Hardware

[icycalm]

Building a PC again -- last time I did this must have been... oh, two years ago? Perhaps a bit longer.

So yeah, first things first is the case. After a bit of browsing I came upon what seems to be the cutting edge in case design -- both functionally and aesthetically:

http://www.ttlevel10.com/

Designed by Thermaltake in conjuction with BMW DesignWorks USA, lol. The thing is freaking awesome:

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/e ... is_unboxed

And for €579 it better be!

The modular approach they took is really neat -- I urge everyone interested in the art of case design to check both the official site and the article I linked. Thermaltake usually does really ugly cases (with one exception: their Armor model), so I guess we have to thank the BMW people for the neat looks of this one.

So yeah, this seems to be the best of the best at the moment. I mean, I am sure that if I dig hard enough I'll probably be able to find something even better functionally, but it will probably be some liquid cooled monstrosity abortion, and I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money only to get something that looks ugly.

If you are aware of anything comparably awesome, post here in the next few days and let me know. Otherwise I am buying this.

After that we can use this thread for general news and discussion of the wonderful world of PC case design.

[faceplant]

Not really in the same realm, as it's an entire PC, not just a case. But the Hardcore Reactor is really something different. The entire PC is submerged in non-conducting oil to cool it.

Of course, the price is jaw-dropping (prices start at $3100 for the lowest end model), but you get something truly unique.

pr_reactor_f.jpg (51.09 KiB) Viewed 22593 times

http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/reactor_pc

[icycalm]

Most awesomest thing I've fucking EVER seen in the PC world. And what's more, the fucking thing even LOOKS awesome. I checked their website, and there is a little snag however: they don't seem to be featuring very new components. You can't choose an i7 processor, for example, nor is the range of graphics cards and hard drives, etc. they offer very wide. In fact all components are extremely limited to a few models. I mean, I've no doubt that they can still achieve better results with inferior components, but imagine what they could do with the latest shit...

There's also another snag: it seems that every time you want to mess around with the components you have to send the PC back to them, which kind of totally fucks up the whole "enthusiast/modding" angle which is the whole point...

So yeah, great idea, but they need to work on it a bit more.

[faceplant]

I don't think they were aiming for the modding angle as much as the enthusiast angle. This is more for the Alienware crowd that likes to buy a really nice PC for a premium. Except in this case, the price is actually justified. It would be nice if you could get one with a Core i7, though.

For the modding crowd, there's always this:

http://www.pugetsystems.com/aquarium_kit.php

Although, putting your PC into a flimsy fishtank filled with oil does not sound like a particularly great idea. If it accidentally breaks or even leaks, you've got quite the clean-up job ahead of you.

[icycalm]

I ended up picking up Thermaltake's Armor+ MX VH8000BWS (black version) because I found it on sale on Amazon.uk for 99 euros (whereas normally it goes for 150+).



http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.a ... 25&ID=1771

It was mostly an impulse buy and I am still thinking about the BMW case, but I think I'll set up my system with this case first, and take some time to think about whether I want to move on to something more expensive or not. This is anyway already one of the most well reviewed cases around, and I think one of the best looking ones too.

I would also like to start thinking about liquid cooling -- the Armor case can be modified to that end, whereas the BMW one cannot... I will also eventually end up running two ATI HD5970 cards in CrossfireX, which are humongous, and I am not sure the BMW case will fit them at all (I need to check up on this, but details seem scarce).

[icycalm]

Shoot, turns out that the Armor+ MX will certainly not fit the graphics card I have in mind.

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.a ... =1771#Tab6

Q: What size graphics cards may be used with this chassis?
A: This chassis will fit a video card that is no longer than 10.6" with the removal of the HDD cage. Standard size fit is 9.6"

The Sapphire HD5970 is 12" long...

However, Thermaltake's full tower versions of the Armor+ will fit it. In which case my best choice would be the Armor+ LCS with embedded liquid cooling which goes for around $400.



http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.a ... 48&ID=1480

What a fucking idiot I am. Now I have a useless case in my hands...

[austere]

If you've purchased the case just now, it may still be possible that Amazon.uk could cancel the order! I have never tried this before so I searched their website and found this page:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/custome ... eId=502536

Those 99 euros should be spared for a kick ass mouse to match that case!

[icycalm]

Unfortunately the damn thing is already sitting on my floor. It's a big box too, so I don't know what I am going to do with it. There might be a chance I could return it, but the outward shipping costs from Tenerife are prohibitive, and I don't really want the hassle.

As for a mouse, though, I've already bought the most expensive one I could find. I'll start a thread dedicaded to mice soon.

[icycalm]

Did some more research and thinking on this, and it turns out that the BMW case, though it is supposedly targeted for the high-end gaming market, lacks two few crucial features:

1. It only has room for only 8 expansion slots, which means it can't fit oversized motherboards requiring 10 expansion slots, like EVGA's 4x SLI motherboards, for example.

2. There is no way to add liquid cooling later, something which I have come to realize starts becoming mandatory for high-end setups with more than two graphics, and even with two of them in some cases, as for example with a pair of overclocked HD5970s.

All things considered then (including aesthetics), my view is that the current state-of-the-art in case design (at least in the retail market) is the liquid cooled Armor+ model linked earlier in this thread (VH600LBWS), which goes for around $400, and which is what I am getting. And here's a number of reviews of it:

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.a ... =1480#Tab4

(Note that some of these reviews are for the basic model, sans liquid cooling, or for the ESA version... but the basics apply to all of them.)

[Worm]

Came across this nigh-featureless black block today:

Fractal Design Define XL Black Pearl
http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&prod=68

While not of practical use to me (it's built primarily for low noise levels), and I can't exactly praise the designers for designing nothing, I like the idea of powerful hardware humming away inside such a simple and easily-overlooked box.

[icycalm]

I really like the potential of this case and even how it looks on the inside.

Corsair Obsidian 900D
http://www.corsair.com/us/pc-cases/obsi ... -case.html

The outside, however, if not exactly terrible, certainly looks bad. It is the three-quarters window that does it. If it took up the full panel, or if there was no window at all, it still wouldn't look great, but it would be decent enough at least.

Corsair certainly seems to build great cases, but they need to work on the aesthetics. Having said that:

Let the beginners use cases that look like they’re going to turn into a giant robot.

True enough lol.

[icycalm]

Been reading up on this case, and it sounds like top 2 material.

http://www.amazon.com/review/RJWX2DM18G ... hisHelpful

Just when I thought computer cases couldn't get any better from Corsair, the 900d shows up in town. If you were looking for something bigger and badder than the 800d here it is. Here is a list of what the case has:

1. 9x 3.5" drive bays. (You can have up to 15 by buying more drive cases from Corsair). These drive cases are also modular. You can move them from the front of your case to the bottom of your case if you want so you can let more air in or to place your liquid cooling reservoir.
2. 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0 along with small power and reset buttons on the front.
3. Comes with 3x 120mm fans in the front. You can have up to 12x 120mm fans.
4. 1x 140mm fan on the back. There are mounts for a 120mm
5. The case weighs in at 41 lbs.
6. Five radiator mounting points:
Front: up to a 360mm
Top: up to 480mm (4 x 120) or 420mm (3 x 140)
Bottom side one: up to 480mm (4 x 120) or 420mm (3 x 140)
Bottom side two (with PSU installed): up to 280mm (2 x 140) or 240mm (2 x 120)
Rear: 140mm or 120mm
6.(a)IMPORTANT: Both the front of the case and side of the case have vents that take in air from the side.
7. Removable and washable dust filter.
8. You can have 2x power supplies in this baby. That's right 2. You mount them in the bottom sideways. If you wanted you could use 2 power supplies at once you can do that also.
9.ATX, Micro ATX, E-ATX, HPTX, and Mini ITX compatible
10. 10x expansion slots for multi-gpu setups.
11. plenty of room for routing cables as well as plastic clips for holding cables in place.
12. You can have up to 15 fans in the case.
13. side and lower panels come off easily.

Now the negatives:
1. You can't mount a PSU lying down.
2. The case itself seems a bit too flexible to me. (Like where the motherboard is held).
3. The top of the case has mesh that can't be removed to be cleaned. (Enough canned air should get it out though).
4. No mounts for fans on the side of the case. (where the window is).

In addition to all features of the case it is lighter than the Cosmos 2 and has less plastic. I do like that the Cosmos 2 is easier to move because it has a sled design on the bottom. In summary your decision will probably come down to this case and the Cosmos 2. If neither one is enough for you, I highly recommend checking out mountain mods.com Personally I like the Cosmos 2, but if that's number one, this case would most definitely number 2.

The top mesh is removable. There is a tab in there and I believe even an arrow pointing at it. You do have to get in there and look for it though. This is a report from someone who was lucky enough to get their hands on one near launch.

The Cosmos 2 would have been my number 1 choice if I were building a system right now. I've been meaning to post about it, and will do so later. So unless I find some other candidate between now and, oh, Christmas to Easter, it will come down to one of these two for my next system.

[icycalm]

A face-off between the Corsair Obsidian 900D (see previous posts) vs. the Cooler Master Cosmos II (pictured below):
http://www.maximumpc.com/corsair_obsidi ... _cosmos_ii

The winner is the Obsidian.

I am thinking of one of these cases for my next PC. If I go for liquid cooling everything, I'll get the Obsidian. If I only liquid cool the CPU, I'll go for the Cosmos. Except if a better case is launched between now and whenever the next generation of GPUs comes around.