So, I'm confused... Are we looking for an affordable, cool-running PC case or a piece of post-modernist sculpture?

 

In priority order
$130-140 max,
good cooling,
Little less ugly than what Joe posted (since after all i'll have to look at it for quite a while).

 

I know someone who just used the big one i posted to put his old parts in. He said it runs good. I'm guessing more space for heat extraction is a plus. But he also has a liquid cooled CPU.

 

I look at that case, and I see a very large box that has quite a lot less ventilated area than the $40 CoolerMaster that I liked to in post #12.

Sidebar: liquid CPU cooling is a gimmick, but if he's married to the idea, that same case I posted has a top exhaust for a 240mm radiator:



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ter-_-11119279

 

I don't get the gimmick.

 

Neither do I. And yet they seem to sell reasonably well, judging by the amount of shelf-space they get at Fry's.

 

Whats gimmick about it? It removes more heat from the heat sink than the normal cpu heat sink will. On my current computer i've hit 70C on the cpu. My gpu used to run 80-85 before i added the side fan (now max of about 70c). I've seen the same video card at full blast run 6-7 c above room temperature on water cooling.

 

That's the gimmicky part (because it's a lie.)

If by "normal" you mean "the POS cooler that comes with current-gen AMD CPUs", then yes, I'm sure it does. That thing is laughable.

Most actual A/B comparisons which I have read (eg: those published by THG) indicate that store-bought water cooling solutions tend to perform roughly on-par with higher-end heatpipe / fan air-cooling solutions insofar as processor temperature and noise are concerned, while costing 2-3 times as much, having more moving parts, and generally causing much higher temps at the vCore regulator, RAM, and other components which are located adjacent to the CPU socket and intended to be cooled by the same fan as the CPU.

 

Joe,
The Noctuan NH-D14 (bestest air cooler) does beat quite a few of the liquid coolers, like my old POS H50 for instance, but as of right now the best coolers are self contained liquid coolers. They have improved a fair bit in the last couple of years.



Although, when you take into account price and sound, the NH-D14 could be considered "the best cooler", even if it is no longer the best at cooling.

 

That chart is exactly what I'm talking about.

A decent air cooler is better than many water cooler at cooling CPU, better than most of them at cooling the regulator an RAM, costs far less, is quieter, and has fewer moving parts.

Yes, it's possible to find certain liquid coolers that can move more heat than this specific reference air cooler. By the same token, there are probably Miata radiators which can move more heat than a $170 OBX , but unless something is really wrong with your engine, you don't need them.


Maybe it's just because I prefer to spend my money on decent CPUs, rather than over-boost the hell out of cheap CPU/APUs, and then spend all the "saved" money on a $525 FM Crossflow.



When did this thread stop being about Triple88's quest for a case?

 

Went to microcenter and they had the 540 on sale so I just got it. Cheers folks. Appreciate the help and recommendations. I would have gone with an HAF X if they had it on sale but at 160 i decided to stick with the corsair 540 (99 bucks). Today i'm working on the hids so i wont upload any pics but i'll definitely post stuff soon.

 

Here it is folks. Corsair 540 air, partially completed.

 

Figure i'll update this thread.
Upgraded to a 770.

Also wanted to get rid of the monitor stands.