Case suggestion for EKWB 360 setup

Oriaz

Oriaz

Oriaz

Associate
Joined
5 Jan 2015
Posts
156
Hi all,

I think I am probably in the market for a new case to house my EKWB 360 setup with CPU and GPU blocks.

I am currently using a Fractal R5 which is a great case, but has a few issues for me specifically. Here is a shot of the inside right now:

20160806_131709_zpslozkgszi.jpg


There's nothing specifically wrong with the setup, but everything feels a little bit "cramped". Also, because of the size of the 360mm radiator at the top there, I have no room for a DVD drive, or anything else. I thought I didn't really need it, but there have been a few occasions where it would have been handy.

I like the idea of having the PSU separated from the main body of the case in it's own little compartment, and if I can also stick the watercooling radiator + fans in their own area, that would be good.

The Phanteks and NXZT ones look good, but any suggestions are welcome to fit what you see in the image above + a bit more space. Potential to expand to Crossfire/SLI also good!

Cheers!
 
Right, I'm leaning more towards this at the moment:

Be Quiet Dark Base Pro 900

It seems to have plenty of space in there, and the option for optical drives where needed.

Is anyone using this case already? All I really need to know is whether I can mount my 360mm radiator on the top, and also have clearance for a DVD drive if I wanted it? The problem with my Fractal R5 is that the 360mm radiator + pipes, blocks me from using anything in the 5.25 inch drive bays.

I would prefer something with a separate PSU space, but this looks good either way. Although I cannot quite see right now where I would put the watercooling pump?

Cheers, Ori
 
Ooh, thanks! That's the kind of info I was looking for.

Although I only have 1 Rad which I would mount on the top I think. Although I notice on those pictures that getting a DVD drive in there would still be a bit of an effort.

My biggest issue is that I am currently living/working in Madrid, where it sits at 35+ degrees for half of the year, so cooling and air-flow are definitely more important that when I am in the UK and ambient temps. are much lower!

Any other suggestions based on that?
 
Maybe another viable option:

Corsair Obsidian 750D.

Not quite as "pretty" as some as the other cases, and it does have the PSU shroud that I was looking for. But seems like plenty of space in there for more airflow, and I "think" I can get a 360 rad in at the top without having to remove the optical drive rack?

Anyone else using this one with WC?

Cheers!!
 
I have a corsair 750d airflow edition case but I don't have watercooling, u can fit a 360 rad at top but won't be able to use the top optical drive slot u will however be able to use the other 2, great looking case in my eyes tho :).

However you only want a dvd drive so why not just get a USB drive and plug it in only when you need it ?
 
Last edited:
I actually do have an external DVD drive for my laptop .. but for some reason it's being a jerk when I connect it to my main desktop.

I tend to get a lot of CD's and DVD's on the front of magazines and things like that, so I was starting to get annoyed with constantly plugging in an external drive. Basically ... I'm lazy :)

I'm actually drifting more towards the Phanteks Enthoo Primo now that I've seen a few builds and videos with it. It's bigger than it looks in the pictures, and seems to have plenty of extra room to work with + lots of space round the back.

It seems I will have space for my optical drives + I can probably add another 240mm radiator into my loop for additional cooling. I am even toying with the idea of swapping to hard tubes, and making a proper project out of it :)

Cheers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom