Fitting a 285 into my midtower. Possible mod?

[Duke{CLR}]

I have been thinking that instead of buying a new case for a future build I could possibly fit the larger video cards if I were to move my HDDs. I think I have two options.

Option 1. Turn the HDDs arond so the wires are in the back like in this pic. It looks like it is exactly 10.5 inches which is a bit tight. I also would not be able to replace the front fan that I had removed.




Option 2 I could remove the bracket that holds cage in place by drilling out a few rivets and removing the speaker. I think the plugs are on the top of the new cards so i think it would fit.

I would be interested in anybodies thoughts about these two options and any other ideas.

Current installation.




I think this bracket could be moved over to the right after removing the speaker.


When I hold the cage where it would be moved to the right it looks like there would be enough room.

[Ghost_Rain]

I would just Buy a New Case mate this why you have the case for your upgrade

[Apache Warrior]

I have to vote for a new case too. Go for a full tower like the Thermaltake Armor Series.
Apache

[Skud]

hard to say

moving the rack to the right might not be so bad, or the plugs, if you have the length...a toss up, I'd say...

I have a Gigabyte, 3D Aurora, full tower, and because of the plug being on the end of my 8800 GTS even that is tight with the HDs right there, which is why I didn't get the GTX at the time (another half inch, according to specs). Maybe you could try getting your new card and seeing the layout before ordering a new case, just to make sure that it would fit (power cords and all) with the changes.

With that said, one of the pros of a new case, besides not having to chop things a bit, might be that the airflow might not be divided in two by the big vid card. Depends on the case dimensions and intake locals. As I said, my full tower isn't really that spacious in that area anyway.

Well, probably not much help. I am no expert...but just wanted to throw some thoughts out for you.

S.

[WalkinTarget]

Option 1 .. as long as the drives will fit that way. Why toss money at it unless you NEED to ? Good cases aren't cheap, so add another $120 to your budget to cover that, or just remount the drive cage for free !

I'd only vote case purchase if I wasn't happy with what I already had. What case did you have in mind anyhow ?

[Duke{CLR}]

This is the case that has my attention. I like how the MB is turned clockwise 90 degrees. It seems like a nice case. ther reviews on newegg are also pretty cool.

Newegg.com - SILVERSTONE RAVEN RV01-BW Black Steel Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

RAVEN

[Ghost_Rain]

I love that Case man If I had more on my Budget when I build my new rig I would have bought this case so mate I would go for the case if I was u.

[Rand{CLR}]

I'd be happier with the money for that case than the case itself.

-Rand

[juneau]

Option 1 .. as long as the drives will fit that way. Why toss money at it unless you NEED to ? Good cases aren't cheap, so add another $120 to your budget to cover that, or just remount the drive cage for free !

I'd only vote case purchase if I wasn't happy with what I already had. What case did you have in mind anyhow ?

Option one get's my vote. I know a lot of people with that case that turn the drive cage around as it looks neater, never mind giving you extra space.

[Nomadicus]

I ordered this case for Christmas:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146047
Fits my eVGA GeForce GTX 260 with much room to spare. Four 120mm fans, two 140mm fans, built like a tank, I put four harddrives in it (two of them VelociRaptors but whose bragging? lol), nice and quiet and cool, 90 bucks with mail-in rebate.

Got a "KickAss" rating from MaximumPC:
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/nzxt_tempest

Food for thought . . .

[BLAZE86]

I'm looking to get a antec 900 myself.. I'm using a ultra aluminus atm.

Same price as that nzxt.

[juneau]

Nobody should ever switch a Lian Li for a Tt or NZXT case. Not that Tt and NZXT are bad but it's just...... wrong.

[WalkinTarget]

Not that Tt and NZXT are bad but it's just...... wrong.

So true ... its not like I would consider myself a pedigree elitist snob, but you get what you pay for so often that reality eventually creeps into the picture.

I can't see a darn thing in that Raven case .. its jet black inside too (nice touch, I love interior paint) but a case purchase is like a date .. only you know what really floats your boat.

[Nomadicus]

Nobody should ever switch a Lian Li for a Tt or NZXT case. Not that Tt and NZXT are bad but it's just...... wrong.

lol - Don't worry, I still have my LianLi. I have 2 dual core and 2 quadcore (mainly for video editing and mapping and 3d modeling, etc.). To be honest, my NZXT has better air flow and cooling then my LianLi.

[Duke{CLR}]

Well I modded my Lian Li which made the cooling much better. I was even able to remove the front fan without any issues. It's just a well built machine. The problem is that none of their newer cases do much for me so I think I will try option one before I drill into it again.