Need Case/PSU to Fit/Power: Hyper 212, x2 570s

[crystalklear64]

Been looking at newegg for a few days now agonizing over which case and PSU to get. I've only ever bought 40-60$ cases and they have all served me well, I don't reuse cases, I just give away old builds as they become obsolete or save them for fun. This time, however, I think I may need to spend a little extra money just based on the size of the components I'll be putting in my PC.

I don't really have a budget more like I can't justify spending a over a certain amount to myself on seemingly useless features.

I need something large enough to accommodate 2 GTX 570s as well as a Cooler Master Hyper 212 hsf. I don't care about looks of the case. I just want something big enough to hold my gear for a fairly low price. I was tempted off looking at the antec 1200 and haf 932 and the df-85 but i just can't see spending that much money on a case when the cheapy 50$ ones work just fine.

I also need a power supply adequate enough to power my oc'd CPU and eventually, 2 570's (just one for now). There are loads of options and I'm having a hell of a time deciding.

Thermaltake TPX-775M-Cheapest modular I could find from a reliable manu. Got johnnyguru rec'd. 120$
CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX-A Corsair PSU. Add 20$ for brand name. 110$
Antec EA750-Cheapest of the bunch and my initial choice. 90$
FSP Everest 85PLUS 800-Tied with the TPX for cheapest modular. All my past PSUs have been FSP Group ones so maybe some brand loyalty/bias here. Must be fairly new. It doesn't have its specs fully listed on newegg that I can find (no rail/amp breakdown.) 120$

I don't know if this works but heres the url of the compare page for the PSUs I'm considering:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007657%20600014023%20600029977&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&CompareItemList=58|17-371-026^17-371-026-TS%2C17-139-006^17-139-006-TS%2C17-139-009^17-139-009-12%23%2C17-104-084^17-104-084-TS%2C17-153-127^17-153-127-TS

Modular would be nice but for 30$ over the antec I'm having a hard time thinking its worth it.

So folks, what do you think? Can you convince me I need one of those 120$+ cases? Thoughts on the power supply? Thoughts on some cheap yet large cases? Thanks everyone.

 

[Silvune]

Discount the two Corsair ones, as they are the old TX series, which have been replaced by better performing, more efficient TXV2s. So if you do get a Corsair TX it must be the V2s. They aren't even anymore expensive than the old ones.

I would not want to buy the original Antec EA750 these days as it is quite old, and from what I remember of the JG review, it does not perform that well and has short cables (ATX12V/EPS12V - cpu) so isn't that likely to reach without using an extension in a large case that mounts the PSU at the bottom, imo.
Also it is going to be replaced by an updated/newer version which is more efficient and performs more in line with other more modern units.

I would definitely want to see a very positive review of that FSP unit to consider it. I have looked before, can't remember what I found.

If you get a large enough case then you won't necessarily need a modular PSU, because large cases should have enough room to effectively hide away all the unused cables.
850W is not necessary imo.

The Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775 comes in a pretty good combo with a nice case:
Combo with NZXT Phantom White $235 ($120 + $140)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660202
The Corsair 750TXV2 also comes in a combo with either the black version or the white version of that case.

The Phantom would easily be able to accommodate your hardware, be aware that you probably couldn't have the large side panel fan installed at the same time as using the Hyper 212 Plus.

As for other possible cases, I would need to know the length of the GTX 570s that you are getting, as with this info I would be able to compile a list of good (hopefully cheap) cases that can accommodate the length of two GTX 570s and the Hyper 212 Plus.

 

[Uther39]

COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $99/$89 after rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197

XFX Core Edition PRO750W (P1-750S-NLB9) 750W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - $114/$99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207015

I dont understand the mentality of skimping on Case/PSU for a new build as they are both together probably the most important items for keeping your new system cool, stable and secure.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

750 is a little small for twin 570's. Looking at nVidias list of certified PSU's (have to use 470 listing as 570 isn't there) there's not a single 750 in the bunch, smallest is 850. The 570 is a bit more efficient but not by all that much.

http://www.slizone.com/object/slizone_build_psu.html

Using the calculator here w/ an OC'd 2500k (4.8 Ghz), twin 570's, 4 sticks of RAM, 2 HD's, 2 SSD's, 1 BR drive, sound card, 5 USB's, 1 FW, Card Reader, 2 250mm fans, 3 120mm fans and just 10% capacitor aging (lowest possible choice), I get 765 watts ..... dropping card reader and sound card gives 748 watts....that's just "too close for comfort" even if you eliminate a few more items.

http://www.antec.outervision.com/

You might consider twin 560 (900Mhz version) which garner 862 fps in SLI in Guru3D's game test suite compared tot he twin 570's 873. Ya lose just 11 fps. The EVGA 570 is $295 whereas the 900 MHz 560 is $220. That $150 savings will help ya buy one hell of a case / PSU combo.

570 ($295) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130613
560 ($220) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130651

The 560 also has a more robust VRM .... the 570 can be OC'd just fine as long as ya stay within manufacturers stipulated voltage limits .... there are a dozen or so internet reports of peeps blowing the VRM circuits when exceeding stipulated limits. It also is fine for a 750 watt PSU

In this day and age, USB 3 from to port is mandatory in my book so that rules out one of my ole favorite cases the HAF-922. That leaves the Antec 902 V3 @ $120 on my short list

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129097

I'd recommend a 1st tier (jonnyguru performance rating of 10.0) PSU for twin GFX and overclocking in order to maintain the stable voltage regulation necessary for hi OC's and that leaves the following:

Seasonic X Series $205 - 850
XFX Black Edition - Out of Stock everywhere
Antec CP Series $120 - $850
Antec SG Series $250 - 850
Corsair HX Series $130 - 750 watter / $155 - 850
Corsair AX* series $170 - 750 watter / $190 - 850

The AX series is the current successor to the HX

The $120 CP series obviously stands out but it's only a consideration of you you rethink the "expensive case" thing as it's specifically manufactured for just 4 antec cases (DF-85, 1200, P183, P193). Read about how they work together in the conclusions section here:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article971-page7.html

Antec 900 + Corsair AX750 = $290 (save $40 w/ the older HX)
Antec DF-85 + CP-850 = $290

You could drop down to a tier 2 PSU (Antec TP New or EA series / Corsair TX Series / XFX Core series) but that will likely affect how high your OC can be to a minor extent as voltage stability on all rails won't be as tight.

As for the cooler, I'd upgrade to the Scythe Mugen 2 which beats the 212 by a full 7C for the same price

Cooler - $40 - Scythe SCMG 2100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142
TIM - $5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080

 

[Silvune]

The outervision calculator recommends the wattage of the PSU to be used, rather than the calculated power consumption, so if it's saying 765W then that is supporting evidence that a 750W PSU is 'enough' imo.

http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-570-sli-review/13
This link also recommends '750+'. The number that they state for system power consumption at the wall is 578 watts. If the power supply is 85% perfect efficient then the system actually draws just under 500W. 500W is only ~66% of a 750W units capacity, which shouldn't be stressful to a high quality power supply.
Bear in mind that they are using a very power hungry i7-965, overclocked.

Surely the Corsair 750TXV2 is a 'tier 1' PSU when it has 1% voltage regulation on it's 12V rail in JG's hotbox?

 

[crystalklear64]

I dont understand the mentality of skimping on Case/PSU for a new build as they are both together probably the most important items for keeping your new system cool, stable and secure.

i never skimp on a psu, however most people get wayyyyy too much psu and these forums in particular are notorious for telling everyone to get a corsair XXX-OVRKLL 9000.

a case however, just needs to hold my stuff and provide cooling. if a cheap case can fit my stuff, has lots of holes punched in it for air flow, and isn't made form .0001 mm thick american cheese, its good enough for me.

Discount the two Corsair ones, as they are the old TX series, which have been replaced by better performing, more efficient TXV2s. So if you do get a Corsair TX it must be the V2s. They aren't even anymore expensive than the old ones.

I would not want to buy the original Antec EA750 these days as it is quite old, and from what I remember of the JG review, it does not perform that well and has short cables (ATX12V/EPS12V - cpu) so isn't that likely to reach without using an extension in a large case that mounts the PSU at the bottom, imo.
Also it is going to be replaced by an updated/newer version which is more efficient and performs more in line with other more modern units.

I would definitely want to see a very positive review of that FSP unit to consider it. I have looked before, can't remember what I found.

If you get a large enough case then you won't necessarily need a modular PSU, because large cases should have enough room to effectively hide away all the unused cables.
850W is not necessary imo.

The Thermaltake Toughpower XT 775 comes in a pretty good combo with a nice case:
Combo with NZXT Phantom White $235 ($120 + $140)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.660202
The Corsair 750TXV2 also comes in a combo with either the black version or the white version of that case.

The Phantom would easily be able to accommodate your hardware, be aware that you probably couldn't have the large side panel fan installed at the same time as using the Hyper 212 Plus.

As for other possible cases, I would need to know the length of the GTX 570s that you are getting, as with this info I would be able to compile a list of good (hopefully cheap) cases that can accommodate the length of two GTX 570s and the Hyper 212 Plus.

Between posting this and doing more research I stumbled upon that tx750 + phantom combo and its sitting in my cart right now. i didn't pull the trigger however because i was ~40$ short for the whole build. thanks for the good info and advice.

750 is a little small for twin 570's.

560 vs 570

USB3


PSU Suggestions including the CPX form factor PSU.

As for the cooler, I'd upgrade to the Scythe Mugen 2 which beats the 212 by a full 7C for the same price

Cooler - $40 - Scythe SCMG 2100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142
TIM - $5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080

i know the corsair will work for 2 570s i already made a build for a friend with the same two cards and psu.

i had not looked at the 560 in the past since it was only 2 tiers away from my current video card in the tom's list and i stick to the advice of not upgrading unless its 3 or more tiers. looking up the benchmarks for the witcher 2 at 1680x1050 i saw that the 570 achieved 60+ frames while the 560 was in the low 40's on average. Not acceptable. Maybe they become very close when you xfire them, but I won't be xfiring for at least 2 years and a 560 in the meantime is unacceptable for my requirements which is a minimum of 50 fps at max settings in the games i play.

while it would be nice to have a front usb 3.0 connection its not a big deal because i set my tower behind my monitor sideways in front of me so there is no front and back, just two sides.

I looked heavily into the CPX PSU but didn't like any of the available cases especially at their prices. Also, mentioning SLI certification... it is such an obvious marketing gimmick : / top rated seasonic psus don't get SLI certs.

While that cooler you mention is actually 10$ more than the 212 (amazon) I'll look into it.

 

[crystalklear64]

Best answer selected by crystalklear64.