Which case has best air flow for gaming?

[jmack5864]

Hey guys. I am building a new i7 gaming rig and need some help. I want a case that will have great air cooling and not be too loud. My current components are:

Intel 920 i7
Prolimatch Megahalem CPU Cooler w/ Scythe 120mm fan
2 x BFG GTX 285 1 GB OC edition
6 GB Corsair Dominator 1600 CAS Lantency 7
ASUS P6T V2 mobo
2 x WD Velociraptor 300 GB HDD
2 x WD Caviar Black 1 TB HDD
1200 W Antec PSU
LF 24 x DVD Drive

I would like to know which is better for my build.... the Antec 1200, the Thermaltake Armor +, the Cooler Master HAF 932, or the Lian Li PC-P80. Which has better air flow, sound dampening, etc.

Thanks.

 

[Guest]

I guess you're a bit out of the loop, otherwise you would have 5850's or 5870's instead of those gtx285's.

 

[The Silence]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4146085&csid=_21

I myself am getting a HAF 932 for my i7 gaming rig. On Tiger Direct, There are many positive things posted about it, I was going to get the armor but then I found the HAF 932 and fell in love with it, I recommend it to you too. Also, on Tiger Direct, its only 139.99 last time I checked

 

[jmack5864]

I guess you're a bit out of the loop, otherwise you would have 5850's or 5870's instead of those gtx285's.

Well, those cards are the reason I am building a new rig. A local computer store went out of business a couple of months back and I got them both for $100 ($50 a piece)

After I got them I decided to build me a new gaming pc instead of using my old Dell XPS 420.

 

[Guest]

Well, those cards are the reason I am building a new rig. A local computer store went out of business a couple of months back and I got them both for $100 ($50 a piece)

After I got them I decided to build me a new gaming pc instead of using my old Dell XPS 420.

Well that makes a lot of sense then

 

[JohnnyLucky]

I have the Coolermaster HAF 932. Ventilation, air flow, and cooling are excellent. It is a huge beast with plenty of room for those large tower style 160mm tall cpu heatsinks and the long video cards.

Last year Tom's hardware did several technical reviews of pc cases. When it came to ventilation, airflow, and cooling the HAF 932 came out on top followed very closely by the Antec Twelve Hundred.

Note - Gaming cases do not come with sound dampening due to the all of the case ventilation. By ventilation I mean openings in a case to improve airflow and cooling. The gaming rigs typically have a lot of perforated mesh and vented slots.

Noise is relative. Different people hear different things. One person's quiet pc is another person's fighter jet on take off.

Here is a link to a very good web site with a lot of useful information about quiet pc's:

http://www.silentpcreview.com

 

[JohnnyLucky]

strangestranger - You are absolutely, 100% correct. The Antec 1200 watt power supply is definitely overkill.

 

[jmack5864]

Get the antec 1200 to match the 1200W antec psu which is most likely overkill. I reckon a smaller psu will do fine.

Well I went with 1200 watt PSU because every wattage calculater that I found online told me I needed a 1000~1100 watt PSU. I have heard good and bad things from all four cases that I mentioned. The only thing bad about the Antec 1200 is that it is supposedly very loud, the HAF 932 has great air circulation but doesn't have any air filters, the Thermaltake Armor + has great reviews but has a lot of cheap looking plastic parts, and the Lian Li also has great reviews but is nearly $400 with tax and shipping.

 

[jmack5864]

I have the Coolermaster HAF 932. Ventilation, air flow, and cooling are excellent. It is a huge beast with plenty of room for those large tower style 160mm tall cpu heatsinks and the long video cards.

Last year Tom's hardware did several technical reviews of pc cases. When it came to ventilation, airflow, and cooling the HAF 932 came out on top followed very closely by the Antec Twelve Hundred.

Note - Gaming cases do not come with sound dampening due to the all of the case ventilation. By ventilation I mean openings in a case to improve airflow and cooling. The gaming rigs typically have a lot of perforated mesh and vented slots.

Noise is relative. Different people hear different things. One person's quiet pc is another person's fighter jet on take off.

Here is a link to a very good web site with a lot of useful information about quiet pc's:

http://www.silentpcreview.com

I've heard good things about the HAF. Since the fans do not come with filter, how often do you have to "dust off" your internal components? and how difficult is it to work with the HAF? I'm a fairly big guy with big hands and fat fingers so the more room inside the case the better.

 

[theholylancer]

Well, those cards are the reason I am building a new rig. A local computer store went out of business a couple of months back and I got them both for $100 ($50 a piece)

After I got them I decided to build me a new gaming pc instead of using my old Dell XPS 420.

holy mother of cow 100 dollars for 2 ??!?!#?!@?#?!#!?@#?!DFG?DASGRSDGSDFG


I R foaming at mouth


BTW the HAF 932 is IMO the best bet, esp if you replace the stock fans with high CFM 120mm ones (they can fit 4x 130 CFM 120mm monsters in place of 1x 230mm slow fan) but then ur ears will be bleeding

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The HAF 932 is a huge beast so there is plenty of room for large components. No problem there. However, those tiny screws for the motherboard and other components are a completely different matter. It does not matter how large or small a case happens to be, the tiny screws are a royal pain in the butt.

I bought my first computer in 1984 and did my first upgrade the following year. I bought a small, cheap 9 piece pc tool kit for $6.99. The kit came with a 3 prong grabber. That grabber has saved me a lot of grief and frustration. Push down on the top and the 3 wire prongs on the bottom expand. Place over screw head. Remove finger from the top and the prongs retract and hold the screw. I use it to get the screws started. Works like a charm.

Here's a link to a variety of grabbers:

http://www.shopwiki.com/Pick-Up+Tool,5+Prong+(B0006O5L5Y)

Here's a very good one for only $2.20:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002W22GY2?&tag=shopwiki-us-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325

As for cleaning, I wipe the exterior of the case and vacuum the carpet every week. If necessary I remove the front bezel and wipe it and the front panel clean. The front bezel is very easy to remove so it is not a hassle. The case has a side window so I can just look inside and see if there is any dust. I use a can of compressed air once every 3 months to blow out the interior dust.

I should point out that dust is relative. Different environmental situations will result in different quantities and types of dust. Years ago I made my own pc stand with parts I bought at a local hardware store. The bottom of my pc is about 12 inches above the floor and nylon carpet. That helps keep nylon carpet fibers out of the case.