Building opinions

According to the specs on that case, it comes with:

Front (intake) : 120 x 120 x 25 mm Turbo fan x 1 (1000rpm 16dBA)
Rear (exhaust) : 120 x 120 x 25 mm Blue LED fan (1000rpm16dBA)​

That may be plenty. More fans does not always mean better cooling - but does typically mean more fan noise. And cooler temps is not necessarily better either. That is, a CPU running at 55°C will be just as stable and have the same life-expectancy as a CPU running at 45°C. Plus, more fans draw in more heat trapping dust. And remember, while we are not really supposed to count the PSU's fans as part of case cooling, they do help move cool air through the case too.

So if me, I would monitor my temps and see how they go before adding more fans. If another fan is necessary, I would add it in back to minimize noise. Alternatively, "blowhole" fans (fans on top, exhausting heated air out) provide excellent cooling, taking advantage of the Law of Physics dictating that "heat rises" naturally. But a blowhole fan may add to the perceptible noise.

Remember, while that i5 is not the most efficient i5 with a Max TDP rating of 84 W, it is still MUCH MORE efficient (thus cooler running) than past generation CPUs. And with that graphics card pushing at least some of its heat right out the back, I would not be surprised if the included case fans keep your temps well within the "normal operating range".

FTR, I am happy if my CPU temps sit and stay below 60°C. When they start pushing that limit on a consistent basis, or stay above that limit for more than a couple seconds, it is typically telling me I need to clean the system of heat trapping dust.
 
Thank Bill :)

I will keep an eye on the temperatures to make sure they dont get to high, I will use Specy to monitor them. If they do start to raise to high I will invest in a blowhole fan.

Tomorrow morning I will be going into the shop to buy everything. Hopefully nothing has sold out.
 
"Cable Management" is an essential element of assembling a computer, but it "appears" there is none here. :( Heat management is an essential goal too and the two go hand-in-hand. The goal of heat management is to ensure your case is providing a decent unrestricted, front-to-back "flow" of cool air though the case. Totally unrestricted is not possible, but you can, and should minimize the impact to that desired front-to-back air flow by routing your cables BEHIND your motherboard tray when possible, and tie back your cables when not. And with that "mid" (that is, not too tall) tower case being a cavernous 8.4 inches wide, you should have no problems running many of those big cables behind the motherboard tray.

So it looks to me like you need to start over, especially with your power cables, so they come in from the motherboard's sides and not down through the "flow" and on to the board. Cool air to your RAM from the front of the case, for example, is almost totally blocked by the large 24-pin power cable and drive cables. And the 12V ATX cable (the yellow and black bundle) run right though the middle.

Proper cable management will reward you with cooler temps, less noise, and easier access for easier periodic cleaning. And to top it off, proper cable management presents the "tidy" appearance of a professionally assembled machine! A good thing. Instead of a "rat's nest" that restricts proper air flow through the case, and traps hard-to-clean dust that will surely hinder the extraction of heat. Not a good thing.

So now that you have figured out where all the cable connections go (a challenge since motherboard labeling and case wire labeling rarely match), I recommend you dis-assemble and start over, this time with the goal of routing and tying back every single cable in such a way that it minimizes its impact on air flow through the case - WITHOUT putting a strain on any cable connector.
 
I agree with Bill about cable management mostly for tidiness. :lolg:

You want a challenge, try finding a better way to run cables in my case:

Read More:


First thing I saw looking at the pictures... Move the two DIMMs(RAM Sticks) to the same color slots.

Dual channel memory works better in dual channel :grin1:
 
Well, removing your fan speed controls and lighting would sure help - especially the lighting which does absolutely nothing for performance, adds some demand on power and regulator circuits, which, in turn, adds demand on system cooling, and does absolutely nothing for performance (worth repeating).

Personally, for me, I am not a fan of fancy case lighting, in part because of crowding and cable management. But also because I feel a case should sit quietly and discreetly off to the side, and NOT draw attention itself - as I prefer to pay attention to what's on my monitors. But that's me.

That said, the fancy lighting does look cool! ;)
 
Thanks again Bill for some very helpful advice.

I have made some changes to improve cable management (not as good as Geoff's). I know it is still not perfect but that was the best if could do without putting stress on the cables.

I have moved the RAM all to the grey slots.

image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg
 

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