New PC Build... Attempt Two :)

joncollin81

joncollin81

joncollin81

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Joined
10 Oct 2018
Posts
19
Hi there OcUK folks!

This is further to an upgrade post back in November, I have finally managed to secure myself an RTX 3070 card and ready to order the rest of my build but I have some concerns over the choice of case and cooling setup. Planned build (excluding the GPU which was ordered separately) is as follows:
My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,046.03 (includes shipping: £12.30)​
​

I need a mATX build because space is limited and PC needs to be on a shelf under my desk, but have done more research on the Q300L and cooling seems to be an issue. Mainly due to the holes which restrict the fans ability to pull in and exhaust air. My plan was to have the Freezer ii AIO mounted as a top rad to exhaust, with rear fan also as exhaust, and two front and one bottom as intake. All additional fans Arctic P12 PWM, same as the Freezer ones. I am also concerned that the large GPU will pretty much split the case in two in terms of airflow, and create a hotspot in the bottom half where the GPU and PSU are sitting.

Any suggestions in terms of better mATX cases for cooling, or better cooling setups? I am not hard set on the mobo, case or cooling components, so all suggestions welcome! Just need the case size to be similar to the Q300L so it fits under my desk!

Thanks so much in advance :)
 
joncollin81 said:
1 x CoolerMaster MasterBox Q300L Micro-ATX Case - Black Window= £37.99
Click to expand...

That case got slated in assorted reviews so you are prudent to ask.

And why are you using an ITX motherboard in a MATX case? Take a look at the MSI B550 Mortar MAX motherboard.

joncollin81 said:
My plan was to have the Freezer ii AIO mounted as a top rad to exhaust, with rear fan also as exhaust,
Click to expand...

With a top-mounted AIO you're better off having the rear fan blowing in.

joncollin81 said:
I am also concerned that the large GPU will pretty much split the case in two in terms of airflow, and create a hotspot in the bottom half where the GPU and PSU are sitting.
Click to expand...

Again, wise to be concerned. The usual suspects on Youtube have found that this is not an issue with a founder's edition card A front fan should prevent this with 3rd party cards.
 
As above you have selected an itx motherboard so you can opt for a small case that takes itx motherboard and atx psu, eg https://youtu.be/AbDtYkmFzzU

If you change the psu to a corsair sfx 750 instead of the atx size you can go full itx case, https://youtu.be/N5O6WZKERZ8

Either of these cases you can change the cpu cooler to a cooler master 212 black RGB or plain. The 5600x is only 65 watts so doesn't need water cooling or high end air cooler just a good one, this will save money for the better case.

Changing the motherboard to the gigabyte b550i itx version will also save money towards the case upgrade

https://youtu.be/CGIGFX1W9wg?t=1185
 
Thanks for the tips folks, appreciated!

Re: CPU cooling, definitely going to go for a cheaper option, Hyper 212 seems like a good shout.

Re: motherboards, the MSI B550 Mortar MAX looks like a good shout when looking at the mATX board selection.

And re: cases, like the look of the Lian Li Lancool 205M, Phanteks Enthoo Evolv, MasterBox NR200P, NZXT H210, Fractal Meshify C Mini, Fractal Define Mini C, and yes the Kolink Citadel Mesh also looks good!!

So here is my challenge, the GPU I ordered is the Asus TUF OC version which is 30cm long, 2.7 slots wide and a fair bit heftier than I realised! What is concerning me most is that width which is almost 3 slots, I want to make sure that card has enough room in front of its fans for airflow. Would any of these cases allow sufficient airflow without impacting the card or the PSU? I guess the taller the case, the better, right? Or one with a non-standard PSU location (or a SFX PSU) that is not mounted directly underneath the GPU fans.

If a mATX case is just not going to be feasible for a decent cooling, I could step up to a mid-tower. The shelf that my current PC (which uses a Bitfenix Prodigy ITX case) is sitting on is 25cm wide and has just over 45cm of vertical clearance, but just checked and it can be removed which wouldn't affect the stability of my desk. That would leave 66cm of clearance under the desk!

Decisions, decisions, lol!
 
This is a picture of my 2+ slot GTX 7080 Ti inside the Kolink Citadel Mesh. Note that it is NOT the top card. It works just fine.

1DkFIvM.jpg


If your GPU is in the top slot it will still have 1.3 slots for air. I will let more knowledgeable minds advise you if that's enough.

You might take a look at the Thermaltake Core V21 - just swap the panels around so there's a mesh panel by the GPU.

l8xgwJU.jpg


 
You could double your storage at a similar price if it is important to you eg you want to keep a steam library on your storage

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core 4.6GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail £299.99
CM Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition CPU Cooler - 120mm £34.99
Corsair RMx Series RMx650 650W '80 Plus Gold' £104.99
Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 32GB (2x16GB) 3600 MHz AMD Ryzen Tuned DDR4 Memory Dual Kit £139.99
Kolink Citadel Mesh Micro-ATX Case - Black £44.99
Arctic Cooling P12 PWM PST Black Fan - 120mm £5.95
MSI B550M PRO-VDH WiFi (AMD AM4) B550 Micro-ATX Motherboard £129.95
2 x WD Black 1TB SN750 M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3X0C) £119.99 =£239.98
£1000.83 + 12.30 shipping = £1013.13


The motherboard reviews well
https://youtu.be/Qf0-JoQLeJo?t=729
 
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