Laststop Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 After much debate in my mind I have decided that I should be able to build a quality microATX setup with 95-99% of a regular ATX case/mobo. Basically what I am looking for is a nice microATX case that provides incredible ventilation and cooling while at the same time keeping decently silent. The cooling the case provides needs to be enough to keep an oc'd 2600k + 2x 7970 or 2x upcoming 680 properly ventilated. The catch is I want to do this while keeping the noise level low but I do not want to sacrifice cooling power for complete silence so I know some noise is inevitable but I'd like it kept to a minimum. I am even willing to buy special fans ,to replace default case fans, that are ultra quiet while still moving a lot of air if it would be worth the investment. As far as room in the case I need 1x 5.25 external slot for DVD drive and 1x 5.25/3.5 external slot for micro SD reader. I'd prefer a couple usb 3.0 ports on the front as well as mic/headphone. Internally I need space for 1x 2.5" ssd drive and 2x 3.5" drives. Also the microATX case must accept regular full size psu's comfortably as well as full length flagship GPU's. I feel like the success of this build is totally hinging on getting the perfect case so I'm willing to spend for it if I have to. Suggestions? Anyone been in a similar situation? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjj226_Angel Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 After much debate in my mind I have decided that I should be able to build a quality microATX setup with 95-99% of a regular ATX case/mobo. Basically what I am looking for is a nice microATX case that provides incredible ventilation and cooling while at the same time keeping decently silent. The cooling the case provides needs to be enough to keep an oc'd 2600k + 2x 7970 or 2x upcoming 680 properly ventilated. The catch is I want to do this while keeping the noise level low but I do not want to sacrifice cooling power for complete silence so I know some noise is inevitable but I'd like it kept to a minimum. I am even willing to buy special fans ,to replace default case fans, that are ultra quiet while still moving a lot of air if it would be worth the investment. As far as room in the case I need 1x 5.25 external slot for DVD drive and 1x 5.25/3.5 external slot for micro SD reader. I'd prefer a couple usb 3.0 ports on the front as well as mic/headphone. Internally I need space for 1x 2.5" ssd drive and 2x 3.5" drives. Also the microATX case must accept regular full size psu's comfortably as well as full length flagship GPU's. I feel like the success of this build is totally hinging on getting the perfect case so I'm willing to spend for it if I have to. Suggestions? Anyone been in a similar situation? You came at an awkward time. There is very little known about the release date, but you could watter cool the crap out of your system on that thing, and use some noctua fans to keep it quiet. It would probably be the perfect solution.......if it were out on the market. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laststop Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 You came at an awkward time. There is very little known about the release date, but you could watter cool the crap out of your system on that thing, and use some noctua fans to keep it quiet. It would probably be the perfect solution.......if it were out on the market. thats mini itx not micro atx. mini itx wont work you cant use 2 gpus in those. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muchoman1 Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 thats mini itx not micro atx. mini itx wont work you cant use 2 gpus in those. but dayum, that would make for a nice lan can Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laststop Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 but dayum, that would make for a nice lan can not if you want crossfire 7970's for smooth 2560x1600 gaming Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonerboy779 Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 not if you want crossfire 7970's for smooth 2560x1600 gaming then get a 7990 better than sandwiched 7970s and the single waterblock is cheaper than 2 which means more on cooling for better overclocking Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boinker Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 This one is a nice choice. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163157 (silverstone) Or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112300 (lian Li) I have personally worked with the lian li and I can say without a Doubt that its of Extreme Quality and Have the best airflow of a case in its class in my opinion. (and is very quiet) The silverstone I have mearly seen in action. It looks nice but check to make sure it can accomidate the video cards you want to put in it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laststop Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 then get a 7990 better than sandwiched 7970s and the single waterblock is cheaper than 2 which means more on cooling for better overclocking 2 separate cards have always performed better than the dual gpu on 1 pcb versions. I'm not comfortable with doing a water cooling setup. Anyways I already know what I want to do with video cards this derails from my purpose of this thread. What I need is a nice roomy, extremely well ventilated, gaming oriented microATX case that can still "somewhat" keep the noise down. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonerboy779 Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 2 separate cards have always performed better than the dual gpu on 1 pcb versions. I'm not comfortable with doing a water cooling setup. Anyways I already know what I want to do with video cards this derails from my purpose of this thread. What I need is a nice roomy, extremely well ventilated, gaming oriented microATX case that can still "somewhat" keep the noise down. you can get small mid towers and put an atx board in with better airflow lower noise (especially so because you can separate the two 7970s by a slot making them cooler which means there fans run quieter) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laststop Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 (edited) you can get small mid towers and put an atx board in with better airflow lower noise (especially so because you can separate the two 7970s by a slot making them cooler which means there fans run quieter) I got my heart set on doing a high performance dual gpu microATX build. Small form factor is the way all consumer desktops will be done in the near future. ATX will move straight into business/professional sector only. Even though the gpu's will have no extra slot between them they will still be ok to run at the preset clock they give it. Just won't be able to get the max OC out of them and i'm more than ok with that as the benchmarks for a reference 7970 xfire set up is impressive. Might go with nvidia 680's but i have a feeling nvidias cards will run hotter and use more power than its radeon counterpart, thats just how it always is. So the cooler less power hungry 7970's will prob be the way to go. Yea the Lian Li case looks perfect, has pretty much every feature I need but I'm not thrilled at the front panel port placement. The other one looks like it may be too cramped for 2x 7970's Edited February 6, 2012 by Laststop Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muchoman1 Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 Not sure what you mean about atx getting phased out. Low power PCs are getting smaller for sure, but something on the range of dual top end cards aren't going to be going to matx any time soon. What you are asking isn't going to happen easily. Reference 7970s are still loud cards. Non reference exhaust inside the case, which for matx is a big issue. The noise will come from the gpus, not the case fans. a reference 6970 at idle is very loud inside a silent case like the fractal design r3, even at idle. The 7970s are slightly quieter than 6970s, buy inside a small car they will be loud still Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laststop Posted February 6, 2012 Posted February 6, 2012 (edited) Not sure what you mean about atx getting phased out. Low power PCs are getting smaller for sure, but something on the range of dual top end cards aren't going to be going to matx any time soon. What you are asking isn't going to happen easily. Reference 7970s are still loud cards. Non reference exhaust inside the case, which for matx is a big issue. The noise will come from the gpus, not the case fans. a reference 6970 at idle is very loud inside a silent case like the fractal design r3, even at idle. The 7970s are slightly quieter than 6970s, buy inside a small car they will be loud still well it wouldnt be any fun if it was no challenge it can be done you'll see! And I mean eventually the whole atx size will no longer be needed by 99% of consumers in the near future Also the vent from my air conditioner blows cold air right towards the air intake of the case so colder than ambient air will get sucked into the case Edited February 6, 2012 by Laststop Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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