Bitcoin Forum

Hello everyone :)
I know that the best case for mining is... no case.
But I have different needs.

I own a cabin in the woods with free electricity (wind and solar 3kW) and I plan to build a rig.
But the cabin is not an apartment, the basement has some dust and some small insects (ants and so), like every place in the woods :)
Thus I need to keep my hardware safe and protect.

Can you suggest me the best case to accommodate
Asrock as970extreme4
Seasonic X-1250
and 4x radeon 7950 (or may be 4x 7970 if I will be able to afford them)


I'm looking at Cooler Master HAF XB, is it ok?
Can it also accommodate the cards with the riser cables?
or is there any better?

Thank you

well if I'm watching cabin in the woods, there is an high-tech lab in the basement  :P

sry...

You could get away with using just some standard case, but removing the side panel and replacing it with one of those huge window/box fans. Your cards aren't going to have much room to breath in a case, but if you've got one of those fans on it, it should be fine. You can usually pick them up at walmart for ~$15. And just buy a cheap case (~$50), that's large enough to accommodate everything. All in all, it shouldn't cost you more than $70.

EDIT: That coolmaster case is pretty awesome though. Didn't know they made cases like. It's exactly what I need for my Home/Desktop/Gaming PC.

http://images.craigslist.org/3G63F73N75Lc5K85J1d4t84d2db2124d417e9.jpg

Find something like this on CL. Plenty of room to put cards.

Very few comp cases can accommodate 4 GPUs, and risers aren't a realistic option unless you do some modding and mound the GPUs some other way that what the case is designed for. That HAF XB will only work with 3 GPUs. Also, the holes on the sides for the vents are too large, so just/bugs can get into there NP.

The HAF X can fit 4 GPUs, but IIRC, it also has vents with large holes.

Too bad you can't just go caseless.  When looking for your case, you'll need to keep the width in mind.  If it is too wide, the risers won't be able to reach the cards assuming you lay pieces of wood or metal to put the cards on.  It would be good to figure out the length of the risers you will be using and then look for a case.

Love the CM HAF X's. Have a bunch of them in my farm. Very roomy.

You had it right the first time... The open air... (Use a filing cabinet-rack, or milk-crate.)

As for bugs... A case will offer absolutely zero protection against bugs. Windows is full of them, Linux has a few, and the ones in the basement will easily crawl into your PSU vents, and any other open hole. It is warm in there, and they like the humming.

Yes, a super-tower "full ATX" case will hold most of what you need. (Provided that you have a MoBo that has 4x double-spaced 16xPCIe slots.

If you do not have 4x double-spaced slots, you will need risers, and no case is designed for that setup. (Which brings me back to the first line of my post, and the second line of your original post.)

Alternate "cases", would be a "filing cabinet", gutted "Microwave", or two towers combined. (You rip-out the mobo-plate, and remove the panel on that side. Raising your cards up to the slots, with the long extender-cables. Those should all be powered-cables, as that longer length thin wire will not handle those amps.)

Or, gut a mini-fridge, and vent it... A large oven-toaster... A medium metal trash-can with a lid... An old wall cabinet... The list goes on and on...

I know that case - it's an Inwin Q500  :D

I had one during my college days - was a beast to transport but it could easily support me sitting or standing on it (and I was 230 all muscle back then).

If you want to keep the bugs out you'll need dust filters, and since it'll be running 24/7 you'll have to clean those filters reasonably often, making a custom vented enclosure with BIG intakes and outlets (more surface area, less dust concentration) would probably be your best bet!

Thank you all :)
I forgot to mention one thing, when the mining will be no more profitable I will reassign the PC to my home desktop, so I'm looking for something "nice".
The case posted by bitcoiner frightened me a lot :D

I know that bugs will eventually crawl inside the case, but the mesh and the case itself will keep the larger ones away, and it's still something :)
I also liked the coolermaster xb for the dust filter on the psu (don't know if other case have dust filter too), and I plan to provide dust filters on the vents intake too.

The haf X seems really nice, it also has a dust kit for all the vents too.
But it's a little bit pricy for my budget.

Do you know a case with 8+ pci slot, but cheaper than the haf x?
I found several lists over the net  (http://www.trubritarforums.com/index.php/topic/7119-8-pci-case-sugestions/page__p__75923#entry75923) but nothing cheaper than 150 eur of haf x
My budget for the case is around 80-90 euros.


// note:
shirou I promise, no sacrifices in the name of Ancient Ones in my cabin.


[edit]
how about this one?
Antenc One Hundred - 8 pci slot - 50 eur
http://store.antec.com/Product/enclosure-gear_for_gamers/one-hundred/0-761345-15240-2.aspx

What do the experts think?

I read that, looked at your avatar picture, and got a little shudder.

Your biggest issue is going to be moving enough air past those cards to keep them cool. Do you have windows in your basement? I saw one guy who built a rig on a shelf and just surrounded it with thin plastic sheeting and created a 'duct' on both ends for ventilation (2 windows works best for this with a fan at each window, one for intake and one for exhaust).  If you use a case, keep in mind bugs can still find their way inside. I am an onsite IT pro and believe me, I find EVERY type of bug imaginable in old computer cases. Dust is another issue. If you have a dusty unfinished basement, that hot air blowing around means you'll need to shutdown your rig and blow off the electronics every few weeks. Anyway, hope you find a good solution.

Glad to hear you miningdude :)
Your tutorial was one of the first I have read.
The basement doesn't have a window, but it's pretty cold.
0-5 °C in winter
<15 °C in summer.
There is a lot of air circulation due a old wood door.
It is finished, so there is only a "natural" amount of dust.

The Antenc One Hundred doesn't like anybody?
Is big, it has 8 pci slot, a fan made for the GPU...
and washable air dust filters...
and it costs 50euros.

Plus I can easily mount a 200mm air vent on the GPU (drilling some holes) just like the coolermaster haf x.
and these
http://thecomputerwarehouse.com.au/demci-flex-coolermaster-haf-x-filter-kit-6-piece will finish the job, keeping the dust and the bugs (mostly) away.

I haven't actually plan to buy these magnetic filters, I plan to replicate them with magnetic scotch and... old collant :)

Lol, that gave me a good laugh.  I use that pic since it looks a lot like my wife and my little girl kept calling her mommy when my wife was on vacation.  Maggie Q for those interested.

If I found out about BTC in 2008 before I got married I would easily have over 10k coins with all the old hardware I had laying around.  Arrived late to the party relatively speaking because of wife and kids but wouldn't trade them for less than 20,999,999 coins (I'd let Satoshi keep one  ;) (and yes I know BTC white paper wasn't until 2009 and a whole pantload are lost).