Case and PSU upgrade! Suggestions, ideas please!

[ChrisUlrich]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817194097

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119239

Gonna make my 140mm rear fan a 120mm fan.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835213010&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

or this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185054

I am definitely getting the Scythe for the "VGA Fan Duct" optional fan. Just not sure if I just suck it up and deal with the 59db that the 200+ CFM fan makes!

I am coming from a 720w Enermax Liberty and a Thermaltake Kandalf LCS Case (Not air cooled, not water cooled!). These seems like very solid upgrades, no?

Parts in PC:
i5 2500k @ 4.4ghz
GTX 570
8gb G.Skill Ripjaw X Series DDR3 1600
5 harddrives. 4 3.5" HDs and 1 2.5" SSD.
1 CD/DVD-RW

Looking for an awesome air cooling case (top 3 air cooling cases preferably) and a PSU that will last me just as long as my Enermax Liberty! Also looking to add a GTX 570 sometime soon. So I need the space and power to support that type of upgrade!

Would love to hear any input you guys can give!

 

[WR2]

We don't usually see many people spend about the same on the PSU ($260) as on the graphics card (2nd GTX 570).

 

[ChrisUlrich]

Well, I know how important PSUs are... so I figured this is something I can't really go overkill on.

 

[Uther39]

If you want the best Air Cooled Case with a very very good PSU then these are what i would recommend....

CASE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163161
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=242&area=en

PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207019&Tpk=xfx%201000w
http://xfxforce.com/en-gb/Products/Power-Supply/XFX/Pro-Series/ProSeries-1000W-PSU.aspx

I have them both, and all i can say is WOW !

 

[ChrisUlrich]

The extra money for the Silverstone really isn't warranted in my situation since my case never moves. Stability isn't a issue here. Plus, there is no concrete evidence showing the FT02 is better at air cooling than the HAF X. Results vary all over.

As for the power supply, I truely appreciate the links provided but I feel very comfortable sticking with Enermax unless the XFX PSU is BETTER and the company is just as reliable as Enermax. My Enermax is 6 years old and still runs fantastic.

 

[Uther39]

The extra money for the Silverstone really isn't warranted in my situation since my case never moves. Stability isn't a issue here. Plus, there is no concrete evidence showing the FT02 is better at air cooling than the HAF X. Results vary all over.

As for the power supply, I truely appreciate the links provided but I feel very comfortable sticking with Enermax unless the XFX PSU is BETTER and the company is just as reliable as Enermax. My Enermax is 6 years old and still runs fantastic.

Well then why ask this question if your just going to stick with what you no?

While theres nothing wrong with sticking with what you no, again why ask?

All i can say is ive had both HAF X and now have FT02

FT is better built, better cooling because of heat rising design, my system is on a whole 10c cooler under load and idle in the FT than it was in the HAFX.

The XFX unit i posted is not only Platinum but single rail no wire technology, and is built by Seasonic, probably the best PSU manufacturers out there.

But hey ho the choice is yours, but if you wont take advice then why come here ? Just to waist our time maybe ?

 

[ChrisUlrich]

Alright, please relax... I am listening to people's suggestions. But do I have to immediately jump at what you said? I respected your post and thanked you for it. I do my research and then double check it with others research.

I l like your suggestions and that 10C cooler under load thing is actually quite amazing.

Did you really have both cases or are you trying to hammer down a point?

Can you easily fit 2 large video cards in the FT02 for SLi or Crossfire?

How are your GPU temps?

 

[Uther39]

Well like i said im 41 tomorrow, and ive been building PCs since 2001, quite simply it is the best case ive owned and ive owned alot, to name a few, Antec1200, Antec 902, Antec 300, Fractal R3, Coolermaster Cosmos, HAF 912, HAF X, Thermaltake Mozart and on and on.

You can see my set up in my description, although i used to have 2 x 5870 in crossfire, there temps never went above 70c, however crossfire gave me no end of problems with drivers and game compatability, so i ditched them for the single GTX580 Asus Direct CUII model, this never rises above 60c under extreme load, i will be swapping it for a 680 when prices drop. I have a 1100t @ 4ghz on a Dark Rock Pro cooler ive never seen it get past 45c even on Prime, honestly i dont no how to say it but the whole heat rises thing really works, and personally i love the aesthetics, but again one mans blood another mans poison.

 

[ChrisUlrich]

Well like i said im 41 tomorrow, and ive been building PCs since 2001, quite simply it is the best case ive owned and ive owned alot, to name a few, Antec1200, Antec 902, Antec 300, Fractal R3, Coolermaster Cosmos, HAF 912, HAF X, Thermaltake Mozart and on and on.

You can see my set up in my description, although i used to have 2 x 5870 in crossfire, there temps never went above 70c, however crossfire gave me no end of problems with drivers and game compatability, so i ditched them for the single GTX580 Asus Direct CUII model, this never rises above 60c under extreme load, i will be swapping it for a 680 when prices drop. I have a 1100t @ 4ghz on a Dark Rock Pro cooler ive never seen it get past 45c even on Prime, honestly i dont no how to say it but the whole heat rises thing really works, and personally i love the aesthetics, but again one mans blood another mans poison.

The FT02B-W was my first choice about 2 months back... so I think I actually will go with this case. Spend the money once and don't look back for a long time.

You ever upgrade the fans? If I recall from when I last did research on this case, they all come with their special fans (forgot the name of them) so there really are no upgrades for the fans?

 

[ChrisUlrich]

I just realized though, I keep my computer on the floor, on a rug. Is that gonna kill the performance of the upward cooling system?

EDIT: I am also reading that the extremely long video cards i.e. HD5970, GTX 690, etc... don't fit in the case?

 

[Uther39]

OK

1, The 3 x 180mm fans are very efficient and quiet.
2, Being on the floor will not effect it, as it has a base plate it sits on and is then raised from it with a good gap, however such a beautifull case is a shame to have it on the floor,, buy a bigger desk so you can show it off for all to see, Ive never tried to fit the huge cards so cant comment i will say though that the Asus Direct CUII is massive and fits with ease.

And with the advent of the GTX680 is there really any need for this giant stuttering dual GPU buggy cards that are too hot and too noisy, even with my gtx580 i can play any game maxed out on my dell 27" 2560 x 1440 (WQHD) pixels with out issue.

 

[ChrisUlrich]

As a Christmas gift I requested a nice big desk (family never knows what to buy me) and they didn't quite get what I wanted. So I am sorta stuck with what I have for now... :-/ The plan is to buy a giant desk to fit 3 monitors and a somehow get my case on showcase!

Are there any upgrades for the case fans?

What temps does your GTX 580 get too under load? My GTX 570 gets to about 59C at 70% fan under load.

 

[Uther39]

Trust me the fans dont need upgrading as there silverstones Air Penetrator series.

 

[ChrisUlrich]

Thanks man!

What about your GPU temps?

 

[ChrisUlrich]

Any sound cards you suggest? Need one to replace my X-Fi Fatality.

 

[Uther39]

Any sound cards you suggest? Need one to replace my X-Fi Fatality.

Thats what i have, why do you want to replace it ?

 

[ChrisUlrich]

I kinda ruined it... :-/

 

[ChrisUlrich]

The FT02 should fit GTX 570 SLi no problem, right? Looking to do that in the future (2-3 months).

 

[Uther39]

Absolutely no problems at all with that, still think you would be better off investing the cash into a single GTX680.

Oh and sound card wise ive heard good things about the Asus Sonar range.

 

[ChrisUlrich]

Best answer selected by ChrisUlrich.