how important is the case?

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i'm looking to build a new system with ivybridge, z77 mobo and a gtx680 and am having trouble deciding on a case. i was wondering how important the case is when it comes to temperatures? or is it how many fans are inside etc?
 
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i have http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-038-NX&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=35 which has good airflow quiet fans built in fan controller and looks really good
you need good space inside for good air flow and helps if you can keep cables tidy and out the way helps with airflow,fans do help but not if you dont have them set up correct for intake/exhaust my case has space for 8 but i have 4 in it 2 intakes (side and front) and exhaust back and top
 
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Airflow is important, but then making sure dust doesn't build up too much can be just as important.

If you go for one of these sound proofed cases you tend to find they take less fans because the idea is you only really want an intake at the front and ejector out the back. This usually means less dust though and even more so if you have a filter on your intake (just remember to clean this regularly). So you wont have too many side fans, underside fans, roof fans etc.

But then you can go for a case which offers all of those and you'll find your case is pretty cool. For instance my Z9 has an intake apache at the front, an intake akasa on the side and an apache pushing air out over my H50 out the back and another akasa pulling air in from the top. My case temps inside tend to range from about 19 degrees up to about 28 depending on what I'm doing.

All depends on the individual and what you want really. Remember these components can get fairly warm and are perfectly stable, but that does mean your room can get incredibly hot!

Important pointers to help with your airflow would be to get some good quality fans if you're not using too many. Such as the Akasa Apache Black, the Noctua NF-P12 or Scythe Gentle typhoon but to name a few. Also make sure your cable management is up to scratch. Braid them cables if you can and try to use your cable routes as well as possible.

Also remember the more HDD's, graphics card etc you have the more heat that will be generated. If you can, try and have perhaps a 1GB green storage drive and say a 120GB SSD (this is a preference but obviously costs a fair bit). For the best air flow you'll want either a midi tower case or a full size case, but which to get depends also entirely on your budget.
 
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i'm looking to build a new system with ivybridge, z77 mobo and a gtx680 and am having trouble deciding on a case. i was wondering how important the case is when it comes to temperatures? or is it how many fans are inside etc?

Good case design means that fans are placed in optimal positions for cooling. The actual fans also play a large role - I'd say it's a 60/40 split between the actual fans and the case design.
 
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You don't have to spend a fortune on cases to get reasonable air flow.

Fans do play a big role, but to be honest, I don't think I'd ever use a cases stock fans, and would always replace them with aftermarket fans anyway...

kd

True. Not hard tbh, wack a couple intakes in the front, top and rear exhaust and maybe a side fan if you're feeling wacky. :)
 
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That is a quiet-oriented case, which carries a penalty to airflow. It's a trade-off. Less noise for less airflow. Shouldn't be a problem, mind.

Here's a good look at it
 
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Yes they are important - Yes you have chosen a good one. Can't go wrong with Corsair. The only thing I would ask is.... Will the case suit your expected upgrade path. I had a CM Storm Scout - great case but too small, then a CM HAF X - again great case in fact excellent for air cooling but a dust magnet and I wanted a clean cut water cooling case. I now have the NZXT switch 810 which fits the bill perfectly. But I suppose that is half the fun :D
 
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my 600t has **** airflow in my honest opinion without using the side mesh and 4 extra 120mm fans which then makes it noisy, in fact i currently have 7 fans in mine compared to my old hiper anubis case which was less then half the price and had 3 fans and its about 9-10 degrees hotter then my anubis ever was. both had windowed panels and a front intake rear/top exhaust. the main differenece is the materials used in the construction, the corsair feels very plasticy alongside the anubis which was a solid lump of steel pretty much. Id switch back to my anubis tommorow if I hadnt sold it on one of my many regrets :).

So simply put you can pay 130quid for a case and it can be considerably worse then a 50 quid one your best bet is too research for you own needs since a case is a very difficult thing for one person to recommend due to differing preference on looks etc etc.

You could even try to get a anubis off the bay awesome cases weigh a ton well over 11kg and absolutely superb air cooling cases albeit they are a bit of a marmite case what being covered in fins and stuff.
 
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