Case thoughts/suggestions (Water cooling in the future!)

[Surfie]

Hi Guys,

Following on from the thread where I indicated an interest in watercooling, and seeking assistance on where to start , kit wise (http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=48695), it seems that I really ought to re-think my case before I even consider getting *any* water cooling parts.

So, with the watercooling future, and current specs and space limitations in mind, I've come up with three cases which I think would fit my needs pretty well into the future. Two of them were reviewed already by Tom (that i've seen) and the third, I have seen reviews of, but not from Tom.

My problem is, from these three options, I am not sure what I should be looking at in order to differentiate one from the other. As such, and pointers or feedback on any of the cases (especially when it comes to fitting E-ATX motherboards and enough water cooling Radiators for CPU + video card) would be greatly appreciated.

So, without further ado, here are the cases that I have narrowed my options down to:

1) NZXT Switch 810 (http://www.nzxt.com/new/products/crafted_series/switch_810)

2) CoolerMaster StormTrooper (http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/landing/trooper/home.php)

3) Silverstone (http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=292)

For reference, the Radiator(s) i'm looking at are mostly http://www.swiftech.com/MCRX20-XP-RADIATOR-SERIES-1.aspx with a configuration of either:
A) 1 of 4 x 120mm fan type and 1 of 1 x 120mm fan type
OR
B ) 2 of 3 x 120mm fan type
OR
C) 3 of 2 x 120mm fan type
OR (maybe)
D) 1 of 4 x 120 mm fan type and 1 of 1 x 80mm fan type (like maybe a Black Ice or some such)

In case you are wondering, I have looked at the Cosmos II, and whilst it is a truly AWESOME case, it is just too big and cumbersome for where I want to have it stationed for 90%+ of the time.

Cheers for the feedback guys!

 

[airdeano]

its great your looking to the future for all the components, but what kind of system
is this? gamer? app mined uses?
this is kinda cart before the horse, stuff....

dunna know what any of the hardware is to fit a case and then cooling..
need more information, please.
is this a complete got-nothing build?

 

[Surfie]

Ahhh - Ok, I didn't think properly, and thus assumed that machine specs were not needed. I'm an idiot. lol.

It's primarily a gaming system, and all the bits, other than the water cooling (and case, obviously) are already owned.

The stuff going in is:
Motherboard: Asus Rampage IV Extreme
CPU: Intel i7 3930K
RAM: 32 Gb Corsair Vengence (4 sticks in total)
Current Cooler: Corsair H100i
Video Card: MSI FrozerII GTX680
Optical Drive: Yes - 1 of
Hard Drives: Yes - 2 x 128Gb SSDs, 1x3.5 mechanical (2TB )
Power Supply: Silverstone 850W (I know this may need upgrading when proper water cooling is added)

Also, in case it wasn't clear - I have zero water cooling components, which is why I do not know what style of water cooling rads I will need. Figured that this would probably change, based on what case I get (for instance, the Silverstone case has lots of room at the bottom for a 4x120mm radiator to be placed comfortably).

Cheers!

 

[airdeano]

i dontthink there is a waterblock for your GPU card? you might look into that for
needs. usually the frozr cards are all non-reference and that means shortage of
suppliers that make such a GPU block.

you know this 2011 system is way overkill for gaming, right? anyway..
if a GPU block is found, a 360 and 240 rad would be a prescription to look for.
next, finding a case you like and whether these rads fit from the get-go or some
hacking and chopping might take place.

you had listed some cases.. are these ones you are looking to buy or just that
they hold radiators? remeber you gotta stare at this thing a while and its got to
be pleasing to you, not just because it hold radiators.

 

[Surfie]

Hi airdeano!

First up, yes, I know that just for gaming, this rig is way over what is needed. I don't ONLY use it for games though (I also do 3D modelling, and video editing). Also, this is the first upgrade that I have had in ~7 years, so I kinda went all out, knowing that I wouldn't need to do it again for a fair whack of time, if I did it right. Anyway, drifting from topic a bit now...

Secondly, I wasn't aware that Frozr were non-reference, and you are spot on, so far as I can tell (although there is at least one review site that offers a differing opinion on this; they state (multiple times) that the GTX 680 Frozr is using reference design), there are no specific water blocks for the Frozr. Guess I will just have to accept not water cooling it, and move on.... for now at least. The other option is to get the Swift-tech Generic GPU water cooling block, which ONLY handles the GPU, and not the RAM etc on the rest of the card (Yeah, I think air cooling that is gonna be the way to go).

Thidly, the cases I have listed are the cases that I am looking at purchasing. I quite like the look of all of them, which is what helped them get on the list in the first place. There are a few concerns with some of them, but they in themselves are not big enough of a deal to remove them from the list (for instance, I know the TJ11 has the motherboard rotated 90 degrees from normal, and as such has all the monitor cables etc coming from the top of the case - I find this idea intriguing, but i'm not sure how well or how poorly it works).

Cheers for your advice so far!