I thought I would do some testing and such with the new case and airflow and noise, but when it came down to brass tacks, I just decided to do the swap and make it look as neat as I could. Here’s the rundown of the old hardware vs the new:
Old hardware making the transfer:
AMD8350 CPU, Generic Radeon R9/280 (with a non-sealed cooler — annoying). 2 Samsung DVD+/-RWs, a 2 TB WD Green HDD, a 60 GB OCZ SSD, and a 120 GB OCZ SSD. ASUS Mobo
New Hardware:
Corsair Carbide A540 (black) case, Corsair HX750I PSU, Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO HSF, and a pair of Corsair AF140 Quiet Ed Fans.
It took about three hours to get everything out of the old case and into the new. Moving things and making them look decent takes time. The “non-airflow” side of the case doesn’t look great, but you can’t see over there anyway.
Good:
The case is great to work in — lots of room, no sharp edges — Corsair has done a great job with the design of all aspects of this case. Everything fits with room for More Stuff (up to and including radiators for liquid cooling, if one feels the need).
Meh:
No filters included for the top fan mounts — had to hit up the NewEgg for some solution ideas.
That 212 EVO HSF install is a little frightening the first time.
Not enough fan headers on the mobo for five fans — had to get some splitters. [Nobody’s fault really, just ‘what is.’]
Informationally, the little software application that came with the HX750i is neat and can report a bunch of data, but it doesn’t seem to be able to do much beyond that. [Maybe I need to try some different fans?]
Not Good:
The locking clip on the SSD tray broke when I was removing it the first time. I don’t anticipate moving this beastly thing around a lot, so it’s not a huge thing — the tray still hangs properly in its space. I’ll talk to Corsair and get them to ship me a replacement. Still, the part is made of plastic, and we know how plastic gets after lots of exposure to heat.
The case is unusually-sized — not really an issue for me, as it sits on top of a filing cabinet. Won’t fit in traditional “tower”-sized spaces.
Verdict?
The machine is quiet, whether under load or not (in fact, it doesn’t seem to make any more noise under load than not). Mission accomplished!
Some additional thoughts upcoming.