First Build Compatibility Questions

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NathanielLiles

NathanielLiles

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Apr 5, 2014
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Hi there! My name's Nathaniel and I've been honing the parts list for my first build over the last few days and I really think I've got a great build picked out, but I'm having some trouble figuring out if all the parts I've picked out will fit in my case, namely my graphics card. I'm also worried that my cooler is too wide for my Micro ATX mobo and want to verify that there will be room for it. I'll go ahead and post the full build, and if someone would please give it a look over and verify that I won't run into any sizing problems, it would be greatly appreciated.

Graphics Card: GIGABYTE GV-N660OC-2GD GeForce GTX 660
Case: NZXT Source 210
Mobo: ASUS M5A78L-M LX PLUS
Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a 92mm SSO2 CPU Cooler
RAM: HyperX Blu Red Series 8GB
PSU: EVGA 600 B
CPU: AMD FX-6300 Vishera
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB

NewEgg's specs on the case say that it has a Graphics Card clearance of about 13 inches without a hard drive, but I'm worried about the card being too wide.
 
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jtenorj

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Well, the gpu you picked is a little over 10in long. Info on the case says 9 in clearance with hdd, 13in without. Don't know if that means with or without the cage or if a standard 3.5in hdd would fit right at the end of a gpu. If clearance is with the cage and you just put the hdd at the bottom, that's fine. If you need to remove the cage to fit the gpu, then the gpu is not a problem. However, where do you install the hdd? I saw nothing about 5.25 to 3.5 conversion.
 
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NathanielLiles

NathanielLiles

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Apr 5, 2014
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I was planning at putting my HDD wherever it would fit, and I think the 13in clearance just means without an HDD installed in that spot. What 5.25 to 3.5 conversion do you mean?
 
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Gate9er

Gate9er

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I have made a few changes on your system just make it more powerful and more technologically up-to-date. This is what I recommend:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3mG7I

I haven't included a cpu fan since your cpu includes one (I assumed that you won't be overclocking). If you are going to overclock your system, then you should think of buying an aftermarket cooler.

Also in order to fit the GPU in that case you will have to remove the drive bay. Don't worry, you can still install your hard drive. You can buy a 5.25 to 3.5 adapter and install your Hard drive, using that, in the 5.25 bay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hard-Drive-3-5-to-5-25-Adapter-Bracket-/141211248417?pt=US_Computer_Case_Accessories_Tool_Kits&hash=item20e0d8a721
 
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jtenorj

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Guessing your hardware is relatively fixed at this point since the rig you listed in your op is the same as in your sig. I would guess that that noctua would be better than stock but not great for overclocking(if that is your intent). The ebay link Gate9er provided is the kind of thing I was referring to. He seems to know more about the source 210 than I do(some cases ship with adapters like that). You may want to shop around a bit to see if you can get a better price on a adapter.
 
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NathanielLiles

NathanielLiles

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Gate9er, if I went with your build, I'd be spending an extra $60 and I don't think it'd be worth it at this point just to get a bigger board and space out my RAM. I guess I'm not overclocking afterall, doesn't bother me that much, but I do want that Graphics Card to fit, so I found an adapter that should work.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817994088

Also, since I'm apparently going to have to remove the hard drive rack entirely, how is that going to work? It doesn't look removable. Wouldn't the graphics card fit fine between the two mounting panels? If not, are there any 9 inch graphics cards in the same price range that''ll get me the same performance? If all that fails, how would I remove that rack?
 
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NathanielLiles

NathanielLiles

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And the reason I was using the nocturna was because I couldn't find anything else with good reviews that would fit that case. Any recommendations? If I can manage an overclock, I wouldn't be against it, I just need the right cooling fan.
 
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Gate9er

Gate9er

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Just to clear a few things up. The adapter I posted is an internal one. The adapter you posted works like a dvd drive which basically slides in from the front (so it will be visible from the front of your case). Regarding the hard drive rack, I have seen reviews which confirm that the case fits longer cards (including the one you are interested in) although you must not have a hard drive installed in the rack. I find it difficult to understand that since I might as well install a hard drive at the very bottom of the rack and have the gpu installed as well , which will pass through the rack at a higher point. So the two components will not conflict or meet. Either way I believe it will work. Buy the case first, without the adapter, and see if you can go as I described above. Otherwise you may need to completely remove the rack and accommodate the hard disk in the 5.25 inch bay using the adapter.

Hope this helps!
 
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NathanielLiles

NathanielLiles

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Apr 5, 2014
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Awesome! Thanks for your support. The adapter you posted looks awesome, and I want to get one just in case (I'd hate to get all the parts and then realise I DO need the adapter afterall), but I'm ordering through Newegg and can't seem to find a similar piece on there. I've tried a couple different search criteria, and all I can find are things like the one I posted. Since I don't know what kind of load my CPU is going to take, I think I may stick with the cooler included with my CPU to save a little cash (unless that would be a huge mistake) and then get the right after-market cooler for what I need in a couple months. I've made a note of those brands you mentioned and I'll check those out first when I give things a look, and I'll continue my search on Newegg for the proper adapter rack. Thanks so much for your help!
 
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NathanielLiles

NathanielLiles

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Apr 5, 2014
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Well, after looking at my specs a little closer, it looks like my card won't simply fit between the HDD racks. They're racks for 3.5" HDD, and my GPU is just over 5" wide, so I'm back to square one. I still can't find a 5.25" to 3.5" adapter on newegg for some reason, and I'm not even sure how the HDD rack comes out. It seems like all my problems could be solved with a slightly shorter GPU, so I'll look around, but what do you think?
 
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NathanielLiles

NathanielLiles

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Apr 5, 2014
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Because I need everything to arrive at the same time. I think I'm going to solve this problem with a shorter GPU, and I've found a couple...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487024

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125502

That first EVGA one looks a little too good to be true, but if that card is as good as or better than the one in my signature, I will definitely grab it.

If you have any GPU suggestions, I just need it under 9" and around or below $200
 
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jtenorj

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Sorry. Meant to get back to you sooner. After looking again at the pictures of that case filled with some components on newegg, and double checking the case dimensions on nzxt's site, your original pick of graphics card will fit without removing the hard drive cage with plenty of room to spare. The case is deeper front to back than it is tall(ie from the 5.25in bay access in front to the io shield in back) and is 495mm. If you look at the pics on the overview tab for the case on newegg, you see a full atx mobo(12in tall, 9.6in wide) with a long recent model radeon hanging over the edge of the mobo quite a ways with room to spare between it and the hard drive cage. It makes sense. If the case is say 19.5 inches front to back and the max gpu clearance is 13 inches, that's 2/3 of the distance from back to front, which is what the open case side view photo looks like(hdd cage is 1st 3rd or the case internal). Since your original graphics card pick is only slightly more than 10 inches long, you should have almost another 3 inches before you hit the drive cage. As for the 3.5in terabyte hdd you intend to install, you can simply put in in one of the spots in the cage more toward the bottom (probably what most do anyway since the sata ports on a mobo are usually right there). You will not need to hack apart your new case or buy an adapter. Your original graphics card had a pretty decent overclock. If you get the shorter one, you will pay a little less but also not get quite the performance you were going to get before.

Edit: meant to add this. The cooler master hyper tx3 is a relatively short tower cooler that performs surprisingly well given its 92mm fan. It can often be found on sale for about 14.99(same cost as the adapter you linked) and can even push a fx8350 past 4ghz while keeping cool and quiet, let alone a less power hungry fx6300.
 
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