Corsair Carbide 540 and water cooling?

[boxleitnerb]

Hi,

I plan to ditch my TJ07 since I have no 3.5" or 5.25" drives any more and I don't need the space. I'm looking for a smaller case for my custom loop watercooled system with an external radiator (Mora 3, 9x140mm).

I stumbled upon the Carbide 540 which I really like. The only thing it is missing are holes in the back for the tubes and fan cables to my external rad, but I can cut those no problem. Any words on the case itself? Pros, cons, experiences? I want to have the following parts in the case:

• ATX board, 2 long graphic cards (320mm max)
• cylindrical reservoir from EK
• fairly large Eheim pump (1048 derivative)
• 2-3 SSDs
• small fan controller board (aquaero 5 LT)
• extra sleeved cables (this is why I like the second compartment, it gives space to hide the original cables and use the sleeved ones as extensions)

That's it! Any opinions, advice?

 

[cbrunny]

I have this case but have zero water cooling and only failed AIO experience, so take this for what it's worth.

The case is great. I have 2 7970s in it and they fit easily. I run air cooled with 6 fans, plus cpu & gpu fans. Airflow has never been an issue.

The cable section is pretty large. No idea if your parts will fit there but thats because I have no exp in that. SSD's will fit no problem though. Case is very easy to build in and the cable management room in the back is fantastic. I have 2 ssd, 2 hdd, and room to spare.

I did have a fan controller in there for a while and it fit with no issues as well, but I ended up taking it out because its functionality was poor and my new mobo had better controller.

All in, great case. Highly recommend.

 

[boxleitnerb]

Great info, thanks! How about build quality, is it sturdy or does it have much plastic? How about clearances - do all the parts fit perfectly together or are there gaps?

 

[cbrunny]

The case is mostly metal (aluminum?), has a sweet finish that I really like. The fan covers are plastic, but nice plastic, secured by thumb screws, but they have metal grill.

I have had no issues with clearances. There is room at the top for the ATX power to supply the cpu, and plenty of holes to pass cables through. I have a phanteks ph-tc14pe http://www.phanteks.com/ph-tc14pe.html and it fits with no issues. And that's a big hunk of metal. On a full ATX board.

 

[aigomorla]

oh woes is me..

to think someone would actually consider getting rid of the TJ07 who is a watercooler without going for a upgrade to like a MM....



<---- still thinks the TJ07 is and was one of the best cases ever made...

 

[boxleitnerb]

It is a great case, but the MM is crazy expensive and the case itself is just so large - I don't need this much space.
Add to that the build quality of the TJ07 has deteriorated since its inception. I had 3 of them and the newer ones were worse than the older ones (gaps, finish).

 

[aigomorla]

It is a great case, but the MM is crazy expensive and the case itself is just so large - I don't need this much space.
Add to that the build quality of the TJ07 has deteriorated since its inception. I had 3 of them and the newer ones were worse than the older ones (gaps, finish).

yeah i agree...

i had an original TJ07 too until i upgraded to a MM.

The funny thing is my MM is probably the oldest piece of EQ i have...
Its been with me since my C2D / C2Q days....

 

[SexyK]

Last year I did a custom water build in the Air 540. Overall it's a great case to work in, but now that I'm considering expanding my setup it seems that it may be a little tight. Sounds like you are using external rads so you probably won't have any issues from a space perspective. For reference I used an Alphacool XT45 240mm in the top and a ST30 360mm in the front (hard to see the 360 in this shot, but its vertical in the front panel of the case). You do have to work a bit to make everything fit, but if you plan carefully the 540 can be a great case for a custom water setup.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

FrozenCPU offers Carbide Air 540's custom painted and fitted with a choice of radiators in the top and front left side of the case:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2...Custom_Dual_Radiator_Series.html?tl=c7s532b43

 

[XavierMace]

The funny thing is my MM is probably the oldest piece of EQ i have...
Its been with me since my C2D / C2Q days....

You know, I have my U2-UFO since those days as well. I have to say, honestly I can't recommend them. I stopped using mine a few years ago. Yes, they are unmatched for radiator mount points and pure volume. But for $320+ you really aren't getting much for your money. No front USB/audio ports, no hot swap drive bays, no drive mounts, no fans, no drive bay covers, no fan controller. Motherboard tray doesn't even have guide rails. Powdercoating is meh. Personally I prefer the brushed aluminium fronts on Silverstone cases.

Only reason I've found to keep mine around is I'm tempted to get Borg cube panel covers made for it because I'm that kind of nerd.