Suggestions about case and CPU cooling for new gaming rig

[tolis626]

So,I will (hopefully) be buying my new gaming rig soon,but I still haven't decided about some things,mainly regarding the case,CPU and CPU cooling.I decided a new thread in this section of the forums is more appropriate to bring my questions to,so here it is.
About the case.Initially,I wanted to buy the Aerocool Mechatron,simply because it looks cool and seems enough.But as I kept searching about stuff for my PC,I stumbled upon CoolerMaster's HAF family.First one I set eyes on was the HAF XM,purely because it was larger and had more features.However,it looks like a black closet.Then I saw the HAF 922 which looks way nicer,but is quite smaller.Then I went a price category above these,and now I'm torn between the HAF 932 Advanced and the full HAF X,with the former being a better value for money option and the latter appealing more to me.With my priorities being looks,size (The bigger the better),cooling performance and construction quality in this order,and seeing that both are similar in everything but the looks and price,do you guys think that the HAF X is worth the extra money?My rig won't use the extra space yet,but may do so in the future,so I kinda need it.
Now,about CPU cooling.I still haven't decided between the 4670K and the 4770K,but I guess that has little to do with what cooler I'll use.So,at first I intended to use the CPU's stock (and potentially crappy) cooler and then buy an aftermarket cooler when I decide to overclock the thing.Then I figured that,if I can,there is no point in not installing a cooler now.Someone else in the forums suggested either the CM Hyper 212 Evo and the Arctic Freezer i30(Which is the only one unavailable at the store from which I'll buy the PC).I also think the CM Hyper 412S and the its slimmer brother are quite good,but they are also quite larger.I can also find the Hyper 612S used for 43€ if there is any point,as it's out of stock for a new one.I also have read very good stuff about Noctua coolers,but they are very expensive and a no-go for now.The reason I ask is not mainly because of the differences in heat dissipation,but more about the size of these things.My mobo is probably gonna end up being the ASRock Z87 Extreme4,and the thing I want to avoid is having ports or DIMM slots obstructed by the cooler.
So what's your opinion guys?Thanks in advance!

EDIT: One more question.LGA1155 coolers can be installed to LGA1150 CPUs/mobos without problems,right?Because most are supposed to be for the LGA1155.

 

[dma0991]

Why do you need an oversized case based on the idea that you probably need it in the future? The size of the case is determined by the amount of hardware you want(more GPUs, bigger heatsinks, watercooling, etc). Medium sized cases should be sufficient for the average user. Here are some suggestions:

Fractal Design Arc Midi R2
Fractal Design Define R4
Corsair Obsidian Series 650D
Corsair Obsidian Series 550D
Corsair Vengeance Series C70
Cooler Master RC-692A

LGA1155 coolers will fit on LGA1150 mountings.

 

[hackerballs]

I have the HAF X and love it. Large fans make no noise but push more air. This case stays cool all the time and does away with the need of liquid cooling. HAF = High Air Flow.

I would never buy a mid case again as it's very nice to get both hands in there. Real good for cable management as you can run the cables in the back side panel out of sight.

Don't be an average user!

Mine is overclocked with the 212 cooler. Works great and added extra fan to that. Best bang for the buck.

Yes, the 1155 and 1150 are the same for coolers

 

[tolis626]

Why do you need an oversized case based on the idea that you probably need it in the future? The size of the case is determined by the amount of hardware you want(more GPUs, bigger heatsinks, watercooling, etc). Medium sized cases should be sufficient for the average user. Here are some suggestions:

Fractal Design Arc Midi R2
Fractal Design Define R4
Corsair Obsidian Series 650D
Corsair Obsidian Series 550D
Corsair Vengeance Series C70
Cooler Master RC-692A

LGA1155 coolers will fit on LGA1150 mountings.

Thanks for your answer and suggestions.You are right in saying I don't need the large case,but I'm budget-limited right now.Within 2014 I may move to watercooling,CrossFire'd GPUs and I"ll surely add more HDDs and probably other stuff.That's why I want a big case preferably.I will,however,take a look at the cases you posted.

I have the HAF X and love it. Large fans make no noise but push more air. This case stays cool all the time and does away with the need of liquid cooling. HAF = High Air Flow.

I would never buy a mid case again as it's very nice to get both hands in there. Real good for cable management as you can run the cables in the back side panel out of sight.

Don't be an average user!

Mine is overclocked with the 212 cooler. Works great and added extra fan to that. Best bang for the buck.

Yes, the 1155 and 1150 are the same for coolers

Thanks for your answer pal.Well,as I posted above,I may upgrade my rig so I'll need the extra space.Plus I know what you're saying about cable management.Small cases are usually a mess,unless you do a terrific job tidying them.The HAF X is tempting me...Its huge (And many) fans ought to cool the case enough.
About the Hyper 212S,how is it regarding its size?Would a 412S be too big?

 

[Alan G]

+1 for the Fractal Designs Arc Midi R2. My current desktop PC is in this case and it's great. Lots of room for the build and it runs pretty darn quiet even though it's not designed as a quiet case. On the pre-installed fan controller, I run the three case fans on the middle or 7V setting and it keeps things cool (I do mainly photo editing and the only game I've played is Metro Last Light which I got for free with my NVIDIA GPU. CPU temperatures never got above 42C playing this game). You have all the options you will need for future updates.

 

[tolis626]

+1 for the Fractal Designs Arc Midi R2. My current desktop PC is in this case and it's great. Lots of room for the build and it runs pretty darn quiet even though it's not designed as a quiet case. On the pre-installed fan controller, I run the three case fans on the middle or 7V setting and it keeps things cool (I do mainly photo editing and the only game I've played is Metro Last Light which I got for free with my NVIDIA GPU. CPU temperatures never got above 42C playing this game). You have all the options you will need for future updates.

I don't doubt they are objectively great cases.A friend uses a Fractal Design case and it's really good.It stays cool enough,is quiet and it's solidly built.However,I don't like them appearance-wise.I'm after the gamer aesthetic,just for the heck of it.Now is it worth the extra money?I say yes,but I can understand why someone would say no.

 

[hackerballs]

the 212 itself is large with 4 heat pipes. It will fit most cases though. not a micro case

 

[tolis626]

the 212 itself is large with 4 heat pipes. It will fit most cases though. not a micro case

Hmmm...So I suspect the 412 is kinda overkill.I'm 80% inclined to go with the 212 right now.I suppose it will hold on ok until I hopefully move to water cooling next year.Thanks pal!

 

[Leyawiin]

Thermalright True Spirit 140 (if your case can hold it). Great air cooler - quiet, good temps relatively easy installation. From what I understand in Europe Thermalright is often cheaper than Cooler Master.

 

[lehtv]

Based on this SPCR review, I would throw in the suggestion of Scythe Mugen 4.

 

[tolis626]

Based on this SPCR review, I would throw in the suggestion of Scythe Mugen 4.

Shit...While I can find it for a little less than 40€ elsewhere,the store I'll be buying the PC from has it priced at 50€.Awkward,they usually have very good prices.Still,if it's this good...See below

Thermalright True Spirit 140 (if your case can hold it). Great air cooler - quiet, good temps relatively easy installation. From what I understand in Europe Thermalright is often cheaper than Cooler Master.

Well,it's not a matter of whether the case can hold it.I'll be going with either the HAF 932 Advanced of the HAF X,and both can probably fit anything.It's more a matter of whether it will block access to other parts of the mobo.For example,in the PC I built for my father 2 years ago,we installed a big Akasa cooler (Quite good actually).While it could fit the case's width,it's just millimeters away from the GPU (too close to be comfortable) and would need two of the four DIMM slots to be emptied if the DIMMs we installed weren't low profile ones.That's the kind of trouble I try to avoid and am looking at small coolers like the 212 Evo and the Freezer i30.If I have no such trouble and it's only the case to be worried about,I'll be installing a big one without second thought.I may also wait a little,gather some money and buy a Noctua,although that's not very probable.Also,I hope that the case will help the stock Intel cooler cope well if I don't buy an aftermarket cooler now.
Thanks guys!

 

[Leyawiin]

The Freezer i30 is pretty big and doesn't have a tremendous amount of room beneath it to avoid RAM or motherboard componenets/heatsinks. Last night I installed a True Spirit 140 on an older AM3 ATX board (ASUS M4A79T Deluxe). It has a really tall copper heatsink on the Northbridge and the cooler easily cleared everything including all four RAM slots. I have standard height memory, so I didn't have to worry about tall heatsinks on those. I took all sorts of measurements before I bought it to make sure it would work and it went off without a hitch. Another Thermalright option that's in the same cooling class as the 212 Plus or Evo is the True Spirit 120M. The heatpipes are canted away from the RAM slots on that model (as there are in the Thermalright Macho Rev A). I don't know, I just get a little tired of so many suggestion threads acting as if the two Cooler Masters are the only viable options for reasonably priced, effective air cooling. They aren't.

If you want to stay with a heatsink that's around a 120mm wide the Silverstone Argon AR01 is an excellent choice.

 

[tolis626]

The Freezer i30 is pretty big and doesn't have a tremendous amount of room beneath it to avoid RAM or motherboard componenets/heatsinks. Last night I installed a True Spirit 140 on an older AM3 ATX board (ASUS M4A79T Deluxe). It has a really tall copper heatsink on the Northbridge and the cooler easily cleared everything including all four RAM slots. I have standard height memory, so I didn't have to worry about tall heatsinks on those. I took all sorts of measurements before I bought it to make sure it would work and it went off without a hitch. Another Thermalright option that's in the same cooling class as the 212 Plus or Evo is the True Spirit 120M. The heatpipes are canted away from the RAM slots on that model (as there are in the Thermalright Macho Rev A). I don't know, I just get a little tired of so many suggestion threads acting as if the two Cooler Masters are the only viable options for reasonably priced, effective air cooling. They aren't.

If you want to stay with a heatsink that's around a 120mm wide the Silverstone Argon AR01 is an excellent choice.

I see...Well,I can't say you are wrong.And I was wondering whether Cooler Master coolers were really THAT good.
So I will have to research this more...Most probably I'll buy it afterwards then!Once I buy the damn PC,I will take measurements,make sure what I can fit in there without causing problems,and then decide on a proper cooler.Oh,and for the record,I don't care much about noise and size (As long as it doesn't cause troubles with other components),just that it does its job properly.In that regard,are these coolers like the ones you posted (True Spirit 140 and Mugen 4) with the raised heatsinks and side fan better than "traditional" coolers with the fan on top (212 Evo and i30)?

 

[hackerballs]

I see...Well,I can't say you are wrong.And I was wondering whether Cooler Master coolers were really THAT good.
So I will have to research this more...Most probably I'll buy it afterwards then!Once I buy the damn PC,I will take measurements,make sure what I can fit in there without causing problems,and then decide on a proper cooler.Oh,and for the record,I don't care much about noise and size (As long as it doesn't cause troubles with other components),just that it does its job properly.In that regard,are these coolers like the ones you posted (True Spirit 140 and Mugen 4) with the raised heatsinks and side fan better than "traditional" coolers with the fan on top (212 Evo and i30)?

the 212 has fans on the side and not the top.

I also heard you mention that stock coolers are "crappy". Not so. Stock coolers will work great if you are not overclocking. And if you are an extreme clocker, then liquid cooling will have to be your PC. An aftermarket cooler will lower temps for a good Medium overclock with no problems. It probably will come down to availability and price like most things. The case helps a great deal with proper airflow to wick away the heat from inside the case. If your case retains the heat, then you are cooling with hot air instead which is not good. You will be pleasantly surprised with the airflow on a CoolerMaster HAF X

 

[tolis626]

the 212 has fans on the side and not the top.

I also heard you mention that stock coolers are "crappy". Not so. Stock coolers will work great if you are not overclocking. And if you are an extreme clocker, then liquid cooling will have to be your PC. An aftermarket cooler will lower temps for a good Medium overclock with no problems. It probably will come down to availability and price like most things. The case helps a great deal with proper airflow to wick away the heat from inside the case. If your case retains the heat, then you are cooling with hot air instead which is not good. You will be pleasantly surprised with the airflow on a CoolerMaster HAF X

Apart from the 212 part (I was sure it had the fan on top!),everything else you said is what I have in mind.I'll be moving to water-cooling some time next year,probably in the summer.I just have to make do until then,but I can't resist overclocking a bit.That's why I call the stock Intel cooler crappy.Not because it doesn't do what it's supposed to do or that it's bad quality,just that it's only designed to run "within specifications" of the CPU.Anything higher and there usually are problems,even if one just disabled Turbo and just makes 3.9GHz their highest clock step.Good thing Intel CPUs can stand getting hot nowadays.
Regarding the case,I think I'll be replacing the side fan with probably one from Scythe (200mm) and using a second fan on top as exhaust,along with the fan on the back of the HAF X.Ahh...It's gonna be cool and noisy!

 

[Makubex GB]

I'm also looking for a CPU HSF for my wife's PC at around $35. I've been doing research since yesterday and to me (considering current prices) the Silverstone Argon AR01 is the winner so far.

 

[hackerballs]

I have one intake on the front (230mm), one intake on the side (200mm), two exhaust fans on top (200mm each), one exhaust at the rear (140 mm), two fans on the cooler (120mm)

the beauty of having large slow turning fans pushing tremendous air flow is

CANNOT hear it from 3 feet

 

[tolis626]

I'm also looking for a CPU HSF for my wife's PC at around $35. I've been doing research since yesterday and to me (considering current prices) the Silverstone Argon AR01 is the winner so far.

The AR01,AR02 and AR03 all seem like good coolers.I don't know,however,if they are better or worse than the Cooler Master,Thermalright or Scythe ones.I believe they will do the job fine,all of them.

I have one intake on the front (230mm), one intake on the side (200mm), two exhaust fans on top (200mm each), one exhaust at the rear (140 mm), two fans on the cooler (120mm)

the beauty of having large slow turning fans pushing tremendous air flow is

CANNOT hear it from 3 feet

Ahaa...That's what I'm talking about!How's temperatures with your setup?Seems more or less like what I have in mind for my own rig!I hope that,when overclocking at least,the PC will heat the rest of the room,so it will save me money from heating the house
Anyway,you just helped me decide in favor of the HAF X over the HAF 932 Advanced.Thanks for that.Now on to decide what cooler I'll get for the CPU...

 

[Agent11]

You can always get one of the better budget cases, such as the NZXT source 210, I got mine for less than $30 on sale, and it will fit most builds, leaving more money for components and cooling.

 

[tolis626]

You can always get one of the better budget cases, such as the NZXT source 210, I got mine for less than $30 on sale, and it will fit most builds, leaving more money for components and cooling.

Nah...This time I don't want to go cheap.I risked it with my last rig and I was quite disappointed.At the end of its lifetime,when I started overclocking heavily,I had to mod the case to maintain a good air flow.And that to the point where,in the end,it was more mod than original case.I cut the side panels,installed large fans on custom brackets,drilled the front and stuff like that.I liked the result,but I won't risk having to do it again.I know I'm kinda paranoid,but better be safe than sorry.Thanks for the tip though!NZXT seems to have some really nice cases for the money.I may as well buy one and build a PC with cheap parts to use when I go at my parents' home.That'd be perfect when I have the money!

 

[Agent11]

source 210 doesn't have any problems with airflow, its a steal really. Just doesn't have bling.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146075
FRONT, 2 X 120mm (optional)

REAR, 1 X 120mm @ 1200rpm (included)

TOP, 2 X 120/140mm (optional)

BOTTOM, 1 x 120mm (optional)

I'm going to try to shoehorn an internal water cooling loop into mine in a few days when my radiator arrives.

Also worth consideration, coolermaster 690 II advanced

 

[tolis626]

source 210 doesn't have any problems with airflow, its a steal really. Just doesn't have bling.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146075
FRONT, 2 X 120mm (optional)

REAR, 1 X 120mm @ 1200rpm (included)

TOP, 2 X 120/140mm (optional)

BOTTOM, 1 x 120mm (optional)

I'm going to try to shoehorn an internal water cooling loop into mine in a few days when my radiator arrives.

Also worth consideration, coolermaster 690 II advanced

If not the case,what part of a PC is worth having bling?
Before I started looking into gaming-oriented cases,I was checking out the CM 690 II Advanced too.Good case,quite good price.Still,quite small for my wants (And probably future needs) and not quite as good-looking.Plus,with many small fans spinning like crazy,it isn't gonna be quiet.It doesn't really matter that much to me,but still...

 

[Agent11]

have you considered AIO water cooled or a small custom loop?

 

[tolis626]

have you considered AIO water cooled or a small custom loop?

Of course I have.I just have never done it before and want it done properly,so no rushing.Probably next summer,when I will have more time (Med school is so damn time-consuming),I will make a custom water cooler with help from a friend who is totally into overclocking and liquid (Not only water) cooling.I just don't know exactly what I'll do to think how I will do it.That's one reason I won't do it now.The other is money.Not only is water cooling quite more expensive than air cooling,but a mistake is too damn expensive to make,and I'll need money I don't have to correct it.So yeah,no for now.

 

[Topweasel]

Of course I have.I just have never done it before and want it done properly,so no rushing.Probably next summer,when I will have more time (Med school is so damn time-consuming),I will make a custom water cooler with help from a friend who is totally into overclocking and liquid (Not only water) cooling.I just don't know exactly what I'll do to think how I will do it.That's one reason I won't do it now.The other is money.Not only is water cooling quite more expensive than air cooling,but a mistake is too damn expensive to make,and I'll need money I don't have to correct it.So yeah,no for now.

That's why he mentioned AIO's like the Corsair H80 or H100, or Antec's Kuhler line and so on.

They are only slightly more expensive then premium air solutions and give you added flexibility on cooling options (like not having two memory slots covered so you have to remove the HSF to remove bad memory). They also cool as well if not better then those air solutions. They are also pretty fool proof (no worries with spills and loose cabling).