Arriving at My Place Monday
new case & mobo to keep up with the times
Saturday, July 7, 2012 by starkers | Discussion: Personal Computing
This.....
arrives at my place Monday.
It's the new Thermaltake Chaser Mk 1... see external link for more info.
The main reason I'm upgrading my case is to have access to 2 front USB3 ports and an eSata port up front as well. More importantly, however, is the HDD dock on top, allowing me to plug in any SATA drive [HDD, SSD] without power or USB cables... and I do have several drives without cases, so it saves me having to swap drives in and out, etc.
To enable these new features, though, I have to get this....

It gives me the header to connect the external USB3's my current board doesn't, plus it gives me x 8 internal Sata's and x2 eSATA's on the back panel... meaning I could have a total of 11 SATA devices.. not to mention 10 rear USB's and 4 front USB's, so there's plenty of room for expansion should I need it. Besides, the black mobo will look rather grand in that case, eh?
And to juice this up I'm getting the 8 core AMD FX8170 CPU. Total cost [case, mobo, CPU]... AUD$540.00
Will post some pics once I've got it all together.
Reply #82 Thursday, July 12, 2012 2:48 PM
My current CPU cooler is a Hyper 212 plus and works better than I ever imagined. So those heatpipe models should be fine, although fitting them with two fans is just silly.
Reply #83 Thursday, July 12, 2012 3:46 PM
I checked out the Hyper 212 Evo for $37.00 AUD, but it only has 4 heat pipes and I may need more/better, given the 40c plus Summer temps... can reach 44c...and that it's an 8 core that's quite over-clockable to 5ghz +. Don't know that I'd ever consider that, but I do like to leave my options open.
While at the Coolermaster site I did check out the Coolermaster V8, which I can pick up for $72.00 AUD. Then there's the Coolermaster V6GT for the same price. Both have 6 copper heatpipes so either would seem adequate.
So yeah, so far I'm tossing up between the 2 Coolermasters and the Thermaltake Frio range... possibly the OCK. I'll wait and see what MadDeez advises, however, and take it from there.
Edit: Oh, and the two fans, according to the Coolermaster site, is to increase air pressure within the fins, thus improving cooling.
Reply #85 Thursday, July 12, 2012 3:56 PM
Instead of lots of little holes , you could cut a large one (6x9 or better) and cover it with a speaker grill. Wouldn't hurt to put one in the side of the cabinet either, since grills normally come in pairs.
I finally took mine out of it's pidgeon hole, but only because it was such a pain to pull out to clean it. With 3 cats, PC hairballs can be a killer.
It had a door on it but I did leave it open most of the time while the rig was running.
Reply #86 Thursday, July 12, 2012 4:18 PM
I finally took mine out of it's pidgeon hole, but only because it was such a pain to pull out to clean it. With 3 cats, PC hairballs can be a killer. It had a door on it but I did leave it open most of the time while the rig was running.
Excellent idea.
Reply #87 Thursday, July 12, 2012 4:55 PM
Thank Dave... I reckon so as well... obviously.
Actually, that's not a bad idea, Wiz... an excellent one, in fact. I could put one on the shelf above midway between the fans, and one on the wall between the pigeonhole and where I sit/put my legs. That would really open up ventilation to the side intake fan and to top fans. There's an audio section at my local JB Hi-Fi, and I recently spied some speaker grills that'd fit the bill perfectly. They are for 12" Woofers so they'd be perfect for what I want.
Thanks for the brilliant idea.
Reply #88 Thursday, July 12, 2012 5:10 PM
Functional and sylish.
I'm glad you like it.
Now all you need is a hinged trap door for that docking bay.
Reply #89 Thursday, July 12, 2012 5:40 PM
starkers, my suggestion for the cpu cooler would be the bigwater, as I have found that the temps are more stable (and lower) with water cooling(using a small corsair h60) and overclocking compared to even a prolematech's megaheme with two fans and exausting straight out of the case and the same degree of overclocking, and yes I also get over 40 degree c days in my workshop.
and a very neat set of cabling there.
another possible idea regarding the use of the dock and usb ports would be to build a small extension to the base of the bay the computer is in so that the tower can be permently slid forward
jafo, yes I was trying and succeeding in getting raises out of those that do not have enough tolerance, then I went to bed.
harpo
Reply #90 Thursday, July 12, 2012 5:44 PM
They're inches away from eachother. That's ridiculous. You might as well stick 700 fans in your case, because it'll be ridiculously stupid but it will improve cooling!
Reply #91 Thursday, July 12, 2012 5:55 PM
It is a very sharp looking unit though.
Reply #92 Thursday, July 12, 2012 6:06 PM
i was thinking something along the lines of a corsair h60, h80, or h100 but it's your rig ![]()
Reply #93 Thursday, July 12, 2012 8:10 PM
Nah, I only have to move the case an inch forward from where I have it positioned now, which is real easy due to the big feet, and then it's just a matter of pushing it back an inch.
Yeah, I am leaning towards the Thermaltake liquid cooling at present, though the Bigwater 80 I first looked at has been discontinued by the dealer However, they do carry other Thermaltake units [see below] and I will make a decision based on further advice and chatting with Alex, my contact at the dealer.
Quoting starkers, reply 84Oh, and the two fans, according to the Coolermaster site, is to increase air pressure within the fins, thus improving cooling.
They're inches away from eachother. That's ridiculous. You might as well stick 700 fans in your case, because it'll be ridiculously stupid but it will improve cooling!
Yes, but that's what it says on the Coolermaster site in the specs.
So I've had a look at the Corsair series and I've taken a look at the Thermaltake series of liquid cooling, and I'm wondering why the preference to Corsair over Thermaltake? I read reviews on both brands and in some cases the Thermaltake coolers came out ahead of various other brands, and at a bit over half the price of the Coolermaster range I would possibly look at going Thermaltake.
The Thermaltake 2.0 Performer, which is similar in specifications to the H60, generally goes for around $67.00 to $80, whereas the H60 is selling from $98 to $137. At my regular online dealer I can get the Thermaltake 2.0 Performer for $53.85, while the H60 is selling at $104. So yeah, the math is telling me Thermaltake if I go liquid... unless there is a compelling reason I should spend more and go Corsair????
Oh, and the reason it seems I'm penny pinching at this stage of the proceedings is because I've spent quite a bit on my PC and mrs starkers wants a new webcam and I promised that I'd upgrade her RAM soon as well, so the $60 to $70 price range for the cooler would be better to accommodate her needs.
Besides, that's about all the PC budget will allow after having to replace components in her rig earlier in the year... and I daren't go over because my life wouldn't be worth living if mrs starkers missed out on a trip to Tassie to visit the grandkiddies in November because of my overspending.
Reply #94 Thursday, July 12, 2012 8:24 PM
The V8's a great cooler....where 'great' refers to its size. I had to do mods to the Lian Li case just to get it to 'fit'. The case has a removable MB tray for easy assemble...but with the CPU and cooler attached it wouldn't fit sliding in. The CPU and fan HAD to be added AFTER the tray was in....a bit self-defeating....![]()
Reply #95 Thursday, July 12, 2012 8:59 PM
the V8 is a great cooler, i must admit. if i remember correctly, i suggested it to Jafo before he got his. i was using one at the time. their V6 cooler is pretty stout, also. i've installed it on a few builds.
other brands worth looking at for air cooling are Thermalright and Prolimatech (their Megahalems Black model looks and works great!). i've used them in several builds and they are SUPERB. i've used numerous Thermalright products in the past on my rigs. currently, i'm using a Corsair H100.
as to why i suggested corsair models instead of thermaltake, let's just say i'd never buy anything by thermaltake. i won't go into the reasons why. sorry.
Reply #96 Thursday, July 12, 2012 11:34 PM
Yeah, a bit self-defeating... but I don't know that I'd have that problem. For one, I don't have a sliding tray... and two, it's a big effin' case with shiploads of room.
Okay, I won't ask, then.
However, I have no issue with Thermaltake gear and the reviews of their coolers are quite good, and if there's no major reason why, I might just go with a Thermaltake. The Frio OCK was rated up there with the V8 and V6GT by some reviewers, so it's still a consideration.... and the Thermaltake 2.0 Performer was also rated highly by several reviewers, so I feel quite comfortable with purchasing either one. Anyway, I will speak with Alex on Monday and take it from there.
Reply #97 Thursday, July 12, 2012 11:39 PM
The Lian Li is a 'big case' [I won't quote sizes as it'll only confuse you...
].....it was the sliding process from the rear that was the problem. width-wise, once installed the case cover was about an inch out from the top of the V8.
http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=222&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=62
Reply #99 Friday, July 13, 2012 1:37 AM
Ibet a lot of that is the quirky panel mouldings, etc....![]()
Reply #100 Friday, July 13, 2012 6:24 AM
No, actually! While the feet take up approximately 25mm and the top approximately 35mm at its thickest... 60mm all up. Deduct that and the case is still 507.9mm high... might as well say 508mm. The width is unchanged at 237mm and the depth would be 541.6mm without the front panel.
So, still a 'big' case... without those trappings. I mean, just take a look at the 255mm graphics card, it's dwarfed by the case, isn't it!
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Reply #81 Thursday, July 12, 2012 1:57 PM
Yeah, I think it will be enough. With the internal fans and ventilation holes I'm making I think it'll be fine. Besides, MadDeez has advised a better CPU cooler, and that might answer any overheating issues if I invest in the right one.