Power supply for 25.00. Sketchy, much?

[Shura]

I am glad I found this thread, cause I am having heat issues from my CPU, granted I am using the stock HS/fan. I have a AMD FX 8120. I need a new case and PSU. Currently I am using an old case, all I know it is a small Antec Mid-tower. I'm almost set on getting the NTXZ Phantom case. I'm having a hard time finding after market Heat Sinks for my AM3+. My Current PSU is a Thermaltake TR2 600 W. My MB is an ASUS M5A99X-Evo. My CPU Socket temp is around 30 on idle and between 45-50 playing games. Core Temp is usually around 20 on idle and 40-44 playing games. Any suggestions?

There are a few options so lets try to narrow it down a bit more; for the case how big would you like to go? Mid-tower/full tower and how high in price? For the CPU cooler, would you like to do air or go with closed loop liquid coolers like the Corsair Hydro and the Nzxt kraken and again how high are you willing to go in price.

I'm not a big fan of the aesthetic look of the phantom, kind of looks like alianware. The phantom comes in many different models, size and price so which one were you considering?

[JillyBean]

Wow Kirei's temps don't sound high to me at all. They sound like my goal temps. Am I misunderstanding something or am I just plain wrong? What is the ideal temperature range I/we should be seeking?

And Kirei, you certainly came to the right place. The guys here are extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

[Shura]

Wow Kirei's temps don't sound high to me at all. They sound like my goal temps. Am I misunderstanding something or am I just plain wrong? What is the ideal temperature range I/we should be seeking?

And Kirei, you certainly came to the right place. The guys here are extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

Good question, I'll try my best to clarify; Kirei's CPU(FX-8120) is different compared to your i7 860 in a number of ways, one of which is max safe temps. For example your CPU uses the Lynnfield chip and has a max safe temp around low to mid 80C, most people try to keep it under 75C. Kirei's CPU uses the Bulldozer chip and has a max safe temp of 61C. In Your case those numbers would be ideal but for Kirei they are not, though they are within the safe temp range and seems to be the average for the chip.

I have not worked with the FX-8120 myself but from looking around the web, it seems those are well within the safe range, some people report lower temps but they usually have a higher quality thermal compound, big case and use a higher quality CPU cooler. Other users report having overclocked the 8120 to 4.0-4.5ghz and still manage to keep max load temps for the CPU core under 55C. Based on the information you provided, only thing i can conclude is that considering your using stock cooler and assuming your using stock thermal compound, these temps are the average for your CPU. Not sure what kind of case you have either but since you said you wanted a new one, I'm assuming it does not have good air flow. Going with some higher quality parts will decrease your temps but you won't see a big difference on idle unless you overclock your CPU a bit; should be a noticeable change under load.

[Kirei]

Sorry it took so long to reply. I just got home from work. About my current case, imagine a Volkswagon Beetle, its almost like the case was molded around my components. All I have is an exhaust fan. I have both side panels off and a big fan blowing into the case. When I play games I have my AC on in my room. My room heats up real fast. As for which Phantom I would want. Either the Full ATX 630 or 820. I really like how much room is in it and how many fans it can use, it has filters everywhere to catch dust. Yes I am using the stock thermal past. I bought the parts (case I already had) in July. I should have bought some real paste and applied it originally.

I know water cooling is considered "safe" but water + Electronics doesnt seem like a good combination lol. As for how much money I am willing to put up to continue the build. Let's just say $400-$500. I might as well get another PSU. I know mine isnt the best. Even then I am not sure which is better, Modular or the regular. I think mine is Modular. It has about 14 cords that use Molex connections. I hope this helps a little. If you need anymore info just ask.

[JillyBean]

Shura I am only seeing one 3-pin "plug" on my mobo for a fan and none in the corsair case. Am I missing something? Corsair says you can add umpteen fans to the case but no place to plug any of them in? Is there some kind of an "extension cord/adapter" thing to plug in the 3 fans that come in the case pre-installed and the 2 additional ones I got? Something else I need to order or am I missing something here?

[Dhalmel]

4pin PWM fan headers can go into 3pin fan boards, just position it where the bumps slide with the latch thing. The 4th pin hole with just be sticking out, if your motherboard doesn't have enough fan headers you can purchase a simple fan header split or a dedicated fan controller.

[JillyBean]

All 5 of the fans I have are 3-pin connectors. From what i see, I have one 3-pin spot on the mobo to plug it into. I can buy a splitter but they only seem to sell 2 way splitters. I'd have to buy several and stack them but idk if that one mobo "outlet" (lack of a better word, is what you call the fan header?) is intended to run 5 fans. Can you link me to what you think I need?

[Shura]

Shura I am only seeing one 3-pin "plug" on my mobo for a fan and none in the corsair case. Am I missing something? Corsair says you can add umpteen fans to the case but no place to plug any of them in? Is there some kind of an "extension cord/adapter" thing to plug in the 3 fans that come in the case pre-installed and the 2 additional ones I got? Something else I need to order or am I missing something here?

Unfortunately the Dell board does not support more then 2 fans on the board, number 29 for a case fan and 03 for the cpu cooler. Now if i remember right the two front fans are connected using a 4 pin molex connection, just connect that to the molex connector coming from your power supply.



This should take care of your front 2 fans, for the two you bought, i recommend installing them on top as exhaust fans, now if the fans only have 3 pin connection then they should of come with a 3 pin to molex connector. It looks something like this:



If they did not then you'll need to buy something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812311003

They cost like $4 on newegg, might be able to find them at your local best buy or computer store for around the same price. Now if they did come with a 3pin to molex connection that should take care of your 2 front and 2 top fans, for the back fan, just connect that to the 2nd fan connector on your motherboard(#29)

EDIT: Ignore the first spliter i linked you too, get this one instead;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812311001

for the first one, 2 fans run at reduced speeds, so you don't want that, also this supports up to 5 fans and can be connected to the motherboard to monitor speeds.

[Shura]

Sorry it took so long to reply. I just got home from work. About my current case, imagine a Volkswagon Beetle, its almost like the case was molded around my components. All I have is an exhaust fan. I have both side panels off and a big fan blowing into the case. When I play games I have my AC on in my room. My room heats up real fast. As for which Phantom I would want. Either the Full ATX 630 or 820. I really like how much room is in it and how many fans it can use, it has filters everywhere to catch dust. Yes I am using the stock thermal past. I bought the parts (case I already had) in July. I should have bought some real paste and applied it originally.

I know water cooling is considered "safe" but water + Electronics doesn't seem like a good combination lol. As for how much money I am willing to put up to continue the build. Let's just say $400-$500. I might as well get another PSU. I know mine isn't the best. Even then I am not sure which is better, Modular or the regular. I think mine is Modular. It has about 14 cords that use Molex connections. I hope this helps a little. If you need anymore info just ask.

Sorry i took awhile to reply, was doing some research on your CPU and the Phantom. Lets start with the case, The Phantom 820 is really really big, even for a full tower its huge and i don't think its worth it honestly for the price it goes for. Also its important to note that the Phantom 820 and 630 are designed with watercooling in mind and come with options to install multiple radiators. If price is not an issue it comes down to personal aesthetic preference; a lot of high end cases are on par with each other so really depends on what design you like. If you like the Phantom design then i would recommend the 630 over the 820; Its a bit smaller in size but comes with the same options, same design and based on reviews it cools better then the 820.

Phantom 630 Test results

Here are some other High quality Cases that are a bit cheaper in price.

Rosewill Thor V2 some claim this is one of the coolest(temp) case on the market. It goes for about $129; $120 cheaper then the 820 and $50 cheaper then the 630


Another great case is the Antec 1100, this is a Mid-Tower but is large and supports up to XL-ATX boards. I personally love the simple design of the case and the cooling options it has but the downside is its a case designed for Air cooling. If you think you might go with liquid in the future, this is NOT the case for you, it has next to no native radiator mounting options. Sells for $99


For CPU cooler; personally i would suggest a closed loop liquid cooler this is different from full water cooling, no maintenance at all, install and be done with it These liquid coolers preform better then most high end Air coolers and has a much much smaller psychical footprint.

Something like this:


Produces the same temps as something like this:


Now some people are just to afraid to go with anything with the word Liquid in it and that's understandable. If you really want to go with Air then you have a few options based on your price range and how big of a cooler your willing to accept, let me know and i'll link you to a few of them.

For your PSU, what model do you have? and also what kind of GPU do you have?

For JillyBean: Here is a video tutorial on cable management. Cable management will help with the airflow in a case in the long run and gives the machine a nice clean look. The case used in the Video is also a Corsair 400R so thought it might help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xKIiAu4rio

[JillyBean]

Shura, before I saw your reply, I did determine that the front 2 fans did have power assigned.

So now for the back fan and the top fan. What I ordered (before seeing your post) is this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812119248 And since it uses the mobo fan header, I ordered this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16812200855 to further split one, for a total of 3 fan plugs. Hopefully this will also work.I totally wish I could have found the one you linked. Hopefully what I ordered will also work?


My biggest issue at this point is the FP connector which I cannot find a diagram for to save my life, so in the end it may be a matter of carefully tracing each wire. The Corsair case has (separated) connectors - here is a pic


This is a pic of the Dell FP1 in my computer, and the header itself has NO label other than "FP1" underneath it ...




Any hints as to which corsair case plugs will go into which FP1 header on the Dell mobo?