Looking for lightweight micro ATX case with watercooling support

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rajlego

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Apr 13, 2014
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I previously created a similar thread but the case I though I would choose is too heavy. I currently have a rosewill challenger, but the size and weight are a pain in the neck to move. I generally travel to India once per year (from my home in the U.S) and for gaming I move my computer to my 4k TV , and moving the case is painful because of the heft. I am looking for a new mATX build of either Z97 or X99, haven't decided yet though. I am looking for something that would fit in a suitcase that I check in of average size. I would like the weight to be under 12 pounds, better if around 8. I am planning on water cooling for the CPU at the very least, with a corsair H50. I would prefer ATX PSU support because I already have one and would like to reuse it to save cash. I believe it is a CX series PSU from corsair but I am not completely sure. I am never going to SLI, since gaming is not of that much important to me. But what I may do is use a small card like the 730 or 740 for better multi-monitor usage. I would drive the main monitor off 970 and side monitors off aforementioned card if I got enough. I would like to be able to use a main GPU, a small one, and a pcie/pci for wireless networking. Thishttp:// is the kind of build I am looking to do. This is most likely what I would do with a X99 build, while a Z97 would be very similar. Because I put an m.2 SSD, I can survive without a HDD cage, but it would be nice to have one since I have a spare HDD. ODD is not necessary, but also welcome since I do use them frequently when available. Have not the slightest clue if this will make a difference, but if it does, linux support is important to me. I don't mind if stock cooling is poor as long as you can give some recommendations to make cooling decent enough for use in hot environments like India.
 
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Bossyfins

Bossyfins

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($372.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty X99M Killer Micro ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($214.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston FURY 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($95.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($332.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX XTR 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($34.79 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1560.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-12 00:50 EDT-0400



Phanteks Evolv. Has support for watercoolign as well, BUT

the h55 cools the same as the hyper 212 and costs more, not to mention, also running louder.
Also, just wondering on why X99? Z97 is better if all your doing is gaming
 
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rajlego

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Seemed to me like it wouldn't cost significantly more for a build that would have more oomph eventually as a server if I ever need to. I didn't really want to do Z97 because whenever I made such a build it was around 900$ or so on pcpartpicker. For 300$ it seems worthwhile to me. But thinking about it now, I highly doubt I am ever going to need to use it intensively. So I suppose Z97 would be worthwhile since if I ever am going to need a server, I highly doubt that will be for another 2 years at the very least when I go to college. What would you reccomend for Z97? I don't really need an i5. If you could make a build with the same SSD + 970 GPU + Networking Card, what is the cheapest reasonable build you could make with at least an i5? BTW the reason I included that other PSU was because that is the one I think I already have. I don't mind buying a new one if the price of it is low enough. You mentioned the the liquid cooling was not as good as the 212. What is the minimum Liquid Cooling that would be better than the 212? Also which would hold up better in a suitcase?
 
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rajlego

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I don't really like the idea of building an X99 system and then making it mATX. But I felt before I didn't have any choice since I thought only a mATX build or lower would be portable enough for me. But, I have just seen the Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 Advanced. And somehow within seeing five minutes of seeing that beauty, I saw the Cooler Master HAF XB EVO. At the weight point I wanted, it doesn't feel very reasonable to say that I would find a build that could take a beating. However, both those cases seem a bit easier to move. Most of the reason I strayed away from ATX and heavy cases was my current Rosewill Challenger. It is a pain to lug around and the lack of a handle makes it painful to move. While it was easy to build in, it is not a case I enjoy using. Considering that, do you think it would be a good idea to choose one of those? On the other hand, if I go with Z97 I thought about going with ITX instead of mATX. I would go with the corsair 380t in a blink. Sure, I would only have one PCIE slot. But I won't need to use a wireless adapter if I get a mobo with built in wifi. And I could go with just one GPU if neccesary. I doubt I will ever use more than 3 monitors, so a secondary GPU isn't necessary. But then I would lose a great portion of upgradability! mATX would be for Z97 or X99 but I can't find any ones I really like, except the Bitfenix Pandora. This is driving me mad. I can't decide. I still don't know what my budget is either. I know at the very least 900$, 1300, or 1500. I have a PSU that should be sufficient for 600 watts, 1 stick of 8GB DDR3, 3 sticks of 2 GB DDR3, and if neccesary, I have a usb wireless adapter if I need to use it, though I prefer internal wireless. I'd rather prepare for 900$ being the budget.
 
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