gtx 280 ftw / zalman 1000W htpc case

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A

axlrose

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i'd like to purchase the zalman hd160 plus htpc case, but can't get zalman to tell me whether or not i can use the gtx 280 ftw edition gpu and their own 1000W psu.

anyone have this case and have thoughts on this or have ideas of other htpc cases to use? budget is about $300.
 
Shadow703793

Shadow703793

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Imo, bad idea to get the GTX280 any way. Also why are you trying to put a VERY hot running card on a HTPC case???? Also 1kW is an over kill. A Corsair 650, PP&C 750 would be more than enough power. If you must get a 1kW get a Corsair 1kW.
 
A

axlrose

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IMO, if you are going to post, write something that's not a complete waste of my time.

gtx 280 ftw was a no brainer for me...

i want an htpc and a gaming rig together and no i don't want to build two separate builds and buy two separate screens so i'm buying a big case that is reputed to move air just fine to work with my xhd3000.

1kw is not over kill. people keep writing that and anandtech says that 1000W can't run gtx 280 sli'd. says you need at least 1200W. i'm only running singly, but there are other components in the build and perhaps the 1000W will get added to the list as some 1000W have been added since the article was written and in the future i'll be able to afford sli.

zalman dual heat pipe 1000W had far and away the best reviews of any 1000W psu i could find including with respect to sound and quality.

anything useful to my original question now that i've actually answered y our post?
 
A

axlrose

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alright, i finally got a hold of zalman and they said the 1000w psu they sell doesn't fit in this case, so i'm off to choose another htpc case (hopefully!?)

i'd love some ideas ($300 range) for htpc's that can fit my zalman 1000W and my gtx 280 ftw. maybe i'll end up stuck with a tower? that would suck, but i'm still hoping you guys and your amazing knowledge can help me out.
 
evilshuriken

evilshuriken

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You don't seem to want any help from us, judging from that attitude.
I say you figure it out on your own and post your findings... ftw.

**Haha, a bit late with my post. Oh well seems like you did that anyway.**
 
A

axlrose

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evilshuriken, i do want help. i don't want a critique of my new build. i've been collecting that since october. that's purchased. what i do need help with is a case.

pdxpoe, case looks awesome, but i'm really, really hoping to be able to find another htpc case that works still. otherwise i'll be completely back to the drawing board for a tower case (but lian li is awesome from everything i've ever heard if i have to go with a tower).
 
Shadow703793

Shadow703793

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1. You never said any thing about SLI.

2. Correct me if I am wrong here, but you will need a full ATX board for SLI. And there aren't many good HTPC cases that support full ATX boards.

3. You said it your self that the GTX280 is power hungry so why are you trying to put a power hungry card that runs very hot in a HTPC case?

4. I took the time to respond, so I am wasting my time too.

I will not be helping you any more. There are others that I can help you know. Good bye.
 
WR2

WR2

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1kw is overkill and Anandtech did NOT say that 1000W can't run GTX SLI'd. They did NOT say you need at least 1200W.


This is what I saw in the Anandtech article (note it's TOTAL system power):
17067.png

from: http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3334&p=22
This was the test system used:
0005sc9.jpg

Anandtech's 1000W PSU not working with GTX 280 SLI only means they probably had a bad PSU.

 
A

axlrose

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about the psu. i guess i'll have to go back and look. perhaps i misenterpreted the 1000W thing. i didn't read that they had a bad psu.

"We had two GeForce GTX 280s on hand and a plethora of SLI bridges, so we of course had to run them in SLI. Now remember that a single GTX 280 uses more power than a GeForce 9800 GX2, and thus two of them is going to use a lot of power. It was so much power in fact that our OCZ EliteXStream 1000W power supply wasn't enough. While the SLI system would boot and get into Windows, we couldn't actually complete any benchmarks. All of the power supplies on the GTX 280 SLI certified list are at least 1200W units. We didn't have any on hand so we had to rig up a second system with a separate power supply and used the second PSU to power the extra GTX 280 card. A 3-way SLI setup using GTX 280s may end up requiring a power supply that can draw more power than most household circuits can provide."

open to interpretations if i read the power supply information wrong.

as far as the psu, i don't know exactly what to look for, but here's the link to it on zalman

http://www.zalman.com/ENG/product/CategorySecond_Pic.asp?categoryname=Power Supplies&categorySecond=

seem to be lots of htpc cases that run full atx motherboards, but i'm going to have to find something more about the psu size i guess?
 
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axlrose

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okay, quietpcusa has been incredibly helpful! go spend your money with them! they are giving me information about zalman products that i can't seem to get out of zalman tech support.

here's what he said about the psu, "The Zalman 1000W power supply is 60 to 70mm longer than a standard ATX unit."

so i'm not sure if that's a big deal in any larger tower case, but probably prevents me form using any htpc huh?
 
WR2

WR2

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It probably the length and that has something to do with the heatpipe technology more than likely.
The 1000w (and 850 too) are 8.3" in length vs the usual 5.9". The Zalman 750w is 6.5" long and the 600w is 5.9".
 
runswindows95

runswindows95

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My thoughts exactly.
 
one-shot

one-shot

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You gotta go with what makes sense....a REALLY HOT, and POWER HUNGRY card inside of a HTPC case doesn't make too much sense. You seem like you need a 2400xt or 8500gt. You shouldn't be allowed to buy a 280GTX with that illogic. A PSU that needs over 1000watts to run 2 cards is just retarded....or like what Roadrunner said. If you don't want a logical answer maybe you should ask someone at Best Buy what they think. I'm sure they could help more than the people....here...lol. W/e i'm out.
 
skittle

skittle

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well to be fair, PSUs are most effecient at ~50% load.

That being said, I would like to reiterate what was already stated:
it wouldnt exactly be a good idea to stick a large hot card into a small case with limited airflow.. let alone two.
 
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axlrose

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i appreciate the continued ideas from those of you helping me to answer the question of what htpc cases would house these two components in my new build.

hopefully the rest of you find someone else to give crappy answers to.
 
A

axlrose

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mayday94, checked on that case and it looks cool. even had an option for an oled display, but dell seemed to be the only people selling it around here and they said not before september. look like exactly what i wanted if it was available any time soon though. fits everything just like a tower, but in an htpc. that's what i'm looking for. thanks again.
 
jaguarskx

jaguarskx

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My HTPC case (SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum Crown Series CW02B-MXR ATX Media Center) is big enough to fit a 12" long video card if necessary. The DVD drive would be install over the back end of the card. The only problem, it's $400.

$400 was more than what I wanted to spend, but it was the only case that meet my particular specifications (it even beat out more expensive HTPC cases). My specifications were:

1. Full size ATX mobo. (12" x 9.6" - larger mobos like Asus Maximus will not fit).
2. Tall enough to fit a Tuniq Tower or larger HSF.
3. 120mm exhaust fan 'cause larger fans can spin slower to move the same amount of air as a smaller fan spinning faster. The default case fan is pretty quiet (~1000 RPM).
4. Enough room in the drive cages for 6 hard drives. The DVD drive does not go into the drive cages.
5. Ventilation to cool the hard drives. This case can fit a 92mm fan (optional) under each of the drive cages drawing air from underneath the case itself.
6. No dumbass transparent window for stupid lights.

Here's the link in case you are interest or if you too cannot find another case that meets your specifications (ie fit a GTX 280):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163084
 
A

axlrose

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i'm just at a total loss. i have everything order, unless i decide to throw a tuner card at it again, and i'm just totally without a thought for the case. i have to get one ordered quick to meet the lan party deadline. should have put it back a week.

i could still get the mozart tx, but it's just soooo damn big. i don't think it's what i want in my living room to watch tv and blue ray. i don't think i'd ever use the spot for the second sort of motherboard either, so that's the point of the extra space (except to have the gtx 280 ftw of course and the massive 1000w power supply, duh, but still...)
 
ovaltineplease

ovaltineplease

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The Silverstone that jaguarskx linked looks like a winner

But, you might want to consider case modding it to perforate the top cover over the GPUs and adding an outake fan to help more of the heat escape if it becomes a problem - it may not, but the potential is certainly there.
 
WR2

WR2

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I like jaguarskx's case recommendation too.
Why not get the Silverstone case, a Zalman 750W PSU (saves $100) and the GTX 280 FTW with a good P45 motherboard.
I know its not SLI-capable but it should still kick out some good gameplay, and look mighty fine in the living room.
 
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