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Cooling off a Wavemaster

S

shadykidd

Member
I am building my first PC, and I am going to be using the Coolermaster Wavemaster case. I have seen the thread about modding the case for a side fan, but I rather not have to cut a hole in the case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119023

I know this case has cooling problems, but I have done a lot of research on how to fix the air flow problem. I would like some 'expert' opinions on my solution.

I will be purchasing 4 Panaflo low speed fans.
http://www.hardwarecooling.com/product_info.php/cat/48_80/prod/493/Pan...o_80mm_

They push 24CFM and only 21DB of noise. There will be two at the front for intake, one rear exhaust, and one top-mount exhaust.

I am also considering an external 120mm attached to the rear exhaust fan to suck out even more air. I'll use a 80 to 120 converter on the outside of the case, using this part:
http://svc.com/fa80120-uvblu.html

A Zalman will be placed on my GPU, since I think that is the hottest running component I will have.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118001

Will my case have adaquate air flow and stay relatively cool and quiet?


System Specs:
Core2Duo E6600 (Stock cooling) <- I might get an aftermarket cooler if I can find one that will fit in the case
Gigabyte DS3
BFG 7900 GT OC <- Probably with Zalman fan
Seagate Barracuda 7200 w/ Perp Record 250GB
Enermax Liberty 500W
 
You should be fine with just the Panaflo's. I'm still using an overclocked 3200+ and a 7900gt in a Chieftech Dragon case with 2 80mm's in front and back, and I'm running four medium-speed Sunon fans at 5 volts which cool pretty well (just used them since I have a bunch laying around and they'll reliably run quietly at 5 volts). Definitely get a better CPU cooler than the stock one though, maybe the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro (should fit and it's only about 20 bucks). Also, make sure to get a power supply with a 120mm fan, and take out the slot covers on either side of the video card to provide cooler air to it.
 
You'll be fine so long as you're keeping everything at stock speeds. Another simple mod you can do to help airflow is take a Dremel to the "grate" in the front so that your front fan is more unobstructed. Since that grate lives behind the front "post" thing, you don't even have to do a perfect job of it, because you won't be able to see it unless you look for it.
 
I agree with opening up the front grille region as much as you can- it will be difficult due to the thickness of the aluminum, but if you do not want to put in a side panel hole for intake, then you will definitely want to mod the front.

An 80-->120mm adaptor for installation of a 120mm fan on the outside for rear exhaust can help quite a bit, IMO. I saw a drop of ~3-4C with this modification alone. The adaptor will interfere with taking the side panel off somewhat, but not to the point where you would actually experience too much difficulty.

A top exhaust is worthless, IMO. I tried with and without a blowhole, and unless I cranked the fan up to intolerable noise levels, I saw nothing except a 1C drop in system temps. You also run the risk of robbing the PSU of air, as well as inviting disaster should liquids fall down the hole.

You can mount 92mm fans for front intake if you use velcro tape or some other adhesive to secure the fan frame to the mounting bracket. Attach all fans to a controller so that you can crank the speed up as needed. It would not be a bad idea to get some fans that can push a decent amount of air so that you can run them at lower speeds when you do not need the extra cooling, but still have some reserve cooling capacity left should you need it. Search around silentpcreview for 80 and/or 92mm fans that undervolt well.

The VF-900 is an excellent choice for this case- the cooler excels in low-airflow environments. An efficient aftermarket CPU HSF would be a good idea as well, preferably something that can cool effectively without too much airflow, i.e. an SI-120.

In all honesty, though, the above are all geared towards optimizing cooling and/or cooling with as little noise as possible. In stock form, a WaveMaster will be fine unless you plan to do hardcore overvolting in an unusually warm environment.
 
There have been several threads comparing the Tsunami to the Wavemaster- the general outcome is that some people love the Tsunami while others don't care for it for various reasons.

Having used both, I feel that the Tsunami is in a completely different class quality-wise compared to the Wavemaster.The Tsunami just feels less sturdy, the aluminum is thinner and less well-finished, and the use of plastic is a real turn-off. If the Tsunami were priced in the $60 range, it would be a good buy- however, in its current price bracket, it is outclassed by several other cases, the Wavemaster being one of them. To me, the Wavemaster exudes quality, while the Tsunami feels like a cheap knockoff.

I do have to admit that the Tsunami has some conveniences that the Wavemaster does not- changing fans out it much easier, and as you mentioned, the 2x120mm fan arrangement does facillitate cooling. Then again, you get the removable mobo tray with the Wavemaster.

In the end, I would rather put some effort into making the Wavemaster more efficient than settling for the Tsunami. If you are only considering these two cases, and really do not want to make any permanent modifications to your case, the deciding factor would be whether a few degrees of cooling is worth the tradeoff in build quality.
 
That is good to know. I appreciate the input. You are only about the second person that consistently recommends the Wavemaster. Everyone else bashes it.

 
The Wavemaster was really not designed with hot modern components in mind. It also lacks conveniences that most have come to expect from cases (hard drive rails, easily removable fans/filters, screwless PCI slot clamps, etc). However, it is also built like a tank, and even the newer CoolerMaster cases cannot compare in terms of overall quality. A possible alternative would be the latest Praetorian, which has dual 80mm exhausts and a 120mm intake, but that case is contingent on you liking the door design. The actual chassis is identical.

Having said that, your chosen components will not require all that much cooling. It is not as if you were putting a Prescott and an X1900XT in the case. 80mm fans are not exactly ideal, but you can completely avoid using them in the Wavemaster if you like.

One final thing to keep in mind is that to my knowledge, there is only one mid-tower case that has both a 120mm rear exhaust fan AND a removable mobo tray (a case by Akasa). So, if you want the convenience of a removable mobo tray, you will most likely have to sacrifice a 120mm exhaust; on the other hand, so long as you are willing to use an 80-->120mm adaptor mounted on the outside, this should not be much of an issue.

I will finish by saying this: if you appreciate quality, and can live with the fact that you will not have the coolest-running system on the block, the Wavemaster will not dissapoint. Seeing as how you will be running an efficient CPU and GPU, are adding aftermarket cooling on top, and do not plan to set new air-cooling OC records, the Wavemaster would suit your needs.
 
Originally posted by: shadykidd
Would I be better off with a different case altogether? The Thermaltake Tsunami is close in design, but has much better airflow.

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDe...jsp?ProductCode=371207&prodlist=nextag

This is the only other case I can see myself buying.
Click to expand...
I have that case, it's a nice case and has good airflow. Cool looking case also, especially the blue LED's in the front. I have the black case, I thought it looked better than the silver.
If you look up some reviews for this case (and there are lots of them) this case is one of the best out there in design and airflow. The reviews are very good to excellent.

 
Open up the front grill as mentioned, but Ive also cut 2 2inch holes on the bottom/floor of the case and put a screen on the bottom of the case, over the holes.

My case is on a tile floor and not much stuff gets stuck in the screen, carpet wouldnt work though.
That added a bunch of air input to the case (besides the top as an exit and rear as an exit), I guess you could maybe put a 92mm fan on the bottom of the case, drawing in or out cool air, maybe youd have to raise the feet a half an inch to suck in air
 
The WaveMaster is a beautiful case and easy to work in. If people bash it, it's because their trying to make it into something it's not - a high-end overclocking cooling chassis. It's not going to do that, it's just not built for it. But if you're just running a standard system, it's a very stylish case that works nicely.
 
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