Best fractal case for new system

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azrefal

Honorable
May 27, 2013
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10,510
Hello!

I'm deciding between getting the Fractal Design R5 and the Fractal Design XL R2 case for my new build.

Here is the parts list so far

i7 - 6700K
Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 Mobo
EVGA 1080 Hybrid GPU
Samsung 950 PRO Series - 512GB PCIe NVMe - M.2 Internal SSD
G.SKILL 32GB (2 x 16GB) Ripjaws V Series DDR4 PC4-25600 3200MHz
EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 PS, 80+ PLATINUM 1000W
NZXT Kraken x61 or similar water cooler

The idea for the build is to have the front and bottom set as intake fan. The outtake fans will consist of the 1080 Hybrid exhaust in the rear and the nzxt fans up top. All fans will be swapped out for Fractal Venturi fans with the option of push pull on the radiators. I'm also considering the possibility of SLI in the future.

Which of the two cases mentioned above would be better for cooling and noise(silence preferably)?
 
Solution
g-unit1111


Well going the full liquid route is where you would want a full tower because it will allow for better tubing and cable management. A full custom loop is a bit more difficult to assemble but not as hard as you would think. It's really a matter of getting the reservoir and tubing setup, then connecting the CPU water block and GPU water block. And it would provide far better results than hybrid coolers and AIO coolers would. So if you want to go that route, it really doesn't add much to the degree of difficulty other than time, but the cost can get high, but a...
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
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Jul 27, 2011
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What is this PC going to be used for? Gaming? I would go for the R5 or Define S - there's no need for a full tower PC. Second - I would not buy a Kraken X61, there's much better coolers out there, and you don't need a 1KW PSU unless you're going SLI but even then that's overkill.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,540
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I wouldn't recommend buying an AIO. If you're going to go liquid cooling on your budget you should consider a full loop or a starter kit from something like EKWB: https://www.ekwb.com/

Alternately if you want to stick with a CLL, Cryorig's A80 is better than the Kraken X61. I also wouldn't go with a hybrid GPU cooler either. If you're going to go liquid cooling I would suggest doing the full CPU - GPU loop, or not doing it.

How much are you looking to spend on this system?
 
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azrefal

Honorable
May 27, 2013
5
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10,510


My budget is around $2500, though I haven't considered the option of going for a full loop. What would be the difficulty spike and expense increase of going that route?
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,540
815
104,940


Well going the full liquid route is where you would want a full tower because it will allow for better tubing and cable management. A full custom loop is a bit more difficult to assemble but not as hard as you would think. It's really a matter of getting the reservoir and tubing setup, then connecting the CPU water block and GPU water block. And it would provide far better results than hybrid coolers and AIO coolers would. So if you want to go that route, it really doesn't add much to the degree of difficulty other than time, but the cost can get high, but a starter kit like the one I recommended would be about in the $200 - $300 range. EKWB also makes a cooler called the Predator that's far better than a H100i / Kraken X61 and can expand to include a GPU water block.
 
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Solution
A

azrefal

Honorable
May 27, 2013
5
0
10,510


I think I'm going to need to look into the starter kit and full loop info in general. I'll need to put my build on hold until then. Thank you kindly for your sage advice!
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,540
815
104,940


It's a bit more than a closed loop and a hybrid cooler will be, but will provide you with much better results and a much better looking system. You also might want to research best cases for this sort of thing. I know EVGA has a new case out that's tailor made for custom water cooling so check that out.
 
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