Corsair Obsidian 800D or Antec 1200

Soldato
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Hi Guys,

I am currently using the Antec 902 and while I do love this case, its build quality and the like. Basically I want something bigger as im interested in swapping my motherboard for the Asus Rampage 2 Extreme and eventually plan to add a second GPU and more hard drives etc... I have been leaning towards the 1200 but after watching video reviews of the Obsidian im so very tempted to go for that........... I know buying the 1200 would not be something I would regret but I think the Obsidian looks simply amasing!

What would you guys recommend?
 
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I would recommend the 800D due to size/cable management/looks and also the little back door access to the back of the CPU. Handy for fitting big coolers while keeping the motherboard in the case :)
 
Soldato
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I would recommend the 800D due to size/cable management/looks and also the little back door access to the back of the CPU. Handy for fitting big coolers while keeping the motherboard in the case :)

One of the main features that makes me lean towards the Obsidian, damn I had a feeling that people would tell me to go for the 800D
 
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What about the Lian Li A71FB and the Coolermaster Cosmos S Black? You looked at them? Think they look nice myself, have the 1200 and am considering an upgrade to one of these 2 or the Corsair, with the eventual idea of probably adding WC
I'm sure Esat can give some good advice on the topic, he normally does, knows his stuff re cases in particular ;)
 
Soldato
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Except for lot of holes for cooling and for noise to leak out that Antec isn't on same level (or even game) with Corsair.
But for hoarding drives for RAID or normal use Lian Li is lot better, Corsair's six HDD bays is plain disappointing considering its size and especially price.

Again if that leaky cheesegrater style is desired then even cheaper Coolermaster HAF932 would have lot more working space with long graphics cards than 1200.
 
Soldato
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Dont get me wrong, I love my little 902 its the best case I have ever worked with, usually tinkering inside ugly beige things for friends, and was never a fan of my Thermaltake Xaser 3 case for my own, now scrapped first build, the cable management was dire and the although very heavy it never felt well constructed!

I personally also like the look of the 1200 and 902 but in regards to 902 I found my Noctua cooler a very tight fit and had to neglect the push/pull set up, plus I doubt I would be able to add another GPU in crossfire as it would certainly make contact with the PSU....

I do however want something with a lot more space internally that is a little more conservative in appearance , besides the 800D just looks a lot nicer than most other cases
 
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Ah well i guess everyone has different tastes. I mean the 800D does look quite sleek dont get me wrong, but i have to admit i do like the look of the 1200 and the HAF 932. I guess you could always light up the 800D with LED fans and cathodes.
 
Soldato
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Isn't the 800D pure suckage for air cooling ?
How do the gpu's stay cool with that weird fan arrangement in the bottom. Thought this case was really geared at watecooling.
 
Soldato
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I like the 800D and was considering it.

Explain how the right fans can help gpu cooling though ? How is fresh air going to get to a couple of gtx 295's for example ? The ariflow path for the bottom fans seems convoluted, and adding 3 outtakes to the top causes negative airflow, which is not ideal for cooling large gpu's. I can't see how air gets pushed towards the gpu's. Most of the review sites have picked up on this and don't recommend this case for aircooling, though great for watercooling.
 
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As I said before, look at the Lian Li A71FB in particular and also the Cosmos S Black maybe, the Lian Li is very similar to the Corsair but with better cooling and better noise dampening, I believe, especially if you line it with dampening mats, what it doesnt have is the all blakc internals or window (no window means no need for all black internals, lol)
 
Soldato
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So I assume everyone with these cases is either watercooling them or aircooling them but not using sli or crossfire setups on air, as I fail to see how 1 intake fan can cool down multiple gpu's.
 
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I was considering a Corsair very seriously about a month ago but backed out, like one or two above I'd read about its supposedly subpar air-cooling ability.

One thing that did concern me was the lack of ventilation down the rear right hand side of the case - the area under the rear 120mm fan, beside the expansion slots - which traditionally gets extremely hot, especially if one is running multiple video cards and moreover, the type that exhausts hot air inside the case (295s, 5870s etc)

I) suffered the issue with a Coolermaster Stacker 830, even with its four side fans in place, because there was no ventilation in this particular area, the hot air just built up there and re-heated any components around it, including the video cards. The Corsair doesn't even have a side fan.

Don't want to complicate things further but you might also want to consider the Coolermaster ATCs 840

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-159-CM (almost as nice looking as the Corsair and better for air cooling from what I've heard, cheaper too.)
 
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Soldato
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Waiting for someone to chime in about how sidefans don't help :)

I was considering the 840 too but the thin alum side panels put me off, plus the need to ad 2 fans on the front hd cages to get decent gpu cooling as the main front 230mm fan is miles away due to the sheer depth of thecase. Also reports of how the top 230mm fan nearest to the optical bays pulls cool air out prematurely. In the end I got the Silverstone FT02 which I hope to have Monday. My 2nd choice would be the HAF 922.
 
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