Moving PC to smaller case

[Narj]

Hi all,

I want to move my PC to the living room as I'm doing a lot more gaming now. This means a smaller case.

Some of these SFF cases look like an absolute nightmare to work with so I'm thinking of a compromise and looking at the Corsair Air 240. I'm thinking that it's probably easiest to buy a Mini-ITX bundle from the MM and fit it in a new SFF case - I can then move any required components across from my NZXT Ginormous monster then rebuild what's left with a few spares into a secondary PC.

A few questions:

- On the 240, one of the fan filters looks semi-fixed behind the mesh, is it a pain to clean?
- Is the 240 a generally quiet case? I'm guessing there is a trade-off between noise and airflow in smaller cases.
- On some of the SFF cases they don't support full size PSUs. If I go for something else, do the SFF PSUs struggle to power monster GFX cards in case of future upgrade?
- How are AIO coolers these days? I've never had one and My Silver Arrow is awesome but something like that is out of the question in a SFF case. I am very fussy with noise.
- Going Mini-ITX will mean I'll have to lose my sound card, right? This shouldn't be an issue as I'll be plugging the PC into the amp via HDMI. Should I consider Micro-ATX instead and does that affect what fans etc I can install in these cases?
- Are there any other options I should look at? I really want to avoid anything without dust filters.

Suggestions really appreciated - I'm going to order the case in the coming week or so and keep my eye out for a bundle.

 

[PaulWright]

Good Afternoon, As an AIR 240 Owner I shall try to answer your questions,

- The filter is a very simple to clean with a wipe its not your usual foam or material ones its more like a mesh.
- I havent noticed the noise too much and Mine has a h100i V2 and 4 case fans inside.
- It supports a full size PSU I am about to put a Corsair AX860i Inside and it will fit no problems with plenty of room for wires etc.
- I currently have thr h100i V2 which is fine for normal cooling etc but For overclocking I will be upgrading to a custom loop shortly inside the Air 240.
- I am using a Matx mobo in my air 240 and I am utilising the front fan bays for a h100i with 2 fans, Top is 2 x 120mm fans and rear exhaust is 2 x 80mm fans. All fits no problems atall. I think Matx is a better option here as it fits well and gives you more options for expansion etc.
I have also had a DS Cube case and a Prodigy and I must say the 240 is by far my favourite. Corsair can sometimes cheap out on certain parts in cheap cases but this is a solid well built case with plenty of options for storage and configuration inside.

One point to note is my GPU is an RX580 8gb which is a big card. It fits inside fine but I wouldnt be able to get anything bigger in. Watch out for headroom on the side panel for GPU Power cables. Not a lot of headroom for tall cards.

Hope this helped. If you need pics or anything let me know and ill do my best.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Having owned an Air240 I thought it was "ok" it's quite big though as it's an mATX case.
The rear only supports 80mm fans and because they're smaller in size, they can be more noisy because they spin faster. (Although Noiseblocker 80mm PWM fans are very good)

If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking at the Corsair 250D. It's an ITX case, smaller and quieter (I thought so anyway)

An AIO with a 240mm radiator is absolutely fine for overclocking.

 

[HoneyBadger]

My old air 240

 

[HoneyBadger]

250D and AIr 240.