• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

Ordered XSPC EX240 Kit, looking for case advice

G

GroktheCube

n00b
Joined
Apr 28, 2012
Messages
49
I'm doing a few minor upgrades to my rig, including moving to a real WC solution. I ordered this kit: http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...oduct_info&cPath=59_202_972&products_id=33588

I'll be WCing at least my old OCed Phenom II 965BE, and may be adding and OCed 7950 to the loop at some point as well.

I'm still a little unsure on which case to get. I've been contemplating just getting a Switch 810 to make sure I have enough room for anything I ever want to do in the future, but there appear to be a lot of capable cases at $100 or lower, and I'm not sure if it's worth doing. I'm also considering the Coolermaster CM 690 II, the NZXT Tempest 410, the Fractal Arc Midi and the Corsair 500R.

What thoughts do people have on these cases? I like that the CM 690 would allow me to mount 2 240mm radiators, though I suppose I could mount a second one up front in the Corsair or Fractal with minor modding. I'm leaning towards ponying up the extra $100 over the CM 690 for the Switch, because it appears to have more in the way of bells and whistles, even more flexibility (odds are good I wouldn't need to buy another case for a LONG time), appears to offer superior fit and finish, is more aesthetically pleasing (to me), and seems like a heck of a bargain for $170.
 
NZXT Switch 810.

Then you can add a 420 radiator to the top, and put your 240 radiator on the bottom.
 
Tsumi said:
NZXT Switch 810.

Then you can add a 420 radiator to the top, and put your 240 radiator on the bottom.
Click to expand...

^^ This.. I love my Switch 810. If i were you though, I wouldnt add that GPU to the loop until you get antoher radiator. My P965BE OCd to 4.2 with my GTX580 was getting far too warm for my taste, even on water. Granted your 7950 will probably run much cooler than my 580, I was running a 3x120 radiator and yours is a 2x120.

But yeah, I second the suggestion of the Switch 810.
 
I ended up ordering the Switch. I'm not going to add the card until I see what kind of temps I'm getting with just the 965 in the loop. I'm planning on mounting the EX240 at the bottom, and I'll add another rad up top for the card when the time comes.

Thanks for the advice!
 
Awesome. I am running an EX240 at the bottom of mine with a Swiftech MCR320-XP 20fpi Radiator up top. Both fit perfectly with no cutting or modifying needed at all. Also running the 965BE

What color case did you go with?

6988505888_75371379f1_c.jpg
 
I went for white also. I love the way the white tubing looks in your system, I may switch from black if I end up unhappy with it. I'll be mounting the ex240 down on the bottom also. What fans are you using? My kit came with xspc 2krpm, but after seeing how little restriction there is with this Rad, I'm worried that'll end up being noisy overkill.
 
Got it all installed, up, and running. Filling and bleeding was cake. I'm sure theres still a little air in there, but I can't hear it. Leak testing now, I'll run it till tomorrow afternoon then do final cable management and get it all running. I ended up picking up a 3570k and Asus Z77-V pro at Microcenter for $370, deal was just too good to pass up.

A few pics of the setup now. I'll post better ones tomorrow when its running and cleaned up.

IMG_20120509_220613.jpg


IMG_20120509_220504.jpg


IMG_20120509_220730.jpg
 
JLangevin said:
Awesome. I am running an EX240 at the bottom of mine with a Swiftech MCR320-XP 20fpi Radiator up top. Both fit perfectly with no cutting or modifying needed at all. Also running the 965BE

What color case did you go with?

6988505888_75371379f1_c.jpg
Click to expand...

Hey just wondering. Are you using UV white tubes or just regular white tubes?
 
Finished up the system today. Getting all the cables squared away in the area behind the mobo tray was actually a bit more of a pain than I expected given the case, but it was worth the effort, as it looks reasonably clean inside. It isn't perfect, but it's definitely acceptable. I haven't really strained the CPU yet, but browsing the internet, installing drivers, and playing WoW (maxed) has yielded temps about 5C over room temperature under ~20% load. Pump is completely silent, and the 4 2K RPM XSPC fans aren't nearly as loud as I expected. Barely audible over the window AC running in fan mode.

I'll do some OCing a bit later on to really the system, and probably do a little mini-review at some point over the weekend. So far I'm liking the new setup!
 
Hehe, I think he probably just skipped everything but the OP.

Kit and case are performing great. Even at very high voltage, I have yet to see temps over 80 (usually much lower on a sane overclock, of course), and core temps seem to always drop back down to under 30 within seconds of load being reduced. Looks like my core temp at this point is only limited by how fast the cores can move heat to the IHS.

Edit: Temps hang just under 50 at the 24/7 1.2v 4400 OC I'm using under "normal" 100% load, like running Folding @ Home and wow at the same time. Very happy with that, I'd definitely recommend this kit. It was an absolute steal for hte level of performance. I may end up copying JLangevin and switching to white tubes at some point, we'll see.
 
Last edited:
JLangevin said:
Awesome. I am running an EX240 at the bottom of mine with a Swiftech MCR320-XP 20fpi Radiator up top. Both fit perfectly with no cutting or modifying needed at all. Also running the 965BE

What color case did you go with?

6988505888_75371379f1_c.jpg
Click to expand...

What res are you using? Also it looks like to me your pump isn't below your res?
 
fullvietFX said:
What res are you using? Also it looks like to me your pump isn't below your res?
Click to expand...

That would be the Swiftech Micro-Res V2. And as long as the water level is above the pump, it'll get to it. Also, it looks like it would be pretty easy for him to move the pump off the PSU and next to the case, where it would be lower than the reservoir. Pump below reservoir really only matters when filling, after that the physics of a closed loop takes over.
 
The inlet on my pump is 1/4" or so above the port on the res, it isnt a big deal and like Tsumi said, only matters when filling, and since I can fill above that point anyway, its not an issue at all.

As for the pump, I am swapping it for an Aerocool D5 with EK top and plan on mounting it where the rubber grommets are next to the PSU.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top