[SOLVED] How hard is swapping out cases and components ?

[Ryan3996]

Hey guys so recently I’ve been thinking about my pc..it’s my first one with an i5-9600 , GTX1660ti , 16gb of ram , 600w PSU, ASUs tuf B360m plus gaming mobo, but my main concern is that it’s in a CIT far soul case with one exhaust fan , being new to PCs I had it prebuilt and
It has an optical drive , my question is if I buy a Corsair delta RGB case with the 3 front fans and 1 exhaust can I get the fans to run with my mobo and how difficult
Is it to swap all the parts into a new case , also can I just run out without plugging my optical drive back in and just run it without ?, many thanks , Ryan

 

[popatim]

On an aftermarket built PC - easy enough

From an OEM ( dell/hp) - not fun due to proprietary motherboard & connectors and little documentation.

 

[geofelt]

First of all, why do you need to swap out your case?
Are your cpu temperatures too high?
I don't think your parts are particularly hot.
Do you need more room?
Are you craving winky-blinky rgb?

A glib answer would be it's easy.
But to one who has no experience, it can be a daunting task.
I remember the doubts well.
You might want to take a photo of all the connections in the current case as a reference in reassembling in the new.
Fans, can have 3 pin, 4 pin or molex connectors, perhaps all of them.
Your motherboard has 2 case fan connectors,
You may need an adapter or a splitter to get the fans connected.

If you do not need the dvd drive, it is ok to leave it uninstalled.
Most new cases do not have a space for a 5.25" drive these days.

You might do well to download the manual for any case you are considering and read the instructions.
With care you will do ok.

 

[Ryan3996]

Basiclaly guys it’s because I think my case is a bit basic and has very little cooling and my GPU seems to reach temps of about 70 degrees my cpu is okay however as I’ve got a 80 frost flow cooler on it and I do like the look of the rgb and just thought maybe I should get something with more cooling in case in the future I would like to upgrade GPU or cpu or even ram , I’m fairly new so keeping my first pc nice and cool and looked after woiod
Be ideal for me until I can afford to
Upgrade

 

[sizzling]

Do you have any warranty left on the system? If yes I wouldn’t undertake this until the warranty has expired as this will likely void it and one of the few benefits of a pre built is the warranty.

 

[Ryan3996]

Do you have any warranty left on the system? If yes I wouldn’t undertake this until the warranty has expired as this will likely void it and one of the few benefits of a pre built is the warranty.

Yeh I guess so I did think of this maybe I could get in contact with them and they could undertake the task ? It’s from PC specialist

 

[sizzling]

Yeh I guess so I did think of this maybe I could get in contact with them and they could undertake the task ? It’s from PC specialist

You can try but I’d expect labour charges to be prohibitive and that’s before any shipping.

 

[madmatt30]

You mean a CIT Dark Soul?
Yeah its a fairly dire case airflow wise.

How hard is it?

Has to be taken in context to be honest.
I can hang a door but it takes me about 4 hours whereas a joiner would do it in 15 minutes.

I can strip down and rebuild into a new case inside half an hour (+15 minutes cable tidying when everything is confirmed working) - it could take a novice half a day or more.

In essence though it's not difficult if you have common sense and are methodical.

The issue you do have with your proposed swap is that the delta has argb fans and your board has a traditional 5050 rgb header.

That rgb isn't going to work without introducing an argb controller which is

1. An extra complication
2.An extra expense

Swapping your case isn't a bad idea but there are cases that are more suited, either one with standard rgb fans or one with a built in controller, or indeed one without rgb.

What's your location and budget ??

 

[Ryan3996]

I’m in Cambridgeshire in the uk and could spend up to 2-300 quid for a case with more fans

 

[geofelt]

Normal operating temperature for a graphics card under full load is 80c.
Your temperatures are fine.

As to changing out a case for looks, I am all for it.
A case will be with you for a long time.
Spend what you must for one you love.

As to RGB headers and controls, I am clueless.

See if you can't find a review of a candidate case.
You will get a better idea if it is the one for you.
Just be careful and don't force anything.

One thing which I always find difficult is removing the 24 pin power supply from the motherboard.
You will need to do this .
The fit is very tight and is secured by a latch.
Do not pull on the cable bundle, you need to hold the latch open while you hold the plastic part.
If it does not come off easily, which is likely, I use a thin screwdriver to pry things up a bit at a time.

Another tricky removal may be the graphics card.
In addition to the screws securing the card to the back of the case, there is a latch securing the other end to the pcie slot.
The latch is not very visible, but it is there and you need to release it.
The mechanism varies. Sometimes there is a tab to push, others need to be moved aside.

Another tip:
Buy yourself a longish #2 magnetic tip screwdriver.
It lets you hold motherboard and other screws during removal and reinsertion.

 

[madmatt30]

I’m in Cambridgeshire in the uk and could spend up to 2-300 quid for a case with more fans

Are you actually bothered about rgb fans??

You don't need to spend anywhere near that, there are so many good sub £100 cases there's a huge choice.

 

[Ryan3996]

Okay

Normal operating temperature for a graphics card under full load is 80c.
Your temperatures are fine.

As to changing out a case for looks, I am all for it.
A case will be with you for a long time.
Spend what you must for one you love.

As to RGB headers and controls, I am clueless.

See if you can't find a review of a candidate case.
You will get a better idea if it is the one for you.
Just be careful and don't force anything.

One thing which I always find difficult is removing the 24 pin power supply from the motherboard.
You will need to do this .
The fit is very tight and is secured by a latch.
Do not pull on the cable bundle, you need to hold the latch open while you hold the plastic part.
If it does not come off easily, which is likely, I use a thin screwdriver to pry things up a bit at a time.

Another tricky removal may be the graphics card.
In addition to the screws securing the card to the back of the case, there is a latch securing the other end to the pcie slot.
The latch is not very visible, but it is there and you need to release it.
The mechanism varies. Sometimes there is a tab to push, others need to be moved aside.

Another tip:
Buy yourself a longish #2 magnetic tip screwdriver.
It lets you hold motherboard and other screws during removal and reinsertion.

Thankyou very much for all your tips

 

[Ryan3996]

So would

Are you actually bothered about rgb fans??

You don't need to spend anywhere near that, there are so many good sub £100 cases there's a huge choice.

I guess not I mean I just liked the colours as my mobo is rgb that’s all , but in conclusion if I find cases compatible with my mobo even with rgb fans that state the case fans work with my mobo could that be an option or is my mobo a bit outdated for rgb fans and that if so I’ll just buy a case with normal fans just thought it might be a nice touch 😃

 

[InvalidError]

my main concern is that it’s in a CIT far soul case with one exhaust fan

One exhaust fan is one more than absolutely necessary. As long as you have intake fans (preferably filtered), air will find its way out through all other openings and, as long as intake flow is sufficient, most hot air won't be lingering around for long.

 

[madmatt30]

One exhaust fan is one more than absolutely necessary. As long as you have intake fans (preferably filtered), air will find its way out through all other openings and, as long as intake flow is sufficient, most hot air won't be lingering around for long.

Assuming he means the dark soul its an awful case, costs less than £25 and has virtually no airflow.
It comes with no intake fans, you can fit some but they won't do anything at all.

@Ryan3996

Z7 neo includes 4 fans and an inbuilt rgb controller.Fans are molex powered so run full speed but are limited to 1000rpm.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/zalm...gXRCbuLc---PaRIq2TLTWRPcWYAhD2ygaAhNvEALw_wcB

LAN cool 2 rgb mesh

https://www.awd-it.co.uk/lian-li-la...hmlPS1sUk1sk1AFRM__8wyJ6g9Kyj9Z4aAjwOEALw_wcB

Includes 3 x argb fans + argb controller built into the case, needs a 120mm exhaust adding.
You may need a couple of fan splitters for these as you only have 2 fan headers (I'm not sure if splitters are included with the case)

Lancool 2 mesh performance

No rgb but a good looking case with amazing preinstalled cooling and a 3 speed fan controller built in

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lian...yTZQLt4vEiGb_JlZYhiINoMLrm_hYlgwaAl3xEALw_wcB


Loads more but those are 3 of the easiest to build in imo for a novice and are all good cases with excellent airflow.

 

[Ryan3996]

One exhaust fan is one more than absolutely necessary. As long as you have intake fans (preferably filtered), air will find its way out through all other openings and, as long as intake flow is sufficient, most hot air won't be lingering around for long.

Yeh I got the one exhaust fan but no intakes I’ll post a pic if possible