# ITX Case upgrade opinion



## HuLkY (Dec 2, 2018)

Hello All,

I have a Silverstone SG13 and the only catch I found about it is the GPU limitations I am having with it, wish it was 3cms longer and 1.5cm wider, anyways I was hoping to find a good alternative and I found the Cougar QBX to be a good one! the thing is that I have a Corsair H80i V2, would it fit in the case normally? if not I am open to any suggestions like the Cougar QBX even for a higher price but a one that can accommodate my cooler and easier when it comes to GPU sizes these days, thank you all in advance.

I am currently in UK as well, what's the best place to buy from? cheers all.


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## tabascosauz (Dec 2, 2018)

I think you know what I'm going to suggest before I even say it...lol. If you can afford it, the M1 is a fantastic investment that is both minimalistic and adaptable.

But seriously, in previous years, I had jumped constantly between a SG05 and SG08. The fact that the PCB of my H97N-WIFI doesn't sit flat anymore is undeniable proof of that, hahah. You need to decide what kind of layout you like the most; personally, the traditional tower like the Cougar QBX or NCase M1 still holds many advantages in terms of cooling flexibility. As a purely subjective observation, it is my belief that a vertically oriented motherboard will suffer less from flex with a large (for SFF) 92mm tower cooler, but that shouldn't be a problem with an AIO.

I don't believe that the QBX, which shares the M1's layout while being slightly larger in volume, will give you GPU clearance problems. Compared to Silverstone cases, the ITX tower layout will be so much easier to work with in assembling your cooling solution, but I'm not sure how well the H80i will fit. It looks like there is plenty of space for a 120mm rad to sit directly over the motherboard, and maybe on top of it as well. Over the years, I've learned that just about anything will fit any case - it's just a matter of how much mod work and time you are willing to put into it.

When I was over yonder, I bought the cheaper stuff from Amazon, almost as a rule. Everything seemed to be available on amazon.co.uk, anyway. For GPUs and the like, I usually turned to Scan. There are almost certainly cheaper options, as I'm not usually the bargain-basement type, but those two places generally had everything I needed and went without a hitch.


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## John Naylor (Dec 2, 2018)

Without knowing what's in it, hard to make a good recommendation.  My concern with the Corsair are the teeny fans and limited cooler height.

our "Go to" ITX case is the Evolv

a)  Great aesthetics with Tempered Glass side

b) $79 normal pro=ice is often discounted to $59 or $69 (US)

c) Max GPU Length Allowance= 330 mm

d) Max CPU Cooler Height Allowance - 200 mm 

e)  Normal fan sizes and great fans at that
-Front: 2 x 120mm fan or 2 x 140mm fan
-Top: 2 x 120mm fan or 2 x 140mm fan-
Rear: 1 x 120mm fan or 1 x 140mm fan (1 x 140mm fan included) 

f) Great WC Options
-Front - Up to 240mm 
-Rear - Up to 120mm  / 140mm


g) Dimensions of 14.80" x 9.10" x 15.60"  ... its 4" higher and 2" wider tho than your corsair and i dunno about availability your way.


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## EKJake (Dec 2, 2018)

I mean you have a lot of options.

Ncase M1
InWin A1 (my personal)
Evolv ITX
InWin 901
Fractal Define Nano
Phanteks Shift
Jonsbo MOD-1 
Dan Case A4
Loque Ghost S1
And plenty others


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## HuLkY (Dec 6, 2018)

Thank you all for the lovely answers, most of the GPUs now are big even for a ITX case, PCB wise I mean since even regular standard PCBs have some, flows, I would study so well the models given above, thank you all


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## londiste (Dec 6, 2018)

There are still (good or good enough) GPU options available for smaller cases.
Length is usually in the case specs, width is rarely a problem but worth watching with very wide GPUs and very small cases.
The biggest problem is that coolers do tend to be at least 2.5-slot on the high-end GPUs these days though. From my own experience, Dan A4-SFX, Fractal Define Nano and Inwin 901 can only fit 2-slot cooler and no more. Several others from the list in the post by @EKJake have similar cooler height limitations.

I was looking for a GTX 1080Ti or RTX 2080 with a passable 2-slot cooler for Dan A4-SFX a couple months ago. While it takes some searching, there are quite a few options available if a little more expensive than the cheapest ones.

When it comes to Corsair QBX and H80i V2, I would say already based on specs that it will not fit.
- Specs for the case say 105mm clearance for CPU cooler and AIO mounts directly above motherboard.
- H80i V2 has 49mm radiator, each fan is 25mm and block on the CPU takes some space plus vertical tubes from the block on it.


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## HuLkY (Dec 12, 2018)

londiste said:


> When it comes to Corsair QBX and H80i V2, I would say already based on specs that it will not fit.
> - Specs for the case say 105mm clearance for CPU cooler and AIO mounts directly above motherboard.
> - H80i V2 has 49mm radiator, each fan is 25mm and block on the CPU takes some space plus vertical tubes from the block on it.



so this means the H80i V2 won't be a good option in this case, right?


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## londiste (Dec 12, 2018)

I would say no


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## HuLkY (Dec 12, 2018)

Do you think the same for the NCase? It would be pain in the back to sell that one and buy a slimmer one


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## sepheronx (Dec 12, 2018)

HuLkY said:


> Hello All,
> 
> I have a Silverstone SG13 and the only catch I found about it is the GPU limitations I am having with it, wish it was 3cms longer and 1.5cm wider, anyways I was hoping to find a good alternative and I found the Cougar QBX to be a good one! the thing is that I have a Corsair H80i V2, would it fit in the case normally? if not I am open to any suggestions like the Cougar QBX even for a higher price but a one that can accommodate my cooler and easier when it comes to GPU sizes these days, thank you all in advance.
> 
> I am currently in UK as well, what's the best place to buy from? cheers all.



I got the Couger QBX.  I like it.


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## John Naylor (Dec 12, 2018)

HuLkY said:


> so this means the H80i V2 won't be a good option in this case, right?



To my eyes, It's not a good option in any case:
-Weak Pumps
-Aluminum rads - https://martinsliquidlab.wordpress.com/
-Extreme rpm Fans
-Can not expand loop (add blocks or rads)

Air Cooling Option
$45 Scythe Fuma  ... Heatsink Dimensions 137 x *149H* x 130 mm / 5.39 x *5.87H* x 5.12 inch (including fan)
Phanteks Evolv Fits 200mm

Compared to $75 H80i ..... Scythe is $30 cheaper, Scythe cools 3C better and Corsair H80I is 2.6 times as loud.







Sound graph - https://tpucdn.com/reviews/Scythe/Fuma/images/fan_noise_100.png

Water Cooling Option (Evolv ITX) $79

http://www.swiftech.com/drivex3aio.aspx

$140 - H240X3 http://www.swiftech.com/drivex3aio.aspx

It comes in at  2-3C cooler than the Scythe Fuma


However, I don't know what you have access to geographically:

Phanteks:  http://phanteks.com/map.html
Scythe:  http://www.scythe-eu.com/en/where-to-buy.html
Swiftech - http://www.swiftech.com/internationalresellers.aspx


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## HuLkY (Dec 14, 2018)

Thank you so much guys for the last inputs, I would consider the QBX but, 
- Will it fits the Fuma cooler?
- more important, will it fit Zotac RTX 2080 Ti Amp Extreme?

The last question I have been searching for, only found out that length wise it would, but I dunno about width and depth.


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## phanbuey (Dec 14, 2018)

You might wanna go with a bigger case then...  the zotac is massive, triple slot.  Will not fit in that case.


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## HuLkY (Dec 14, 2018)

phanbuey said:


> You might wanna go with a bigger case then...  the zotac is massive, triple slot.  Will not fit in that case.



I can't find any MITX case that fits that card it seems


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## phanbuey (Dec 14, 2018)

you can always try the cerberus micro atx - it's the size of the mini itx cases ur looking at...


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## londiste (Dec 14, 2018)

HuLkY said:


> I can't find any MITX case that fits that card it seems


mITX (except maybe some of the bigger cases) is an exercise in compromizes and making sure all parts fit. If you want to go for small size, GPU with a 2-slot cooler is a necessary sacrifice


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## phanbuey (Dec 14, 2018)

londiste said:


> mITX (except maybe some of the bigger cases) is an exercise in compromizes and making sure all parts fit. If you want to go for small size, GPU with a 2-slot cooler is a necessary sacrifice


This.  Itx is really not the best size - micro atx has about the same footprint but a ton more power and flexibility


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## londiste (Dec 14, 2018)

phanbuey said:


> micro atx has about the same footprint but a ton more power and flexibility


I don't know about that. For reference, both of these are 92mm fans 






Spoiler


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## phanbuey (Dec 14, 2018)

londiste said:


> I don't know about that. For reference, both of these are 92mm fans
> 
> 
> 
> ...



but he was looking at the cougar one... which is much larger than that.


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## HuLkY (Dec 14, 2018)

The catch about RTX 2080 Ti is that the regular PCB had some issues, to find a non ref PCB, all of them are coming up with big sizes, unless Zotac makes a world wonder mini version, I will have to find a card that's not longer than 27.8CMs to fit into my case without losing the card or having it so heated up, the FE is also no where to be found again.

So the main reason I am changing my case is that I want a decent GPU to fit in there without the hustle, If Zotac had that mini version at least teased... Grrrrrrr.


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## John Naylor (Dec 17, 2018)

The card is 12.8" long (325 mm).  Is the Phanteks Evolv ITX too big for you ?

Max GPU Length Allowance = 330 mm > 325 so GFX card fits
Max CPU Cooler Height Allowance = 200 mm > 149 so Scythe fits


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## HuLkY (Dec 17, 2018)

John Naylor said:


> The card is 12.8" long (325 mm).  Is the Phanteks Evolv ITX too big for you ?
> 
> Max GPU Length Allowance = 330 mm > 325 so GFX card fits
> Max CPU Cooler Height Allowance = 200 mm > 149 so Scythe fits



Believe it or not I was going today to see the X version and the smaller one in a show room near me, will the case fir the 2.5 slots wide card still??
I am going to put that 80i V2 cooler down there with a fan on it, that makes a 4.9cms + 2.5cms for the fan, will the remaining space fir the card in the smaller case version? the X will fit definitely.


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## John Naylor (Dec 18, 2018)

I do not recommend hybrid cooling of GFX Cards.    I'm loving your Build with a H240-X2 all copper AIO on top, EK water block on ya GFX card and an extra 240mm rad in front

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2080 Ti AMP! (ZT-T20810D-10P) $1,329
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500433

Ek Water Block and backplate for ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2080 Ti AMP! (ZT-T20810D-10P) ($139)
https://www.ekwb.com/configurator/waterblock/3831109810453
https://www.ekwb.com/configurator/waterblock/3831109810491









Swiftech H240-X3
https://www.swiftech.com/drivex3aio.aspx

MCRx20-XP (eXtreme Performance) series 2 x 120mm radiators ($57)
https://www.swiftech.com/mcrx20-xp.aspx

(2) 120mm Swiftech fans
https://www.swiftech.com/Helix120-PWM.aspx

*  I used Swiftech cause if ya want to contact Bryan on the forums, he'll put a whole package together for you.  EK rads are great, so are hardware labs and few others.


Another option is the MSI Duke as i recall it was the 2nd fastest 2080 Ti tested by TPU.  An EK water block for the Duke runs about $133
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GeForce_RTX_2080_Ti_Duke/

MSI Seahawk EK X w/ EK full cover water Block (not the X one w/o EK) ... and yes, it's 2 slot card
https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-announces-geforce-rtx-2080-ti-sea-hawk-ek-x-series
https://www.msi.com/Graphics-card/GeForce-RTX-2080-Ti-SEA-HAWK-EK-X/


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## HuLkY (Dec 18, 2018)

Thank you tons for the detailed answer, man this is gold!

But I don't think the X can accommodate two 240 Rads, can it??


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