mATX or small case for WC build

qbazdz · 10 Oct 2023 at 11:35

I am currently running in a big monster of a Corsair 650D but space constraints will soon force me to downsize into something shorter (sub 40cm).
Any recommendation for ATX or mATX case that would be capable of taking big GPUs (1080Ti/2080Ti and alike) and decent WC kit to keep it all cool?

Thanks!

Jamin280672 · 16 Oct 2023 at 05:04

qbazdz said:
I am currently running in a big monster of a Corsair 650D but space constraints will soon force me to downsize into something shorter (sub 40cm).
Any recommendation for ATX or mATX case that would be capable of taking big GPUs (1080Ti/2080Ti and alike) and decent WC kit to keep it all cool?

Thanks!

Lian Li O11 mini air straight off the bat can hold it all with ease too and small footprint.

srekal34 · 16 Oct 2023 at 07:00

Would you be open to external radiator? Small capable case(NR200/Meshroom etc) and Mora 420 is the way to go. Honestly I regret coming back to single, large case(o11d evo xl with 3x420). 1 external mora is cooling better than 3x420 internally.

bimbleuk · 16 Oct 2023 at 08:37

qbazdz said:
I am currently running in a big monster of a Corsair 650D but space constraints will soon force me to downsize into something shorter (sub 40cm).
Any recommendation for ATX or mATX case that would be capable of taking big GPUs (1080Ti/2080Ti and alike) and decent WC kit to keep it all cool?

Thanks!

You probably want to go custom WC but my NR200P MAX with pre-installed PSU + 280mm AIO has no issue with most large GPUs. There may be the odd behemoth that it can't fit!

Otherwise I do like the Phantek mid-size towers for space. Not a great fan of the fish tank cases myself

Jay85 · 16 Oct 2023 at 09:33

The Dan A4-H2O is a good decent case too for watercooling.

Consider the Jonsbo i100 Pro as well, i did builds in both of these for watercooling and both spacious enough to accommodate radiators, pumps etc.

srekal34 · 16 Oct 2023 at 10:41

I100 pro will take 2x tx360 with a bit of dremel. Smallest case that can do it

qbazdz · 16 Oct 2023 at 13:13

Amazing, thank you all for the recommendations.
I'd prefer to stick with regular ATX as it would mean less upgrades, so the Lian Li O11 Mini Air so far looks most interesting, but I need a bit more time to figure this out and look at your recommendations.

@srekal34 external rads won't be possible at this point, however tempting this may sound!

Jay85 · 16 Oct 2023 at 13:48

This was my little play in the i100 Pro a few years back, https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/the-emulator-build-sff.18939874/page-2

Jamin280672 · 16 Oct 2023 at 16:44

qbazdz said:
Amazing, thank you all for the recommendations.
I'd prefer to stick with regular ATX as it would mean less upgrades, so the Lian Li O11 Mini Air so far looks most interesting, but I need a bit more time to figure this out and look at your recommendations.

@srekal34 external rads won't be possible at this point, however tempting this may sound!

It will hold anything upto an ATX motherboard, 240mm rad in the side and 280mm in the top or bottom, with a little help of a drill you can fit 3 x 120mm fans in the bottom, and has an optional vertical GPU bracket/back panel fairly cheap, plenty of room to fit a pump res combo, personally I modded the back panel a little to accommodate an EK FLT120 with D5 pump.

Tetras · 16 Oct 2023 at 17:12

Is ITX instead of MATX, but Phanteks P200 can support front or side radiator, 355mm GPU and a standard ATX PSU.

Jamin280672 · 16 Oct 2023 at 18:14

Tetras said:
Is ITX instead of MATX, but Phanteks P200 can support front or side radiator, 355mm GPU and a standard ATX PSU.

If I ever move to ITX instead of mATX, this is the case for me

jsbombjack · 17 Oct 2023 at 13:30

I have an Air Mini on an mATX board with an ATX power supply in it and an air-cooled 4080. There's so much more room for more stuff if I cared to put it in. Definitely recommended for a smaller, but fully formed, water-cooled build

Jamin280672 · 17 Oct 2023 at 16:53

jsbombjack said:
I have an Air Mini on an mATX board with an ATX power supply in it and an air-cooled 4080. There's so much more room for more stuff if I cared to put it in. Definitely recommended for a smaller, but fully formed, water-cooled build

Yup, its a tardis if im honest, not going to show you the PSU side as its a mess, couldnt be bothered with cable management the other side, but it has an oversize Be Quiet ATX 1000w Platinum PSU in it.

jsbombjack · 17 Oct 2023 at 16:57

The really useful addition I got for mine is raised feet to increase the spacing for the bottom fans to get air in. That's the theory at least.

qbazdz · 17 Oct 2023 at 22:12

@Jamin280672 is that 1x 280mm slim rad on front and same on side plus 1x 360mm on the top? Plus 3 fans on the bottom to push air in?
That's a lot of cooling for just CPU..
I've personally been a fan of the thicker Black Ice rads so will probably need to swap some out..

Jamin280672 · 18 Oct 2023 at 04:19

@qbazdz That is an EK quantum 280S on top and an EK quantum 240S on the side, then yes 3 intake on the bottom, there is only 20mm of space on the bottom when using the case in 5 slot mode with the vertical GPU mount, so only slim fans will fit, no radiator on the front, that's just 2 x 140mm fans intake, they fit into a shroud supplied with the case.

The 240 rad on the side is a bit limited on my build because of the USB3 header, theres 53.5mm thickness total there with the fans, 28.5mm rad and 25mm for the fans, I could do with an extra 1 or 2 mm of space to be honest, the USB3 header is angled on my board and with the plugs being so thick, its a very tight fit up against the lower 120mm fan, i tried using an adaper cable, but that didnt work either, so you have to be careful of rad thickness on the side.

with the case in 7 slot mode, you'll only get a 240mm up top, but you can get a 280mm radiator in the bottom will pull fans only, even with the vertical GPU mount, its tight but it does work, I just changed mine around as I didnt want all that heat being pulled in through the rad in the bottom and thrown into the case.

This is how it used to look in 7 slot mode, 280mm in the bottom, 120mm at the side with the pump res combo.

Shilz · 26 Oct 2023 at 20:58

I have a Kolink Citadel MATX but went down the external rad route. Never going back to internal rads so this allowed me to use all my previous components. With some modding I could fit a full size ATX board, dual d5 top/res combo, ATX Seasonic PX1600W PSU and Radeon 7900XTX with water block.

Quartz · 26 Oct 2023 at 22:46

qbazdz said:
Any recommendation for ATX or mATX case that would be capable of taking big GPUs (1080Ti/2080Ti and alike) and decent WC kit to keep it all cool?

I'll second the Kolink Citadel Mesh for having plenty of space. I have an air-cooled RTX 3090 FE mounted in mine with two fans on the front, mounted just behind the mesh.