Corsair C70 Mini-Build Log

[Waco]

The top looks much better darker!

[wevsspot]

You can fit a single 140mm or two 120mm fans in the front.  I have no clue who thought up the orientation if you wanted to use a 140mm fan though.  It is clear at the top of the filter and hard drive cages.  Probably not doing much good up there and I wanted it lower.  So I got out the drill and tap set;

 

 

 

[wevsspot]

Finished build shots;

 

 

 

I started a like / dislike list during the build.  There were a few little nagging things that really kept me from enjoying this build.  I like it since it's done, but it fought me along the way on a couple of things.  Next up is to get the side panel window replaced.  Not sure who OK'd that particular design decision, but it was a lousy choice.  I flipped the window so it's a little less distraction (for me any way) for the time being.

 

[wevsspot]

Off to game for a while.  Later Blue and Waco.

[Prunes]

I agree with you on the window decision. If you put a window in, let the whole side be a clear window imo. Cause the purpose is that you wanna show of the insides, s

[My_Time]

I like the top filters. It cuts some of the white out and looks much better. Where did you buy them if I could ask ? Would like to get them for the wife's C70. Like you I would also like to put in a new window with out the dang fan mount's. EDIT Never mind I just googled it and found them.

Edited March 2, 2013 by My_Time

[VaporX]

I love the back clips on the C70, that idea was awesome. Awesome job on the color choices. A white case demands blue lighting, not that psychedelic crap so many other people use for lighting.

[wevsspot]

For anyone else looking for the DemCFilter black magnetic fan filters.......... I got mine from Performancepcs.com

 

I agree with you Ed - white and blue is a good combo.  I know a lot of folks don't like white PC cases, but after I did my Storm Trooper paint job on my old Lian Li Lancool I knew that white was going to be one of my new favorite case colors  

[d6bmg]

Nice!!

[wevsspot]

As promised... my likes and dislikes list (just a beginning);

 

Likes

 

Carrying handles are great for transporting, moving, handling or even just flipping the case over

Various options for fan mount locations and fan sizes

Support for 120mm to 280mm radiators up top

Motherboard alignment pin

Built in motherboard standoffs

Roomy for a mid-tower

Good build quality

Mostly metal construction

Reasonable weight (at the cost of using thin gauge metal to achieve)

Front and bottom removable / washable fan filters

Plenty of pass throughs and grommets for wire routing

Love that the motherboard sits "low" in the case (toward the bottom) - leaves plenty of room up top for water cooling

Hard drive caddys are slick (but feel like they won't last long)

I like the design of the feet, very stable by using two that run across the width of the case instead of the traditional four corner approach

 

Dislikes

 

Placement of the 140mm fan mount in the front panel - too high by default and you can only mount one 140mm or two 120mm fans.  Would have preferred to have the option to mount two 140mm fans or mount a single 140mm fan more towards the bottom of the front grill.  I remedied this by drilling and taping new mounting locations.  This same end result could have easily been accomplished at the mfg. with just a little fore thought.  I understand that fitting twin 140mm up front would have required some design compromises, but they could have given some flexibility in the single mount location.

 

If you use a 140mm x 25mm fan up front and retain the stock rubber grommets you may have some clearance issues between the front grill and the fan.  It is a very very tight fit.  I ditched the rubber grommets and everything squeezed together without issue.

 

I'm not a fan of the side panel fan cutouts (in particular the design).  I wanted to put a solid piece of plexi in there, but I ran some tests and there isn't any way I can seal that off without increasing my top gpu temperature by more than 10C if the window is closed off.  So it's back to a side panel fan blowing onto the video cards to help keep them cool.  I can live with that.

 

The power switch is horrible IMHO.  There isn't a solid click, and it's not a real "touch" switch either.  There just isn't any tactile feedback to let you know that the switch has been depressed far enough to turn the computer on or off.  And in fact initially I thought I had a bad switch in the case, or even worse something had gone wrong with my motherboard during the swap.

 

Meh

 

The decision to mount two 120mm fans inside the case on the back of the hdd drive bays and blowing towards the video card(s) was an interesting approach in an attempt to improve cooling.  However, from my testing these two fans make almost nil difference.  The only small improvement I did see was once I installed the 140mm fan in the front grill.  It managed to provide a small amount of fresh air feeding the two internal fans.  But even then, the outside air has to travel through the hdd bays and around the installed hard drives to get to the internal fans for "redistribution".  I believe the two internal fans do a better job of forcing hot air from your hard drives over to your motherboard and video card(s) than anything positive.

 

For anyone considering the DEMCflex fan filters, be aware that they are very restrictive when used in the configuration I'm using them in.  They really do prevent a considerable amount of heat escaping through the top vents.  In my application my top video card runs 2 - 3C hotter with the fan filter installed, that without.  Keep in mind that my rig generates a lot of heat - so your mileage may vary.