A word of warning PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE/TITAN FENRIR EVO EXTREME

[ErictheBee]

Hi,

This is my first post so please be gentle. Last Monday I received delivery of my new PC, (see specs below). I was of course extremely happy as it's the first top spec machine I've owned, normally going for mid range gaming laptops before this. With some hard core gaming planned, I had cooling in mind when I went for my build so picked the Maelstorm T900 gaming case (with it's nice big fan on the side) and also thought it best to go for a heat sink slightly better than the average stock heat sink, so I opted for the Titan Fenrir Evo Extreme.

When I first booted up the machine I noticed that the fan on the side wasn't lighting up and even when I flicked the small switch for the lights nothing happened. I unscrewed the side and noticed that the fan wasn't actually connected to the power supply. I plugged it back in, screwed the side back on and proceeded to fire the machine up again. This time I heard a really loud clicking sound and quickly switched off the machine. Upon investigation I noticed that the side fan was hitting these little copper nubs that were protruding from the top of the heatsink (I am guessing they are they ends of the copper pipes that go through the heatsink for distributing the heat away from the CPU, but i don't know this for sure).

I can only hypothesise that this problem was noticed during the build/testing phase of the machine and instead of informing me, they decided to leave the fan unplugged in the hope that I wouldn't notice. I'd have much rather they had informed me of the issue as then I would have either selected a different case or a different heat sink.

I have found that if I hook the side on, but don't push it right up and don't screw the side in I can have the fan on and get the benefit of the cooling, without it hitting the heatsink (the side can easily be knocked loose however and there is the grey metal strip down the right side of the case, which is exposed as the side is not fully pushed up) but it is a compromise I feel I shouldn't really have to make for the amount of money the machine cost.

I know I could have complained and sent the machine back, but I already had waited 3 weeks and didn't want to have to wait for even longer as the machine was rebuilt. I am writing this less as a complaint and more as a warning really so other people won't have to suffer the same issue that I do.

Happy gaming to one and all



Case
PCS MAELSTROM T900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7-2600 Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P8Z68-V/GEN3: PCI-E 3.0 READY, SLI, CROSSFIREX
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 680 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE Barracuda SATA 6Gb/s HDD, 32MB Cache (7200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ TX750 V2-80 PLUS® BRONZE (£87)
Processor Cooling
TITAN FENRIR EVO EXTREME HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£39)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)

 

[Rakk]

When I first booted up the machine I noticed that the fan on the side wasn't lighting up and even when I flicked the small switch for the lights nothing happened. I unscrewed the side and noticed that the fan wasn't actually connected to the power supply. I plugged it back in, screwed the side back on and proceeded to fire the machine up again. This time I heard a really loud clicking sound and quickly switched off the machine. Upon investigation I noticed that the side fan was hitting these little copper nubs that were protruding from the top of the heatsink (I am guessing they are they ends of the copper pipes that go through the heatsink for distributing the heat away from the CPU, but i don't know this for sure).

I can only hypothesise that this problem was noticed during the build/testing phase of the machine and instead of informing me, they decided to leave the fan unplugged in the hope that I wouldn't notice. I'd have much rather they had informed me of the issue as then I would have either selected a different case or a different heat sink.

Unfortunately given the size of the Titan Fenrir, many of the smaller cases cannot have both the Titan and a working side fan (incuding my own), this is a known fact, and due to the fact that everything PCS offer is highly customisable, they cannot ask you about every single selection you have made, as this would be very very time consuming, and many people getting the smaller cases with a Titan are perfectly fine with not being able to have the side fan, in fact a while back, they were actually removing the side fan as it couldn't be used, but people complained it wasnt there (even when it couldnt be used), so for yours they obviously did include it so you have the choice to use at some later point if you change the cooling.

With any luck that made some kind of sense

The machine looks like it will perform nicely for ages

 

[ErictheBee]

Thanks for your reply. That's a fair point and it is true that I can choose to have the fan off and the side screwed shut. Though I would say if it was 'a known fact' regarding the Titan Fenrir struggling to fit in smaller cases with side fans, it would be nice if it told me this during the component selecting stage. Similar to how it tells you if the power supply you have selected doesn't have enough power for the components you've selected or in fact if you have too much power for your needs. This way it could be a pro-active solution rather than a reactive solution when someone get's their PC and discovers this issue.

 

[Corfate]

Thankyou for posting this

Nice rig by the way, can we have some piccies?

 

[tom_gr7]

hey dude, good suggestion

but just to let ya know, they often disconnect the side fan for transportation and delivery.

 

[forester]

hey dude, good suggestion

but just to let ya know, they often disconnect the side fan for transportation and delivery.

I'm just about to order and I must admit this has me a bit worried as this does seem a little careless and do they not bench test? Ok perhaps they don't bother to put the side panel on when they do but perhaps they should to make sure this doesn't happen again.

 

[keynes]

I'm just about to order and I must admit this has me a bit worried as this does seem a little careless and do they not bench test? Ok perhaps they don't bother to put the side panel on when they do but perhaps they should to make sure this doesn't happen again.

They do extensive bench testing, they could perhaps show a warning in the website when chosing a titan with cases that are too tight for the side panel fan.

 

[forester]

I'm sorry I don't think that's enough I would expect them to ring me and say I'm sorry mate but you need to choose another case as the one you picked aint big enough.
I have always built my own PCs over the years but with failing eyesight (some of those board plugs are so small) and not so dexterous fingers I have decided to pay someone to build it for me. As I am paying for expertise I expect them to tell me when I make a c****p.

 

[keynes]

I'm sorry I don't think that's enough I would expect them to ring me and say I'm sorry mate but you need to choose another case as the one you picked aint big enough.
I have always built my own PCs over the years but with failing eyesight (some of those board plugs are so small) and not so dexterous fingers I have decided to pay someone to build it for me. As I am paying for expertise I expect them to tell me when I make a c****p.

I agree, but mistakes do happen and I have the view that once they notice this issue they will be more careful in the future when chosing the titan with the same case. I have read a few threads with customers receiving a phonecall/email from PCS regarding unsuitable components and suggesting an alternative.

 

[Rakk]

I'm sorry I don't think that's enough I would expect them to ring me and say I'm sorry mate but you need to choose another case as the one you picked aint big enough.

The problem here is that the case is big enough to fit the cooler, but it is not big enough for both the cooler and the side fan,

Yes a warning would probably be useful, but having to ring up everyone who ordered the cooler with the case would take time out of PCS's already busy schedule and I suspect many would be fine with not having the side fan as well as the cooler anyway.

PS. Forester, I've moved your spec to its own thread:http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?17020-Opinions-please