Should I still consider this case?

Piscator · 14 Nov 2022 at 20:03

Hi Everyone,
For quite a while I've been considering a SFF case like the Cooler Master NR200P Max.
However given that GPU's are getting bigger/hotter and CPU's producing more heat I feel I should reconsider.
I've always really liked the Phanteks Evolv X as a mid tower case and would like to do an all AMD build with Noctua Air cooling.
Do you guys think the newer version of this case will be ok air cooled?

Haz123 · 14 Nov 2022 at 22:49

Even with a SFF case you can still fit in power hungry components as long as you have a plan to exhaust the heat generated in an effiicent manner. I will link a gpu below to help explain.

MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM LIQUID X 24GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card

Order MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM LIQUID X 24GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

I am not totally certain what radiator mountings the 2 cases you mention actually have but if you were to pick a case able to mount a 240 aio on it then you could have the vast majority of the 400w generated by the above gpu exhausted directly outside the case. With the above gpu it would not really matter if you had a SFF or full tower case. Of course having a smaller case will then limit the cooling solution you could then use for your cpu so it is a balancing act that will require well thought out planning.

With the MR200p in mind you could fit the gpu AIO (assuming it does not interfere with the mobo heatsink, can never be totally certain until you try it for real) but then you would have to use a relatively small cpu cooler so maybe a 13900k would not be an ideal choice. If you instead went for an AMD 7600x and ran that in eco mode you would easily be able to cool it even with a small tower cooler.

The Evolv X is a mid tower so will be able to cool pretty much any components you want. The new 4090 is very wide and with the placement of the power cable it will most likely have to be squished in but the some to come out 7900 cards will be easier to fit into regular sized cases. Like building any PC it just take a little thought and planning

Piscator · 16 Nov 2022 at 14:02

Haz123 said:
Even with a SFF case you can still fit in power hungry components as long as you have a plan to exhaust the heat generated in an effiicent manner. I will link a gpu below to help explain.

MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM LIQUID X 24GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card

Order MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM LIQUID X 24GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

I am not totally certain what radiator mountings the 2 cases you mention actually have but if you were to pick a case able to mount a 240 aio on it then you could have the vast majority of the 400w generated by the above gpu exhausted directly outside the case. With the above gpu it would not really matter if you had a SFF or full tower case. Of course having a smaller case will then limit the cooling solution you could then use for your cpu so it is a balancing act that will require well thought out planning.

With the MR200p in mind you could fit the gpu AIO (assuming it does not interfere with the mobo heatsink, can never be totally certain until you try it for real) but then you would have to use a relatively small cpu cooler so maybe a 13900k would not be an ideal choice. If you instead went for an AMD 7600x and ran that in eco mode you would easily be able to cool it even with a small tower cooler.

The Evolv X is a mid tower so will be able to cool pretty much any components you want. The new 4090 is very wide and with the placement of the power cable it will most likely have to be squished in but the some to come out 7900 cards will be easier to fit into regular sized cases. Like building any PC it just take a little thought and planning

Definately sound advice thank you.
There's no way I can afford the GPU suggested but see where you're coming from!
I'm thinking along the lines of an AMD 7900XTX GPU with probably a 7600 CPU and later upgrading to the X3D version.
The NR200P is only PCI-E 3.0 so the better option would be the NR200P Max that comes with the a CPU AIO pre-installed.
Do you think running the 7600 in eco mode would greatly affect gaming?

Moeks · 17 Nov 2022 at 16:46

No running a 7600X in ecomode should have no negative impact on gaming from what I have seen, not sure you would necessarily need to run it in ecomode either to be honest the NR200P Max has a 280mm AIO in it and it's really very good. I have an NR200 none P and none Max and I have a 240mm AIO mounted sideways in it and it's a wonderful case, very capable for it's size and offering better cooling than many much larger cases with less well thought out airflow, especially for the GPU. However, I will say this, with small form factor systems, even though the NR200P Max is on the larger end of that, you do need to plan your builds properly and really think about what you want to fit and if you are planning an upgrade in the not too distant future what that might be etc as you cannot just put whatever you want in, some GPU's will be a no go for example. The 4090 clearly is not really suitable for SFF although I know some people will see that as a challenge to do exactly that, but for an easy life with minimal fuss, it's really not suitable. One of the annoying things about the 4080 though (main one being the price!) is that it's actually power efficient enough to work but the Founders cards are just too physically large as they share coolers with the 4090 which is a bit annoying and short sighted I think, it's not just the length that will be an issue for SFF builds, but he depth and width, infact more so even than the length as many of the more captable SFF cases are sized to take a triple slot card circa 300-330mm but also I doubt the width could be accomodated with that power connector exiting from the side and needing to not be bent too much ...perhaps with a custom cable but anyway the 4000 series cards we have so far are all just too big I think, the AMD cards look much more reasonable as will the 4070 be no doubt.

Haz123 · 17 Nov 2022 at 22:11

Lots of really good points by Moeks. I had not fully considered the physical size of the new PCB and the awkwardly place power connector when using a 4090 as an example. Will be a real challenge for future SFF builds.

tamzzy · 18 Nov 2022 at 16:30

I've been running itx builds for the last 10 years, but yeah the size and power requirements of the latest gen CPUs and GPUs are getting a bit OTT
I guess my next rig will be micro ATX
It's going to take a lot of money/tinkering (or both) to get a decent itx rig to run cool

jrwagh333 · 20 Nov 2022 at 08:11

Nice set of headphones, doesn't matter how loud my rig gets then. Never hear the fans!

Piscator · 21 Nov 2022 at 14:43

Moeks said:
No running a 7600X in ecomode should have no negative impact on gaming from what I have seen, not sure you would necessarily need to run it in ecomode either to be honest the NR200P Max has a 280mm AIO in it and it's really very good. I have an NR200 none P and none Max and I have a 240mm AIO mounted sideways in it and it's a wonderful case, very capable for it's size and offering better cooling than many much larger cases with less well thought out airflow, especially for the GPU. However, I will say this, with small form factor systems, even though the NR200P Max is on the larger end of that, you do need to plan your builds properly and really think about what you want to fit and if you are planning an upgrade in the not too distant future what that might be etc as you cannot just put whatever you want in, some GPU's will be a no go for example. The 4090 clearly is not really suitable for SFF although I know some people will see that as a challenge to do exactly that, but for an easy life with minimal fuss, it's really not suitable. One of the annoying things about the 4080 though (main one being the price!) is that it's actually power efficient enough to work but the Founders cards are just too physically large as they share coolers with the 4090 which is a bit annoying and short sighted I think, it's not just the length that will be an issue for SFF builds, but he depth and width, infact more so even than the length as many of the more captable SFF cases are sized to take a triple slot card circa 300-330mm but also I doubt the width could be accomodated with that power connector exiting from the side and needing to not be bent too much ...perhaps with a custom cable but anyway the 4000 series cards we have so far are all just too big I think, the AMD cards look much more reasonable as will the 4070 be no doubt.

That's interesting to know about the eco mode, I'l keep that in mind. I've seen some nice custom side panels for the NR200P Max that might be useful if it gets too toasty!
I think it's highly unlikely I'll be going down the 4080/90 route, I'll be going with the 7900XTX. As for how long I intend to keep it I expect it'll be 4-5 years then I'll review again.

Jay85 · 21 Nov 2022 at 15:19

If you're fixed on getting a SFF case, the ghost S1 is a great choice with modularity as well. I can't link it or i'll get banned.

Piscator · 22 Nov 2022 at 14:30

Jay85 said:
If you're fixed on getting a SFF case, the ghost S1 is a great choice with modularity as well. I can't link it or i'll get banned.

Thank you I'll take a look!

adrichardson81 · 23 Nov 2022 at 14:45

I don't have any experience with this case, but I've tried sff (ish) builds in Jonsbo cases. Main thing is you need good intake and exhaust pathways, otherwise it turns into an oven.

Avoid bottom intakes, especially with a large gpu as it creates too much turbulence and rarely gets where you need it. If you're using an aio as your only intake or exhaust, bear in mind that you'll be cooling your cpu or gpu with hot air.

jrwagh333 · 27 Nov 2022 at 06:51

Jay85 said:
If you're fixed on getting a SFF case, the ghost S1 is a great choice with modularity as well. I can't link it or i'll get banned.

Recently went on crash sale. I think they're going bust

Jay85 · 27 Nov 2022 at 10:45

jrwagh333 said:
Recently went on crash sale. I think they're going bust

Yeah i found out through an email sent by them a few months back. I was gonna post about it but mods said i shouldn't since its advertising something they don't sell, so technically couldn't.

jrwagh333 · 27 Nov 2022 at 12:09

Jay85 said:
Yeah i found out through an email sent by them a few months back. I was gonna post about it but mods said i shouldn't since its advertising something they don't sell, so technically couldn't.

I thought if it was something that they didn't sell then it was fine... Oh well.

Shingyboy · 27 Nov 2022 at 20:24

I love the small form factor size but with the way things are going with GPUs, for upgradeability you may want to consider a larger case since these GPU heatsinks seem to be increasing in size.

boabs · 9 Dec 2022 at 18:07

not sure if i would be to quick to buy a cool master case.