Recommended Case and Cooling

[LoosSerine]

Hi,

Need a case for the following parts. Also, I presume I'd need a CPU cooler as well so if there's anything you can recommend for some light overclock much appreciated. Finally, a GPU cooler needed?

i7 5820k
Gigabyte X99-SLI (Socket 2011-3) DDR4 ATX
EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti FTW GAMING ACX 2.0+
Corsair HX1000i 1000W Platinum PSU
Corsair CMK16GX4M4A2400C14 Vengeance LPX 16GB (4x 4GB) DDR4 2400MHz XMP 2.0
Couple SSDs, no 3.5 inch required.

I've been looking at the Fractal Design R5 and the S but if there's anything else someone could recommend and also the CPU and (maybe) GPU cooler?

Thanks

 

[Tech-Brandon]

Hi,

Question 1: A case for the system specified.

Choosing a case is tricky. This is due to that different people have different plan on how they wish to upgrade their computers. Let me give you an example related to this build. Since you have specified that you won't be using 3.5 inch HDD, this means the only way to upgrade storage is by 2.5 inch bays which implies that you will be upgrading using SSD.
NOTE: Although 2.5 inch HDD exists and available, I do not advise using them since they are very prone to damages.
If you plan to switch to full custom water cooled system, you have to ensure that the case is big enough and has enough fan mount points but what if you want a small sized case to fit a specific area? Or want it to have a fancy look rather than being robust?
I think this is a personalized decision and therefore I recommend you either providing more information on how you wish to upgrade in the future or go to http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/case/ and use the filters to narrow down your search.

Question 2: GPU Cooler?

Depends. If you got extra money to spend and have the technical knowledge on how to build and maintain a custom water cooling system, the latter is an option. Unless you're overclocking your GPU, I don't think it is necessary to have a custom cooler. http://www.xs-pc.com/waterblocks-gpu/ - Take a peep at this website if you are considering it.

Question 3: CPU Cooler

CPU cooling is much more critical than GPU cooling and therefore I recommend using a better cooler than the stock version. If you considered to water cool your GPU than water cooling your CPU makes sense. You can still use a closed-loop water cooler for the CPU if you don't want to water cool your GPU, although this option is more commonly used where overclocking is pushed heavily. A good air cooler should do the trick for light overclocking.
There are two approaches when buying a CPU cooler. You either decide the case first and find a CPU cooler which fits in the case or vice versa. With this said, I can't choose a specific CPU cooler yet http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu-cooler/#w=0&sort=d4&page=1 you can use this page to help you narrow down your search

I'm sorry if I haven't provided a direct product what to buy, but such parts are better chosen by the user himself since these are user dependant and not critical. Feel free to post what products you have chosen and let the community confirm.

Regards,
Brandon

 

[LoosSerine]

Cheers Brandon, I've been looking at the Fractal Design R5 or S. I don't plan to use HDD, only SSD. Is there a need for me to water cool the system? At most I might use a water cooler for my CPU. For this build I'm not too fussed about size, as long as it keeps cool, quiet and easy to build/get my hands into when installing.

I won't be overclocking the GPU as I think there's no need, stock will be sufficient to run all games on max as I don't use 4K, at most 1440p.

I've read places that the i7 5820K doesn't come with a stock cooler but I wasn't sure, which is why I was wondering if I needed a CPU cooler.

 

[Tech-Brandon]

Cheers Brandon, I've been looking at the Fractal Design R5 or S. I don't plan to use HDD, only SSD. Is there a need for me to water cool the system? At most I might use a water cooler for my CPU. For this build I'm not too fussed about size, as long as it keeps cool, quiet and easy to build/get my hands into when installing.

I won't be overclocking the GPU as I think there's no need, stock will be sufficient to run all games on max as I don't use 4K, at most 1440p.

I've read places that the i7 5820K doesn't come with a stock cooler but I wasn't sure, which is why I was wondering if I needed a CPU cooler.

The Fractal Design R5 allows more upgradability in storage, even if you plan using SSD, as you can buy 3.5 inch HDD bay to 2.5 inch bay adapter, although the S version allow for bigger length in graphic cards. Though the GPU should fit in both cases. Confirm and re-check the dimensions when buying it.

According to http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80648i75820k the CPU doesn't have a stock cooler. This link should narrow down your search when picking an air cooler: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu-cooler/#w=0&sort=d4&page=1

I honestly don't think you need to go for water cooling unless you are making intense overclocking. A good air cooler should work perfectly fine.

Regards,
Brandon

 

[LoosSerine]

Cheers Brandon, I've been looking at the Fractal Design R5 or S. I don't plan to use HDD, only SSD. Is there a need for me to water cool the system? At most I might use a water cooler for my CPU. For this build I'm not too fussed about size, as long as it keeps cool, quiet and easy to build/get my hands into when installing.

I won't be overclocking the GPU as I think there's no need, stock will be sufficient to run all games on max as I don't use 4K, at most 1440p.

I've read places that the i7 5820K doesn't come with a stock cooler but I wasn't sure, which is why I was wondering if I needed a CPU cooler.

The Fractal Design R5 allows more upgradability in storage, even if you plan using SSD, as you can buy 3.5 inch HDD bay to 2.5 inch bay adapter, although the S version allow for bigger length in graphic cards. Though the GPU should fit in both cases. Confirm and re-check the dimensions when buying it.

According to http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80648i75820k the CPU doesn't have a stock cooler. This link should narrow down you search when picking an air cooler: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu-cooler/#w=0&sort=d4&page=1

I honestly don't think you need to go for water cooling unless you are making intense overclocking. A good air cooler should work perfectly fine.

Regards,
Brandon

Dimenson wise the card does fit in both cases but should there be a leeway? Say if the case allows 30cm, and the card is 26.6cm (which this one is), is that too tight or should there be a good margin.

I'll probably overclock to the turbo 3.6GHz as stock is 3.3.

 

[Tech-Brandon]

Cheers Brandon, I've been looking at the Fractal Design R5 or S. I don't plan to use HDD, only SSD. Is there a need for me to water cool the system? At most I might use a water cooler for my CPU. For this build I'm not too fussed about size, as long as it keeps cool, quiet and easy to build/get my hands into when installing.

I won't be overclocking the GPU as I think there's no need, stock will be sufficient to run all games on max as I don't use 4K, at most 1440p.

I've read places that the i7 5820K doesn't come with a stock cooler but I wasn't sure, which is why I was wondering if I needed a CPU cooler.

The Fractal Design R5 allows more upgradability in storage, even if you plan using SSD, as you can buy 3.5 inch HDD bay to 2.5 inch bay adapter, although the S version allow for bigger length in graphic cards. Though the GPU should fit in both cases. Confirm and re-check the dimensions when buying it.

According to http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80648i75820k the CPU doesn't have a stock cooler. This link should narrow down you search when picking an air cooler: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/cpu-cooler/#w=0&sort=d4&page=1

I honestly don't think you need to go for water cooling unless you are making intense overclocking. A good air cooler should work perfectly fine.

Regards,
Brandon

Dimenson wise the card does fit in both cases but should there be a leeway? Say if the case allows 30cm, and the card is 26.6cm (which this one is), is that too tight or should there be a good margin.

I'll probably overclock to the turbo 3.6GHz as stock is 3.3.

It should be enough if the dimensions doesn't exceed the GPU maximum size with cages of the case. You can always start mounting the SSD from the bottom to leave a bigger leeway between the storage and the GPU.

Regards,
Brandon

 

[g-unit1111]

It should be enough if the dimensions doesn't exceed the GPU maximum size with cages of the case. You can always start mounting the SSD from the bottom to leave a bigger leeway between the storage and the GPU.

Regards,
Brandon

But most modern cases even sub $50 cases allow for removal of hard drive cages to accommodate larger graphics cards, do they not? And some like the Define S don't have any. You can see on my Define R4 how I have the HD cage removed and all the drives stored on the bottom. That's how it should be done.