Antec 902 vs 1200 vs NZXT tempest

[hasteveha]

In a month I want to build a new gaming computer.
920 i7, ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 , 4870X2, and 1000 PSU.Maybe 3 hd's.

I like the looks of all 3 cases; I'm having trouble deciding, what do you guys think?
I will start off with one 4870X2, eventually I want to add another 4870X2, will that be a problem in either of the cases? Will the hd's be a problem with those 2 video cards inside?

Thanks

 

[rav3n]

I was in the same position as you a month ago. I personally chose the NZXT tempest over the other 2 becuase it has better air flow and is slightly cheaper. Its a great case and i am happy i made that decision

 

[hasteveha]

Did you order it from newegg? I'm wondering if I should wait and it would drop in price anytime soon

 

[tecmo34]

I would go with the 1200. It has been a great case for me and with 4 120mm fans blowing air in (using the 1 option inside 120mm) and two 120mm blowing out of the back with the 200mm on top. I don't get above 58C on my two 9800GTX's after hours of playing COD4 or Crysis. If you are going for a LAN type of case, I would go with the 902 since it is smaller and still has great air flow. I looked at the NZXT tempest but I found the 1200 suited me better.

You would be safe going with anyone of the three cases, so if your decision is going to be on price alone, than it looks like the NZXT is your choice. If you want the most space for your two 4870X2 and three hard drives, I would go with the 1200.

 

[Kraynor]

I've got a 4870X2 in a 1200 and there's plenty of space and airflow to keep it happy.

 

[hasteveha]

Thanks guys for your response. I'm leading towards the 1200 and nzxt now. With the 1200, did you need any extention cables? was the case to big to where the wires weren't long enough?

 

[Kraynor]

Had a little bit of a stretch with some of the cables after putting them behind the motherboard tray but overall I had no issues some clever pathing and a bit of tugging couldn't fix (put my 3 HDDs at the very bottom so as to not obstruct airflow to the rather hot graphics card or to the CPU)

 

[tecmo34]

I took the easy route and bought extension cables to make it easier on my install. It kept me from having to stretch cables or come up with clever cable paths. The one down fall with this is, it does make it a little hard to get cable management good on the backside of the motherboard with the thickness of the connectors. With a little electrical tape and tie downs... the problem was solved....

I agree with Kraynor with putting the HDD's in the bottom slots. It keeps the air flow clear to your graphics cards and CPU. Also, if heat is an issue with your cards, you can add a 120mm fan to the side panel, which blows on the video card for extra air flow. I haven't had any heat issues so I currently haven't had the need to do so.

 

[Kraynor]

I've got the 2 optional fans in, and don't regret it... 4870X2 runs hot.

Also, if you do get the 1200, don't be afraid to give the side panel on the motherboard side a bit more force than you'd deem normal... 4-pin molexs are a little bit wide if the cable's stretched and there's not enough slack to lie it flat against the tray.

 

[AdioKIP]

I just switched to the 1200 about 2 weeks ago and love it. Even with 6 120mm fans going its quieter then my previous case. Airflow is great and there is room for pretty much anything inside the case. I've got 2 hard drives mounted at the bottom, the fan helps keep them nice and cool while the other two front intake fans blow directly towards my video card and processor. I added the side fan since my 4850's like to generate alot of heat. Overall the 1200 is a great case. All the cables from my modular power supply were long enough to reach the necessary connections but for the 8 pin motherboard connection I did have to get an extension, without it the cable wasnt long enough to go behind the motherboard, i had to run it overtop the video cards directly to the plug. Got an $5 extension cable and it now is behind the motherboard with all the other cables. Inside of the case looks nice and clean and the wires arent in the way to impede airflow.

 

[hasteveha]

I've got the 2 optional fans in, and don't regret it... 4870X2 runs hot.

Also, if you do get the 1200, don't be afraid to give the side panel on the motherboard side a bit more force than you'd deem normal... 4-pin molexs are a little bit wide if the cable's stretched and there's not enough slack to lie it flat against the tray.

Can you please link me to the 2 optional fans that you ordered?

Thanks

 

[Kraynor]

One's a Zalman ZM-F3 that I had lying around, the other's a Scythe... something... that I ripped off my old Ninja Rev B CPU cooler.

 

[Axeon]

Go with the 1200, anyways what 1000W PSU is it?

 

[hasteveha]

Corsair HX1000 Yeah I'm going with the 1200.
I was thinking about overclocking.

What's a good heatsink and fan for the i7?
Dark Knight, Coolmaster V8?

Would this ram be good for overlocking?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227388

Thanks , you guys are awesome

 

[Kraynor]

Nothing wrong with the HX1000, have one myself, and the cables are JUST long enough to reach where you want them to go in the 1200, you'll have to do a bit of stretching to get the 24-pin into the motherboard but it'll get there.

By Dark Knight do you mean the variant of the Xigmatek S1283? If so, that's a kick-ass cooler, one of the best on the market at the moment. V8's a bit large for my liking.

Also, I've got some OCZ RAM in my PC, rated for 1066 MHz and found the overclock cap to be only slightly beyond that (1098 was the highest I got it to), and I've heard great things about Corsair's overclocking capabilities, so I'd suggest going with them.

 

[hasteveha]

I wanted to get this antec psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371012
But a lot of the reviews say it dies within a few months.

Yeah I was thinking of the dark knight S1283. Sweet man I will get that one then.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812706004
That is an extention cable I found, I'm guessing that would be good for the video card or other things huh? Not the 24-pin for the motherboard.

 

[Kraynor]

24-pin's one of the furthest away from the PSU, and there's a SATA power cable in there that can reach to an optical drive in the very top bay, you shouldn't need them, but since they're cheap, pick up 1 or 2 just to be safe...

Graphics card won't have a problem reaching, nor will SATA power cable. Only cables I had a slight problem with were: 24-pin power, and the 8-pin ATX-12V which got there in the end.

Stick with the HX1000, it's a fantastic PSU with a great warranty.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The Antec Twelve Hundred is an excellent case. We have two Fry's Electronics stores here in Phoenix, Arizona. They always have a lot of pc cases on display. I got a chance to look over the Antec Twelve Hundred in detail. It definitely has plenty of room for mutiple video cards, add-ons, and large tower style cpu heatsinks. Plenty of room for hard drives too! Ventilation, airflow, and cooling are exceptionally good.

Here's a link to a web site with lots of information and technical reviews of cpu heatsinks that you might find interesting:

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

The Corsair HX1000 is an excellent power supply that can deliver a lot more than it promises. Here is a link to a technical review over at JonnyGuru.com:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=89

 

[hasteveha]

The Antec Twelve Hundred is an excellent case. We have two Fry's Electronics stores here in Phoenix, Arizona. They always have a lot of pc cases on display. I got a chance to look over the Antec Twelve Hundred in detail. It definitely has plenty of room for mutiple video cards, add-ons, and large tower style cpu heatsinks. Plenty of room for hard drives too! Ventilation, airflow, and cooling are exceptionally good.

Here's a link to a web site with lots of information and technical reviews of cpu heatsinks that you might find interesting:

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

The Corsair HX1000 is an excellent power supply that can deliver a lot more than it promises. Here is a link to a technical review over at JonnyGuru.com:

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=89

Thanks for the info and link.
I've been reading that site for the last few days and waiting for the
"An Intel Core i7 socket 1366 Heatsink chart is in the works... stay tuned!" part to show up.
I have everything in my cart on newegg and ready to order, except the i7 920, Microcenter had it on sale the other day for 199 which is over now. I want the price to drop down a bit before I buy. like 220 with tax.

 

[hasteveha]

24-pin's one of the furthest away from the PSU, and there's a SATA power cable in there that can reach to an optical drive in the very top bay, you shouldn't need them, but since they're cheap, pick up 1 or 2 just to be safe...

Graphics card won't have a problem reaching, nor will SATA power cable. Only cables I had a slight problem with were: 24-pin power, and the 8-pin ATX-12V which got there in the end.

Stick with the HX1000, it's a fantastic PSU with a great warranty.

Yeah,I will stick with the HX1000.It has better reviews,and it seems to have more cables

 

[JohnnyLucky]

GEEZ! That's right. A new Intel Core i7 cpu also means a new motherboard and new memory. Pretty expensive for most people.

 

[mark_k]

Nothing wrong with the HX1000, have one myself, and the cables are JUST long enough to reach where you want them to go in the 1200, you'll have to do a bit of stretching to get the 24-pin into the motherboard but it'll get there.

By Dark Knight do you mean the variant of the Xigmatek S1283? If so, that's a kick-ass cooler, one of the best on the market at the moment. V8's a bit large for my liking.

Also, I've got some OCZ RAM in my PC, rated for 1066 MHz and found the overclock cap to be only slightly beyond that (1098 was the highest I got it to), and I've heard great things about Corsair's overclocking capabilities, so I'd suggest going with them.

I like my V8 in my Antec 900:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/251775-29-antec-cooler-master-install-pictures

The V8 really does a good job of cooling.

 

[hasteveha]

Hey guys,
I finally ordered my antec 1200, asus v2 deluxe mobo, and the rest of the parts last thursday, it should all be here by Tuesday. Can you guys post some pics of the inside of your 1200's? I want to see the wireing and how to neatly set it up.

Thanks

 

[tecmo34]

http://www.photoworks.com/members/slideShow.jsp?id=56594681&key=tecmo34

Here are a few pictures I took of my cable managment when I was cleaning up my computer today. I hope this gives you a little idea of how to run your cables. I'm sure there are neater ones out there but mine does the job for me.

 

[hasteveha]

Thanks man. I appreciate it!! I will have all the parts on Wednesday