Question My PSU is an incredibly tight fit in the Corsair iCUE 220T case ?

[rcsverige]

So I upgraded my case recently for a number of reasons. I took careful consideration of the case that I would purchase... I ended up going with a Corsair 220t and absolutely love it but I have a problem. The specifications say that the max length for the PSU is 180mm so I assumed it should be a good fit with my PSU which is 160mm (RM650x) but man is it incredibly tight. I had to basically squeeze the cables in and had to squeeze the storage bay in. While some people have assured me that it should be fine, I just cant really think past it.

My goal was to purchase a second SSD, get rid of my HDD, and then mount both SSDs on the back of the case so that I could remove the storage bay entirely. The problem however is that the SATA power cable is a bunch of 90degree plugs making it virtually impossible seeing as how, with the back panel on, there is virtually no room in this case. And I dont really know how to make it work... so I have kept the PC as is with the anxiety still lingering about the lack of room and that I basically had to squeeze everything in including the back panel because there just isnt much room at all.

While I like the case I am a bit upset that it is this tight. My questions are, should this be fine? If I want to mount the SSD, how can I get a cable that is flat and not at a 90degree angle? Has anyone else experienced a very tight fitting case and how did it go for you?

 

[Aeacus]

I ended up going with a Corsair 220t and absolutely love it

Interesting contradiction. You say you absolutely love it, but you hate the little space it has in it.

so that I could remove the storage bay entirely.

What stops you removing the HDD cage right now and resting the HDD at the bottom of the PC case? This would free up more space for cable management.

how can I get a cable that is flat and not at a 90degree angle?

Power or data?

In any event, there are straight extensions for that,
power: https://cablemod.com/product-category/cable-extensions/molex-to-sata-power/
data: https://cablemod.com/product-category/cables/sata-data-cables/?orderby=menu_order&show_products=103

While I like the case I am a bit upset that it is this tight.

The smaller the PC case - the less free space you have in it.
Your PC case isn't even mid-tower ATX, but smaller, midi-tower ATX. Since i personally hate small and cramped up spaces, 2 out of 3 of my PCs, are sitting in a full-tower ATX cases. I once had midi-tower ATX case, never going back to it.

Has anyone else experienced a very tight fitting case and how did it go for you?

Everyone who has built a mini-iTX system have had issues with space. From the top of my mind, @logainofhades built mini-ITX system. Perhaps he comes along and shares few pointers for you as well.

 

[rcsverige]

Interesting contradiction. You say you absolutely love it, but you hate the little space it has in it.



What stops you removing the HDD cage right now and resting the HDD at the bottom of the PC case? This would free up more space for cable management.



Power or data?

In any event, there are straight extensions for that,
power: https://cablemod.com/product-category/cable-extensions/molex-to-sata-power/
data: https://cablemod.com/product-category/cables/sata-data-cables/?orderby=menu_order&show_products=103



The smaller the PC case - the less free space you have in it.
Your PC case isn't even mid-tower ATX, but smaller, midi-tower ATX. Since i personally hate small and cramped up spaces, 2 out of 3 of my PCs, are sitting in a full-tower ATX cases. I once had midi-tower ATX case, never going back to it.



Everyone who has built a mini-iTX system have had issues with space. From the top of my mind, @logainofhades built mini-ITX system. Perhaps he comes along and shares few pointers for you as well.

idk how to quote like you just did so Ill go one by one

Look, I am reading/Studying Thomas Hobbes for Poli so I am getting used to the idea of just contradicting myself lol

The storage bay holsters both SSD ( I got rid of the HDD because I barely have any use for it as I only used 100gb out of 2tb) so I need to figure out how to remove it. Im also terrified of doing something like that because I might mess it up or screw something up... I recently upgraded hardware and case and monitor so it was close to 1000euros for everything. So I just want to be sure that what I do is correct. But I also overthink a bunch so I might be looking into this too much.

I actually thought this mid tower would be significant but you are right... I think I actually lost some cable space from upgrading. My previous case (fractal design) had the PSU and Storage bay in the front... it just seem far easier to manage everything. I thought about a full case but someone convinced me that I didnt need that much space (Im fairly new to PC and building) so I agreed. Maybe a mistake but I also like the mistake lol idk.

 

[logainofhades]

I agree for the SSD, on getting extension cables, if you fear the normal cables will not fit. I know with my ITX rig, it is a bit of a struggle, to get the side panel on, sometimes, and often have contemplating going with extensions, but my case is poor on cable management, so the less cable the better. I even chose an SFX PSU, for this reason. To remove the HDD cage, it appears to just be a single screw, from looking at the GN review.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUP-mG76mOs

 

[Aeacus]

idk how to quote like you just did so Ill go one by one

Just select part of the text, once you've finished the selection (i use mouse and drag with holding left button, to select the text), a pop-up appears, with two choices; Quote or Reply. Selecting Reply will put the selected text into proper quote tags and adds it to your reply type area. That's how i do it.

Im also terrified of doing something like that because I might mess it up or screw something up...

It's simple hardware. Not much to mess up there.

Just power off your PC, unhook the cables from drives (or leave the cables connected), take out both SSDs from HDD cage, remove the HDD cage, and put the SSDs back into the PC (shove them in). SSDs doesn't have any moving parts and drive orientation doesn't matter. They can live nicely in a pileup, one ontop of another.

Once you get your cable issue sorted, you can mount the SSDs to the back of MoBo tray, for more prettier looks.

I thought about a full case but someone convinced me that I didnt need that much space (Im fairly new to PC and building) so I agreed.

Going big isn't only justified by the need of big. Bigger PC cases also have ample room for cable management, which is the main reason why i went with full-tower ATX. Other benefits include little, if any clearance issues.

Speaking of full-tower ATX, here's my main build, Skylake, in a Corsair 760T V2 Black case (side panel off, since i was servicing it):

Thoughts?

The smaller the PC case - the more effort you have to put out trying to fit all that in. And even when you've measured everything, you still can run into clearance issues (this is very prone on mini-ITX systems). Overall, going with mini-ITX is only viable if you love to see small PC case, doesn't mind the hardship of building it and have solid idea how to properly cool that small hotbox.

 

[letmepicyou]

The smaller the PC case - the less free space you have in it.
Your PC case isn't even mid-tower ATX, but smaller, midi-tower ATX. Since i personally hate small and cramped up spaces, 2 out of 3 of my PCs, are sitting in a full-tower ATX cases. I once had midi-tower ATX case, never going back to it.

Man, I totally agree. My last 2 builds prior to the one I'm on now were in full atx cases, and building them was a dream. I only went to a mid-atx this last build because I was no longer running big, clunky mechanical hard drives so I felt I could finally, after all these years, go back to a mid-tower. It was hard to go back! My newest is built in a Thermaltake P3 Core case (in Snow white), and were it not for being rise-card capable for the GPU, I would not have been able to fit my video card (3080) and AIO water cooler (Corsair H170i Elite LCD) in here! On retrospect, I probably should have gone with the P6 instead, but luckily and with some effort, I got everything crammed into this P3 case. Were it not for the fact I don't think the P6 would fit in my current computer desk, I'd go back to a full tower.

I at one time had dreams of building a itx system but...after struggling with a mid-tower, figured perhaps it wasn't such a good idea.

 

[rcsverige]

I agree for the SSD, on getting extension cables, if you fear the normal cables will not fit. I know with my ITX rig, it is a bit of a struggle, to get the side panel on, sometimes, and often have contemplating going with extensions, but my case is poor on cable management, so the less cable the better. I even chose an SFX PSU, for this reason. To remove the HDD cage, it appears to just be a single screw, from looking at the GN review.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUP-mG76mOs

yea it is just a single screw. Im just really concerned with the crampness... whether that is ok or not. I dont know much about PCs and the builds and what is common... I just wasnt expecting my 160mm to be as tight with 180mm dimensions. I now have 2 ssds so I do want to purchase some extensions but I am also afraid that I might get the wrong cables that would be bad for the PSU... again this is the result of a lack of PC knowledge. I am deff in a better position to do that now that I purchased a 1tb SSD last week and removed the HDD entirely. What would you suggest I get? I really only need the SATA Power cable to connect to the multiple ports on my SATA which is connected to my PSU. A


dditionally, if you had to make an assumption, do you feel that, under the current circume

Just select part of the text, once you've finished the selection (i use mouse and drag with holding left button, to select the text), a pop-up appears, with two choices; Quote or Reply. Selecting Reply will put the selected text into proper quote tags and adds it to your reply type area. That's how i do it.



It's simple hardware. Not much to mess up there.

Just power off your PC, unhook the cables from drives (or leave the cables connected), take out both SSDs from HDD cage, remove the HDD cage, and put the SSDs back into the PC (shove them in). SSDs doesn't have any moving parts and drive orientation doesn't matter. They can live nicely in a pileup, one ontop of another.

Once you get your cable issue sorted, you can mount the SSDs to the back of MoBo tray, for more prettier looks.



Going big isn't only justified by the need of big. Bigger PC cases also have ample room for cable management, which is the main reason why i went with full-tower ATX. Other benefits include little, if any clearance issues.

Speaking of full-tower ATX, here's my main build, Skylake, in a Corsair 760T V2 Black case (side panel off, since i was servicing it):

Thoughts?

The smaller the PC case - the more effort you have to put out trying to fit all that in. And even when you've measured everything, you still can run into clearance issues (this is very prone on mini-ITX systems). Overall, going with mini-ITX is only viable if you love to see small PC case, doesn't mind the hardship of building it and have solid idea how to properly cool that small hotbox.

Dude that set up looks good! I literally wanted to buy a large case but my friend mentioned that its not necessary and really large so I assumed that it wasnt the best option.
The one issue I was struggling with is whether the new extension cables would screw things up somehow... Like they wouldnt be rated for my PSU. If the extension cables are much of a worry then I will buy them tomorrow and get rid of that storage bay entirely. I might even purchase an NVME with heatsink for my OS only!

 

[rcsverige]

Just select part of the text, once you've finished the selection (i use mouse and drag with holding left button, to select the text), a pop-up appears, with two choices; Quote or Reply. Selecting Reply will put the selected text into proper quote tags and adds it to your reply type area. That's how i do it.



It's simple hardware. Not much to mess up there.

Just power off your PC, unhook the cables from drives (or leave the cables connected), take out both SSDs from HDD cage, remove the HDD cage, and put the SSDs back into the PC (shove them in). SSDs doesn't have any moving parts and drive orientation doesn't matter. They can live nicely in a pileup, one ontop of another.

Once you get your cable issue sorted, you can mount the SSDs to the back of MoBo tray, for more prettier looks.



Going big isn't only justified by the need of big. Bigger PC cases also have ample room for cable management, which is the main reason why i went with full-tower ATX. Other benefits include little, if any clearance issues.

Speaking of full-tower ATX, here's my main build, Skylake, in a Corsair 760T V2 Black case (side panel off, since i was servicing it):

Thoughts?

The smaller the PC case - the more effort you have to put out trying to fit all that in. And even when you've measured everything, you still can run into clearance issues (this is very prone on mini-ITX systems). Overall, going with mini-ITX is only viable if you love to see small PC case, doesn't mind the hardship of building it and have solid idea how to properly cool that small hotbox.

Here is my PC currently. Its tight. I was so annoyed that I decided to just not manage the cables for the time being since I felt that it was not permanent especially with the storage bay in.

https://imgur.com/a/JeWx11P

View: https://imgur.com/a/JeWx11P

 

[Aeacus]

The one issue I was struggling with is whether the new extension cables would screw things up somehow... Like they wouldnt be rated for my PSU.

Regarding power cables, there are two sets of them;

1. Replacement cables (like the fancy red ones i have). <- With this, you have to make sure the replacement cables are compatible with your PSU.
2. Cable extensions. <- These are universal, since they connect to the end of power cables, extending them.

For your RM650x, there are replacement cables by CableMod (the C-series),
link: https://cablemod.com/products/?filter_series=c-series-rmi-rmx&show_products=37
CableMod compatibility list: https://cablemod.com/compatibility/

Or if you want it cheaper, then cable extension, e.g MOLEX to flat SATA,
link: https://cablemod.com/product-category/cable-extensions/molex-to-sata-power/

Btw, all the fancy red sleeved cables you see in my build, are from CableMod. Those include: full power cable set for my Seasonic PRIME 650 80+ Titanium PSU, front I/O extensions, HD Audio extension, 2x internal USB 2.0 extensions, 4-pin fan extension, anodized aluminium thumb screws (ontop of PCI-E slots) and transparent cable combs.

Dude that set up looks good!

What you see, is a lot of time, effort and dedication (some money too). Also, what i love about my build, is that it looks good even when powered off. Can't say the same about your PC though and the ratsnest of cables showing in it.

Btw, my build powered on looks like so:

My missus'es build (with same set of CableMod goodies, except in blue color):

And my old AMD build as well (again, with CableMod goodies, in green color):

Full specs with more pics in my sig.

I literally wanted to buy a large case but my friend mentioned that its not necessary and really large so I assumed that it wasnt the best option.

I'd go with bigger PC case if i were you. And if you like your fancy fans, you can bring those over. OR buy CableMod replacement/extenders and make a proper cable management in your PC.

 

[rcsverige]

Regarding power cables, there are two sets of them;

1. Replacement cables (like the fancy red ones i have). <- With this, you have to make sure the replacement cables are compatible with your PSU.
2. Cable extensions. <- These are universal, since they connect to the end of power cables, extending them.

For your RM650x, there are replacement cables by CableMod (the C-series),
link: https://cablemod.com/products/?filter_series=c-series-rmi-rmx&show_products=37
CableMod compatibility list: https://cablemod.com/compatibility/

Or if you want it cheaper, then cable extension, e.g MOLEX to flat SATA,
link: https://cablemod.com/product-category/cable-extensions/molex-to-sata-power/

Btw, all the fancy red sleeved cables you see in my build, are from CableMod. Those include: full power cable set for my Seasonic PRIME 650 80+ Titanium PSU, front I/O extensions, HD Audio extension, 2x internal USB 2.0 extensions, 4-pin fan extension, anodized aluminium thumb screws (ontop of PCI-E slots) and transparent cable combs.



What you see, is a lot of time, effort and dedication (some money too). Also, what i love about my build, is that it looks good even when powered off. Can't say the same about your PC though and the ratsnest of cables showing in it.

Btw, my build powered on looks like so:

My missus'es build (with same set of CableMod goodies, except in blue color):

And my old AMD build as well (again, with CableMod goodies, in green color):

Full specs with more pics in my sig.



I'd go with bigger PC case if i were you. And if you like your fancy fans, you can bring those over. OR buy CableMod replacement/extenders and make a proper cable management in your PC.

I really cant buy another case. I just purchased this one about 2 weeks ago and I dont have a lot of money to be able to do that. Student life ya know? I think my best option is to get some extensions and mount both ssd to back of case. Once I remove that storage bay then I will have plenty of room and will be able to cable manage significantly better.

 

[Aeacus]

How about going with M.2 NVMe SSD (e.g 2TB) to completely remove all 2.5" SSDs from your system, freeing up the PC case basement completely?

E.g Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB, 160 bucks and all your troubles go away,
970 Evo Plus lineup, pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/BDYLrH,TwWfrH,Zxw7YJ,Fv8j4D/

Btw, i have the very same drive as my OS drive (and yes, mine is 2TB in size).

 

[logainofhades]

Bitwit's Kyle I know uses a lot of Asiahorse extensions, from Amazon. I have extensions, for my PCI-E cables, as the SFX cables were just a bit too short. Mine are Microcenter's Inland brand.

How about going with M.2 NVMe SSD (e.g 2TB) to completely remove all 2.5" SSDs from your system, freeing up the PC case basement completely?

E.g Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB, 160 bucks and all your troubles go away,
970 Evo Plus lineup, pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/BDYLrH,TwWfrH,Zxw7YJ,Fv8j4D/

Btw, i have the very same drive as my OS drive (and yes, mine is 2TB in size).

The 2.5's mount to the back side of the motherboard tray.

 

[Aeacus]

The 2.5's mount to the back side of the motherboard tray.

Yes, they do. But like OP said, their issue is 90 degree angled SATA power connectors, which don't fit, once 2.5" SSDs are mounted there. And without straight extensions, for time being, OP can sit their 2.5" SSDs at the bottom of the PC case, without HDD cage in (to free up some space).