Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review :: Setup and Installation

Author: Ben Sun · 06-13-2008 · Category: Hardware - Cases
  • Intel QX9770 CPU
  • XFX nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard
  • 2GB DDR3-2000 Memory
  • 2 74GB WD Raptor SATA HDDs
  • Cooler Master 1000W PSU
  • XFX 9800GTX video card

The system build I decided to do is based on a fairly extensive list of the highest quality computer components on the market today. The 9800GTX is a modified 8800GT with Tri-SLI but is the fastest single-GPU NVIDIA card on the market today (until the GTX 280). The QX9770 is the fastest Intel CPU on the market and the nForce 790i Ultra SLI is the best NVIDIA based motherboard.


Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review Case w/ Parts

Case w/ Parts

Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review Parts

Parts

Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review Mobo on Tray

Mobo on Tray

Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review Vid Card on Tray

Vid Card on Tray


Working with the system was a breeze as the sliding motherboard tray allows installation of the motherboard and components outside the case environment. Thrasher2, our resident system builder only had one major issue in that the water cooling holes did not line up with the Cooler Master retail water-cooler that he tried to install in the case.


Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review W/O Fans

W/O Fans

Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review With Fans

With Fans

Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review Completed System

Completed System

Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review Tray Slide Out

Tray Slide Out


After mounting the motherboard and CPU, the video card is installed by unscrewing the thumbscrew and inserting the card into the PCI Express x16 slot on the motherboard and screwing it back in. There’s plenty of room in the case for installing a long card like the 9800GX2 or HD3870X2 card as the spacing between the HDD cage and the video cards is long enough to not worry about cables interfering with each other.


Cooler Master CSX Warfare Stacker 830 Review Aqua Gate

Aqua Gate


The Cooler Master Aqua Gate water cooling unit was used to cool the QX9770 CPU.This watercooling system is compatible with all Intel LGA775 CPUs and AMD CPUs on the market. The unit weighs 1.7 kilograms (about 3 pounds). The Aqua Gate pump has a rating of 6.5W, and has a maximum reservoir capacity of 340 milliliters.

The pump on the Aqua gate had to be put on the bottom of the case. The problem was the pre-drilled water cooling holes didn’t quite match the tubes and had to be modified. The reservoir was installed on the top 5.25” drive bay. Anyway the resulting configuration can be viewed in the above picture. This was the final step before turning on the system.


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