Help me decide on a case please

sammo62

sammo62

sammo62

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Joined
14 Oct 2009
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Silicon Valley, USA
Hi guys,

I've finalised the spec for my build now - i7, gigabyte ud5, 5870 etc, but am really having a hard time deciding on a case.

Now I've narrowed it down to two:
Antec 1200 and Corsair 800D.

Antec:
+ves- cheaper than the 800D, can be combined with the great value 850-CP PSU, good air cooling.
-ves- not a massive fan of the way it looks, can be a bit cramped with the 5870 I hear.

Corsair:
+ves- looks amazing, very roomy, build quality.
-ves- cost, bad air cooling.

As it stands I'm erring towards the Corsair based almost solely on looks. Has anyone out there actually cooled this thing well with air?

PS Although other suggestions like ATCS 840 are welcome, they will almost certainly be ignored.
 
Using the 800d at the moment on air cooling and got no complaints.

i7 @ 4ghz with Thermalright Ultra has load temps of 65 - 70c and the crossfire 5850 with a couple of rounds of fur mark go upto 70c ~ with the fans just about audible.

One thing I will change is the HD fan to something better, HD temps around 36c after a few hours.
 
Yeah, it seems if Im prepared to spend a lot of money replacing fans, I can get the 800D fairly cool. What's a good 140mm fan?
 
OK phew, I just spent money faster than in the vegas casinos!

Got the 800D- with a view to watercooling it in the future, but using it with air cooling for now.

Can anyone out there advise me on a good set of case fans and a fan controller please?
 
Take a look at the Thermaltake Element G.
Looking at reviews, this case should have an awesome airflow. And if you like LED fans, it's got changeable colors, and you can control the fan speed too. I think it looks good, might buy it myself.
 
I have the 800d on air cooling. Yeah, for the price the air cooling isn't great but install three outtake fans on the top with a fan controller, and boot them up when you need and its great.

I have two 5850's in mine, i just manually set the GPU fan to 30% when im playing a more demanding game and that keeps it around 65c max (Top GPU, leave bottom on auto).
 
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