[Zer0CoolX]

Intro

This is a partial log covering the transition of most of my parts into a new Corsair Carbide Air 540 case. Its also a bit of a back log covering my "New" build from my prior build that happened as Haswell was released. My A8-3850 rig died suddenly and instead of trying to figure out why it wouldn't post i decided a new rig was in order. I salvaged some parts, including my Rosewill Redbone U3 case. After completing the build i was thrilled, but not with my case, mainly because of the lack of cable management. So i got the Corsair 540 and this is my journey from the old rig into the old case but more so my old case to new case.

What to Expect

• Detailed Experience and Perception with the Corsair Carbide Air 540
• Lots of Pics (some bad low light shots)
• Lots of screenshots (some before and after)
• Details about my build
• Closed loop H80i Cooling and Simple OC'ing
• Red Lighting

What NOT to expect

• Custom...anything
• Full water cooling
• Insane hardware
• Good spelling and grammar

Hardware

• Intel i7-4770k
• Corsair H80i
• MSI Z87-G45
• Kingston HyperX Beast 16GB (2x8) 2133Mhz RAM
• MSI N660TI TF 3GB
• Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 120GB SSD
• Seagate 7200.14 3TB HDD
• LG WH14NS40 14x BD-RW
• OCZ 600SXS PSU *NEW* Corsair RM650
• Corsair Carbide Air 540
• Rest in sig...

Will also be getting a filter kit for all of the intakes/outlets. Ordered Demciflex filters and they should be here in a week or 2. Since im showing off the inside of the case i want to keep it as clean and maintenance free as possible.

Old Case

I was able to get my 4770k to 4.4Ghz with some basic changes in BIOS, however my temps would hit 100c at load. I thought this was just the chip. I was a bit disappointed with the H80i too but blamed the CPU for the heat.

As you can see below, the Rosewill Redbone does not lend itself to good cable management. I loved the look with the metal mesh and red accents, usb3/esata front ports, and what i thought was reasonable space. I just got to a point where i realized not only did poor cable management look terrible, but it restricted air flow.

Outside of Old case


Inside, a complete disaster. The worst part is the 8 pin cpu cable running across my GTX 660Ti and barely making it. This bothered me but it was the only way the cable would reach.


Load temps @ 4.4Ghz in old case (think i seated/pasted the H80i poorly, 100c load)


Idle temps


Post #2 will be the progress and post #3 the final stuff

 

[Zer0CoolX]

Disassembly

Taking apart the old build. Ill Call it Zer0 version 1 (Zer0v1 or Z1 for shot). As i systematically break everything down and place them aside neatly, i notice something that may be a blessing hidden in disguise.

As i take the H80i off my 4770k i notice that the right half of the CPU has paste on it but the left half does not (looks as if it wasnt touching paste at all, completely clean). This is odd as i placed a thin layer direct to the H80i block and was very careful about placing it on the CPU. The block still has the paste on it but only looks touched (rippled) on the same side the CPU has paste.

This may very well have been the cause of my seemingly high temps! Maybe it will turn out that 100c @ 4.4Ghz full load isnt acceptable as i had convinced myself it may be.

As i pull apart my build i realize more and more how much i dont like working in my Redbone case. It looks ok on the outside for a cheap case, but working in it is terrible.

Pics

Just outside and front of old case



Time to untangle the mess




Backside of old case


Had to run 8pin CPU over GTX 660ti, made me worry


Slowly undoing the cables



Turns out i have a 600 watt PSU, the whole time i thought it was 500 or 550


Undoing H80i and cleaned off the CPU



Mostly bare now



On to the good stuff now...

 

[Zer0CoolX]

New Build Goals

• Cable management from the start
• Aesthetics, RED theme
• Figure out where to mount the rad
• Use a different method of applying thermal paste

Pics Zer0 v2.0

NZXT RGB Hue & Syba Pci-e USB3 adapter


Corsair Carbide Air 540 Arrives!


Out of the box and i slapped my i7 sticker on it immediately (im a sticker junkie)


Inside empty


After much debate i decide to move one of the stock fans from the front to the top and place rad front at the top. This seems to give me the least tension on tubes and doesnt block the LED on the H80i block



Getting the Z87-G45 in



Mounted H80i, used a vertical thick line of AS5, about the thickness of a case screw




Back of the case


Top with view of stock fan placed back top and in view the rad


PSU side



SSD, HDD and GPU all in place




Inside cable management




PSU side, not as worried about the cables here


Front of the case with RGB Hue controls and BD burner


Inside finished, love the cable management


With side panel on, lights on!






At the desk






Got a Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Keyboard.

 

[Zer0CoolX]

Reserved for more in depth hardware reviews

Temps now about 70c, max 75 at load, still 4.4Ghz at 1.22v so it looks like i screwed up seating the H80i before. Awesome!


EDIT: I will be updating this thread. Ordered a new PSU, got a stand to put the rig on. Been running well for months now. More to come soon!

 

[ThornTree]

Not so fast there. I'm sure there are others lurking just like me. I've been watching all the builds and threads on this case. My parts have been arriving all week with the ROG Hero motherboard arriving 20 minutes ago. My GPU seems to be stuck in Amazon limbo, but I can do the build without that. I think the custom water cooled systems seem to be the main interest around here, but like you I'm using a closed loop system. I'm also using a Haswell chip, so (like you I'm sure) I'm interested in seeing how that and the new 1150 motherboards perform.

I'm now hearing that the ROG Hero may have some OC issues. That's going to be a bummer if true and they can't work it out. I almost purchased the same MB as you, but the sound set up on the ROG won me over.

I see you are pulling air into the case with your H80 which is opposite of what most are doing so I'm interested in how that will work out. I'm also waiting to see how those Demciflex filters work out. I want to do the same thing, but now I get to let you work out the kinks

I want to have a positive air pressure case, but this will be my 1st build so we shall see.

 

[Zer0CoolX]

Thanks. Yea im going on my Honeymoon in 2 days so ill be gone for about a week anyway. If more people show interest i can post more stuff but not worth it if im the only one reading it. The filters would have came today but my wife wasnt here when they tried to deliver so hopefully tomorrow. Im real happy with the case. Temps are great, i may even try and push the cpu higher now that i have some thermal headroom. Real happy with the MSI G45 too, i had the extreme4 from asrock and it was junk by comparison. The onboard audio impressed me on the G45 compared to the extreme4, but im not sure how it compares to the Hero. Really like the MSI UEFI bios too. If i had room when i got the cooler id had probably went with the H100i but im pretty happy with the H80i and really like the corsair software too.

 

[Dynamo11]

I love this case if only for that massive side window, it's crying out for some braided cables and other aesthetic good stuff

 

[Zer0CoolX]

Yea i will likely be replacing the PSU in the not too distant future so i didnt do anything special with sleeving the cables. I also got the demciflex filters and have some pics and thoughts to share on them. Ill post later tonight

 

[stryfetew]

I likey! Looks MUCH better

A nice red/black sleeved PSU would look great in there.

 

[Zer0CoolX]

Yea when i do a new PSU it will definitely be modular to help reduce the clutter in the PSU compartment. This case is by far the easiest case i have ever worked in. Ill post some more pics and in depth review in the coming days

 

[modnoob]

Subbed

 

[rstoledo]

Hey ZeroClock, how is your setup handling ?

Did the option to set the H80i in the front work ? Or the case temp has become a problem ? I am planning on doing pretty much the same thing you did, but got that doubt, if the H80i should go to the back of the case instead of the front.

Thanks man!

 

[Zer0CoolX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rstoledo

Hey ZeroClock, how is your setup handling ?

Did the option to set the H80i in the front work ? Or the case temp has become a problem ? I am planning on doing pretty much the same thing you did, but got that doubt, if the H80i should go to the back of the case instead of the front.

Thanks man!

Hey sorry haven't been on much lately. H80i in the front is working out nicely. Having 2 front and 1 top pull and the back push seems to keep the case well cooled. Also not getting any dust inside at all which im hoping is a combo of the fan config and the filters. Been running OC @ 4.4Ghz and its been very stable. TBH ive been using it less frequently because i got a PS4. As an aside i will be setting up a new server within about 6 months. mitx 4x internal drives, likely going with Windows Server 2012 Essentials as the OS. Will use it to run backups, serve up media via Plex, and probably setup a VM for testing new software before installing it on this computer.

 

[Gir]

How are those filters from demcifilter working for you? Did you get the full set or certain ones?

 

[Zer0CoolX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gir

How are those filters from demcifilter working for you? Did you get the full set or certain ones?

I got the full set, very happy with them. The inside of my case is clean and ive cleaned off the filters twice since building the rig. The only complaint is that the frames for the filters are not rigid like the front filter that comes with it. Not an issue except for the top filter which droops a little touching the fan. Used a cable tie across above the fan to keep it from touching. Otherwise they do exactly what i hoped. Keeps the dust out of the case. Highly recommend them, also their customer support was excellent.

 

[Mastotron]

Awesome build, doing one similar with a 540 air. What was your routing pattern for the Hue? Thanks in advance.

 

[Zer0CoolX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastotron

Awesome build, doing one similar with a 540 air. What was your routing pattern for the Hue? Thanks in advance.

Thanks. I brought the LED cord in via one of the grommeted cut outs near the mid/bottom front and ran it to bottom front corner of the case. I then ran it from bottom front to back, up around the back fan (bottom of fan, towards mobo, up, towards side panel, then upto corner), then back to the front top corner. I have a new PSU coming in about a week, ill try to get some pics of the route. Got a Corsair RM650 for 25% off, couldn't resist.

What are you putting in the case component wise?

 

[Mastotron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zer0CoolX

Thanks. I brought the LED cord in via one of the grommeted cut outs near the mid/bottom front and ran it to bottom front corner of the case. I then ran it from bottom front to back, up around the back fan (bottom of fan, towards mobo, up, towards side panel, then upto corner), then back to the front top corner. I have a new PSU coming in about a week, ill try to get some pics of the route. Got a Corsair RM650 for 25% off, couldn't resist.

What are you putting in the case component wise?

Thanks, would love to see some pics. Any issues with the adhesive?

This is actually my first build, I've done lots of part swapping, but never a full rig. I've been reading for months trying to get in front of anything I thought I would run into. Still having a few snags lol. Here is what I have currently.

4770k
Maximus VI Extreme
AX 850
NH-D14
G.Skill Sniper 16gb (8x2) 1600mhz
EVGA 780 SC

I picked up a few things that I plan to throw in it tomorrow. Will post some picks ASAP.

AX 860i
H80i
NZXT Hue
780 SC

 

[Zer0CoolX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mastotron

Thanks, would love to see some pics. Any issues with the adhesive?

This is actually my first build, I've done lots of part swapping, but never a full rig. I've been reading for months trying to get in front of anything I thought I would run into. Still having a few snags lol. Here is what I have currently.

No issues that i wouldnt say are reasonable. Came off in a few spots while i moved it the one time but i just slide the side panel off and pressed it back. What snags? Looks like you picked some good hardware. The case is really easy to work in too.

 

[Mastotron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zer0CoolX

No issues that i wouldnt say are reasonable. Came off in a few spots while i moved it the one time but i just slide the side panel off and pressed it back. What snags? Looks like you picked some good hardware. The case is really easy to work in too.

Agreed on the case, it's been great to work with so far. I installed the AX860i and H80i yesterday, but haven't had a chance to get the Hue in yet. As far as the snags, I initially picked up and installed that older power supply (AX850) which didn't have the best support for Z87 boards. Also, I had planned for SLI so I opted for the new PSU. SLI was another problem. With the NH-D14 installed, it was tough to get to the first PCI slot. Read that it's best to use the first and third PCI slots for SLI on the Maximus VI Extreme. So I went with the closed loop cooler to free up the slot and from an aesthetics standpoint, it looks way better. Had an initial issue with the H80i and the Corsair Link software. Current version does not work well with Windows 8.1, but found a link on Corsairs website for a beta with 8.1 support. Other than the block LED color changing randomly, it seems to be working. If I wasn't on mobile, I'd include that link. I know you've been getting your PS4 on lol, but how were your CPU temps?