r/PC_Builders

2 questions:

1. If i use all noctua fans (like in the picture), will there be a big sound difference between the North XL and Meshify 3 XL? (I would really love to have the north xl case. But if the Meshify 3 XL is alot quieter with that layout, i might have to choose that one)
2. In both case setups, are those good reliable fan setups for cooling and noise?

I am trying to build a quiet air cooling only pc (as quiet as can be with fans of course). Having a quiet pc is important to me, because the pc will be in a rather small room together with my girlfriends pc.

I am now stuck between 2 choices. Problem is that i like the design of the North XL case WAY more because of the wood. But multiple people has raised issues with the wooden paneling, as the wood creates noise/turbulence with the front fans? I would hate to spend a lot of money on noctua fans, only for the wooden paneling to be the big noise source. Its also better to house 3x120mm fans in the front, instead of the 3x140mm fans in the meshify 3 XL. But that would negatively impact the cooling/noise right?

I like the design of the meshify 3 XL way less. But the case gets praised so much for its airflow. That would fit a quieter build very well.

PC specs: 9800x3d, 4070 windforce oc or 5070 ti tuf, X870 Aorus Elite, KLevv cras 2x32gb ddr5 ram, noctua nh-d15 g2

Hi everyone,

I'm in the middle of my first SFF build and could use some advice from anyone who's built in the NCASE M3, especially in the inverted layout.

Specs:

Case: NCASE M3

Motherboard: MSI MPG X870I Edge Ti WiFi

GPU: XFX Mercury RX 9070 XT OC

I've attached a few photos.

In the first photo you can see the GPU is resting on the motherboard's rear I/O heatsink. Even with that support, the card still sags slightly.

In the side photo you can see the GPU isn't level. If I lift it into the correct position, it's simply too heavy and drops back down by itself.

Since this is an inverted build, I can't use something like the Lian Li anti-sag bracket because the GPU is mounted at the top of the case instead of the bottom.

I'm trying to find the cleanest long-term solution.

Would you:

Suspend the GPU from the top panel using fishing line or thin steel wire?

Use a PCIe riser cable and vertically mount it somehow?

Fabricate or 3D print a custom bracket?

Attach some sort of support directly to the top frame of the M3?

Is there another solution I'm missing?

I'd really appreciate photos if anyone has solved this on an inverted M3 or another inverted SFF case.

Thanks!

Been saving for a year now and its here! Took around 10 different drafts of pc parts and 2 weeks of research on gaming pc, understanding the components and right parts. My original budget was around 2-2.3L with 9600x + 9070XT, but after digging more into it, I realized I need atleast 7800x3D with 9070XT, which was going around 20k above the budget. So If I had to go over the budget, I stretched it out a bit more to 2.6L and got 5070Ti + 9800x3D. I got 2 sticks of RAM in a KIT with CL30 that added an extra 5-6k. I mostly use my PC for Valorant, but I do play RPG games as well on PS5, so I figured why not upgrade it to future proof. Got all of my parts from Bangalore SP road.

Here's the complete list:

I bought I5 14490F(Tray) for 50k and PRO H610M for 25k(New) is that fair price? Or that seller ripped me?

This is my very first pc build. I’ve just finished purchasing, building and connecting everything. I have not booted and installed windows yet so the lighting colors and aio graphic is not set. I’m looking for general aesthetic suggestions. I have this Tryx Flova Case, the right side feels empty.

just finished my new build!
i’ve been looking into changing out my mid tower build and moving to a smaller mATX case and finally did! i used a couple of parts from my previous build (gpu, cpu, ram) and moved them to this one. of course I waited from prime day to get some money saved to build this and i’m loving it!
i was kind of worried what the temps would be like coming from my mid tower build which was the lian li vector v100 (great case and to build in) and the difference was this one was only 5-6 degree difference running higher which I was happy about

parts used:

case: jonsbo d32 pro (white)
motherboard: gigabyte b850m aorus elite ice
cpu: amd ryzen 7800x3d - (carry over)
gpu: asrock challenger 9070xt - (carry over)
aio/liquid cooler: thermalright frozen vision 240
bottom fans: thermalright TL-C12015W-S (slim 15mm)
m.2 ssd: samsung 9100 pro 1tb (slot 1)
m.2 ssd: klevv cras c925g 1tb (slot 2) - (carry over)
ram: corsair vengeance rgb ddr5 (32gb) - (carry over)
psu: corsair sf850

Title question.

This is an Intel Ultra 7 265K with a Corsair Nautilus 360

Built my dream PC during this hellish wasteland of a market. I'll detail the the price & rational of the components to serve as a time capsule or guide for those who stumble across this in the future. These boxes sat on shelving next to my bed for months, as I saved & set aside components waiting for my build to be complete.

CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D ~$420 from Amazon - Purchased in May 2026. Chose this over the 9850x3d to prioritize temperatures & performance seemed largely equal. I went super deep in the weeds looking into electromigration, very happy with the 9800X3D as it runs at 50c-60c under load.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MA824 ~$160 from Amazon - Purchased this discontinued model in March 2026; new condition old stock. Chosen due to it's massive 8 heat pipes & ram clearance. I despise AIO/liquid cooling. While I'm sure there were easier options, brand familiarity made me feel more comfortable. The only thing I dislike is the middle fan not being easily removable.

GPU: Zotac 5090 Solid OC ~$3,100 from Micro Center - Purchased in April 2026, and prices have increased once again since. One of, if not the best 5090 card ever produced. Go watch northwestrepair's videos, it has additional fuses meant to protect the board in the event of an electrical surge. Very well built, stays at 55c-60c under load, it's substance exceeds many "premium" options.

Ram: Corsair Vengeance 2x 48gb 5600MTs ~$250 from Amazon - Purchased in January 2025 before the AI apocalypse for a small form factor build. I repurposed this kit, and it has performed beautifully. I got extremely lucky with timing.

Primary SSD: WD SN850X 4TB ~$600 from Bestbuy - Purchased in May 2026 from Bestbuy, I wanted a primary drive to be gen4 for thermal reasons & have dram. I've heard Samsung has had issues previously & this was the most cost effective option with high capacity in mind. Anything further like 8tb just got outrageous.

Secondary SSD: PNY CS2150 2tb ~$180 - Purchased in January of 2025 for that small form factor build. I intend to take a lot of clips & record, therefore I wanted to repurpose this SSD to save my primary one of the wear & tear. I've hear it's a cooler gen 5 model which is relieving.

Motherboard: MSI Tomahawk X870e ~$250 - Purchased in May of 2026. I wanted zero PCIE lane sharing, and liked it's eight fan headers. I was unwilling to consider ASUS or ASROCK due to their voltage X3D incidents. I'm happy with the purchase, but hate how MSI hides the CMOS battery. At least it's replaceable on the Tomahawk unlike the Edge TI. I like how Gigabyte does their CMOS battery, but they don't have non-sharing PCIE lanes at this price point & have a weird X3D feature which turns off CPU threads.

Powersupply: ASROCK TC-1300T ~$320 - Purchased in April of 2026. I saw this model as necessary for my build due to its built in temperature sensor in the 12V-2x6 cable. Great power supply, 1300W was perfect for head room & transient spikes. Very happy with my purchase, the peace of mind is tangible.

Case: Fractal North XL Mesh ~$200 - Purchased in May of 2026 simply because I wanted a mesh case. I prioritize thermals & airflow. The only thing I want to look at is the temperature readings & FPS counter, not the components.

Fans: PHANTEK T30-140MM ~$210 - Purchased six of these for $210 total in May of 2026. I wanted thick fans that would move a lot of air quickly. I don't understand the obsession with noise over temperature, but these sound great even with my aggressive fan curve. They have dual ball bearings & a physical switch on the fan to set it's standard RPM. Love these things. The 30mm width did prevent my front panel from attaching though, so be careful. I'll figure something out lol, worthwhile for the cold temperatures.

Monitors: Samsung Neo Odyssey G8 MINI LED 4k 240hrtz for ~650 in April of 2026 as the main monitor. I love this curved display without worrying about burn in, and the brightness & dimming look so close to OLED I can't tell. It's a shame this model is being discontinued but I highly recommend it. My secondary monitor is a Dell U3023E I got in April 2025 for $500 after falling in love with the 16x10 aspect ratio. Good luck finding this thing, it's a mythical creature for some reason.

All in all, was about seven thousand. All to run Rust at 4k 240fps, and it does :)

Corsair RM850X PSU
Corsair Link Titan RX 360 AIO
Corsair MP600 1TB M.2 SSD
Corsair RS120-R fans x6
Corsair RS120 fan - rear exhaust
Corsair Dominator Platinum DDR5 6200MHz RAM 32GB
Corsair 3500x ATX Case

(Big fan)