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Looking for solid light/compact case + new cooler (Corsair 330r?)

Tags:
  • Light
  • Cases
  • Cooling
  • Fractal Design
  • Systems
Last response: in Systems
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January 2, 2014 11:06:58 AM

Hey guys,

I've got some extra cash from Christmas that I was thinking of spending on a new case+cooler. I currently have the Fractal Design Arc Midi, which while a good case, is heavy. I move my case around four or five times a year whenever I come home for long breaks from school about 200 miles away. And while I'm not spending a ton of time carrying the case, just getting out of my apartment, down the hall, down the elevator, across the parking lot... then out of my car, up the driveway of my parents' place, etc... it's a lot. And I'm going to be doing this the next 2-4 years for grad school too.

So I was thinking of getting a lighter case, and one small enough for travelling (I may have to put it on a plane depending on where I go for grad school). My budget is $100 max for the case and $100 max for the cooler. I was considering the Corsair Carbide 330R, as it looks like a solid case with most of the features that my Arc Midi has, but smaller, more compact, and lighter. I also like the idea of a silence-optimized PC.

My only concern is with my GPU; my DCUII 770, as far as I can tell, expels air from the fans into the case. I have a side fan pulling the hot air out so that the GPU doesn't suffocate in its own exhaust, but I'm worried how hot the card would get in the 330R. In other places of the internet, I've been told that my particular GPU fans pull air in and exhaust it out the back, but when I check the side fan/exhaust port of the GPU during games, I feel hot air coming from the side fan.
If I need to I could settle for the regular 300R with two side fans.

Any ideas or suggestions?

More about : solid light compact case cooler corsair 330r

January 2, 2014 11:21:34 AM

Go to the gym.

You're still gonna have to lug around a power supply, GPU, hard drives, etc, so shaving a few ounces on a case is pointless.

And besides, aren't you stuck with a full size ATX form factor anyways???
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January 2, 2014 11:51:04 AM

giantbucket said:
Go to the gym.

You're still gonna have to lug around a power supply, GPU, hard drives, etc, so shaving a few ounces on a case is pointless.

And besides, aren't you stuck with a full size ATX form factor anyways???


A few ounces? I'd be cutting 8 lbs from the weight. The Arc Midi is 23 lbs, the 330r is 15. All the components total probably add another 5 or so lbs.

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January 2, 2014 11:58:16 AM

If your carrying it around so much why not have a micro atx build like the BitFenix Prodigy
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January 2, 2014 12:01:45 PM

Znoxz said:
If your carrying it around so much why not have a micro atx build like the BitFenix Prodigy


If I would have realized how much work it would be a couple years ago when I bought the case and put the build together, I would have done that. But now, my motherboard is an ATX, and the BitFenix Prodigy fits I believe mini itx? or itx? I know the ProdigyM fits micro-atx, but in any case, that would be around another $100-$150 expense to purchase a new board that would fit properly in the case.
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January 2, 2014 12:21:03 PM

You still need to go to the gym.

And I'd be shocked if the case EMPTY weighs 23 pounds. My old case + mobo + CPU + power supply (no GPU or HDD) weighs........ 17 pounds total. Checked it three times by actually weighing it.

Sure the specs say 10kg and I know how to convert, but unless they're using solid 18-gage steel throughout that number is wrong or assumes a full build.

My ITX full build with 3 HDD weighs 16 pounds.
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