Thinking of getting the Corsair Obsidian 800D

[Baasha]

Guys,

I have had an Antec 902 (mid-tower) case for about 1.5 years and feel that it's a bit too small for my needs.

I am thinking of getting the Corsair 800D after reading the positive feedback on it.

The thing is, I am probably going to be doing air-cooling so I've heard it's not a great case for that due to the lack of intake fans (just 1).

I have the Asus P6T7 WS MoBo and it takes up a lot of space along with the EVGA GTX-295 in my Antec 902 case. So I thought an 800D will really free up some space and allow for better airflow as well as cable management (right now, all the 'holes' on the other side of the case are blocked by the P6T7 MoBo).

I have an i7 950 (NOT OC'd) and idle temps are: 41 | 41 | 41 | 38 Celsius

My GPU (GTX-295) temps are: 46 | 58 Celsius

Do you guys recommend I get the 800D?

I also have another optical drive (DVD burner) and a fan-controller I'd like to install but can't right now since the Antec 902 ha only 3 optical drive bays!

 

[CVSiN]

might want to look into the CoolerMaster HAF 932 substantially cheaper.. designed around air cooled.. and its HUGE as well.

I was sold on the Corsair myself went to get it as part of my new build tonight and ended up with the HAF 932 and man it is huge and cost 135 bucks at Fry's vs 250+ (on sale at MC)

Look into it.. might like it.

 

[Mr. Pedantic]

You might want a look at the CM ATCS 840 as well, I've heard it's much better for air-cooling than the 800D, plus it's got the same look.

 

[nitromullet]

If you're looking at spending 800D money on a case for an air cooled rig, you might be interested in a SilverStone FT02 or perhaps the cheaper RV02. The FT02 and RV02 are arguably the best quiet, air cooling cases around right now.

Kyle from [H] built himself a build with an RV02 http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/09/30/my_quiet_galaxy_geforce_gtx_480_sli_build/, and he seemed to be pretty pleased with it. I'm nor sure how big of a case you want, but there seems to be enough room to meet most people's needs. The FT02 is very similar in design, but a little bit more elegant in terms of style.

 

[compman25]

You might want a look at the CM ATCS 840 as well, I've heard it's much better for air-cooling than the 800D, plus it's got the same look.

And you can get a refurbed one from CM for $99. Mine looks like it has never been touched, not sure what was refurbished.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I would pass on the 800D for air cooling if you don't want to be creative with your fan placement.

 

[Corporate Thug]

I bought the 700D and am air cooling. IMO, best wire management case on the market. I'm not OCing much these days, so shaving degrees isn't all that important to me.

 

[Baasha]

I would pass on the 800D for air cooling if you don't want to be creative with your fan placement.

Well, I am willing to be creative with the fan placement. The question is, what do I do to make sure I have the best intake/exhaust solution for the case?

And, I really want a big case with plenty of room for ventilation and cable management. It seems like the 800D fits the bill for that. The 700D seems to be missing the side window and the hot-swap bays. I don't mind paying an extra $25 for those. If the price difference was bigger, I may consider the 700D.

Any other case suggestions?

What is the best air-cooling Full-Tower case? I am not too concerned about the price.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

it really doesn't have good air flow

the lian li PC A20 is a sweet case

 

[Baasha]

hmm.. okay..

What about the Mountain Mods case?

 

[nitromullet]

it really doesn't have good air flow

the lian li PC A20 is a sweet case

It is a terrific looking case, but the air flow is about average for a Lian case though...

I would think the PC-x1000 has better air flow with its dual 140mm fans directly in front of the motherboard:

OP: don't let that picture fool you, the x1000 is huge (27" tall). The proportions make it look small in pictures. All five fans are 140mm.

 

[Baasha]

The PC-X1000 Lian Li looks amazing.

I am tilting towards the Mountain Mods Extended U2-UFO case as the features are incredible.

What are the 'best' 120mm fans to get?

Triebwerk? They are $35 each so 20 fans are $700!

 

[CurseTheSky]

The PC-X1000 Lian Li looks amazing.

I am tilting towards the Mountain Mods Extended U2-UFO case as the features are incredible.

What are the 'best' 120mm fans to get?

Triebwerk? They are $35 each so 20 fans are $700!

The best 120mm fans depend on your goal. For lots of air flow and tons of noise to go with it, look into Deltas or San Aces. For a good balance between noise and air flow, Noctua fans and Scythe GentleTyphoons are supposed to be pretty good.

 

[Grooveriding]

Hi OP,

I was in the same boat as you and wanted to get an 800D but knew in the immediate I would be air-cooling. The other posters in this thread are correct in affirming your thought that the 800D is less than ideal as an air-cooled case.

I still got one, as it is a fantastic case, wire-management is superb, it's designed well, is of fairly decent quality and the clincher for me is its simple, elegant and not gaudy like the HAF is. I switched to an 800D from a HAF 932.

Initially after the switch using the stock configuration my temperatures were abysmal. I am using GTX 480 SLI and the temperatures at load of my cards went from 80-85 in the HAF depending on the game to 95 to 100 in the 800D. :thumbsdown:

But, after a small after-market mod and some additional after-market fans and playing with placement etc I now have identical temps in my 800D as i did in the HAF 932. Granted this is additional cost on top of an already expensive case, so may not be the best bet. But I wanted to chime in that the 800D can be brute-forced to being successful at air-cooling.

The short of it is I used one of these in the front

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/54..._BZ-502B_.html

Which works well as the brushed metal and color matches the 800D perfectly.

along with some additional 120mm fans, an additional 140mm on the floor and changing two of the 140mm fans included in the case.

Also I only have 1 outtake fan the rest are all intake.

I can post a pic of my setup later to give you an idea.

 

[Baasha]

Hi OP,

I was in the same boat as you and wanted to get an 800D but knew in the immediate I would be air-cooling. The other posters in this thread are correct in affirming your thought that the 800D is less than ideal as an air-cooled case.

I still got one, as it is a fantastic case, wire-management is superb, it's designed well, is of fairly decent quality and the clincher for me is its simple, elegant and not gaudy like the HAF is. I switched to an 800D from a HAF 932.

Initially after the switch using the stock configuration my temperatures were abysmal. I am using GTX 480 SLI and the temperatures at load of my cards went from 80-85 in the HAF depending on the game to 95 to 100 in the 800D. :thumbsdown:

But, after a small after-market mod and some additional after-market fans and playing with placement etc I now have identical temps in my 800D as i did in the HAF 932. Granted this is additional cost on top of an already expensive case, so may not be the best bet. But I wanted to chime in that the 800D can be brute-forced to being successful at air-cooling.

The short of it is I used one of these in the front

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/54..._BZ-502B_.html

Which works well as the brushed metal and color matches the 800D perfectly.

along with some additional 120mm fans, an additional 140mm on the floor and changing two of the 140mm fans included in the case.

Also I only have 1 outtake fan the rest are all intake.

I can post a pic of my setup later to give you an idea.

Hi Groove,

That is great! I would love to see a couple of pics of your rig.

I just looked at some videos of the Delta case fans which are 4000RPM or 5200RPM and like ~60dB!

They are also $37 each.

Let' just assume I get the Mountain Mods U2-UFO case. There are 17 fans in that case for intake & exhaust.

If I put 17 Delta case fans for a nice push/pull configuration, I think it would cause hearing damage (?). Obviously, I will get three (3) fan controllers. The thing is, I've never used a fan controller. Which one do you recommend and how do they work?

I want the best air-cooling and I'm not so concerned about noise. I sit quite far from my computer and if needed, I can buy even longer cables and sit further away.

Since the 800D is ~$270 and with additional fans/mods will be ~$300, I am really leaning towards the MM U2-UFO case (extended or regular).

 

[CurseTheSky]

Don't underestimate how annoying a loud computer can be. If it's just you living in the house / apartment and you use headphones 100% of the time, it probably won't be a problem. However, if you use speakers at all or if there are others living with you, you or your family will grow to HATE the loud machine. A bunch of high-RPM, loud fans in a single case seriously sound like a leaf blower of vacuum cleaner. The problem is, you can't simply turn off that vacuum or leaf blower if you intend to do anything on your computer. The bottom line is, even if you plan on sitting far away, would you mind using your computer with someone constantly running a loud vacuum cleaner one room over?

I second the suggestion for the Silverstone FT02. It has a great combination of air flow and quietness. The CoolerMaster ATCS 840 is another good option, though the air flow isn't quite as good.

 

[Baasha]

Don't underestimate how annoying a loud computer can be. If it's just you living in the house / apartment and you use headphones 100% of the time, it probably won't be a problem. However, if you use speakers at all or if there are others living with you, you or your family will grow to HATE the loud machine. A bunch of high-RPM, loud fans in a single case seriously sound like a leaf blower of vacuum cleaner. The problem is, you can't simply turn off that vacuum or leaf blower if you intend to do anything on your computer. The bottom line is, even if you plan on sitting far away, would you mind using your computer with someone constantly running a loud vacuum cleaner one room over?

I second the suggestion for the Silverstone FT02. It has a great combination of air flow and quietness. The CoolerMaster ATCS 840 is another good option, though the air flow isn't quite as good.

Hmm.. that's a good point. What if I use fan controllers? Don't they regulate the speed of the fans? And how are the speeds controlled automatically? Does the fan controller do that?

 

[Petey!]

Sounds like what you really want is an FT02.

800D is for watercooling.

 

[Grooveriding]

As you can see I am no artist. This is just a crude way to show how I set it up. Blue lines indicate incoming air and red lines indicate outgoing. The green numbers correlate to a fan location and I will list below which fan is in place at the indicated green number.

#1 - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=45800&vpn=NF-P14FLX&manufacture=Noctua

#2 - http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...25mm_Ultra_Quiet_Fan_-_1700_RPM_-_27_dBA.html

#3 - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=30749&vpn=SFF21G&manufacture=Scythe

#4 - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=27129&vpn=NF-P12-1300&manufacture=Noctua

#5 - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=17749&vpn=SFF21F&manufacture=Scythe

Really you could use whatever fans you like. I just used stuff I had lying around. Some of those fans are quite loud and I use a fan controller to keep them quiet and raise the speed sometimes if needed. The CPU cooler is a Noctua NH-D14 and I use this fan controller:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811995016&cm_re=rheobus-_-11-995-016-_-Product

Which also matches the 800D's finish. I linked the fan bay I use to put the 120mm in the front in my earlier post.

Good luck!

 

[Baasha]

As you can see I am no artist. This is just a crude way to show how I set it up. Blue lines indicate incoming air and red lines indicate outgoing. The green numbers correlate to a fan location and I will list below which fan is in place at the indicated green number.

#1 - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?s...facture=Noctua

#2 - http://www.frozencpu.com/products/10..._-_27_dBA.html

#3 - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?s...facture=Scythe

#4 - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?s...facture=Noctua

#5 - http://ncix.com/products/index.php?s...facture=Scythe

Really you could use whatever fans you like. I just used stuff I had lying around. Some of those fans are quite loud and I use a fan controller to keep them quiet and raise the speed sometimes if needed. The CPU cooler is a Noctua NH-D14 and I use this fan controller:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-016-_-Product

Which also matches the 800D's finish. I linked the fan bay I use to put the 120mm in the front in my earlier post.

Good luck!

Sweet setup!

Couple of questions....

Is the Noctua NH-D14 the best CPU cooler? How does it compare to the Prolimatech Megahalems?

With the Mountain Mods Extended U2-UFO, I should have ample space but want to make sure I get the best of the best in terms of air-cooling.

I will eventually try my hand at water-cooling but I am way too paranoid about leaks to try that now. LOL!

I also came across these fans: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...-001-_-Product

What do you think of them? I know they are supposed to be really loud (~62dB) but if I used a fan controller (like the Sunbeam you mentioned), it should be tolerable right?

The thing is, the MM case will have 17 fans!

I'm not sure about putting 17 of those Delta monsters in there. Yet, each one apparently moves ~250 CFM!

 

[Zap]

I have had an Antec 902 (mid-tower) case for about 1.5 years and feel that it's a bit too small for my needs.

Do you like that Antec case other than it being too small? Because if you do, you can buy the Antec 1200 which is just an overgrown 902.

 

[nitromullet]

With the Mountain Mods Extended U2-UFO, I should have ample space but want to make sure I get the best of the best in terms of air-cooling.

The thing is, the MM case will have 17 fans!

Out of curiosity, what configuration MM are you considering? I see that you mentioned the Extended U2-UFO, but what panels and motherboard tray are you thinking about? http://www.mountainmods.com/CYO_picker.php

Another case you might be interested in is the Lian Li PC-343B It's not cheap, but the nice thing about this case is that it's compatible with most Lian Li accessories, plus has a number of accessories designed specifically for it.

For instance, you could put three of these fan modules in front of the motherboard for air flow, and then have your drives on the other side of the case. Maybe add some fans to the top. Lian Li even makes radiator brackets for if/when you decide to get wet.

...I think you get the idea. A fully decked out PC-343B and complete MM U2-UFO are pretty close in price, so I figured I'd mention the PC-343B as another option.

 

[Baasha]

The best 120mm fans depend on your goal. For lots of air flow and tons of noise to go with it, look into Deltas or San Aces. For a good balance between noise and air flow, Noctua fans and Scythe GentleTyphoons are supposed to be pretty good.

Well, that makes sense.

I've narrowed the fans down to these two:

1.) Delta 120mm - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-001-_-Product

2.) Scythe Ultra Kaze - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-054-_-Product

The Delta is $30 and the Scythe is $10 so I'm wondering if the extra 107 CFM the Delta puts out is really worth thrice the price?

Anyway, I will have to do some more research because my case will have upwards of 20+ fans. I have to take this into account before ordering 20 fans that are ~62dB each!

 

[Baasha]

Do you like that Antec case other than it being too small? Because if you do, you can buy the Antec 1200 which is just an overgrown 902.

You know, the case has grown on me. It looks elegant and the blue LEDs are a nice touch.

It fits most of my parts but I've kept some things (extra optical drive, fan controller, more HDDs etc.) reserved for a full-tower case.

The width, or rather, the depth of the case is just way too small. The GTX-295 almost touches the SAS cables near the HDD cage. I can't even fit another GTX-295 in there and the Antec 1200 is the same thing. The 1200 is only 'taller' in the sense it has an extra 3 drive bays. The depth of the case is still the same so I am definitely NOT getting that.

I've decided on the Mountain Mods Extended U2-UFO CYO case. I am still configuring it so once I do that, it should more than suffice for everything I throw at it for the next three (3) years or so.

*btw, can I attach a pic of my rig? How do I do that?

 

[Baasha]

Out of curiosity, what configuration MM are you considering? I see that you mentioned the Extended U2-UFO, but what panels and motherboard tray are you thinking about? http://www.mountainmods.com/CYO_picker.php

Another case you might be interested in is the Lian Li PC-343B It's not cheap, but the nice thing about this case is that it's compatible with most Lian Li accessories, plus has a number of accessories designed specifically for it.

For instance, you could put three of these fan modules in front of the motherboard for air flow, and then have your drives on the other side of the case. Maybe add some fans to the top. Lian Li even makes radiator brackets for if/when you decide to get wet.

...I think you get the idea. A fully decked out PC-343B and complete MM U2-UFO are pretty close in price, so I figured I'd mention the PC-343B as another option.

I'm still playing around with the different panels for the MM case. I haven't finalized it yet.

The funny thing is, a fully spec'd out Extended U2-UFO is only about $40-$50 cheaper than a fully spec'd out Extended Ascension case. The thing is, I am not sure if I need all that extra space with the Ascension. The difference in price is negligible so if you had the choice, which one would you go with? Extended Ascension or Extended U2-UFO?