NVIDIA 8800GTX "Will It Fit?" Case Thread
 

Hi All,

I've been trying to figure out what case would be best for an 8800GTX SLi setup. My current case should work, but I've been considering a more modern one. Unfortunately, most case specs don't list the maximum length of PCI-E cards. So, we have to extrapolate from images.

According to several sources of actual measurements (though, again, still not official), the 8800GTX is 28cm long and has a cooler on it that is 4cm high.

So, what can we do with this? Well, first we start with a motherboard image. The new Asus Crosshair motherboard is 30.5cm x 24.5cm. So, we find an image of that. (I've painted the mounting holes bright green. You'll see why later).

[img]http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/asus-crosshair.jpg[/img]

Now, this image is 244x300 pixels. So, with a little math we can figure out a scale where this motherboard image is concerned:
1cm = 9.959 pixels.

So, we can then mock up a "mask" for the 8800GTX cards by just taking 28cm and multiplying it by 9.959. Rounding, the 8800GTX should be about 279 pixels long. With the 4cm cooler bulging it out to about 40 pixels.

Like so:

[img]http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/8800gtx-mockup.jpg[/img]

So, what's left? Well, we look for a straight-on side shot of the case in question. For this example, I was curious about the Antec "Nine Hundred" case. So, I found 90-degree level shot of its side on Newegg. Then, all I had to do in Photoshop was enlarge the image of the case until the (hilighted green) mounting holes on the motherboard above matched up.

The result is this:

[img]http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/antec900-8800gtx.jpg[/img]

Now, I wouldn't take this to the bank because calculations may not be precise, or specs may turn out to be different on launch day. But it looks to me like it'll fit (as long as that black, optional fan bracket is removed).

[url="http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/template-8800gtx.psd"]Here's a link[/url] to the PSD file for the transparent version of the motherboard and 8800gtx "mask" in case anyone else wants to do this in Photoshop.

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EDIT: Hi guys, sorry I abandoned my own thread!

Anyways, here's a more accurate "mask" for the 8800gtx based on actual measurements of the card. It might still error on the side of caution, but it is a bit smaller than the original one. It is in "blue" to differentiate it from the earlier one.

[url="http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/revised-8800gtx-mask.psd"]Linky[/url]
--------------------------------------------
[url="http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/revised-8800gtx-mask.psd"] [/url]
If anyone has a case they're curious about, post it here (though a good side-shot of its interior will also be helpful). Meanwhile, as I investigate other cases, I'll post the "mock up" here as well.

Here's the Antec P180.

[img]http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/antecp180-8800gtx.jpg[/img]
Factors: The image of the case may not be a 100% dead-on side shot. So things might be skewed a bit.

Conclusion: It will fit, but only if you remove that middle drive bay. This might be acceptable however since the primary hard drive bay is actually at the bottom and the middle one does not contain the floppy drive bay.

The real question you should be asking yourself is why are you buying these cards . They are first generation dx10 cards, its madness. Also the first few batches of cards are based on the 90nm process, chances are they will move to the 65nm process soon after which will run cooler and probably clock higher.
They are also going to be horribly over priced for the first 2-3 months. When are you planning on buying?

Here's the very popular Chenming "Server" Tower (probably also applies to the Antec TX1050B Server Tower). (pointless info: My case is based on this, so it hits close to home!)

[img]http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/antec-chenming-8800gtx.jpg[/img]
Conclusion: This will fit. Though, you may have to shuffle some hard drives around.

[QUOTE=Endurance Man]The real question you should be asking yourself is why are you buying these cards . They are first generation dx10 cards, its madness. Also the first few batches of cards are based on the 90nm process, chances are they will move to the 65nm process soon after which will run cooler and probably clock higher.
They are also going to be horribly over priced for the first 2-3 months. When are you planning on buying?[/QUOTE]

Not again! :rolleyes:

Lets keep on topic here, this thread isnt meant to debate teh merits of the G80 and people's reasons for buying them. Question for the OP, where did you get the pics of the case used for comparison and would you be willing to see if the g80 would fit in an aerocool masstige
Thanx

[QUOTE=Endurance Man]The real question you should be asking yourself is why are you buying these cards . They are first generation dx10 cards, its madness. Also the first few batches of cards are based on the 90nm process, chances are they will move to the 65nm process soon after which will run cooler and probably clock higher.
They are also going to be horribly over priced for the first 2-3 months. When are you planning on buying?[/QUOTE]The [i]real[/i] question you should be asking yourself is why you feel the need to crap on these cards [i]here[/i] when there is plenty of crapping on these cards going on in the appropriate forum.

But, just so no other people decide to come in just to crap on NVIDIA. . . allow me to repeat myself:

----------------------------
I swear, if I see one more: "This card is pointless until Vista". . . I am indeed going to have to soil myself with rage. Not to mention all the: "But you can pay less six months from now and have a better card!" Or the, "my card is fine now. I don't need this. Ergo, the new card sucks."

[b]1. Pointless until Vista.[/b]
All indications are that the 8800 will kick ass in DX9 as well. So, this card is no more pointless than was the last several video card releases. Was the 7800GTX pointless? The 7900GTX?

[b]2. I'm waiting for the refresh in six months! I'll pay less and have a better card![/b]
Good for you. But that's six months of non-G80 performance. If you're happy with your current video card, congratulations. . . but that doesn't mean the G80 sucks or needs to be bashed. As a matter of fact, hearing "I'll wait" serves very little purpose in these threads. Those who are currently in the market for a video card upgrade are probably pretty happy that the G80 ("crappy" as it is) is going to be released imminently rather than six months from now when it might be smaller or use less power or otherwise be "better."
[b]
3. My Super-L33t rig can already play all my games! So the G80 is pointless!
[/b]Again, this is just a case of someone who isn't in the market right now feeling compelled to tell us that he's not in the market, over and over again. Joy. But, I'm also baffled by this idea that the G80's potential performance is somehow "wasted" on current games. I've got 7800GTX in SLI and I can't think of a single game I play that couldn't benefit from higher resolutions and more eye candy.
---------------------------

But this thread isn't about whether the G80 is good or not. This thread is about whether they will fit into a particular cases. If you have a problem with what I said above, go address it in its original [url="http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1030146118#post1030146118"]thread[/url]. Thanks!

H

[QUOTE=Hurin]Here's the Antec P180....
Conclusion: It will fit, but only if you remove that middle drive bay. This might be acceptable however since the primary hard drive bay is actually at the bottom and the middle one does not contain the floppy drive bay.[/QUOTE]

floppy is below the two hdd bays. you can keep your floppy drive.

[QUOTE=Endurance Man]The real question you should be asking yourself is why are you buying these cards . They are first generation dx10 cards, its madness. Also the first few batches of cards are based on the 90nm process, chances are they will move to the 65nm process soon after which will run cooler and probably clock higher.
They are also going to be horribly over priced for the first 2-3 months. When are you planning on buying?[/QUOTE]

65nm and 90nm fabproccesses not similar enough, and it wont be 65nm, it will be 55nm. TSMC officially said "we have 55nm!" a few weeks back, very very similar to 65nm process. Im pretty darn sure the first G80s will be 80nm, again TSMC has said they are currently selling 80nm products to NV, and NV has no other 80nm chips.

the R600, im still hoping turns into 55/65nm. thats gonna be sweet. already it has NV beat on Memory... hard.

GDDR4 pushing 2.3GHz effective, w/ 1gig on highest model, true 512bit bus.
GDDR3 making 1.7Ghz tops, w/ 768mb oh highest model, 256bit/128 bit architecture.

and my upgrade path includes all the people going to ebay in the next few weeks saying "Buy my X1950/X1900/7950/7900!!!"

[QUOTE=gilga]Question for the OP, where did you get the pics of the case used for comparison and would you be willing to see if the g80 would fit in an aerocool masstige
Thanx[/QUOTE]I'm getting most of them from Newegg. That's where I got this one (not perfect, but I think it's good enough).

As always, I could be wrong here. Use this as a basis from which to further your research on whether these will fit.

Here you go:

[img]http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/masstige-8800gtx.jpg[/img]


I'm not used to "reversed" cases like that, so it's a bit tougher for me to judge. But I'd definitely say that you have "length" clearance. I couldn't actually see the top mounting holes for the motherboard (but I assume they're there), but all the others are aligned properly.

With a different motherboard where the PCI-E slots aren't so widely seperated, you might have less "crunch" up top. That's my only area of concern.

Hope that helps!

Edit: Here's a second version with the opacity of the overlay turned way down so you can see the matched up motherboard mounts:

[img]http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/masstige-8800gtx-2.jpg[/img]

Would it fit in [URL=http://www.textorm.com/images/produit/grand/Thermaltake%20Shark%20VA7000SWA%20-%20Silver2.jpg]here[/URL] ?

[QUOTE=Eagle156]Would it fit in [url="http://www.textorm.com/images/produit/grand/Thermaltake%20Shark%20VA7000SWA%20-%20Silver2.jpg"]here[/url] ?[/QUOTE]SilverTake Eagle 7000SWA

Sorry, doesn't look like it. Unless you can remove some of those drive cages. :(

[img]http://www.dor-lomin.com/images/forums/hardocp/8800gtx-fit/thermaltakeva7000swa-8800gtx.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=Hurin]SilverTake Eagle 7000SWA

Sorry, doesn't look like it. Unless you can remove some of those drive cages. :(
[/quote]

IE Ghetto mod required :cool:

just get a stacker810 and dont worry about it.

[QUOTE='][V][AGIC']just get a stacker810 and dont worry about it.[/QUOTE]Nice case feature-wise. But I don't like the aesthetics. :(

[QUOTE=MrWizard6600]floppy is below the two hdd bays. you can keep your floppy drive.[/QUOTE]Well, that's what I [i]intended[/i] to say. Though, I guess I wasn't as clear as I thought. :D

what about some lian li's and Silverstone cases?

Get a TJ09....problem solved...you will also benifit from the direct cooling to the video cards

If I had any photoshop skills what-so-ever, I wouldnt ask you this, but will it fit in this case:

[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119106[/url]

Thanks.

I dont think it will. And unfortunately I just sold my Stacker 810. :(

I've been looking at an Antec Nine Hundred though.. Think I'll finally break down and buy it.

[QUOTE=SlikRig]Get a TJ09....problem solved...you will also benifit from the direct cooling to the video cards[/QUOTE]


Would they fit in a TJ09? From the pictures, it doesnt look very big, but I could be wrong.. And how come newegg doesnt sell them? Or at least I can't find them by searching..

Thanx Hurin for taking the time to do all of that for me!!!!! You have saved me what could have been a lot of hesitation on my decision to get a G80. Keep up the good work and I really appreciate it!!!

Gilga

you can see the 09 fully loaded at this link...[url="http://gomeler.com/2006/09/30/lean-machine-2006-part-1/"]http://gomeler.com/2006/09/30/lean-machine-2006-part-1/[/url]

They can be had at Sundialmicro, Performancepcs, and Ncix.com

Damn, this thread is awesome, and brilliant. Thanks for doing this, it is appreciated. I am looking at a P180 to use with a 8800, if I get one, and this really helps me out.

Ooops...dubble

i suck at photoshop so could someone figure this one out?

[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129173[/url]

SlikRig...you know I'm with ya..In the Silverstone TJ09..it will fit with space to spare..true,true :eek: :eek: :D
Boatload of Space..and fans to kool all your joints :cool:

[QUOTE=jcll2002]i suck at photoshop so could someone figure this one out?

[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129173[/url][/QUOTE]


photoshop,,,what does that have to do with this thread???? :confused: :rolleyes:

photoshopping the mobo into the case to see if it fits...

[QUOTE=jcll2002]photoshopping the mobo into the case to see if it fits...[/QUOTE]


OoOooOoh :D

Good thread!

Does the 28cm 8800GTX include the part that is extending out by the DVI ports, or is the measurement for the PCB? If the 28cm includes the DVI ports then the 8800GTX is a bit too long in the diagram.

I would like to know if it will fit into an Antec SOLO case. Even if it does not fit, I am still considering getting that case and cutting away part of the hard drive bay area using a pair of tin snips.

Will the R600 be extra long like the 8800GTX?

FYI: Pictures of the 8800GTX @ Gizmodo

[url]http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/peripherals/geforce-8800gtx-fondled-by-random-man-209931.php[/url]

[QUOTE=SlikRig]you can see the 09 fully loaded at this link...[url="http://gomeler.com/2006/09/30/lean-machine-2006-part-1/"]http://gomeler.com/2006/09/30/lean-machine-2006-part-1/[/url][/QUOTE]


Oh wow! That case must be HUGE? I know my stacker 810 didnt have that much room to the right of the mobo (from that angle) I dont believe.. damn..

[QUOTE=RedCt]FYI: Pictures of the 8800GTX @ Gizmodo

[url]http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/peripherals/geforce-8800gtx-fondled-by-random-man-209931.php[/url][/QUOTE]


Holy cow! It requires 4 power adapters? OMG.

Ah, this is why I love my Lian-Li

[img]http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/2323/lianlig80rp0.jpg[/img]

I think it goes iwthout saying, that eATX cases should all fit the 8800GTX fine with no problems. Yup.

[QUOTE=jcll2002]i suck at photoshop so could someone figure this one out?

[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129173[/url][/QUOTE]

[img]http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/8087/p160ko3.jpg[/img]

The pic isn't exact, since the case wasn't perpendicular to the camera's lense, but it looks like it probably won't fit unless you cut those drive bays.

You could probably take out the two middle drive bays and just bend it a little.. however thats putting a lot of stress on your video cards and motherboard.. You could cut the metal out though too, and just have two hard drive bays, or use a converter and use the bigger 5.25 bays..

i can't find the dimensions on the 7900gto (which i have now)

in my cooler master centurion 5



[url]http://www.techpowerup.com/gallery/328/3.jpg[/url]

a pic with my hdd before i really got the wiring down ;)

[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119077[/url]

i don't think it's going to fit, that's just my gut :(

maybe a gts....

or maybe move the hdd's up


but hey, who needs hard drives anyways, when you've got 768mb of ram on the goddamn gfx card! :eek:

this chieftec case is longer by 2-3 inches than average mid tower... plenty of room
[IMG]http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/4194/chiefteciv8.jpg[/IMG]

by second thought, i'm not sure that 8800 is that long. i took the picture from gizmodo, overlayed the pcie slot, and it looks at least 1 inch shorter than Hurin made...

Those are some pretty cases up there..