Older case with newer components?

[TSx]

I've been using the same case since my parents got it for me as a birthday present 6.5 years ago, and it's still one of, if not the coolest cases I've ever seen.

The Foxconn Diabolic ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-006-_-Product ) came out in late 2003 and at the time, was a fantastic case.

The tool-less design is still flawless, and the best I've ever worked with. The layout is phenomenal, and the case is incredibly sturdy and well constructed. The bezel design and general look of the case are the true appeal, which was what sparked my interest and got me talking about how cool it was at a Christmas party with my family. It was a complete surprise when it showed up from my parents, and it has been a virtual show-piece ever since. I still get comments on how great/cool it looks when people see it for the first time.

That being said, I'm on my first major upgrade since 2006, and heat from faster and faster components is becoming more of a concern. The case, while designed with adequate cooling for 2003-2004, is limited by only having one 120mm exhaust fan in the rear, with no intake fans at all.

My current system is an Intel E6600 with an Nvidia 7800GT and a couple of ide/sata hard drives generating heat. The average temps from Everest are as follows:

Motherboard 46 °C (115 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #1 48 °C (118 °F)
CPU #1 / Core #2 50 °C (122 °F)
GPU 63 °C (145 °F)
IBM IC35L180AVV207-1 44 °C (111 °F)
SAMSUNG HD103SJ 37 °C (99 °F)

My primary HD is a SSD but the IBM does get a workout when playing games and such off of it. The Samsung is a 1TB drive primarily for storage.

The new system will be running an Intel i7 870 with an MSI Nvidia 470 GTX. The hard drives will remain the same. I'll be running it all off of an OCZ700MXSP 700W power supply. The comp runs all the time, and is in an upstairs home office, along with another system (that will have the parts from my old build) that also stays running.

My question now is; is my old, sturdy case sufficient? Newegg has this case on a 24 hour sale and the price is definitely right, and I'm just concerned about heat with the faster components.

Potential case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129066

I won't be overclocking at all, and have no plans of running SLI, but it does get hot (Nevada) and the computers run all the time.

Thoughts?

 

[Petey!]

Your old case definitely not. Airflow looks lacking. The 300 is a good budget case, but I'd be looking at something with just a bit more kick, either a CM 690 II Advanced, a CM 922, or a Lancool PC-K58 or 62. All depends on your budget.

 

[nickbits]

i think the case is fine, i would only have issue if your hd temps were a lot higher

 

[Slugbait]

Agreed, your case is fine. The only thing I would consider is swapping out the duct with a fan, which should allow for plenty of airflow.

 

[TSx]

I was thinking about putting an 80mm intake fan on the left side which would blow pretty much right on the graphics card. The only reason I haven't yet is that the case sits with its left side against my desk (unfortunately nowhere else to put it). There's about 1/2" of space between the desk and the side. Would the fan there still help, or would the lack of space just cause it to be useless?

 

[Slugbait]

It would still help...it's a half-inch of clearance up and down, back to front, right? The airflow being pulled into that crevice might cause noise, tho.

 

[TSx]

Ya, it's flat on against the side of the desk; the 1/2" is from the feet of the case sticking out a little bit to the side to give it added stability. I'm not worried about noise at all, more concerned with the components not overheating or frying. I think I might look into adding that fan.

 

[Petey!]

an 80mm fan isn't going to do much. You can put your new gear in it and test, but I can tell you right away your gonna need a new one with a 470 in there.

 

[TSx]

What if I kept the older parts in this case, would the 80mm side fan help them? I run two computers and the second one, if I used the old parts from this one, would get a significant upgrade, but there's no way the case it's using now would support even half of the stuff from that build. I thought my temps seemed high, but I don't know that much about the 'normal ranges' on these types of builds. If the 80mm side fan would drop a few degrees with the E6600 and the 7800GT, it would be worth it even as my second comp. If it wasn't going to make a difference, then I wouldn't bother.