6950s Crossfire on mATX?

[Hobo82]

Hello all,

I'm currently in the process of building a new gaming rig and getting a lot of inspiration from Tom's Hardware's recent Micro ATX Gaming Monster build. However, in an effort to save a few buck and because I simply don't need it, I don't plan on buying the PNY Liquid-Cooled GTX 580.

Instead, I'm leaning toward 2 HIS IceQ X Turbo Radeon HD 6950 2GB in crossfire.

My question is . . . will 2 of those cards fit comfortably on a ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z, allowing enough space to circulate air? I know they'll fit length-wise. It's the depth I'm concerned about because the PCI slots "appear" to be closer together on that mobo than they are on a standard ATX board.

Another concern is . . . I plan on fitting this build into a Fractal Design Arc Mini, like in the original liquid-cooled build, simply because I love the aesthetics of that case. Reviews say the airflow is amazing for a small case, but will 2 graphics cards negate good air-flow?

Finally, here's my entire build. Critique as you see fit:
Case - Fractal Design Arc Mini
Mobo - ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500K
CPU Cooler - Antec KUHLER H2O 920 Liquid Cooling System
GPU - 2x HIS IceQ X Turbo Radeon HD 6950
PSU - Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W
RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133
SSD - Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB
HDD - 2x Western Digital Caviar Green 750GB
Media - LITE-ON Black Internal 12X Blu-ray

I appreciate all the comments and advice in advance.

 

[Hobo82]

look for a better gfx card than the HIS, you need the most optimal in cooling.
I'll say that again, you need the best cooling gfx card you can get.
I run MSI GTX 460 Twin Frozr II Hawks and they were rated as the best cooling series card out there.
using mine as an example not a sales pitch..

look for a unit with at least dual fans.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102945
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127588

Most of the reviews on that HIS card say it's pretty cool and quiet. Noise isn't a huge issue. Obviously I'd rather my rig didn't sound like a jet engine, but I'm currently running a sapphire 4870x2, which is LOUD . . . so I'm kinda immune to loud fan noises.

Part of the reason for this build and especially this case was to minimize noise and presence of the pc. Currently have an antec twelve hundred and the aforementioned card which together make a LOT of noise and the case is HUGE.

Apart from water-cooling the GPUs, is the best bet to find the card with the most fans?

 

[Hobo82]

one more thing about the dual vs single fan cards.
my SLi with both cards with dual fans runs cooler than my single card unit with one bigger single fan.

Looks like I'll be looking for a card with dual fans then. Thanks for the help! Now to find one that comes factor O/C like the HIS.