# Is my case any good? The goods and bads



## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

I have owned the Thermaltake chaser mk-1 and so far I love it! I just wanted to have other opnions and what I should look into as far as upgrading to water cooling or anything else in that matter! I wanna know compared to other great cases if this one has the potential for making it better!


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Cases are a matter of personal preference. With a little effort, you can use any case for pretty much any use. It all boils down to what you want and like.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

As noted by Dogg, any case will work and are a personal preference. If it holds your components and has good airflow, it's a good case.
Liquid cooling is a waste of money for the average user. OEM CPU heatsink/fans are quite sufficient and if OC is applied any good quality air unit is fine.


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## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

I do like ro oc  lol..but actually I have a better question! As for cpu I use the h80 by corsair but everything else is air cooled! I use 2 exhuast on top, 1 intake on front, 1 intake on side, and intake on bottom! I also have the h80 radiator on the back as exhaust! Is that a good airflow setup?


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## helios19 (Nov 25, 2008)

Well they say 1 upper rear exhaust fan and 1 lower front intake fan usually provides ample cooling however, as for the rest you really have to test them out using "trial and error". More isn't always better in terms of fans.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

One 120mm fan in front & rear is usually sufficient. Side and top mount fans can cause turbulence in the case and disrupt the desired front to rear airflow. Using those fans connected and disconnected is the only way to be certain. I remove any side or top mount fans from retail builds to avoid any possible problems.


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## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Ohh wow! I didnt kno that  I mean everything seems to stay cool but if I can make it cooler then thats always a good thing! Other than obviously reading temps, hows a good way to tell if airflow seems correct? I usually stick my hand in the center and I can definitely feel a slight breeze


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Also experiment blocking unused fan mounts. This will ensure the air is flowing from and to only the fan openings that you want. Many cases have numerous fan openings, and they can allow air to bypass your preferred airflow path.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Airflow is correct if it is being drawn in from the front of the case and being exhausted out of the rear of the case.


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## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Whats better.. More intake or more exhaust?


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## shotgn (Aug 10, 2008)

Thats debatable. positive-pressure or negative-pressure. Positive intakes more than exhaust. Negative exhaust more that intake.

People have said negative pressure also (sucks in) thru joints and cracks in cases creating more dust inside.

Never having tested negative pressure, I can not confirm. I use positive pressure airflow.


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## Techtopus (Mar 29, 2012)

Only major factor would be keeping your wiring neat so you don't get hot pockets in your case. As long as everything is neat inside and you have the proper ventilation any case will do.


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## tdvk (Jun 18, 2012)

I've customized my own gaming rigs for many years plus I love doing research. With that said, I have to say this is really good case actually. It seems to have good cable management, the fans are in the right spot, and it has a nice little window on the side panel. 

A little suggestion with the fans is to use a controller that's automated. 
Newegg.com - NZXT Sentry-2 5.25" Touch Screen Fan Controller

Also it seems to come with fans? If so, stock fans aren't always the best so sometimes it's beneficial to upgrade for more airflow and less noise.


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## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Yay! Thank you! I will definitley check out the aftermarket fans and controllers, I do seem to have a decent airflow but if I can make it better than Im going to achieve it lol...Im always finding ways to make it better


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## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

So I got the fan controller n love it but I did have one question, is it possible for me to hook the fans up and have my l.e.d. lights(fan) on the same time? If so, how do I properly hook them up? When I plug the l.e.d. fans in the controller I lose my lights :/


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Lights should work unless you have the "speed" turned down or off.


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## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

No lights at all  I noticed the fans have 3 wires and the controller has only 2! Idk of that has anything to do with that if so that's a big downer on this controller


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Third wire on the fans is the 'feedback'. For monitoring RPMs.


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## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Why the heck am I not getting lights then? I do kno my case is slightly wierd! Its the chaser mk-1 and the wires from fans connect to the top of my case into my docking station. I can change led colors of the fans on top of my case, but soon as I plug the fans directly into the fan controller I lose lights. I can adjust fan speed but no lights! Could the issue be the case and how the fans connect via into the docking station?


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

If these fans are custom to the case, then the third wire may well be for the LEDs. If you connect one direct to a motherboard header, do the LEDs come on and can you read the fan speed in BIOS?


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## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Negative! Even direct plugged into mobo still no lights! But if I plug them into the cases panal they work :/


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Then I would assume the case panel is using the third wire to control the LED's. As noted, with standard fans, the third wire is simply to sense RPM. These are obviously non-standard.


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## DSLDrummer (Feb 17, 2012)

Haha!! Thank you! Im sure Im gonna need aftermarket fans as these are the fans I had got with the case  Thank you all


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