I've been trying to build a PC for a while now, but my disability has made it hard to lift certain parts, and I had to push the project to the back burner. Recently, I finally got some help, but I've run into a snag. I initially purchased the Gamemax Nova N6 case, but it turns out that the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB cooler and the Asus ROG STRIX X670E-A motherboard are too bulky to fit inside. What I'm looking for now is a case that has at least an 8.5-inch internal clearance and offers good airflow. The aesthetics don't matter to me since I'm more focused on functionality and ensuring that all my components fit comfortably. Any recommendations? Here are my specs:
- AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU
- Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB Cooler
- Asus ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard
- 96 GB G.Skill Ripjaws S5 DDR5 Memory
- Samsung 870 Evo 1 TB SSD
- Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 7600 XT Video Card
- SeaSonic Focus GX 1000W Power Supply
3 Answers
Your cooler should fit with just 2mm to spare, so it might be the motherboard that's unusually tall. Have you checked if everything is properly aligned? Sometimes that can make a big difference!
Good point about the manual! Manufacturers should definitely include clearance specs. Might save a lot of headaches for future builds!
I totally agree! I thought the disclaimer covered everything, but it turns out there's a lot more to consider.
I suggest checking out the Fractal Meshify 2. I have a similar setup with an MSI 4090 and it works perfectly! It's only 40mm wider, which may be the crucial difference for you.
Awesome, thank you! I'll look into it for sure.
Yeah, it was a tight fit. My friend had to rotate it carefully to see if it would fit. It's installed correctly, but it was still a bit worrying! Just gotta find the right case now.