MicroATX build

[jakesnake]

Add: Build done, some crap pictures post #27

My i7950 build is 4 years old now. It is built in the all black nzxt phantom full tower. I think iv just out grew these types of cases so im going to leave it for the younger generation and use it as an excuse for a new build. I basically want to scale down in tower size but increase power everywhere else. I am worried slightly about the cooling side of things tho.

This is the only case I liked the look of.




Recently I bought the R9 290 Vapor-X. Iv never crossfired before so id like to do that eventually. Is it possible to get a microATX with x2 PCIe slots both running at x16 speed?

I have a Corsair HX850 psu will that be enough for crossfired r9 290s and overclocked cpu?

im thinking i5-4690k and Z97 board, but which board?

Iv never had a water cooled cpu or radiator so im noob in that area. I will need those.

Basically I like this setup and layout and wanna base it around this. All advice welcome

 

[jakesnake]

really cant fit my R9 in???? that's a kick in the nuts. I like this case and how the build is shaping up boooooo!

 

[jakesnake]

naw, looking around, it has to be the Carbide case. I like how you only see board and stuff and the psu is hidden. I guess I will have to look at selling the R9, pity, its a quality card.

Im going to go for the Asus Maximus VII Gene. This will be my build for the next 4 years at least, so I want to be able to get the max out of it.

thanks for your help stulid, its looking good. im going to continue to read up on your suggestions to get more knowledge.

 

[jakesnake]

whats the deal with games and hyper threading these days? are they any closer to using it more? Im wondering weather to stretch to the i7 for even more longevity if its going to come in big in the next couple of years.

 

[jakesnake]

i want to run a dual card setup for a bit of fun, iv never done it before.

il get the i7-4790k then.

 

[jakesnake]

Stulid, looking at the red cable pack, it says HX Gold Series. Mine is the old blue HX850W Professional series. Will these cables not be compatible then?

 

[jakesnake]

thinking about it i only need the visible leads in the picture, so most of the corsair pack will be not visible or wasted. il buy the single 24pin if we can get it, and il use my normal black cables for the 8pin power and pcie until i crossfire, then i can try get x4 red pcie cables.

 

[jakesnake]

Edit: changed fans

 

[jakesnake]

I cant see any other microatx cases i like so. 110 all in for case and fans aint so bad. i paid 120 for the phantom and had to buy a couple of fans aswell. Besides i can put the stock case and rad fans on my younger brothers rig for extra cooling.

 

[jakesnake]

Wont be 100% confirmed until my board gets here but, the R9 290 Vapor-X seems to fit into Corsair Carbide 240 microATX case with rad in the front.

so glad i gambled that the case may allow a little more than specified. I ditched the GTX970 and used the funds from it to go Haswell-E instead of Z98. Im happy i may not have to sell the 290 after all and potential crossfire now on the cards

 

[jakesnake]

If the 290 is a tight fit, move the CLC to the top and just have the fans at the front instead. Personally I'd want reference cards in that case, but that's just me

why reference cards may i ask?

 

[jakesnake]

Hi Stulid, are you sure the Corsair Hydro H105 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler will fit? It is not listed as supported in the Corsair product matrix. But the H100i is...

http://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127331

post #17 is picture of 105 rigged into the case, it fits perfect. Its the GPU length you need to watch out for.

 

[jakesnake]

Reference kick air out of the case while custom cooled would move it within the case. I would move clc to the top as suggested above with fans exhausting out top. Then 2 fans in the front as intake.

It will be toasty in the case regardless though.

Isnt the whole point to keep the radiator as cool as possible? Hence rigging it to the front for cold intake air with x2 high static pressure fans? Yes it will blow warmed air inside the case after its passed through the rad but that will be exhausted with high airflow fans im going to put on the rear and rear upper. I don't think I want my rad as an exhaust trying to cool itself with warm air from inside the case.

 

[jakesnake]

Iv only rigged it into the case, aint tried it yet. From a review I read, the stock fans that come with the 105 are loud at full speed. I have swapped the stock fans for better high static pressure fans to increase cooling performance. Sound does not bother me. If you choose to swap for quieter fans then be aware you may sacrifice performance. If your not going to be overclocking tho then you will probably be fine with quiet versions. Try and find a quiet fan with the highest static pressure you can get, for a balanced approach.

 

[jakesnake]

EVGA board finally back in stock so gear will arrive tomorrow. This is what iv went with.

Corsair HX850w
R9 290 Vapor-X
Silverstone Red Cables

 

[jakesnake]

Build done, posted first time, very clean.

the Air 240 is a smashing little matx case. Got the rad in the front with SP120s. the R9 290 Vapor-X fits with a few mm to spare even tho its a massive aftermarket card. It will be tight for crossfire tho, its the thickness of the card that might prevent it afterall, not length. I will probably just wait for smaller new gen gpus and crossfire them.

Board cpu and memory posted first time. Straight into windows install. All running smooth. CPU idle temps hovering around 19c and gpu 39c. I havnt stress tested yet but load temps will be fine im sure of it. the SP120 are powerful and iv got exhaust fan in rear upper.

im not into the whole build log thing, but here are some bad pictures just to confirm the "Sapphire R9 290 Vapor-X" fits. it looks a lot sexier than in these picts trust me if your doing microatx build and a dark stealthy clean look is your thing then get this case.