I'm currently using a miniITX system that is proving a bit too restrictive for my needs, so I'm planning to switch up to a microATX system and transplant over most of the internals.
I figured that I may as well take the opportunity to make sure the 'new' rig runs as quietly and coolly as possible, so I figured I should ask for some advice.
What I currently have is an i7-3770, 16GB RAM, nVidia Quadro K4000 and a 120GB Samsung SSD. Well, I actually have 2 of them - they were going to end up in a skip at work so I laid claim to them. Oh, plus I have a 3rd SSD as well.
So I figured, mATX - room to add a proper sound card (already have it), can chuck all the RAM in (I know it's not strictly necessary but since I already have it and it's free, figure it can't hurt) and I can RAID the SSDs together because individually they're a bit on the small side.
So that's the CPU, RAM & storage taken care of. What I need to nail down now is the case, CPU cooler, case fans and PSU.
The GPU is another story.
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I found a motherboard (an Asus P8Q77-M2 - pretty much the only thing around that ticks all the boxes for me) and it's on it's way, so now I need to work out what else to go for.
In terms of the case, I quite liked the look of the Corsair Carbide Air 240. I'd also seen the Fractal Design Node 804 and Thermaltake Core v21 which I quite liked the look of but I found myself leaning towards the Corsair that bit more.
However, I'm aware that the Corsair has it's foibles, so I was looking for some advice and insight - should I go for one of the other two or are there better cases out there of a similar style?
The CPU cooler will depend on which case I'm going for - I know, for example, the Corsair can only support ones of 120mm height or less. So once I'm able to nail down a case, then the question becomes which CPU cooler.
I'd prefer to stay away from water cooling as I have no experience with it and I want something that requires a little less maintenance.
Case fans are fairly simple. I've checked the recommended list and noticed that they were all added around 3 years ago, I know that doesn't make them any worse but I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything newer that warranted consideration.
Then, lastly, the PSU. I have an old Enermax Inifniti 720W kicking around somewhere that should theoretically still work but it's probably overkill for what I need, so I'd probably be looking for something smaller and quieter.
Again, I'm aware of the recommended list but, similarly to the case fans, most were added a wee while ago, so I just wanted to check there wasn't something newer that would be a better fit.
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As I said, the GPU is a different story.
I don't need the Quadros, I'm fully aware of that but I was going to use one for the immediate future.
The plan is to flog them and buy something a bit more suitable. But that's for another day.
Any/all advice or insight is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance
