0316 said:
That ITX build sounds awesome. I am still reading through this thread to get the best picture of the box in my head before I make a decision. I definitely like the product and the company going out like this to get suggestions and actually utilize them is a big plus for me.

The Mini P180 does fit well with my desk arrangement and I have heard its nearly inaudible, but its hard to carry and I feel like it wouldn't handle cooling 2 video cards as well. I may need to sleep on it. The mini would be free because Dell has it and my Dad offered me anything sub 200 from Dell.com for my birthday.

I think that says a lot about my intrigue in this case to withstand that offer :)
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Well, the P180 mini cooled my two HD5770 CF setup well enough (better than my SG02, for sure - even with dual 80mm fans the SG02 still let temps creep into the high 80C range).

On my P180 mini, I removed the bottom drive bay to give access to the front/lower fan mount (120mm), and placing a fan there kept my HD5770 CF temps below 80C. It was also much quieter than the 3 Antec TriCool 80mm fans I was previously using for this build, too.

Right now, I have a single HD5870, with another incomming for crossfire. Since a single HD5870 has already reached the 80C threshold I set for myself, I am not terribly excited about the tempurature two would reach...
 
Yeah I bought the two GTX 460's due to their relatively smalls stature (8") and they are more energy efficient and cool.
I am a little confused where people are putting their hdds in this thing. I have a 160gb raptor and a 750gb WD that I would like to put in my system.
Also, for someone like me who wants to use a i7 920 D0, and may want a light overclock in the future (but probably wont), what hsf would you recommend? I want to keep everything cool but I don't need to overkill it, and I feel like if it were smaller it would make working on the system easier overall. I don't know how some of you guys plug things into your mobo around those monsters.
I am a little sad that I can't get a windowed version soon as I see they are out of stock. Any ETA on those?
 
avalanche0316 said:
Yeah I bought the two GTX 460's due to their relatively smalls stature (8") and they are more energy efficient and cool.
I am a little confused where people are putting their hdds in this thing. I have a 160gb raptor and a 750gb WD that I would like to put in my system.
Also, for someone like me who wants to use a i7 920 D0, and may want a light overclock in the future (but probably wont), what hsf would you recommend? I want to keep everything cool but I don't need to overkill it, and I feel like if it were smaller it would make working on the system easier overall. I don't know how some of you guys plug things into your mobo around those monsters.
I am a little sad that I can't get a windowed version soon as I see they are out of stock. Any ETA on those?
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As for cooling, I would recommend a H50 or a H70 from Corsair. It's a self-sealed and contained watercooling setup that is small (well... smaller than a big tower cooler), yet performs along with the best aircoolers.
 
Hmm that H50 looks promising, I guess the premium price equates to efficient and quiet cooling. Some reviews said the stock fan it it sucks (har har), should I get a different one?
Speaking of fans, I see that Da Box comes with several fans listed, does this mean fan mounts or are the actual fans included with the case?
Close to pulling the trigger on this one! Though I want to get the case soonish so I can build it before classes start in August, so a windowed version is probably out of the question for me. Any LED suggestions as well?
 
Seems these are out of stock.

I want to order the bag and the Black edition. Are there any available in the US?
 
Another question: For those of you using H50's, what is your intake/exhaust set up since the H50 pumps hot air into the system.
 
I don't recommend the H50 for i7 OCing. It was fine for my Ph II X6, but my Cogage Arrow dropped my temps an easy 5-7C over my H50, which was in a push/pull config with one fan being 38mm (pushing).

My H50 was exhausting air. I believe the side panel vents are sufficient for cool air intake.

The H70 is squat enough that it should allow for push/pull with shrouds on each side. I bet you could do 38mm/shroud in push pull as well.

My H50 was loud as the fan speeds needed to cool my X6 are alot higher than the low RPM speed needed to cool my Arrow. My rig is very silent now.

My H50 has found its calling in Da MOM mini-ITX rig, where the top-end air HS isn't possible to mount.
 
avalanche0316 said:
Speaking of fans, I see that Da Box comes with several fans listed, does this mean fan mounts or are the actual fans included with the case?
Close to pulling the trigger on this one! Though I want to get the case soonish so I can build it before classes start in August, so a windowed version is probably out of the question for me. Any LED suggestions as well?
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Not sure when the DA BOX will be available again, but I've been waiting for my order (version with window) since .. oh, June 22, 2010 (and it's been out of stock before that for a while as well). I assume both windowed and windowless will arrive at the same time, as the the only difference is the top cover.

Don't know when the new shipment is due - and I haven't heard any estimates from Matt either. Perhaps not even for another month or so (just a wild guess).
 
Maybe they sent their whole shipment to EU, here in EU they have only the Blackheart windows (149 pieces) and Classic windowless (145 pieces), but as you can see, in large quantity (if we can believe the website).
 
Massive Overkill,
Do you have your H50 mounted outside the case? All the reviews I have read that mount it inside have the fan blowing over the radiator into the case. The new H70 looks promising as well and it is only a little pricier.
The arrow looks nice but I want room to work in my case and I think that would make it nearly impossible. I don't plan on overclocking too much, maybe 3.33 or 3.5ish.
Do fans come with this case or do I have to buy them separately?
 
avalanche0316 said:
Massive Overkill,
Do you have your H50 mounted outside the case? All the reviews I have read that mount it inside have the fan blowing over the radiator into the case. The new H70 looks promising as well and it is only a little pricier.
The arrow looks nice but I want room to work in my case and I think that would make it nearly impossible. I don't plan on overclocking too much, maybe 3.33 or 3.5ish.
Do fans come with this case or do I have to buy them separately?
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Everything is internal. It comes with Cooler Master fans: 1 90mm (which I used) and 2 Cooler Master 120mm, all low RPM, but I used some medium RPM 120mm fans that I had.

The Arrow is easier to mount than the H50. If you drill out the rivets and replace them with screws, it makes working with the case a breeze. 3.5 Ghz should be easy and you won't require top-of-the-line heat sink to reach that, but 3.8 Ghz or higher may require something better.
 
Do you have a picture of this set up? I can't imagine it unless you reversed the rad/fan. I am leaning towards the h50 right now only because I have a 40 dollar best buy gift card, but I have also heard people having noisy versions. I'd rather not have to drill/clip/puncture any part of the case if possible as I am still new to this building computers business. I do like the challenge of the small case though.
 
avalanche0316 said:
Do you have a picture of this set up? I can't imagine it unless you reversed the rad/fan. I am leaning towards the h50 right now only because I have a 40 dollar best buy gift card, but I have also heard people having noisy versions. I'd rather not have to drill/clip/puncture any part of the case if possible as I am still new to this building computers business. I do like the challenge of the small case though.
Click to expand...

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1523957
 
Ah thank you for the pictures. So your system is pressurized for force air through the radiator w/o a fan, and the dual fans pull it out of the case? I may buy a 2nd fan for a push/pull set up. I can't decide what is better, using cooler air from outside the case to cool of the radiator, at the cost of higher in-system temps, or using hotter air in the case to cool of the radiator.
 
avalanche0316 said:
Ah thank you for the pictures. So your system is pressurized for force air through the radiator w/o a fan, and the dual fans pull it out of the case? I may buy a 2nd fan for a push/pull set up. I can't decide what is better, using cooler air from outside the case to cool of the radiator, at the cost of higher in-system temps, or using hotter air in the case to cool of the radiator.
Click to expand...

So here was the setup:

120x38mm fan---> H50 Radiator---> 120x25mm fan---> Back of case (inside)

Push---------------> H50 Radiator---> Pull ----------------> Back of case (inside)
 
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