Finally took pics of my new system, need feedback.

[babachoo]

**** EDIT: Since people are asking about my PSU despite me saying it is not modular in the thread, I thought I'd clarify in this post that the PSU is a Corsair 850TX, which IS NOT modular.


For anyone interested what the following components look like when put together, there are pics to enjoy ITT. This is my first complete build ever, and I'm kinda proud of the wiring job. I plan on probably getting some cold cathode lighting, or maybe an LED solution, and if I ever find myself with a couple of days with nothing to do, I may refinish/paint the interior and install a window mod or something. But as it is now, how would you rate the wiring job? If it's not a 10/10, what could I have done better without having to buy a ton of 36" extensions and such, or maybe post some pics of better wiring jobs. Thanks in advance for any feedback.


Case: Cooler Master HAF 922
Mobo: Asus P6X58D Premium (USB 3.0 and Sata 6G/s, triple SLI or Crossfire)
CPU: Intel Core I7 920 Quad Core (8 virtual cores due to HyperThreading) overclocked to 4.055GHz stable after torture tested with Prime95)
Memory: 6GB (3X2GB) OCZ Gold low voltage PC12800 1600MHz
PSU: Corsair 850tx 70amps on the 12V rail
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
Video: XFX Radeon HD 5870
Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

 

[blackhawk1928]

So wait, should my PSU fan be facing downward or upward or it doesn't matter?
Which would you recommend?

 

[Niklas_13]

I would put the fan facing up , The way it looks like you have the PSU is for a case with a top mount PSU

 

[raybob95]

If the fan is facing downward it won't ventilate as well.

 

[mfb236]

I have to say OP, your build looks fantastic. I'm building my first machine (very similiar build to yours, except I'm doing AMD) and I'm having the hardest time with cable management. I just cannot get it to my satisfaction. Any way you could list the extension cables you purchased so I can order them all at once? Also, any other tips you have for doing cable management with the HAF?

 

[blackhawk1928]

I might consider changing but if i leave it downward, will it matter much?? I mean i am using a 850watt power supply for a system that doesn't use much over 400-500watt of power.

 

[Silvune]

I don't think it will matter much, seeing as your case looks like it has vents at the bottom to draw air in from.

Nice cable management job everyone, I think in my next build the cable management will be good enough to take photos of and post them online.

 

[blackhawk1928]

Lol, my cable managment sucks, i spent hours building it, but then i lost my patience and took a 5 minute job for the cable managment, i just stuffed it onto the other side I need to find some time to redo it nicely though.
And yes my PSU's downward facing fan has a hole/vent right under it for air so i think ventiliation will be fine.

 

[ubernoobie]

Damn, A+ cable management, My antec 300 looks like tecmo's except for position of the audio cable, 🙁 it was so far from usb header so i ended up giving up trying to cable manangement with it

 

[raybob95]

If your PSU doesn't get any airflow, it could easily overheat under load and greatly shorten its life, or possibly even die immediately.

 

[jhandley]

On the NZXT Gamma Case I ordered, there is ventilation right under where the power suppy is mounted, it's a bottom mount psu configuration. I believe that I mount the psu so as to have the air inlet down, right next to the air grille.
Is this correct?
Pics of the case here:

http://www.bonafidereviews.com/blog/nzxt-gamma-classic-series-pc-case/

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061

And I have a corsair 550 watt power supply.

 

[blackhawk1928]

If your PSU doesn't get any airflow, it could easily overheat under load and greatly shorten its life, or possibly even die immediately.

Yes but there is a vent whole for the fan right under the PSU I think i'll be fine...and plus my PSU doesn't have load, i never even exceed over half of its total power i bet.

 

[babachoo]

-I love the cable managment, it was amazing and much better then mine i must say

-However something really baffles me and i really want to ask you people who have the Corsair PSU's!!!

Look at my build:
http://i47.tinypic.com/2r6jm2c.jpg

What confuses me is why are all your PSU's fans facing upward when bottom mounted?
As you can see with mine...the fan is downward and the sticker is facing upward!!!??? And the cable hole is closer to the the motherboard side of the case, not away!!! I am so confused, is my PSU inverted or something!

Thanks, and as for the fan facing up, I decided that the best configuration for cooling was to have the outtake fan pointing into the case, where tons of airflow will help carry away the PSU heat, rather than facing it downwards into carpet and possibly causing even more heat from the stress on the fans from not being able to make the air flow through the unit. It would have been MUCH easier to make the wiring look pretty the other way, but I decided that cooling was more important than looks. Luckily, I didn't sacrifice all that much since the end result is nice looking overall.

 

[babachoo]

I have to say OP, your build looks fantastic. I'm building my first machine (very similiar build to yours, except I'm doing AMD) and I'm having the hardest time with cable management. I just cannot get it to my satisfaction. Any way you could list the extension cables you purchased so I can order them all at once? Also, any other tips you have for doing cable management with the HAF?

Thanks

I didn't have to purchase ANY extension cables. I was just considering getting some to completely hide all traces of wires, but decided that would just be overkill. My advice is to just take your time and plan it out, try to find ways to route as much as possible completely out of site, however you can. Then for the wires that you cannot hide, zip them together, electrical tape them, whatever you can to make a mess of wires look like one neatly wrapped big wire. And specific to the HAF, use the little notches and cutouts to your advantage, there's plenty of them.

 

[babachoo]

If your PSU doesn't get any airflow, it could easily overheat under load and greatly shorten its life, or possibly even die immediately.

That's what my gut was telling me when I decided to face the outtake fan upwards, I hope I was right, only time will tell.

 

[blackhawk1928]

Thanks

I didn't have to purchase ANY extension cables. I was just considering getting some to completely hide all traces of wires, but decided that would just be overkill. My advice is to just take your time and plan it out, try to find ways to route as much as possible completely out of site, however you can. Then for the wires that you cannot hide, zip them together, electrical tape them, whatever you can to make a mess of wires look like one neatly wrapped big wire. And specific to the HAF, use the little notches and cutouts to your advantage, there's plenty of them.

-Well thats what i am kind of concerned about, if your PSU fan is facing upwards, all the hot air from your GPU's bottom grills (and my GPU is very hot 40Cidle and up to 85C under load). The PSU fan will be sucking hot air from computer components and using that to just heat itself up more, vs putting the fan downward in whichc ase it will get cool, clean air because cool air is always on the bottom. Moreover since i have a top case fan, the PSU's sucktion fan will mess up my airflow completely IMO.
-And my PSU hovers 2.5inches over the ground and has a clear vent for the fan for air so fan facing downward could possible be even a better cooling solution.

-EDIT: Here is also a link i just found giving good reason to justify the fan going downward:
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=601105

 

[babachoo]

-Well thats what i am kind of concerned about, if your PSU fan is facing upwards, all the hot air from your GPU's bottom grills (and my GPU is very hot 40Cidle and up to 85C under load). The PSU fan will be sucking hot air from computer components and using that to just heat itself up more, vs putting the fan downward in whichc ase it will get cool, clean air because cool air is always on the bottom. Moreover since i have a top case fan, the PSU's sucktion fan will mess up my airflow completely IMO.
-And my PSU hovers 2.5inches over the ground and has a clear vent for the fan for air so fan facing downward could possible be even a better cooling solution.

-EDIT: Here is also a link i just found giving good reason to justify the fan going downward:
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=601105

Yeah, but when you compare the way it is now (tons of airflow in my case, everything idles at 32C even when it's 80F inside my home), the PSU (according to the gurus at Corsair's official site) is designed to work either way, and if temps aren't a problem, then it doesn't matter which way you mount it, that's why the stickers are the way they are...but anyway...if you compare that to what it would be like having the thing basically trying to exhaust air into my carpet, you're not going to be doing any better as far as temps and airflow in general. The huge 140mm fan is an intake, and the air is exhausted out the back (by the plugs and such). So as of right now, it's one more fan exhausting hot air from my case quite efficiently, but if I flipped the PSU it would probably cause temps to rise because exhaust CFM numbers would significantly decline, at least the way I see things.

That said, I have been wrong before*























*only once, back in 1987 😀

 

[Niklas_13]

*only once, back in 1987 😀

Is that when you said ( I Do ) ? lol

 

[keith263]

Hi Babachoo,

I agree with blackhawk1928, my PSU is drawing in cooler air from outside the case through the vent in the base of the case. Placed
the case on a hard surface to ensure a clear air flow. Also the offset mounting holes on the back would only line up the one way.
Did your's give you the option of mounting both ways?

Regards keith263

 

[babachoo]

*only once, back in 1987 😀

Is that when you said ( I Do ) ? lol

LOL Nah, it's just a random year. I'm wrong about something every day of my life, I just use that line every now and then to be absurd. 😀

Hi Babachoo,

I agree with blackhawk1928, my PSU is drawing in cooler air from outside the case through the vent in the base of the case. Placed
the case on a hard surface to ensure a clear air flow. Also the offset mounting holes on the back would only line up the one way.
Did your's give you the option of mounting both ways?

Regards keith263

Howdy, thanks for the input. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least try it. Buy a plank of wood or something to put underneath the case and flip the PSU around. If/when I ever get around to doing case mod stuff, especially taking everything out to paint the interior metal, I'll definitely try flipping the PSU. I personally don't think it'll make much difference at all, but some of the input I've received here has made me at least consider it.

And yeah, the HAF 922 has the option of mounting a PSU on top or bottom, as well as upside down or right side up. (At least with the Corsair 850tx that I've got).

 

[raybob95]

My PSU has two more PCI cards that don't produce heat shielding it from the heat of my Graphics Card, so that's not an issue.

The only issue is that said PCI card clears the top of the PSU by no more than 3/4 of an inch.

However, being that it's an Antec 900 it does have some airflow coming in from the front via the HDD Intake Fan.

 

[babachoo]

However, being that it's an Antec 900 it does have some airflow coming in from the front via the HDD Intake Fan.

See, that's another thing that I thought would make it fine, is that in my HAF 922, it's got a 200mm fan in the bottom of the front too, so it would help keep a current moving and hopefully the PSU would catch plenty of fresh cool air from that fan. But I'll still try the other option eventually.

 

[raybob95]

See, that's another thing that I thought would make it fine, is that in my HAF 922, it's got a 200mm fan in the bottom of the front too, so it would help keep a current moving and hopefully the PSU would catch plenty of fresh cool air from that fan. But I'll still try the other option eventually.

Yeah, if I can feel the air coming onto the PSU from a 120mm Fan with 2 Hard Drives and wires blocking the flow, then a 200mm fan should be able to do it just fine.

 

[blackhawk1928]

^That doesn't mean anything, if your GPU's bottom grills are releasing hot air aswell as other components your PSU can be acting as an exhuast fan for your computer and getting a lot of hot air which will dwarf the air coming in from your front intake.
-Plus hot air naturally rises so your PSU would be interfering with Top Exhuast
-If the fan is intaking from the bottom, it gets the coolest air since cool air is always on the bottom and exhuast out the back, making it completely independent on case fans for air supply.

-Then again thats just a theory and my opinion

 

[notty22]

IMO
It all depends on the case. I have the Antec 300, and a Antec EW650 psu. I was stymied which way to put it,because of the sticker, lol. Facing down would have shown sticker, it sits on a pedestal 1/8 inch clearance. But then I read manual. For this case, no bottom vents, psu fan facing up.
Installing the psu, with picture.
http://www.antec.com/pdf/manuals/300_EN%20manual.pdf

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Sorry to say this man but the feng shui on that build is all wrong 😛 your mobo's soothing blues is in conflict with the orange and reds (angry colours) on the graphics card, and around the 18th of each month it will be irritable narky and upset for no reason at all,
liking the invisi-cables you have, its made me resolve to do mine again hehe, I wrapped mine in blue insulation tape to colour co-ord with leds i have on fan etc, but after looking at yours, im going to have to try harder ty for sharing mate
Moto