Case suggestion for GTX 280?

[aln688]

I'm considering upgrading from my ATI 4870 to a GTX 280, hoping to survive (i.e. eliminate) the next round of graphics card upgrade. Problem is I have an Antec Solo case and with room for 10.25", the GTX 280 will not fit, and I refuse to dremel a new case.

Is there any suggestions out there for a mid-tower case with front and rear 120mm fans, and possibly with inline HDD cage? I don't need a PSU as I already have a Corsair 620HX which I'm happy with. I dislike having to sell my case just for a graphics card, but I'm thinking graphics cards aren't likely to be shorter than 10.5" in the near future.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks all.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The new video cards can be quite long. A lot of user reviews and posts here at THG strongly recommend a full size tower case. How about an Antec Twelve Hundred that will meet your requirements:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

 

[Homeboy2]

My suggestion is to keep your 4870, the 280 isnt much of an upgrade. 400 bucks for a few fps? Can you crossfire? 250 bucks would blow the 280 away.
if not hang on for few months or early next year for 40 nm nvidias

 

[abasoufiane]

i'm sorry , but what kind of non sense is this? an upgrade from 4870 to the 280? really?

 

[0mg_1ts_m3]

if you have that much money that you're considering wasting so much money on so little performance difference you wont even notice it, you're retarded.

 

[blacksails]

Why don't you just give me $400 and let me punch you in the face? It'll be about the same thing.

 

[chookman]

who is giving you guys useless message votes?

a swap to a GTX280 will provide you little increase, if you must spend some money get a second HD4870 (assuming you can support crossfire) or get a HD4870x2

 

[AlonTavor]

there are people in africa without dual core and you waste that much money on a few more frames?

 

[aln688]

JohnnyLucky, thanks for the case suggestion. The Antec Twelve Hundred looks quite good, despite the fact it looks huge. Nice case though.

Chookman, the Crossfire 4870 is an interesting idea, thanks. Do games have to be Crossfire compatible or do the ATI drivers handle that? The 4870 I have is Crossfire compatible.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

aln688,

Yes, the Antec Twelve Hundred is a full size case so it does look huge when compared to the mid-tower cases. I live near a Fry's Electronics store so I had the opportunity to look at a variety of cases before buying one. The 1200 has the inline hard drive cage which you mentioned.

I got kind of carried away this time and bought a CoolerMaster 932 HAF. Now that's a beast of a case. I am right in the middle of modding the case.

Now about those 4870's. As you can tell from the other posts, switching from a 4870 to a GTX 280 does not seem to be a good idea. The very small
increase in performance is offset by a huge increase in cost. Have you read the October 2008 best video card article? The monthly guide is written for gamers. In the article THG does not recommend spending a lot of money for a little bit of performance increase. Instead go with a second matching 4870.

Games do not have to be Crossfire compatible. The terms SLI and Crossfire refer to the concept of using two matching video cards in tandem in one computer system. Each card requires it's own PCIe power connection to the power supply. Most modern, high quality power supplies now come with two PCIe connections and cables. When they do the psu's are often referred to as SLI certified. In addition, the motherboard must have two PCIe slots for the cards. Normally you would have to check your power supply, motherboard, and video cards to find out if they are compatible.

 

[aln688]

JohnnyLucky, I live near a Fry's Electronics as well (Fountain Valley), I'll likely go tonight to have a look, they usually have a good line-up of cases. Looking at the Twelve Hundred it looks better and better, plenty of room for expansion. I like the mesh front, should provide good air flow into the case. The top mounted buttons and ports is a really good idea, makes sense then you think about it.

Maybe a switch to a GTX 280 isn't such a good idea, I think the punch in the face from one of the posters woke me up to the idea! I started to read the October 2008 best video card review but never finished it due to overtime from the office, then again, that's partly why I post here, for advice. I like the 2nd 4870 idea, and my existing 4870 is certainly Crossfire compatible, I have the bridging device.

I have the Corsair 620HX PSU, which certainly provides two PCI-E power connectors, problem is with another 4870 I'd need another two PCI-E connectors, I'd likely have to upgrade to a larger PSU which I assume would provide another two PCI-E cables. My motherboard is fine, it's an Intel DX48BT2, it has three PCI-E slots, quite a nice board actually.

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated, all of you.

 

[chookman]

http://archive.atomicmpc.com.au/forums.asp?s=2&c=7&t=9354

You should be right with 2xHD4870's on the Corsair, although you dont have the connectors it the 4870s usually come with 2xMolex-to-1xPCI-e to you can get away with it that way. The Corsair 620 was designed for 2 GPUs. I would use 1PCI-e connector in one and `PCI-e connector in the other then use the molex converters. As in link above CFed HD4870s only use 255w at full load.