How is this a good rig for WC? I don't really see anywhere for radiators, no room behind the front fan(even if there were 120mm mounts), only mountings for 1 120mm in the roof, side panels out of the question, and a single 140mm at the rear. I'm not starting an argument, just don't understand where your coming from. I am looking for a new watercooling case and this looks beautiful, but where can I fit 2 double or triple rads in this case?
I first spotted this case on OCUK preorder and thought dam that's expensive for a fugly case. But its exactly what some poeple want. I never thought people would buy the Antec 900 with its wank blue lights, boy did i get my demographic wrong!
I know that you only test cases with stock cooling, but could you rerun the test with the 140 fan added. The case is nice, but those performance numbers are dreadful. No support for WC, horrible air cooling, how can this even get a 5/10 on the cooling mark???
The stock cooling only test has been a discusion for a long time. Maybe if you do stock and full cooling tests...
And about the case... it has some things that I like, but I don't like the looks and the lak for top WC radiator holes (rather buy a Phantom); it's a great start TBH.
Personally I don't think it looks very good, but the main issue I have with this case is the fan setup. Cases that come with stock fans optimised for silence rather than airflow are all well and good but only if said fans can be replaced.
The poor stock cooling of the Fractal Design Define R2, for example, is easily fixed with a few new 120 or 140mm fans. Up to seven high quality fans can be installed in various locations, and while this represents a fair investment, it does transform the case into an air cooling monster that can compete with the top air cooled cases on the market without the same unfortunate looks. Adding a fan controller to this setup allows the choice between excellent airflow and supreme silence, with those quality fans you chose combining with the sound insulation built into the case to create blissful silence, which is great while you're just browsing the web or using photoshop.
The Colossus on the other hand has made a fatal mistake. The stock fans are large, yes, but they're also slow, yet there isn't an easy way to replace them. The result is the same as with the Fractal Design cases; terrible stock cooling though with silence as a bonus, but without the R2's upgradability. What Bitfenix really should have done is include enough fan mounts for a plethora of aftermarket fans to be installed as the user chooses. The other option would have been to include a fan controller for the stock fans and make sure they can spin up to much higher speeds when at full voltage. With the design as it is, stock cooling is poor and the prospects for improving it are practically non-existent. Water cooling potential has already been discussed a fair amount above and it's sad to see the story is much the same there.
I am left wondering who this case was designed for, and can only conclude it must be for graphic designers who want to build their own PC rather than buy a mac. Their relatively low and non-sequential power requirements mean overheating won't be an issue, while the low noise and stand-out-from-the-crowd looks might turn a few heads.
So the case is absolutely abysmal at cooling (which is pretty much the only function a case has), yet it gets a positive score because it looks pretty?
Originally Posted by cgthomas and still 1 year on there's no sign of a Corsair Obsidian 800D / 700D case review?
Any idea when that will happen
As you say, the 800D is an old product so why would we need to take a look at it? We'll have something on this front soon though - stay tuned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apoptosis So the case is absolutely abysmal at cooling (which is pretty much the only function a case has), yet it gets a positive score because it looks pretty?
Surely a case's main function is to stop things falling into or onto the PC and killing it? :)
Flippancy aside, cooling is something that can be enhanced relatively cheaply while modding a case to do even some of the things that this case does (the lockable cubbyhole, for example) would take loads of cash even if you had the skill. Hopefully that explains our position on the Colossus.
Originally Posted by Apoptosis So the case is absolutely abysmal at cooling (which is pretty much the only function a case has), yet it gets a positive score because it looks pretty?
My thoughts exactly, and as for its looks I can only say that it looks like something assembled by Lego.
All the talk of it being the perfect starting point for watercooling is total nonsense! Sure it has hose holes with grommets but that's it, and anyway how many people actually utilize those? An interior build is the order of the day for most water cooled PC's.
Without radiator mounts/rails as standard then they are moot points!
Cooling can be enhanced relatively cheaply yes, but a cases inability to cool well enough is a major flaw. As for the cubby hole well the last place I want to store anything of value is inside my high spec computer.
With case design being so subjective you may need to review your scoring criteria. Features & Cooling are all easily quantifiable, design is not!
Scoring a case on design should perhaps be a new community feature, where we all score it based on our opinion. Not everyone wants a case that looks like something made by Lego, or bought in Mothercare.
We do all want a case with lot's of features, and great cooling. If you implement a scoring system where we, the community score it then we can make more informed buying decisions. As a website you then see trends in terms of types of cases the community are interested in, so you can make informed choices about what to review. Feed this back to the hardware vendors and they can design cases for the community, which in return will increase sales.
It's better if they don't review it. The Corsair fanboys might burn the place down. Mind you, Corsair is one of my favourite brands, their cases look great, but for air cooling they are terrible. Especialy with stock fans. WC in an 800D is another thing though.
I'm going to dissent on this one - I think the looks are stellar! It looks to me like something stormtroopers would have in their base with that Imperial white look.
I too wish BT would help us with out decisions a bit more - we're not the audience who is likely to leave something that performs poorly in a stock configuration, but we also don't want to shell out 130 to be the guinea pig. If there is a glaring omission from a case, then it should be acceptable to rectify it and report those results separately - otherwise, any case can be made to cool well, so long as it screams!
okay how much did Bit-Tech get paid for that review? seems a bit more favorable then it should have been? is it because its a new company and you dont want to give them a hard time or what?
Well, it is a quite unique looking case (like it or not). Is quite well thought out on the inside, might make an excellent show case. However they missed some chances on cooling.
It was however tested against what I would consider high-airflow cases. How would it fare against for example an Antec or a Fractal?
Originally Posted by RaptorLord I'm going to dissent on this one - I think the looks are stellar! It looks to me like something stormtroopers would have in their base with that Imperial white look.
I too wish BT would help us with out decisions a bit more - we're not the audience who is likely to leave something that performs poorly in a stock configuration, but we also don't want to shell out 130 to be the guinea pig. If there is a glaring omission from a case, then it should be acceptable to rectify it and report those results separately - otherwise, any case can be made to cool well, so long as it screams!
If I worked for bit-tech <cough> I'd want to review cases first with a stock cooling setup then with some choice upgrades - I mean who here doesn't already have a ton of 120mm fans lying about the place? Its not like swapping fans in and out takes very long, when you consider all of the hassle associated with installing hardware into these cases for the testing that is already carried out during the course of a review.
Comments 1 to 25 of 35
Reply..Shame about how much stock cooling sucks though.
Shame about the cooling, nice lighting but then again, I don't like my PC glowing brighter than my Christmas tree.
I first spotted this case on OCUK preorder and thought dam that's expensive for a fugly case. But its exactly what some poeple want. I never thought people would buy the Antec 900 with its wank blue lights, boy did i get my demographic wrong!
And about the case... it has some things that I like, but I don't like the looks and the lak for top WC radiator holes (rather buy a Phantom); it's a great start TBH.
Doh!!!....
Stupid lights,
Awful looks,
I won't be rushing to get one!!
The poor stock cooling of the Fractal Design Define R2, for example, is easily fixed with a few new 120 or 140mm fans. Up to seven high quality fans can be installed in various locations, and while this represents a fair investment, it does transform the case into an air cooling monster that can compete with the top air cooled cases on the market without the same unfortunate looks. Adding a fan controller to this setup allows the choice between excellent airflow and supreme silence, with those quality fans you chose combining with the sound insulation built into the case to create blissful silence, which is great while you're just browsing the web or using photoshop.
The Colossus on the other hand has made a fatal mistake. The stock fans are large, yes, but they're also slow, yet there isn't an easy way to replace them. The result is the same as with the Fractal Design cases; terrible stock cooling though with silence as a bonus, but without the R2's upgradability. What Bitfenix really should have done is include enough fan mounts for a plethora of aftermarket fans to be installed as the user chooses. The other option would have been to include a fan controller for the stock fans and make sure they can spin up to much higher speeds when at full voltage. With the design as it is, stock cooling is poor and the prospects for improving it are practically non-existent. Water cooling potential has already been discussed a fair amount above and it's sad to see the story is much the same there.
I am left wondering who this case was designed for, and can only conclude it must be for graphic designers who want to build their own PC rather than buy a mac. Their relatively low and non-sequential power requirements mean overheating won't be an issue, while the low noise and stand-out-from-the-crowd looks might turn a few heads.
Any idea when that will happen
As you say, the 800D is an old product so why would we need to take a look at it? We'll have something on this front soon though - stay tuned.
Surely a case's main function is to stop things falling into or onto the PC and killing it? :)
Flippancy aside, cooling is something that can be enhanced relatively cheaply while modding a case to do even some of the things that this case does (the lockable cubbyhole, for example) would take loads of cash even if you had the skill. Hopefully that explains our position on the Colossus.
My thoughts exactly, and as for its looks I can only say that it looks like something assembled by Lego.
All the talk of it being the perfect starting point for watercooling is total nonsense! Sure it has hose holes with grommets but that's it, and anyway how many people actually utilize those? An interior build is the order of the day for most water cooled PC's.
Without radiator mounts/rails as standard then they are moot points!
Cooling can be enhanced relatively cheaply yes, but a cases inability to cool well enough is a major flaw. As for the cubby hole well the last place I want to store anything of value is inside my high spec computer.
With case design being so subjective you may need to review your scoring criteria. Features & Cooling are all easily quantifiable, design is not!
Scoring a case on design should perhaps be a new community feature, where we all score it based on our opinion. Not everyone wants a case that looks like something made by Lego, or bought in Mothercare.
We do all want a case with lot's of features, and great cooling. If you implement a scoring system where we, the community score it then we can make more informed buying decisions. As a website you then see trends in terms of types of cases the community are interested in, so you can make informed choices about what to review. Feed this back to the hardware vendors and they can design cases for the community, which in return will increase sales.
I too wish BT would help us with out decisions a bit more - we're not the audience who is likely to leave something that performs poorly in a stock configuration, but we also don't want to shell out 130 to be the guinea pig. If there is a glaring omission from a case, then it should be acceptable to rectify it and report those results separately - otherwise, any case can be made to cool well, so long as it screams!
It was however tested against what I would consider high-airflow cases. How would it fare against for example an Antec or a Fractal?
If I worked for bit-tech <cough> I'd want to review cases first with a stock cooling setup then with some choice upgrades - I mean who here doesn't already have a ton of 120mm fans lying about the place? Its not like swapping fans in and out takes very long, when you consider all of the hassle associated with installing hardware into these cases for the testing that is already carried out during the course of a review.
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