[Case Gallery] AirCooled QUAD SLI

[HeavyH20]

To view this case mod, go here.



Specs:
CoolerMaster 830, MSI K8N Diamond Plus, AMD Opteron 175 @ 2.9 GHz, 2 GB DDR 500 G.Skill, 2 x EVGA 7950GX2 driving a Dell 3007FPW, 2 x 250 GB SATA II, Mushkin Enhanced PSU Quad Rail, Zalman fan controller, LCD panel for system monitoring.

Mods:
Just tried to build a clean system with some basic aircooling.

Sytem air flow is good enough to keep the 7950GX2 cards at 45 C idle and about 59C load. Cards use a custom BIOS with 20 MHz delta and 550/750 stock clocks. They will run 600/800 24x7. Great with a 2560x1600 30 inch LCD monitor.

Benchmarks:
3Dmark06 - 9300 with a single card, 9500 with quad SLI.
3DMark06 - 15K with a single card, 15K with quad.

CPU bound, big time. Need a Conroe to wake the system up! Just waiting on the Intel 590 SLI motherboards to release.

 

[POGE]

What do you get in 3DMark05?

 

[Corrosion]

OMFG i love it its like ice, so smooth and clean looking.

 

[randomperson21]

wow nice.

and holy crap! how many fans are cooling those quads? 4x120mm? that baby must roar.

but i'm jelous!

 

[Tory]

Simply wow. I rate cases very tough and this is the first one I've ever given a ten. And yes I've rated every case on the site.

 

[pt]

it's a great computer, but i don't like the case, for the money that a stacker costs i would buy a LIANLI

 

[HeavyH20]

it's a great computer, but i don't like the case, for the money that a stacker costs i would buy a LIANLI

Thanks for the comments, guys. And, to counter the last, I am not a fan ofthe Lian Li cases. Too square. And, I bought these cases for $130 each. But, to each their own.

Actually, the fans are not that loud. They are 1500 RPM AC Cooling fans rated at 25 dBA. Tune down the voltage a bit, and they spin around 1000 rpm and sub 20 dBA. I hate noisy systems. If you can hear the hard drives whirring over the system, you are doing pretty good.

 

[pt]

Thanks for the comments, guys. And, to counter the last, I am not a fan ofthe Lian Li cases. Too square. And, I bought these cases for $130 each. But, to each their own.

Actually, the fans are not that loud. They are 1500 RPM AC Cooling fans rated at 25 dBA. Tune down the voltage a bit, and they spin around 1000 rpm and sub 20 dBA. I hate noisy systems. If you can hear the hard drives whirring over the system, you are doing pretty good.

i love square cases, they look more functional, but that stacker is a very good case
(case choosing is just a matter of personal taste)

 

[chopperdan88]

Are you planning any upgrades?

since you call yourself HeavyH20, are you going to watercool your rig? i like that stacker case, but for all that money you've laid down to get those parts, you're just going to leave to be a ground dwelling machine? that sucks, for such a piece of artwork that this machine is. anyhow, once you get that new conroe, you think you want to sell that K8N diamond and that opty processor of yours(with the CM heatsink)?

 

[HeavyH20]

since you call yourself HeavyH20, are you going to watercool your rig? i like that stacker case, but for all that money you've laid down to get those parts, you're just going to leave to be a ground dwelling machine? that sucks, for such a piece of artwork that this machine is. anyhow, once you get that new conroe, you think you want to sell that K8N diamond and that opty processor of yours(with the CM heatsink)?

Well, this is actually a temporary setup. I have another CM Stacker 830 I am modifying with watercooling. Once the Intel 590 SLI boards are available, this one moves down the line and will likely sport a single 7950GX2. Also, still waiting on the Innovatek 7950GX2 water blocks.

So, watercooling once again, soon.

 

[pt]

Well, this is actually a temporary setup. I have another CM Stacker 830 I am modifying with watercooling. Once the Intel 590 SLI boards are available, this one moves down the line and will likely sport a single 7950GX2. Also, still waiting on the Innovatek 7950GX2 water blocks.

So, watercooling once again, soon.

Are you going to sell it?

 

[HeavyH20]

Are you going to sell it?

I will probably simply keep it and cascade it down within the family. My nephew needs a new PC, so I will keep this one for a second system and hand down another to him.

 

[pt]

I will probably simply keep it and cascade it down within the family. My nephew needs a new PC, so I will keep this one for a second system and hand down another to him.

lucky nephew...

 

[technicks]

Like it a lot. 9.

Throw in a in game screen shot. So we can see how your cards performe.
Would be nice.

 

[cdawall]

WOW thats one hell of a system bet it makes my ti4200 card look like a paper weight

 

[stealthfighter]

Makes my uncle's ATi PCI-E 256MB 500MHZ GPU look like a paperweight... lets' see
4x500MHZ GPU...
2GB RAM...
GDDR3...

Where's all this money fallin from boi? :O

 

[BigD6997]

nice system you must have some serious cash to throw down if you spendin money like this with dx10 around the corner and how a single x1800xt 512 can play any game on max settings at the moment 8\

 

[HeavyH20]

Well, I can take a shot at some answers:

1) I will take a 16x SLI AA shot and post when I get back from vacation.
2) The PC costs far less than a decent system from Velocity or like. The system cost $2500 to build (without monitor). Velocity charges $1800 for base system with 1 GB DDR, a 7900GT and a X2 3800+. Not too bad when compared to that.
3) DX10 is coming and I will likely jump on that bandwagon, especially if there is performance to be had.
4) In June, I stepped up from two eVGA 7900 GTX SC cards for $14 each,so it seemed like a decent move.
5) I had a Sapphire x1800XT 256 MB card, and it was a decent card, but it definitely does not have the power of a single X1900XTX (13,000 in 03) or 7900GTX (12,500 in 05). Add SLI or Crossfire, and it falls way back (16K plus in 05). And, the system is paired with a 24 inch LCD which works the cards decently hard (1920x1200). Next up, a 30 inch which will really work the cards
6) As for the money, well, it's a hobby. I have some friends that put down $2,000 on a single lens for their digital SLR cameras. So, seems not too bad when all things are considered. I guess it's all where you spend it. Heck, this past year I have owned systems with 7800 GTX SLI, 7800 GTX 512 SLI, X1800XT, X1900XTX, 7900 GTX SLI, 7900 GTX SC SLI and now 7950GX2. Yes, easily considered a waste of cash, but you certainly learn a little about each of the cards. It's all fun

 

[BigD6997]

I have some friends that put down $2,000 on a single lens for their digital SLR cameras. So, seems not too bad when all things are considered. I guess it's all where you spend it.

ha yeah i guess if i wasnt into photography as well id put more into my computer... actually photography is much more expensive! yeah i want one of those 2grand lenses

great case and great computer!

 

[WeZaL]

Defintly one the best, if not the best, machine on here.

 

[InfDamarvel]

Get a Nice E6600 over there and o/c that baby to like 3.4 or 3.6 and your scores will sore.

 

[DaMulta]

A perfect 10

 

[vivanco]

really cool looking, 10 from me...

 

[Protius]

amazing, 10

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

It is the machine everyone wants, but with water, a 10 or course.