# Mini Tower Gaming Case



## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

I'm looking for a Mini-tower gaming case. I currently have a Cooler Master elite 343, and I have installed all the possible fans possible, however my MSI N560-ti Twin Frozr II is still getting up to 84 degrees in full load(No overclocking). The Twin Frozr from MSI is supposed to cool the card at around 60 degrees or so. The only other reason I can think of that would get my card that hot would be me using the stock cooler for my CPU (i5 no overclocking here either).
It's rather hard to find mini towers meant for gaming, so it would be nice if anyone can help me recommend a few cases. I prefer mini towers cause their small making them fit well under my desk, and I'm using a micro ATX board.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Hello ThriftyPo,

Mini and Micro towers never make good gaming cases. The more confined the space, the faster heat will build up.

I suggest a good mid-tower, like the Antec 200 or 300.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

I guess thats the problem. No company bothers to make good decent mini tower gaming cases... I really prefer smaller cases as the fit well under my desk. The main reason I'm thinking of getting a new case is mainly because my GPU gets up into the 80 range when I'm playing games. Unless I find a way to cool it down, I will have to buy a new case. Does anyone know how to cool down a GPU?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Keep it clean of dust. Just like your CPU, the GPUs heatsink can only cool the chip so much. The warmer the system ambient temperature, the warmer the GPU.

Drop temps in the case with a nice mid-tower or full-tower and the CPU and GPU temperatures will drop with it.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Looks like I may have to find a better case then. My GPU fans are totally clean and free of dust. I bought it just a month ago anyway. I'm planning on upgrading my CPU heatsink to a Cooler Master Vortex Plus, it isn't the best cooler out there, but its small enough to fit in my case and is better than the stock cooler. If my CPU ran cooler, would it decrease the overall temps in my case and GPU?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Your CPU will run cooler with a higher efficiency heatsink, but it will not make the case temp drop... It may actually make it rise. The inefficiency of the cases airflow and small size is causing the heat buildup. 

Couple of questions...

What PSU are you using?
What is your fan configuration (size, placement and direction of air-flow)?
How many hard drives are installed in the case?


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

I have Aywun 650w Eco PSU. I know that Aywun is some cheap PSU, but it works rather well and hasn't failed on me once. I have one 120mm fan in the front as intake while the fan on the back and on the side of the case as exhaust fans. I only have 1 HDD, the Seagate 1TB 7200rpm.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

I am assuming the exhaust fans are 120mm as well. Being CoolerMaster, the fans should be multi speed. If that is so, turn the rear exhaust on high and the front intake to low.

If the side fan is located above the video card/expansion slots, make it intake and turn it on low.

Your PSU is a almost a definite source of heat in the case. Low quality PSUs are inefficient and create more heat and the cooling properties are usually lackluster as well. Your best bet (before buying a new case) is to upgrade your PSU to a high quality, modular PSU from SeaSonic or Corsair. The modularity will allow you to only keep the leads you need, which will help with case clutter and airflow in such a small case.

Once the changes are made, monitor your temps to see if there is any change, better or worse.

Here are my two suggestions for PSU.

My first choice from SeaSonic. Top of the line PSU and modular. 80+ Gold means extremely efficient and cool.
Newegg.com - SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold ((SS-650KM Active PFC F3)) 650W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Less expensive modular unit from XFX. High quality and 80+ Bronze certified. A little less efficient at power than the SeaSonic, but 100% better than your current PSU.
Newegg.com - XFX XXX Edition P1-650X-CAG9 650W ATX12V 2.2 / ESP12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Both PSUs come with a 5 year warranty.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

ThriftyPo said:


> I have Aywun 650w Eco PSU. I know that Aywun is some cheap PSU, but it works rather well and hasn't failed on me once. I have one 120mm fan in the front as intake while the fan on the back and on the side of the case as exhaust fans. I only have 1 HDD, the Seagate 1TB 7200rpm.


Your PSU is very poor quality and even though it appears to "work well" it could be contributing to your GPU heat issues by not supplying enough clean power.
Try disconnecting the side fan. They can disrupt the desired front to rear airflow.


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

Aywun 650w Eco PSU

they are not a 650w psu that is the peak power reading

that tells you it is low quality and to avoid it like the plauge


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

The Aywun 650w Eco PSU is very low quality and will not provide "clean" power to your Gpu causing it to run warmer. Also mini towers are simply not designed for building a gaming system. They cannot exhaust the hot air fast enough and as such your GPU's fan is drawning back in the hot air it just expelled. Mini cases are great for work enviroments where office apps, email and web surfing are done because that does not generate much system heat.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Looks like I have to upgrade my PSU then. Just added in a new CPU heatsink, the cooler master vortex plus. Pretty good upgrade from the standard and now my gpu runs slightly cooler as well at 75 degrees. I will still need to test out if putting the side fan as intake will help.
Oh yea, for the PSU thing, I have been looking at the Corsair 600w Gold. It seems pretty nice, but expensive. I'll just have to wait before buying it (I have used up tons of money this past month. Buying a gtx 560, new case, fans, PSU and heatsink= $350)


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

with a 560 i would be up here

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

i hope the 75 is F and not C


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

I have to agree wholeheartedly with dai on this one. The 560 is a beast of a card and will draw a ton of current when under load.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

^^^^^^^^
agree with the above statements.


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## hhnq04 (Mar 19, 2008)

You mentioned earlier that it fits under your desk, is it under the desk in an open area or in one of those silly cabinets with a door? If it's the cabinet type and it's enclosed, that's a reason for your temps to jump also as it essentially turns into an oven in there without some place for the hot air to escape.


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

80 to 75 degrees is a small change for a new cooler. I would not call that value for money

I would suggest that you find a new mid tower case that will exhaust the hot air out more efficiently. IF you want to go down the road of not getting a new case the only option you have (quite expensive) is to get liquid cooling for your GPU, but if you dont know what your doing i dont advise it. getting a mid tower case is by far the better idea.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Woah, thats a lot of responses. I think that 850w is a bit overkill. I think that 700w would be good enough. Corsair 700w Gold. The PC is actually not inclosed, its just that the desk is really low and touches almost touches the top of the case. The rest of the sides are totally open and have plenty of space to breath. A1tecice the cooler was a great value for money. It was only $20US, and now my CPU never surpassed 60 degrees.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

And yes the sad thing it is in Celsius. The metric system is used in the rest of the world other than America.
Also if I use a better PSU, it would give cleaner power, resulting in less heat generated in all the components that use the power right and the PSU itself?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

check you have applied the paste correctly

to much is as bad as none at all

Core Temp - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Downloads

i would not recommend a 850 if a 700 would run it efficiently and reliably in the long term


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

ThriftyPo said:


> if I use a better PSU, it would give cleaner power, resulting in less heat generated in all the components that use the power right and the PSU itself?


Yes thats true


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

ThriftyPo said:


> Woah, thats a lot of responses. I think that 850w is a bit overkill.


You may think that, but we know from many years of combined knowledge that it is indeed true.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

You should read the sticky about PSU selection.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f210/power-supply-information-and-selection-192217.html

There are a few factors to consider when selecting a PSU as you know, but there are a few that are commonly overlooked and the sticky will help you understand why we recommend what we do.


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## Jay_JWLH (Apr 30, 2008)

There are a majority of factors to consider here, one of them being airflow/fans/heatsinks, the other being the PSU.

I'm not going to come into this thread saying that I think your PSU is underpowered or generating a lot of heat, but what I do know is that a poor quality PSU can create a noticable amount of extra heat. Just having insufficient power to your hardware could be caused by an underpowered PSU, so getting one that gives you enough headroom for upgrades and for up to 30% loss of power in its lifespan is important. Even the PSU in itself could have a low efficientcy percentage, where if you had one at 70% for a 400W, only that much would come out as power, but the rest would be wasted as heat as well as a waste to your electricity bill. You might think you are saving money on a cheaper PSU, but don't be so sure about how much money you are saving in the long run.

As for the heat dissipation, you have a variety of points here. One of them is the thermal paste you put between a GPU/CPU and the metal contact of the heatsink. A good paste would help heat transfer over that gap as much as possible. Unfortunately, although noticable, the difference isn't always huge. Even keeping the heatsink on tight without damage-close tight is a good idea.
Heatsinks, well there might not be a whole lot you can do there except in upgrade situations. You can get some pretty huge looking ones, which probably do a good job. The materials they are made of come into play as well. You can even get some powerful fans, but you need to learn to be familar with decibel ratings so that you understand what kind of noise fan you are buying is going to make. If it plugs into your motherboard CPU fan three pin, then it is quite likely the speed will vary as temperature increases and decreases, although in your case it might keep staying at full blast. Similar situations apply to your GPU, however it is in a different position.
A pretty important point is how air circulates through the case. This can actually be a pretty big deal in some cases. You don't want spots where the air circulates in a corner or else that area will heat up and spread a little. If air can push through the front and come through the back (past the CPU, and through the GPU and PSU), then it will work quite well. You can install additional fans to help with this if you wish, but keep in mind the noise (or even light with the fancy ones) that you might be adding to your computer.

Check the reading for your "system", CPU, and GPU. If it is just your CPU, and don't mind spending a bit of extra money, you can get some alternatives such as this one. That is the one I have. I think the temperatures used to go over 60 degrees, but now under load it doesn't even go over 41 degrees. And that is just using one fan at a lower RPM, out of two. But of course, I bet there are heaps of other options out there.


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## Jay_JWLH (Apr 30, 2008)

ThriftyPo said:


> Woah, thats a lot of responses. I think that 850w is a bit overkill. I think that 700w would be good enough. Corsair 700w Gold. The PC is actually not inclosed, its just that the desk is really low and touches almost touches the top of the case. The rest of the sides are totally open and have plenty of space to breath. A1tecice the cooler was a great value for money. It was only $20US, and now my CPU never surpassed 60 degrees.


It is no coincidence. To be fair to you, this thread was advertised to the rest of us.

Whatever PSU you choose, you should probably take a moment to use an online power supply calculator (use 2-3 to be sure, since they input different information). It can help better guide you towards the wattage you need.... minimum anyway.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Ok guys, I'm planning to trade in my crap Aywun PSU for a Corsair TX750w Gold. To answer your questions Jay, the whole point of buying the CPU heatsink was to cool my CPU and which for some reason made my GPU run cooler.
Do any of you know any good programs to control the speeds of my fans on my case and CPU heatsink? Speedfan is really complicated and I can't get I8krgui to work on Win7 x64.


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## Jay_JWLH (Apr 30, 2008)

Although that PSU seems to have the wattage that you need, it also claims to have extra long cables, which for a small factor case could make air flow more difficult. Do you really think you will be able to store any of the following extra cables into your case?:









You might need to consider a modulated one that allowed you to remove excess cables, or one that caters to the needs of a smaller case.

As for fan control, you can do that in about two ways. The hardware way involves a fan controller, and you can turn the knob. They aren't always that expensive either, and I am considering making such a purchase for my H70 CPU cooler fan. The other choice of course is the software, but will only work if you plug the fans into a three pin connector on the motherboard and not to the PSU directly. To be honest I personally don't know of any program, but understand that the fan will adjust in speed as temperatures change. To reduce the fan speed when it needs it most could have consequences, so be careful of that.


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## Amd_Man (Jan 27, 2009)

Good point Jay_JWLH. I have the TX750 psu and I can tell you it has alot of cables. Cable management in my Coolermaster CM690II mid tower was a pain in the but. I would also suggest that you go with a corsair HX series modular PSU.


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Indeed my Enermax 1250W PSU has ALOT of cables, even though its modular there are still some that aren't and i even find it hard storing them out the way with my Haf-X full tower case.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

gavinzach said:


> Your best bet (before buying a new case) is to upgrade your PSU to a *high quality, modular PSU from SeaSonic or Corsair*. The modularity will allow you to only keep the leads you need, which will help with case clutter and airflow in such a small case.


Modular is the only way to go in a small case.


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Just to throw my twopence-worth in, if you can afford a slightly higher power-rated PSU (approx 50-100W), it will run a lot cooler than a PSU rated to your precise requirements.

As an analogy, think of a car engine running along - A 1600cc engine moving a car at 50MPH will just cruise along, whereas a 1000cc engine will be running near flat out (hotter) for the same speed and performance :wink:


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Just for illustration, here is a micro ATX board in a mini-tower with a modular PSU.

This isn't even with proper cable management...

A non modular PSU, especially a medusa head like a TX750/850 would fill this case with cables that would block airflow and cause a ton of heat buildup.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Ok, here it is: Corsair HX750w, and later on I may buy a Antec 300 case (A classic). Would the Corsair HX750 fit in my case (Cooler Master Elite 343) or the Antec 300 Case?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

It will fit into both.

Just be advised that the Corsair units are a bit longer than the SeaSonic units.

I have had mine stuffed in the same case as in the photo, I am sure it will fit in yours.


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## Jay_JWLH (Apr 30, 2008)

Amd_Man said:


> Good point Jay_JWLH. I have the TX750 psu and I can tell you it has alot of cables. Cable management in my Coolermaster CM690II mid tower was a pain in the but. I would also suggest that you go with a corsair HX series modular PSU.


I have one of the Corsair PSU's. Although I like how they have organised and wrapped up their cables, I've ended up having to cram them in places just to get to the SATA cables and such. Even worse when you have an IDE ribbon cable! Stupid optical drive. On the plus side, I can shift drives of all kinds up and down the front of the case.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Thanks for all of the support guys. I'll show you the current build I have, and I'll show you the new build tmrw once I get everything sorted. I've also noticed that you guys were correct, my PSU has begin to die on me. Once in a while, when I play intensive games, the system would just stop for a second and black screen, and then relaunch itself. Its a bit annoying.
(Does anyone know how to add Pics?)


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

To attach pictures,

Press the Go Advanced button under the reply box.
On the toolbar there is an attachment tool (paperclip).

You can also use an image hosting service, like photobucket. You would use the IMG code to embed the image.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Oh yea, I kinda lied. It turns out that I dont have much space at the back of the case, not the top. Also I have decided to buy the Corsair HX650w. Still modular just less watts. 650 is plentiful anyway for a GTX 560 ti anyway, and Corsair is extremely good.
Another random question: What is the longest Graphics Card can you fit in the Antec 300, and overall what is your opinion on that case(airflow, price, etc.)?


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

I'm also thinking of a new Mobo. I'm still using my dell's mobo which is fine, but could be better. I'm looking for something that is around $150, has two PCI-E's, Socket LGA 1156 (i5 760), DDR3 Ram 1333mhz (I have 3 sticks that give 6gb of ram). I'm eyeing the MSI P55A-G57. Any recommendations? I'm really new to motherboards in general, so I just want something cheap, but works well and doesn't require too much hassle.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Here is my personal rig (Antec 300). Geforce 9800GTX+ has plenty of room and airflow is good.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

That looks pretty good. Seems pretty nice. What about a motherboard though. I'm still really new to motherboards. My socket I need to use is the LGA 1156, and I'm looking at some P55 boards. Do any of you have any good recommendations?


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

I believe this board supports your CPU. It takes DDR3 memory, so if you are using DDR2 you will need to upgrade that as well.

Newegg.com - ASUS P7P55 LX LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

That seems nice, but for me I would like a Nvidia SLI type (I use Nvidia). Also I've heard some rumor's that these Motherboards will be updated soon. Also I have the i5 [email protected], and I was looking for some motherboards that would support 8x sli or higher. I also would like some explanations on shopping for motherboards and all their components (maybe a website). Still really new to this.
Whats the difference between P55, H55 and H57? Which one would be better for me?
I'm looking at the MSI P55A-G57, is it any good, and how would it work?
Are there any boards that support the LGA 1156 socket, with SLI and 16x bandwith for SLI cards?
(sorry for all the questions, just need a lot of clarifications)


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Here is my current case in SLI with two 480's as you can see not much space. Bearing in mind this a full tower case. not a mid-tower with a full ATX motherboard. I find it hard to believe that you could get a beefy small well made PSU to supply SLI's. and have both cards running is such a small case to keep them cool. i can hit 70 degrees with mine and there well ventilated.

But good luck



I would reccomend more motherboards but all my choices have been listed already :tongue:


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Hey guys, I've decided to GO FULL FORCE.
I already have told you I got a MSI N560 ti and Corsair HX650w Power Supply.
However, I've added a couple more things. I got myself a Corsair H60 CPU cooler, Core i5 2310, Asus P8Z68 mobo, and the Cooler Master 690 Advanced case.
I'm planning to totally rebuild a new PC. Can anyone give me any suggestions on how to overclock the Core i5 2310? I know its locked, but is there anyway to overclock?
Its like Christmas!


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

First of all get it up and running on windows, then let us know when you want more overclocking help .


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Hey thanks for all of your support. I have finally finished building it. However, I have found that Windows is somehow locked with my old motherboard, and so I will have to buy a new Windows and a new HDD. I'm actually looking at a SSD though. So basically I'm going to buy a really small SSD as a boot up to windows and then using my old HDD as my storage and main usage. Will it work, and how will I need to setup 2 hardrives like this?


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## A1tecice (Jun 1, 2010)

Ohhhh dear....... i hope you know your way around your registry's if you want to set your SSD as your boot drive . Seriously i would not advise anyone that's not experienced do it.


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## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

If you wish to have an SSD as your OS drive, I would suggest getting one large enough to hold the entire OS, updates and any programs that will be run regularly. My minimum suggestion would be 60GB. You could then use the larger drive for media storage, non-essential programs (like games) and backup.

I would not attempt to integrate the two drives or mount volumes in C:/ unless you are an advanced user. Most programs allow installation and operation from non-default locations. 

This will be a little more difficult in x64 due to the WoW64 (32bit on 64bit support) but should work fine for native x64 programs.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

OH! So it looks like the SSD is a no-go. Oh well, I'll just buy one 10,000rpm 1TB Hardrive and install windows on it and basically backup my old harddrive on to the new one.


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## Jay_JWLH (Apr 30, 2008)

You should have gotten a multiplier unlocked CPU while you had the chance, but oh well. I wont go into it in more detail since you can make a fresh new topic for it, but I will tell you this much. You will have to be changing your motherboard FSB in order to overclock it like I have been doing, however the consequence is that it overclocks a lot of the other hardware at the same time as well unless you underclock them individually (like memory and PCI).

As for storage read/write performance, maybe hardware-based RAID would make a good option for you instead? That too, will have to be discussed in another topic.

You are really cramming things into a tight amount of space. I really hope that it all fits. I got the Corsair H70 CPU cooler, and now I can't even put the side cover back on anymore lol. Maybe it is time to drill some holes....


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

Jay_JWLH said:


> You should have gotten a multiplier unlocked CPU while you had the chance, but oh well. I wont go into it in more detail since you can make a fresh new topic for it, but I will tell you this much. You will have to be changing your motherboard FSB in order to overclock it like I have been doing, however the consequence is that it overclocks a lot of the other hardware at the same time as well unless you underclock them individually (like memory and PCI).
> 
> As for storage read/write performance, maybe hardware-based RAID would make a good option for you instead? That too, will have to be discussed in another topic.
> 
> You are really cramming things into a tight amount of space. I really hope that it all fits. I got the Corsair H70 CPU cooler, and now I can't even put the side cover back on anymore lol. Maybe it is time to drill some holes....


I haven't had the door on my antec 900 in a long while. CPU cooler won't fit. LOL. As such, I don't run the front/back fans anymore, either, only the top fan (to assist CPU cooler).

My friend plays CoD with a mini ATX case and 750W PSU- the case holds the motherboard and hard drive, and that's it. PSU is outside case, and monitor is on top- all on top of a bar table. Very interesting sight.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

thanks guys, Actually i bought the i5 2500k, and also I would like some help in the placement of the corsair H60 in the CM 690 II advanced.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

GUYS! THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT! Here are some of my current achievements: On reference clocks on my GPU, it doesn't break the 65 degrees Celsius and when overclocked to 1.112v at 990mhz, it doesn't break the 80 degrees Celsius mark either. My CPU on the other hand, hasn't broken 50 degrees Celsius IN FULL LOAD (100% on all four cores.) I'm planning to overclock my CPU as well. Does anybody know how to OC Intel Core i5 2500k on an Asus P8Z68-V motherboard?
(BTW I went with the Seagate Momentous XT, a hybrid HDD and SDD. Its almost as fast as a SDD but is as cheap and has as much storage space as a HDD.)


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

case looks like it needs a god blowout with a can of air


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

dai said:


> case looks like it needs a god blowout with a can of air


Mine? Yea, kinda req'd when you go side-less. I hit it with the air compressor every 2 months or so.


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## ThriftyPo (Apr 11, 2011)

Why so many HDD?


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

just noticed your 560gtx

the psu to run it will be up here or better

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-850TX 850W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply


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## magnethead (Mar 18, 2006)

ThriftyPo said:


> Why so many HDD?


tends to happen through experimentation and upgrade.

Started with Vista

then got to experimenting with Ubuntu Linux

Then upgraded to windows 7

Then upgraded to Snow Leopard.


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## Jay_JWLH (Apr 30, 2008)

Well magnethead, my side of the case has a large fan which helps with the silent pipe of my graphics. So I have it sitting near the side of the case, doing its job even if it doesn't seal the case together. And I also have three drives. It doesn't get nearly as dirty as your computer seems to.


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