EVGA DG-87 Gaming Chassis Review

The EVGA DG-8 has always been optimized for aircooling.  There are a total of three 140mm intake fans forcing air into the case which can freely leave out the top vents or pulled out the back (er, Left side) with the help of two 140mm fans attached to the door.

With the included fan controller you are given full control over how fast each zone spins allowing you to run silent or create a positive air pressure situation by running the intake fans slightly faster than the exhaust. 

The K-Boost button is what activates manual control over fan speeds and when connected to your PC can also activate High-Performance mode within windows so both your CPU and GPU will be running at full speed.  EVGA includes a software package called DG Tuner that allows you to control and configure fan speeds, monitor temperatures and K-Boost.

DG Tuner is tied into the USB 3.0 connection and will be available to you once the software is installed.  The interface resembles Precision X with a large temperature reading in the middle along with fan speed percentages on each side.  From here you can monitor system performance, fan speeds and set preferences on how you want the system to respond when pressing the K-Boost button.

You can learn more about DG Tuner on the EVGA website.

Watercooling is a big part of the PC Enthusiast world and with a specialized case like the DG-8 there would be a public outrage if it didn’t support some level of watercooling.

DG-8 supports dual radiators up to 420mm (triple 140mm) or 360mm (triple 120mm) at either the top or right side (front) of the case.  From the factory EVGA installs a single 140mm fan at the top of the case to support single fan AIO CPU coolers.  Obviously going with a dual or triple fan radiator will require additional fans depending on your level of cooling need.

Pumps can be installed at the bottom of the case inside the lower hard drive racks and a reservoir can be mounted to a cable routing bracket located to the right of the motherboard tray.

The DG-8 heavily favors the EK brand of cooling hardware given the single screw hole for the reservoir mounting bracket.  This can be somewhat limiting if your particular reservoir requires a two screw mounting system.  Likewise the lack of a basement panel covering the lower drive cage(s) negates the possibility of mounting a reservoir horizontally or using a base style mounting bracket.

Dual Loops?
Some users prefer to keep their CPU and GPU water loops separated, this is great for cooling but not something supported in the DG-8 without modification.  The hardware will physically fit however; a new reservoir bracket will need to be fabricated to support a side by side res configuration.

An obvious work around would be to use smaller reservoirs but what is the fun in that.