Thinking of getting the Corsair Obsidian 800D

[nitromullet]

if you had the choice, which one would you go with? Extended Ascension or Extended U2-UFO?

I was water cooling when I was looking in MM cases, so having room for rads was my primary concern. My ideal MM case would be an Extended Ascension, Trinity front, and Horizon back panel.

Thinking more realistically, If I ever get back into water, I'll probably go with a regular U2-UFO, duality front, and triple standard HB back panel.

Air cooling is a different story though. If I was to get a MM case for air cooling, I think I'd probably go with just a standard U2-UFO, with the vertical motherboard layout, the standard front, and a triple original top. I'd put the three intake fans in front of the motherboard and orient the top so the three fans can act as exhaust.

...sort of like the MM Dream Machine

With the U2-UFO being 18" cubed, graphics card length wouldn't be an issue with that setup. You'd still have 4-5" of clearance behind your intake fans, even if you put a 5970 in there. Plus, you'd have the whole other half of the case for your HDs and whatever else.

If you decided you wanted to go with water, all you'd have to do is turn the top so the window is above the motherboard, and you'd be all set to build a dual loop with a 120.3 rad in each loop.

 

[Baasha]

I was water cooling when I was looking in MM cases, so having room for rads was my primary concern. My ideal MM case would be an Extended Ascension, Trinity front, and Horizon back panel.

Thinking more realistically, If I ever get back into water, I'll probably go with a regular U2-UFO, duality front, and triple standard HB back panel.

Air cooling is a different story though. If I was to get a MM case for air cooling, I think I'd probably go with just a standard U2-UFO, with the vertical motherboard layout, the standard front, and a triple original top. I'd put the three intake fans in front of the motherboard and orient the top so the three fans can act as exhaust.

...sort of like the MM Dream Machine

With the U2-UFO being 18" cubed, graphics card length wouldn't be an issue with that setup. You'd still have 4-5" of clearance behind your intake fans, even if you put a 5970 in there. Plus, you'd have the whole other half of the case for your HDs and whatever else.

If you decided you wanted to go with water, all you'd have to do is turn the top so the window is above the motherboard, and you'd be all set to build a dual loop with a 120.3 rad in each loop.

Interesting...

For the Extended Ascension, would you get the Triple Quad 'Top Panel' for ventilation (12 120mm fan slots on top) and what about the Horizon-10 back panel for future-proofing for the HPTX sized motherboards? I know only the EVGA SR-2 is that size now but I have the Asus P6T7, which is EATX I think and eventually may go all out and get the SR-2 and the dual Xeons. I'm not sure about the SR-2 for now but I thought getting the Horizon-10 will make the case future-proof. Right?

For the U2-UFO, the regular one seems too compact. The Extended U2-UFO seems just about right but if I decide to get into water-cooling later on, it will be too small for the triple radiator(s) etc. I really like the Extended U2-UFO with Black Wrinkle Powder Coat with the Duality Front Panel and the Triple Quad Top Panel with "Big Window" for the side panels and the HPTX w/Horizon-10 MoBo tray. This set up is $550 and the exact same set up without the HPTX w/Horizon-10 MoBo tray (w/ EATX and T-stand w/HB) is $510.

The Extended Ascension with the HPTX & Horizon-10 MoBo tray with the Trinity Front Panel is $590.

My main concern with the Extended Ascension is cable management. How would one prevent the cables from hanging all over the place? And, with the Extended U2-UFO, there is an option for a Triple Quad Left Panel that adds another 12 120mm fan slots which makes it a total of 30 fans in the case! Intake for Front & Left panel; exhaust Top & Back panel. Too much?

 

[nitromullet]

Interesting...

For the Extended Ascension, would you get the Triple Quad 'Top Panel' for ventilation (12 120mm fan slots on top) and what about the Horizon-10 back panel for future-proofing for the HPTX sized motherboards? I know only the EVGA SR-2 is that size now but I have the Asus P6T7, which is EATX I think and eventually may go all out and get the SR-2 and the dual Xeons. I'm not sure about the SR-2 for now but I thought getting the Horizon-10 will make the case future-proof. Right?

No reason not to get the larger motherboard tray IMO.

As far as getting a horizontal motherboard tray and a triple quad top panel, I personally wouldn't. You have to remember that with a horizontal mobo the top is going to be your access panel... I'm not a fan of side panel fans in a standard ATX case, and I don't think I'd like fans on the top panel either if it was my main access panel. If this doesn't bother you, then by all means get the triple quad top. I imagine the air flow would be phenomenal.

The one thing to note is that you might not be able to use triple quad rads with it though because you might end up with clearance issues with the front panel. This depends on the front panel you choose, of course.

For the U2-UFO, the regular one seems too compact. The Extended U2-UFO seems just about right but if I decide to get into water-cooling later on, it will be too small for the triple radiator(s) etc.

The regular U2-UFO is still big. Each side is 18". To put that into perspective, your current case is 18.60" x 8.60" x 19.40", so the U2-UFO is about the same size as two of your current case side-by-side. Plus, in a vertical motherboard setup, half of the whole case is dedicated to the motherboard.

It just looks small compared to the Extended Ascension. Check out the MM user gallery, there are plenty of people running water cooled systems in U2-UFO's. They are plenty big. Of course, it's a sizable investment, so you want to be happy with what you get.

I really like the Extended U2-UFO with Black Wrinkle Powder Coat with the Duality Front Panel and the Triple Quad Top Panel with "Big Window" for the side panels and the HPTX w/Horizon-10 MoBo tray. This set up is $550 and the exact same set up without the HPTX w/Horizon-10 MoBo tray (w/ EATX and T-stand w/HB) is $510.

I dig the black wrinkle powder coat as well. Either of those setups would provide terrific air flow. I assume you would flip the duality front with the fans at the top and optical bays at the bottom.

The Extended Ascension with the HPTX & Horizon-10 MoBo tray with the Trinity Front Panel is $590.

My main concern with the Extended Ascension is cable management. How would one prevent the cables from hanging all over the place? And, with the Extended U2-UFO, there is an option for a Triple Quad Left Panel that adds another 12 120mm fan slots which makes it a total of 30 fans in the case! Intake for Front & Left panel; exhaust Top & Back panel. Too much?

30 fans is definitely more than necessary, whether it's too much is up to you. The way I see it, any MM build isn't going to be run-of-the-mill and most likely a tad excessive.

 

[Baasha]

No reason not to get the larger motherboard tray IMO.

As far as getting a horizontal motherboard tray and a triple quad top panel, I personally wouldn't. You have to remember that with a horizontal mobo the top is going to be your access panel... I'm not a fan of side panel fans in a standard ATX case, and I don't think I'd like fans on the top panel either if it was my main access panel. If this doesn't bother you, then by all means get the triple quad top. I imagine the air flow would be phenomenal.

So if I were to get the Top Panel with the Triple Quad, does that mean I won't be able to access the horizontal MoBo? Would it be a hassle removing the panel to access the internals of the computer?

Sorry for sounding like a noob but my current rig is the first one I 'built' so I'm not that familiar with all the nuances of building rigs.

If the Top Panel had the fans, the wires would be connected so I suppose it would be hard to take the panel off and place it on the ground (?). If the side panel is a window, can I not access the horizontal MoBo tray from there?

The one thing to note is that you might not be able to use triple quad rads with it though because you might end up with clearance issues with the front panel. This depends on the front panel you choose, of course.


The regular U2-UFO is still big. Each side is 18". To put that into perspective, your current case is 18.60" x 8.60" x 19.40", so the U2-UFO is about the same size as two of your current case side-by-side. Plus, in a vertical motherboard setup, half of the whole case is dedicated to the motherboard.

Wow! I wasn't aware the regular U2-UFO is that big. hmm.. that means the Extended Ascension is an absolute monster. Damn, so I will have to reconsider it now. I am sure if I get the U2-UFO it will be the "Extended" version. Decisions Decisions...

It just looks small compared to the Extended Ascension. Check out the MM user gallery, there are plenty of people running water cooled systems in U2-UFO's. They are plenty big. Of course, it's a sizable investment, so you want to be happy with what you get.

I saw the gallery (didn't even know they had one LOL) and see that many do have liquid cooling in their U2-UFOs. There are no pics of any Extended Ascension builds though. I can safely assume it will be MUCH bigger than the Extended U2-UFO.

I dig the black wrinkle powder coat as well. Either of those setups would provide terrific air flow. I assume you would flip the duality front with the fans at the top and optical bays at the bottom.

Yes, that is exactly how I would do it.

30 fans is definitely more than necessary, whether it's too much is up to you. The way I see it, any MM build isn't going to be run-of-the-mill and most likely a tad excessive.

LOL! That's true. Well, each Delta 120mm fan is ~$30 so with 30 of those, it's $900! I think that's a bit much for fans. That's the other issue as far as noise. I don't care if the computer is loud but would it be unbearable with 20+ Delta fans? I will obviously use fan controllers but what do you think?

Thanks for the help btw.

 

[nitromullet]

So if I were to get the Top Panel with the Triple Quad, does that mean I won't be able to access the horizontal MoBo? Would it be a hassle removing the panel to access the internals of the computer?

If the Top Panel had the fans, the wires would be connected so I suppose it would be hard to take the panel off and place it on the ground (?). If the side panel is a window, can I not access the horizontal MoBo tray from there?

It not impossible by any means, but dealing with 12 fans on the top panel won't be as easy as dealing with a plain top. You'd probably want to daisy chain the fans together in sets of four so you only have three plugs to plug in and out when you wanted to access the motherboard. It's doable, I just don't prefer it.

As far as accessing the motherboard from the side... Well, I'm sure you could maybe plug in some fan headers or something, but you couldn't say swap out a video card or replace your cpu heatsink.

Wow! I wasn't aware the regular U2-UFO is that big. hmm.. that means the Extended Ascension is an absolute monster. Damn, so I will have to reconsider it now. I am sure if I get the U2-UFO it will be the "Extended" version. Decisions Decisions...

I saw the gallery (didn't even know they had one LOL) and see that many do have liquid cooling in their U2-UFOs. There are no pics of any Extended Ascension builds though. I can safely assume it will be MUCH bigger than the Extended U2-UFO.

Well, the sizes are (LxWxH) 18"x18"x18" for the U2-UFO, 24"x18"x18" for the Ext U2-UFO, and 24"x18"x24" for the Ext Ascension. Add an 1-1/2" to the height if you used the included MM casters. A Corsair 800D is 24"x9"x24", so it's exactly half the size of an Ext Ascension. If you haven't seen an 800D in person and have a Fry's near you, go check out how big that is. An Ext Ascension is about the size of a two-drawer filing cabinet.

Here's an ext Ascension build in the gallery: http://mountainmods.com/gallery/album86?page=1 As you can see, it's huge. It's bad ass, but it's huge.

This is one of my favorite MM builds in the gallery: http://mountainmods.com/gallery/album82 Its owner is one of the mods over at XS forums. It's a really nice looking build, and it shows how much you can fit into a standard U2-UFO. Her complete build log is here: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=207825 Lots of good pics of the U2-UFO.

LOL! That's true. Well, each Delta 120mm fan is ~$30 so with 30 of those, it's $900! I think that's a bit much for fans. That's the other issue as far as noise. I don't care if the computer is loud but would it be unbearable with 20+ Delta fans? I will obviously use fan controllers but what do you think?

I sort of differ on this than a lot of people, so take this as strictly my opinion... I'm not big on fan controllers. I prefer to buy fans that I can live with at 100% and forget about them. Deltas and San Ace fans are fine if you're benchmarking for the highest OC or whatever, but not really feasible in a daily rig IMO. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, Deltas and San Aces draw enough amps that you can't just drop them on a $15 Sunbeam controller. You're going to need a few serious fan controllers to control 20+ Deltas without frying something. I honestly can't tell you what you'd need because I gave up on high speed fans after I mounted a Vantec Tornado on an Anthlon XP years ago, and I decided a PC that sounds like a vacuum cleaner is not something I wanted.

I personally would deck a MM case out with ~1200rpm Scythe S-Flex or GentleTyphoon fans for a good blend of decent performance and reasonable noise levels.

If you really want to try out the Deltas, I suggest you buy a single one first, mount it in your rig, and just use your PC as normal for a few days with it plugged in and see how you feel about it. We all have different tolerances to noise, so I really can't say what will bug you. You'll never know until you try.

Thanks for the help btw.

No problem. Just post pics if you decide you build this monster. 🙂

 

[Baasha]

I personally would deck a MM case out with ~1200rpm Scythe S-Flex or GentleTyphoon fans for a good blend of decent performance and reasonable noise levels.

If you really want to try out the Deltas, I suggest you buy a single one first, mount it in your rig, and just use your PC as normal for a few days with it plugged in and see how you feel about it. We all have different tolerances to noise, so I really can't say what will bug you. You'll never know until you try.

I just ordered a 120mm Delta (5200RPM) fan! I also got the Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000RPM 120mm fan as well. I'm going to mount both and see how they are.

The thing is, I'm not using a fan controller right now. So what RPM would the fans spin at? They are connected directly to the MoBo using that 3-pin connector. Is there some software I have to use to modulate the fan speed?

Also, I looked at the Sunbeam Rhobeus Extreme fan controller. It looks decent and can control 6 fans. I've finalized my MM case and it's going to be a 'regular' Ascension with Trinity front and "Original" top (3 fans) and the Horizon MoBo. I'm not going with the HPTX right now as I don't foresee upgrading to the SR-2 in the next 3-4 years. I will probably go with the i7 990X that Intel is supposed to release in a few weeks/months. The back panel has 4 fan slots so the total number of fans is 16 + 1 for the PSU fan.

So I thought I could do 9 Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000RPMs in the front and 3 Delta fans on the top as well as 4 Delta fans in the rear for a total of 7 Delta fans. What do you think about that set up?

Also, what about the Zalman fan controllers? The Rhobeus doesn't seem to have a display to show what RPMs the fans are spinning. Can the Zalman fan controller (with one knob) control 6 fans? If not, are there any other fan controllers you recommend?

I will definitely create a "PC Build Log" once I get all my parts in. I'll post plenty of pics (once I figure out how to do that on AT! LOL).

No problem. Just post pics if you decide you build this monster. 🙂

Thanks, again.

 

[nitromullet]

If you aren't using a fan controller the fan should be running at 100% of its rated rpms. You need to be careful with the Deltas and plugging them into your motherboard and/or fan controllers.

Depending on which fan you get, they can draw a lot of power. Enough to fry your motherboard or fan controller.

Here's a table of Delta fans with power draw:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/delhigper.html

Watts are determined by multiplying volts times amps. So, if you have a Zalman ZM-MFC3 that's rated at max 0.7 amps and 12V per channel, and you plug anything higher than an 8.4watt fan into it you're going to have problems.

 

[Baasha]

If you aren't using a fan controller the fan should be running at 100% of its rated rpms. You need to be careful with the Deltas and plugging them into your motherboard and/or fan controllers.

Depending on which fan you get, they can draw a lot of power. Enough to fry your motherboard or fan controller.

Here's a table of Delta fans with power draw:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/delhigper.html

Watts are determined by multiplying volts times amps. So, if you have a Zalman ZM-MFC3 that's rated at max 0.7 amps and 12V per channel, and you plug anything higher than an 8.4watt fan into it you're going to have problems.

Hmm.. I didn't think of that.. shoot..

The Delta fan I got was this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-001-_-Product

It is rated at 2.45A and 12.8V max so that's 31.38W.

Are there any fan controllers that can handle that kind of power?

If not, how do I use them? If I can't plug it into the MoBo, where do I plug them? Directly to the PSU?

I was going to get 7 of the Deltas and 9 of the Scythe Ultra Kaze (3000 RPM) which are rated at 0.6A and 12V so that's 7.2W. The Scythe fans seem to be "normal" as far as power consumption but for the Deltas, what do I do?

Oh, and that list doesn't even have the particular Delta I got the AFB1212GHE which is rated at 240 CFM and 5200 RPM. That store does sell it for $10 cheaper than NewEgg so I'll get the other six from them. (EDIT: They are out of stock on this particular model! 🙁)

 

[nitromullet]

Hmm.. I didn't think of that.. shoot..

The Delta fan I got was this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-001-_-Product

It is rated at 2.45A and 12.8V max so that's 31.38W.

Are there any fan controllers that can handle that kind of power?

I was going to get 7 of the Deltas and 9 of the Scythe Ultra Kaze (3000 RPM) which are rated at 0.6A and 12V so that's 7.2W. The Scythe fans seem to be "normal" as far as power consumption but for the Deltas, what do I do?

Oh, and that list doesn't even have the particular Delta I got the AFB1212GHE which is rated at 240 CFM and 5200 RPM. That store does sell it for $10 cheaper than NewEgg so I'll get the other six from them. (EDIT: They are out of stock on this particular model! 🙁)

Honestly, I don't know that much about Deltas and fan controllers. Like I said before, I gave up on fans like that years ago. You might actually consider emailing Sidewinder at sales@sidewindercomputers.com and asking them for advice. Tell them exactly what you want to do, with specific fan model numbers and quantities, and they will probably be able to make a recommendation.

If not, how do I use them? If I can't plug it into the MoBo, where do I plug them? Directly to the PSU?

Yes, plug them directly into the PSU. Of course, they will run a 100% that way, but you won't risk burning out your motherboard.

 

[Baasha]

Honestly, I don't know that much about Deltas and fan controllers. Like I said before, I gave up on fans like that years ago. You might actually consider emailing Sidewinder at sales@sidewindercomputers.com and asking them for advice. Tell them exactly what you want to do, with specific fan model numbers and quantities, and they will probably be able to make a recommendation.

Okay, I'll do that and see what they say.

Yes, plug them directly into the PSU. Of course, they will run a 100% that way, but you won't risk burning out your motherboard.

Okay that makes sense. So what do you think of this set up:

9 Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000 RPM (~7.2W max) in the front panel (intake)
3 Delta AFB1212GHE 5200 RPM (~31.4W max) in the top panel (exhaust)
4 Delta AFB1212GHE 5200 RPM (~31.4W max) in the back panel (exhaust)

Also, in one of the reviews for the Lamptron fan controller, they mentioned something called a 50W rheostat. What on earth is that and is it something I could use to control the RPMs of the Deltas?

 

[nitromullet]

Okay that makes sense. So what do you think of this set up:

9 Scythe Ultra Kaze 3000 RPM (~7.2W max) in the front panel (intake)
3 Delta AFB1212GHE 5200 RPM (~31.4W max) in the top panel (exhaust)
4 Delta AFB1212GHE 5200 RPM (~31.4W max) in the back panel (exhaust)

Way too loud for my tastes. 🙂

Also, in one of the reviews for the Lamptron fan controller, they mentioned something called a 50W rheostat. What on earth is that and is it something I could use to control the RPMs of the Deltas?

The rheostat is what actually controls the current to fan in a fan controller. You can buy them separately. Of course they are more expensive, but probably higher quality than what you'll find inside of that Lampton controller.

http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/sirh25wa.html
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/si50warh.html

Technically speaking, I think sidewinder is actually selling a Potentiometer, but it contains a rheostat.

...why not just go with Ultra Kazes for all the fans? You could control all 16 fans with four of these http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/sckamaace5ba.html or some other fan controllers instead of trying to tame the Deltas.

 

[Baasha]

...why not just go with Ultra Kazes for all the fans? You could control all 16 fans with four of these http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/sckamaace5ba.html or some other fan controllers instead of trying to tame the Deltas.

I've been going back and forth in my head for the past few days and I'm still not decided! LOL...

I am now thinking LED fans would "look cool" and 9 of them in the front should give more than enough airflow for the "intake" part of the case right? And then, I could use 3 Ultra Kaze fans for the exhaust up top and 3 on the back panel with one Delta (since I ordered it already) (?).

If I get all Ultra Kazes, is there a way to attach LEDs to them or is that a hassle?

What are some great 120mm LED fans you recommend? I really like the look of the Xigmatek with the blue or orange fins but they are only 61 CFM each! 🙁

The Deltas are 240 CFM!

 

[Baasha]

The Scythe Ultra Kaze is so much better than the Delta in terms of noise.

I will keep one Delta however so I suppose I'll get the Rhobeus Extreme fan controller since it has an output of 30W per channel.