Can I use a Radeon 290 in a Silverstone Grandia GD07?

[vmhomeboy]

I'm in the process of building a gaming PC. It will be used for 1080P gaming in my home theatre room. Due to space, I need a desktop style case, so I've been looking at the Silverstone Grandia GD07.

I just purchased a ASUS Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II, as it was on sale for a great price. Only after buying it did I start to think about whether or not the case would be able to deal with the heat from the card. From Silverstone's marketing information, it sounds like it should be pretty decent with airflow, but I know not to always trust marketing fluff.

What do people here think? If this case won't work, are there other desktop style cases with better airflow?

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Try it and find out. The Grandia GD07 is atx so not as small as most HTPC cases. That being said there does not appear to be much useful air flow in that case. Might get noisy. Just watch the temps to see if CPU/GPU start to thermal throttle.

 

[vmhomeboy]

Unfortunately, computer stores in my area don't allow returns on cases once they're open. I can't just try it. I think I'm just going to have to go with a tower case to be on the safe side.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Oh, I thought you already had the case. If you are shopping for one then NO I would not recommend the Grandia.

What size mobo are you working with? Do you have to go with HTPC form factor?

 

[vmhomeboy]

I haven't purchased anything but the GPU so far. I'm waiting for the ATX form factor MSI Gamer Z97 boards, which are supposed to be available in the next couple of weeks.

After spending the morning looking at all the various HTPC options, I'm not seeing anything that has decent airflow. Now I'm considering to get a Cooler Master HSF 912, although I'd like to get a Corsair H60 and I'm wondering if I can mount the radiator on the 200mm fan mount at the top of the case.

 

[lehtv]

So you don't actually need a desktop HTPC case? If you can simply use a tower like for a normal gaming rig, take a look at Fractal Design R4.

I'd recommend against a Corsair H60. These lower end AIO's rarely make any sense... with an air cooler, you'll get similar performance at lower noise and no risk of leaking.

 

[vmhomeboy]

A desktop case would make things much easier, but I'm not going to risk having a heat issue by forcing these components in to such a case. A tower will require me moving a lot of stuff around, but I think I can make it work. It'll be tough, but it will likely be better for the system in the long run.

I was thinking about the H60 as I thought it might be a little quieter than a air cooler. If I want a quiet air cooler with good performance (i.e. can handle a little over clocking), is there one you recommend? The Fractal R4 looks like a pretty nice case and stores near me have them in stock.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Are you planning multi-gpu setup? Otherwise you may want to consider a mATX mobo. Opens up some possibilities for a smaller case without sacrificing too much air flow.

 

[vmhomeboy]

I'm just planning to run a single Radeon 290. While it might be nice to have the option to add a second card at a later date, I'd more than likely just buy a new card.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

HAF 912 is kinda big for desktop. My son has one and he keeps it on the floor. For a full ATX multi GPU build it's nice.

For single GPU desktop case with mATX mobo take a look at these cases:

Fractal Design Define Mini
bitfenix prodigy m
Temjin tj08-e
silverstone ps-07
cooler master n200


I have the n200. Was looking for half a haf and found it. Working great on my desktop, I like it. Had the bitfenix prodigy m been available when I re-built I might have gotten that instead. Very nice looking case.

 

[vmhomeboy]

The Prodigy M look great, but I get heart palpitations thinking how cramped things are in there. Maybe the modular PS I'm buying will help with that.

 

[lehtv]

For a microATX case I'd pick CM N200 if on a budget, and Nanoxia DS4 if aiming for silence.

 

[vmhomeboy]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

The case is going to be sitting on the floor, so the extra height of a mid tower isn't an issue. After doing a decent amount of research today, I think I'm going to go with the CM HAF 912. I'm reading a ton of great stuff about it and really like the various options for fans. I'll likely pick up the CM Seidon 240M as well, as I like the idea of installing the radiator at the top of the case in a push configuration. That should help lower the ambient heat in the case.

Now the only thing I need to decide is whether or not to wait for the release of the 4790K, in hopes that the price of the 4770K will fall a bit.

EDIT:

Looks like the Seidon 240M won't fit properly in that case, so I'll probably just go with air cooling for the processor.