Getting dual 6970's for BF3...need a bigger case

TheCrimsonStar

TheCrimsonStar

Tech Monkey
Haven't been too active on here lately, and that's due to the BF3 beta. :p Anyway, I'll get to the point.

I just did some upgrades....quite a bit actually. New motherboard, CPU, PSU, CPU cooler, and GPU. My newest GPU is an XFX Radeon 6970 (already got it overclocked). My problem is, and I can already see this coming, is that my second PCIe slot is so low on the motherboard, I will literally have NO space in between my bottom card and my PSU. Also, the PSU I got is not modular (but hey, it's $135 on Newegg and I got it NIB for $75! :D ) so I have this huge wad of cables sitting under my HDD, essentially blocking the airflow for my front intake fan. I need some advice on a new tower. Here are my requirements, however:

Must:
1.) Be a full tower
2.) Large enough to fit dual 6970's without bottom card getting too close to the PSU
3.) Have really good airflow (lots of fans if needed)
4.) Have cable management preferably with rubber grommets as well
5.) Price range ~$200 USD or lower before tax + shipping

I also prefer Newegg over other retailers, but if anyone finds something good on another site, I will definitely consider it :)

I will shoot whoever recommends the CM HAF NVIDIA puke green tower :p j/k :D

Final build will be as follows (and hopefully sustain me for the next year at LEAST). Stars are next to what I haven't got yet.

Asus Sabertooth P67
Intel Core i5-2500k
Corsair H80 Liquid CPU Cooler
8GB (2 x 4GB) Corsair 1600 DDR3 (I don't have the cold boot issue! :D )
Dual XFX Radeon HD 6970's in Crossfire * (don't have second one yet)
Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 7200RPM SATA HDD*
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200RPM SATA HDD
ASUS DVD-RW
LITE-ON 4x Blu-Ray Reader
Full-size tower*
 
Tharic-Nar

Tharic-Nar

Senior Editor
Staff member
Moderator
Corsair Graphite series (600T!!!!) - because I'm biased :D. I know it's mid tower, but i'm pretty sure it can take 2 GPUs with room spare next to the PSU, and there be a lot of cable management. But wait for Ryan to post back me thinks - he's the (case) Man.
 
Optix

Optix

Basket Chassis
Staff member
I'm just as biased as Jamie is on this one. The 600T is a delicious piece of case goodness that can handle dual GPUs and still have room to spare. Plus you can slap an H100 on the top if you'd like.

If it absolutely -has- to be a full tower, I'd go with the HAF 932 Advanced.
 
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Rob Williams

Rob Williams

Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Moderator
Sheesh, I am going to sound like a broken wheel, but for a mid-tower, Corsair 600T; full-tower, Cooler Master 932 Advanced (or HAF X, if it's under $200).

In truth, I'd almost hold off on purchasing a second GPU until the final game is released. The beta is a horrible gauge for what sort of GPU is going to be required (given the Ultra mode doesn't work), so it'd be unfortunate if you ended up upgrading when you didn't need to.

The current beta just seems to run well on everything, so I am not sure what kind of stark difference the Ultra setting is bound to make.
 
eunoia

eunoia

Partition Master
You should get the nVidia Edition HAF, you'd have the #1 computer ever built inside one :D

Around $200 doesn't quite get you a Cosmos II but you'll certainly be able to get something NICE.

Antec Twelve Hundred V3?
LIAN LI PC-A70F or A71F?

600T isn't a bad choice if you think you can get away with a mid-tower, but you'll be paying the Corsair premium for what's essentially a CM Storm Sniper.
 
Optix

Optix

Basket Chassis
Staff member
eunoia said:
600T isn't a bad choice if you think you can get away with a mid-tower, but you'll be paying the Corsair premium for what's essentially a CM Storm Sniper.
Click to expand...
:eek:

Now you gone and done it!

cm_storm_sniper_black_1.jpg


...against...

Corsair-Graphite-Series-600T-Mid-Tower-Computer-Case-Side.jpg


FRUSTRATION.gif
 
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Kougar

Kougar

Techgage Staff
Staff member
TheCrimsonStar said:
I was actually considering the HAF 932 Advanced before I posted this...I really like the way it looks.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I didn't notice they updated the 932 with an advanced model!

I would still suggest the HAF-X over it personally, but that's just my prefs... not the least of which being power/reset buttons that can't be tripped by pets, children, or a random touch in the dark. And the LED's in the fans can be flicked off ;)
 
DarkStarr

DarkStarr

Tech Monkey
Go with the Haf X. /end thread

No really though, unless your watercooling the case will feel MASSIVE. Mine feels so tiny however that I relocated the PSU to the outside hahahaha. I would personally like to do a mod like this guy on OCN, he bolted two Haf X together for his ultra water cooled setup.
 
TheCrimsonStar

TheCrimsonStar

Tech Monkey
Well guess what? My mom just asked me what I wanted for my birthday, up to $100 (they're tight on cash atm). SO in that case, I asked her if I payed for part of it, if she would get me a $140 case, the 500R to be specific. She said yes, so I will be getting the white version of the Corsair 500R for my birthday! (Oct. 25th) :D
 
Rob Williams

Rob Williams

Editor-in-Chief
Staff member
Moderator
Niiiice! One of those just showed up here today, but soon Optix will be here to steal it away! Damn him!
 
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