Hey guys, long time reader first time poster 
Recently I bought a PC and bundled it together - and foolishly (this was a first build) I chose a case that wasn't really up for the job.
Specs:
GTX 480 SLI
Intel 2500k with Coolmaster Hyper 212 Plus
I am returning the motherboard I'm using due to the Intel Chipset ordeal, and so I'm going to A) need a new motherboard
and B) need a new case
At the moment, I'm using a cheap £30 case that quite frankly - is causing more harm than good.
Temperatures -at idle- (with a very low ambient temperature) are bad - worse when gaming (90-100 constant+)
My idea is to maximise the spacing between the two graphics cards (for temperature reasons) and also because I plan on fitting the Zalman after market coolers
at some point)
"http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-050-ZA"
Now, these make the cards 3-slot so I'm worried about spacing and that causing problems, hence why I'm looking at motherboards and cases. Here's my dilemma!:
I'm looking at the Z68 boards (though P67 would do, would it not?) with large spacing between the PCIe16x slots. I've found two that are within my price range ( around £150):
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-051-AK
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-457-AS
I'm currently taking a bit more liking to the asus, but that's simply because I know the brand. A little worry of mine is this tiny socket that may become blocked: can anyone explain what this input is for?
My main worry however is this:
I'm looking at the RV02 or RV02-E case at the moment
(http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-065-SV)
(http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-073-SV)
, and one little worry is this: I've made a picture to show the problem clearly, as I can't really explain it easily:
Whilst I won't be fitting the Zalman immediately, and hope I won't need to if it's a lot quieter and the temperatures are down - I would rather be happy to know that it's an option that I can fit them.
Does anyone have this case, and know whether the HDD/Disk Drives will collide? I can do without a HDD (I use Steam for all my games anyway) but if the HDD collides, I may have a problem.
Can anyone be of assistance? Thank you!
The images I've made are mock ups, they might be completely wrong (ie the motherboard may not be correctly aligned, nor may the graphics cards, but should show what I mean)
Recently I bought a PC and bundled it together - and foolishly (this was a first build) I chose a case that wasn't really up for the job.
Specs:
GTX 480 SLI
Intel 2500k with Coolmaster Hyper 212 Plus
I am returning the motherboard I'm using due to the Intel Chipset ordeal, and so I'm going to A) need a new motherboard
and B) need a new case
At the moment, I'm using a cheap £30 case that quite frankly - is causing more harm than good.
Temperatures -at idle- (with a very low ambient temperature) are bad - worse when gaming (90-100 constant+)
My idea is to maximise the spacing between the two graphics cards (for temperature reasons) and also because I plan on fitting the Zalman after market coolers
at some point)"http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-050-ZA"
Now, these make the cards 3-slot so I'm worried about spacing and that causing problems, hence why I'm looking at motherboards and cases. Here's my dilemma!:
I'm looking at the Z68 boards (though P67 would do, would it not?) with large spacing between the PCIe16x slots. I've found two that are within my price range ( around £150):
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-051-AK
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-457-AS
I'm currently taking a bit more liking to the asus, but that's simply because I know the brand. A little worry of mine is this tiny socket that may become blocked: can anyone explain what this input is for?
My main worry however is this:
I'm looking at the RV02 or RV02-E case at the moment
(http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-065-SV)
(http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-073-SV)
, and one little worry is this: I've made a picture to show the problem clearly, as I can't really explain it easily:
Whilst I won't be fitting the Zalman immediately, and hope I won't need to if it's a lot quieter and the temperatures are down - I would rather be happy to know that it's an option that I can fit them.
Does anyone have this case, and know whether the HDD/Disk Drives will collide? I can do without a HDD (I use Steam for all my games anyway) but if the HDD collides, I may have a problem.
Can anyone be of assistance? Thank you!
The images I've made are mock ups, they might be completely wrong (ie the motherboard may not be correctly aligned, nor may the graphics cards, but should show what I mean)
