Advice about case and cooling for a video WS

[3dAnimator]

Hi Guys

I would be grateful if you could give me some advice about choosing the right case for an x79 based workstation. It will be the first time I have built a PC from scratch and I have taken several weeks to settle on the right spec for my needs but I am torn between two cases: Corsair Obsidian 550D or NZXT Phantom 630.

In order of importance, my PC will be used for:

1) HD motion graphics (After Effects CS6 is a RAM hungry CUDA hog)
1) HD video editing (Premiere Pro CS6)

3) 3d modelling and animation (Autodesk Maya)
4) 2d animation (Flash CS6)
5) Photo editing, graphic design, occasional website design. (Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, Dreamweaver)
​

The major heat sources will be:

i7 3930K overclocked
Asus P9X79 WS motherboard
Asus GTX 680 4GB DirectCU II
64GB of Kingston Hyper X Beast RAM
3 x SSD Drives, Samsung 840 Pro
2 x 2TB WD Black Caviar in RAID 0
BeQuiet! Dark Power Pro 10 850W PSU
​

My question is, with an overclocked i7 3930K (hopefully to somewhere around 4.5GHz), which case would deliver the best compromise between cool sustainable temperatures and near dammit absolute silence?

1. 550D with an H80i as exhaust and all the sound deadening removable panels in place.
2. 550D with an H100i in the roof with just the top panel removed.
3. Phantom 630 with an H80i as exhaust.
4. Phantom 630 with an H100i in the roof.
5. Phantom 630 with a high end air cooler. (Noctua, Phantek, BeQuiet! etc)

I really do want an insanely powerful but ultra quiet workstation but not at the expense of regular BSODs and cooking the components until they die a sad and lonely, premature and toasty death. Oh, and the PC will live under my desk.

Why those two cases? The build quality looks first class and they both look like furniture that I could actually live with. As for the alternatives that I have considered: the Nanoxia looks like a hospital ward bedside cabinet, the Fractals looks like hotel minibars and the new Anidees case is too much of an unknown quantity.

I have rambled a bit so I do thank you if you got this far. I really would appreciate any comments at all on my proposed build but especially about case, cooling and quietness issues.

Cheers!

Michael

 

[Spiderz]

If silence is the name of the game, H100i in the 550D and replace the stock fans with a set of SP120 Quiet editions. Should cool it pretty well, not as good as the phantom because of the sound deadening foam and whatnot but should be quieter.

 

[3dAnimator]

Thank you, Spiderz for your advice. After doing a lot more research I am inclined to agree with you that for silence, the 550D is the best option.

I also discovered that the P9X79 WS motherboard probably won't fit in the 550D as it is CEB form factor, so I will swap it for the Sabertooth X79 instead.

I will order today. Cannot wait to start building.

Cheers

Michael

 

[Spiderz]

Sounds good, look forward to seeing the build log on it.

 

[tinytomlogan]

The P9X79 WS will fit the 550 fine

 

[3dAnimator]

Sounds good, look forward to seeing the build log on it.

Ok, I'll keep you posted.

The P9X79 WS will fit the 550 fine

Oops! Too late, I have just ordered but on reflection the Sabertooth X79 is probably a more suitable board for me as I can't imagine going to four way SLI any time soon. Thank you for the advice nonetheless.

PS Keep up the good work, Tom! Your detailed Youtube reviews have been a great help.