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Couple of Arc Midi Questions

post #1 of 21
11/21/12 at 8:39am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys, I'm going to start ordering parts as soon as I return from spending the holidays out of town. I've been set on the 300r but I really think the Arc Midi may fit my needs best.

Questions on it:
1. Can I remove both the hard drive cages/bays and mount an HDD in the bottom 5.25" bay, to improve air flow?

2. I'm considering the Corsair Hydro series (H80i or H100i), mostly for cleaner aesthetics over a huge air cooler. With mild overclocking on my 3570k, I would think the H80/H80i would cool it fine. I think I'd mount it where the top hard drive bay was, as an intake push/pull, with another case fan pulling air in through where the bottom HDD cage normally is. Hopefully that would keep the CPU nice and cool while also bringing cool air in. What do you guys think of that setup, any concerns with it that I may be overlooking?
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post #2 of 21
11/21/12 at 9:53am
Good choice on picking the Midi. You won't be disappointed.

1) Yes, you can remove both of them. The top one has a thumbscrew you just remove and it comes out. The bottom one however requires some modding. There are rivets and need to drill them out. If you only have one or two HDD or SSD then it would help airflow in the case a lot.

2) Don't know a whole lot on water cooling, but I don't see any problem mounting it on the front. I've seen many builds do that.

Hopefully someone can give you a better answer on your second question. tongue.gif
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post #3 of 21
11/22/12 at 7:07am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the reply ZeVo! Yeah I'll be using one HDD and one SSD. I'd like to mount the SSD to the bottom outside of the 5.25" bay since the SSD is red (and thus matches the color scheme of my build). Now I just have to decide between the H100 which will bring warm air in from both front fan ports, and the H80 which would bring warm air in through the radiator for one and cool air through the other. Don't want my GTX670 getting too warm (probably the EVGA FTW).
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post #4 of 21
11/22/12 at 11:38am
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Can anyone recommend an adapter to fit the 3.5" HDD in the 5.25" drive bay, or should it mount with the factory Arc Midi hardware?
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post #5 of 21
11/22/12 at 1:16pm
The 3.5 to 5.25 included should be fine. And nice idea mounting the SSD on the bottom of the 5.25 bay. I've seen some people do that with a HDD. Are you going to use some double sided tape?

If you ever experience vibration on the HDD, or even get two HDD, I would recommend buying this:

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MM52T35/

I am actually buying the 2.5 to 3.5 and 3.5 to 5.25 adapter so I can mount both my SSD and HDD in one for a cleaner look.
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post #6 of 21
11/22/12 at 5:35pm
Thread Starter 
I'm thinking I may mount a 2.5" mounting bracket of some sort underneath the 5.25 but haven't decided yet for sure.
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post #7 of 21
11/24/12 at 7:37pm
Arc midi and mini both come with an adapter and it's quite nice actually.

You cannot mount any 120 mm based rad in the front without adapters and a rad stand.
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post #8 of 21
11/26/12 at 5:37am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by barracks510 View Post

Arc midi and mini both come with an adapter and it's quite nice actually.
You cannot mount any 120 mm based rad in the front without adapters and a rad stand.

Thanks for the info! I didn't realize I needed those things. Could you point me in the right direction on quality offerings for a radiator adapter and stand?
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post #9 of 21
11/26/12 at 1:51pm
Well, one solution is to drill out the hard drive cages and then put http://www.frozencpu.com/products/12506/ex-rad-208/XSPC_RSRX_120mm_Series_Radiator_Stand_-_Powder_Coated_Black.html#blank in. You might be able to fit it in with the cage but you will have to drill a few holes.

The other way to do it is http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811995076 but I am not positive it will work.
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post #10 of 21
11/26/12 at 5:54pm
Just mount your H80 or H100 in the top. It fits perfectly up there with no modding necessary. The front of the midi uses clips to keep the fans in place, not screws. If you wanted to put a radiator in the front you'd have to do a fair bit of modding. I've got my H50 mounted up top as intake with another fan and it works great. I've also got both front fans as intake as well as one on the bottom. My only exhaust fan is on the back.

I'd still remove both HDD cages and mount your drives in the optical Bays, much cleaner and better airflow overall.

Great case choice, i love my Midi! thumb.gif
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