QBX: At The Limit

[Sting05]

Hello guys...

 

TL;DR: I shove a triple-slot GPU and 240mm AIO into a small case.
 

I started this sff build around october of last year when there wasn't any other reasonably priced sff cases available on amazon.
I recently installed another M.2 drive into the system and decided I should take some photos and share my sketchy journey.
This is my first time writing a build post so forgive me for the weird formatting and potentially triggering way I built my rig.

Part list:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Cooler: EVGA CLC 240mm
Mobo: Asus Rog Strix B450-I Gaming
RAM: 2 x 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport 3200, OC'd to 3600
GPU: Zotac GTX 980ti Amp Extreme
PSU: Corsair SF750 Platinum
SSD: 2 x 1TB Sabrent Rocket NVMe M.2 SSD
Fans: 2 x Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 2000 PWM, 1 x Noctua NF-A8 PWM

 

Hurdle 1: Installing the GPU

 

According to the Cougar website, the QBX will comfortably fit GPUs up to 350mm in length.
My 980ti is only 328mm long. Should be fine right?
Nope.

This case was designed with dual slot cards in mind and there isn't much information about how tall the gpu can be.
I know I was being optimistic thinking that I could fit my card in there, but I didn't know how stupid the solution was going to be.

Here's what I did:
1. Attach GPU to motherboard
2. Carefully move GPU+Mobo into case
3. Attach top left screw to mobo
4. Attach top right screw to mobo

5. Attach bottom right screw into mobo with great difficulty

6. Secure GPU screws
 

Now you may think something is missing here and you're right.
The bottom left side of my motherboard has nothing holding it in.

Also, remember when I wrote I recently installed a second M.2 drive?
For this motherboard, the second M.2 slot is on the back of the board.

Removing this GPU involves removing everything keeping it and the motherboard in place.

 

Hurdle 2: Installing the AIO cooler

 

According to the Cougar website, the QBX is able to accomodate a 240mm radiator with a single 120mm fan.
The reason you can only fit 1 fan is because a full size ATX PSU gets in the way.
So, naturally I used a SFX PSU in order to fit my second fan.

Ok. Problem solved. Should be fine right?
Bitch you thought.

 

The above diagram shows you how a radiator is attached and how it flips down to close.
If you look closely, you will see that there are only 4 screwholes to attach a radiator. Guess how many screws are holding in my 240mm radiator.
 

The EVGA CLC 240 comes with the two fans you see in my above picture. While they may work without issue in a more normal case,

they do not work in mine. More specifically, due to the shape of the fan sidewalls, there is no way to prevent the fan from eating up the tubes.
The interesting fan sidewall design also inlcludes a bonus feature of absolutely garbage static pressure.

So here's what I did:

I turned the pump clockwise, and replaced the stock fans with a nice pair of noctuas.
Attached the rest of the panels onto the case and it's all done!


Conclusion

The Cougar QBX is fully capable of supporting:
- The largest triple-slot beefcake of a 980ti you can buy
- A 240mm AIO cooler with 2 fans, provided they have actual sidewalls
- My hopes and dreams

 

The noctuas are strong enough allow air to actually flow through the radiator, radiator support, and mesh panel.
This is what I consider to be the absolute limits of what the budget Cougar QBX case can accomodate.
I would not recommend that anyone follows in my footsteps and no one should, given the release of cases like the Cooler Master NR200P and such.

All comments and opinions are welcome! I would like to know your thoughts on my build!

 

Spoiler

The GPU has served me well from when I first bought it five years ago but I have been itching to upgrade.
With the recent launch of the 3000 series, I think I will end up having to disassemble it all again for the third time...

 

[Fasauceome]

2 minutes ago, Sting05 said:

Spoiler

With the recent launch of the 3000 series, I think I will end up having to disassemble it all again for the third time...

 

I mean, you have to stick with triple slot obviously, so enjoy your new 3090

[Sting05]

Hehehe, wish I have enough for that $1500 meme buy

[DJ46]

On 9/2/2020 at 9:57 PM, Sting05 said:

That GPU backplate is just plain perfect.

Also, the radiator seems a bit dirty under them there Noctua fans...

 

Lovely rig though. I hate SFF builds with wasted space. This is how it's done.

[Sting05]

I hope you're all doing well.

It has been a wild year to say the least.

So...I'm back with an update.

 

On 9/3/2020 at 4:00 AM, Fasauceome said:

I mean, you have to stick with triple slot obviously, so enjoy your new 3090

 

Unfortunately I didn't get a 3090. However, an Asus 3080 TUF OC that I bought for MSRP should be enough of a triple slot card.

 

Here's how it fits:

 

 

As with what I described in my original post from a year ago, this requires attaching the gpu to the motherboard before attaching the motherboard to the case.

The motherboard also now only has 2 screws holding it into the case as I can't be bothered to contort my hands to install the 3rd.

Who needs a side panel anyways

 

Thank you to my dear old 980ti, you've served me well over the past 7 years.

To anyone that is still using a Cougar QBX, unfortunately the triple slot 3000 beefcakes do not fit.

 

[DJ46]

Someone should make a low profile solution for PCIe cables.

I would be tempted to use those 180° adapters that flip the connector around, but after seeing the burnt down setup caused by a faulty one of those, I don't plan to even look at them for any system I work on.

[Sting05]

 

Brb, need to cancel a totally unrelated shopping order

[DJ46]

18 hours ago, Sting05 said:

Brb, need to cancel a totally unrelated shopping order

Yeah, the photos in the first post of this topic are a powerful warning.