Case recommendation

[TheExodu5]

So, I need help picking out a case for my next build. The build will likely be housing a Sandy Bridge 2600XT, with a 120mm after market air cooler, and at least one high end GPU (GTX 580 / 6970).

Anyways, I have a list of wants in my case. I know I may not be able to fulfill all of them, but I want to try as best as I can. Here are my wants:

Mid Tower (though I may consider a full tower)
Good cooling (enough to run reasonable overclocks...i.e. 4.0GHz on an i7 930)
Quiet (I want to be able to run my fans at ~1000 RPM and still be able to maintain reasonable temps)
Dust Filters
Black interior
Side window (I'd like to make it look nice and show it off...but not a strict requirement)
Elegant
Good Cable management (possibly with rubber grommets)
Perpendicular HDDs with trays
Mostly tool-less design, if possible


Any recommendations? Price is not an issue.

I've looked at:

Corsair 800D...it was my initial choice, but realized that such a massive tower might be hard to bring to LANs. It also seems to have poor air cooling performance.

Lian-Li PC-B25FW...nice case, but slightly concerned with the strength of the alluminum, and it isn't long enough to fit a 5970. Now, I don't have a 5970, but future proofing is always a good in a case.

Coolermaster HAF series...I do love this series, and besides the lack of dust filters, the cases would be nearly perfect to suit my needs. Thing is...I'd like to go with a slightly more elegant design and muted look, so I want to try to find an alternative to these at the moment.

Antec P183 / 900 / 1200...Antec cases have a lot of selling points, but the interior layout and cable management just seem horrible to me. I'll probably avoid these

Fractal Design R3 / XL - Nice looking cases...though I've heard concerns of poor build quality. Are these founded?


Any comments/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jdawg84]

Have you looked at the antec lanboy? Might be the oddest yet coolest case I have ever seen

 

[TheExodu5]

Looks interesting, though not exactly elegant.

I'd like the look to be more focused on brushed alluminum and glass, rather than plastic and grills.

 

[nitromullet]

SilverStone FT02 (ATX) for good cooling and good looks, or a LanGear Da Box 100 (mATX) if you want something more portable for LAN parties.

 

[TheExodu5]

I'm not concerned with super portability. It's just something like the 800D seems ultra non-portable, due to its massive size.

Honestly, I was opposed to the FT02 because I wanted to avoid the rotated design...but it's growing on me. There just don't seem to be many elegant alternative at all, so it may be what I choose to go with in the end.

 

[nitromullet]

Lian-Li PC-B25FW...nice case, but slightly concerned with the strength of the alluminum, and it isn't long enough to fit a 5970. Now, I don't have a 5970, but future proofing is always a good in a case.

Lian Li aluminum is plenty strong. Of course, you don't want to throw the case around, but you really don't want to do that with any case. Lian Li cases also tend to be mostly aluminum, which is nice because there aren't a lot of plastic parts that can get broken.

I agree though, the PC-B25FW is a little bit too short. They should have made the HD cage up front two pieces, like the Corsair 600T. Speaking of which, the 600T may be another case to consider.

 

[TheExodu5]

I had considered the Corsair 600T, but the impressions on HardForum don't seem particularly glowing.

I really wish the Lian-Li PC-V1020 came in all black. Only the bigger PC-V2020X comes in all black, but that's a whopping $500!

In the end, I wonder if I might just go with the Corsair 800D and not worry about air circulation.

 

[TheStu]

Did you look at the CoolerMaster 690 II? My previous favorite was the 590, but it appears that it might have been discontinued. The 690 II has the all black interior, 6 hard drive bays, a clean external appearance (though not as clean as the 590 IMO) and one feature that I really like, an exposed SATA/power port on top that can fit a 2.5" or 3.5" drive, which would come in handy for me as I carry a bare 2.5" drive in my laptop bag as an external drive for my laptop.

 

[TheExodu5]

I've got a CM 690. It's a great case for the money, but I'm shooting for something a little higher end, and with less plastic.

I'm generally looking for an easy building, quiet sounding, yet visually striking and elegant case. Tough to find!

 

[TheExodu5]

I may have it:

SilverStone FT01

The main issue here is that it can't fit a graphics card longer than 10.5" without removing the HDD bay...but otherwise it seems to satisfy all my criteria.

Thoughts?

 

[TheExodu5]

Ugh, you know what? Screw it. I'm going with the Corsair 800D. Sure, it'll be big, but it's not like I go to LANs more than 3-4 times a year.

It's just too perfect otherwise. Maybe I'll try my hand at water cooling someday.

 

[nitromullet]

Ugh, you know what? Screw it. I'm going with the Corsair 800D. Sure, it'll be big, but it's not like I go to LANs more than 3-4 times a year.

It's just too perfect otherwise. Maybe I'll try my hand at water cooling someday.

Right on. Get what you want.

 

[TheExodu5]

Looking at more reviews...why are people so against steel? The Corsair 800D weighs 15.3KG, and the Lian-Li PC-V2120 weighs 14.4KG. Doesn't seem like such a substantial difference to me.

 

[nitromullet]

Well, steel is heavier. I imagine with it's thick front door, sides, and casters the Lian Li PC-V2120 contains quite a lot of aluminum. Don't forget the thickest part of the 800D is the faceplate which is also made out of aluminum. So, it's not really an entirely steel case either. If it was, it would probably weigh a lot more than it does.

 

[nyker96]

I personally own a haf 932, I like it a lot, loads of air and the 230mm is very quiet. For you probably haf x since it has black interior, filters, bunch other improvements over 932. However, from the cases NOT on your list, my favorite (if I got the cash) are: FT02 Raven and Antec lanboy Air. The 800D is excellent for water cooling, soso in my view for air cooling. lanboy air is unsurpassed in airflow while FT02 is excellent for its looks and g-card cooling.

 

[orbster556]

Honestly, I was opposed to the FT02 because I wanted to avoid the rotated design...but it's growing on me. There just don't seem to be many elegant alternative at all, so it may be what I choose to go with in the end.

Any particular reason you're down on the rotated design or is it just a personal preference thing?

 

[ckoons1]

get the Silverstone TJ07

 

[TheExodu5]

I checked some Lian-Li cases at a local store...I can't believe how cheap and flimsy they feel. Maybe aluminum just isn't for me.

Although I'm waiting a while before I buy, I think I'll just abandon my quest for elegant looks and get the HAF X. Beside that and the lack of dust filtering, it seems like a great case.

As for the 90 degree thing...it's a personal preference thing. I would really have to see one setup in person to make up my mind.

 

[mv2devnull]

Fractal Design R3 / XL - Nice looking cases...though I've heard concerns of poor build quality. Are these founded?

I do have R3. Not bad at all. Quality is reasonable. One might object:

* Tight to open/close side panels.
* Rubber gromets that fall of when you push cable through.
* There could be a bit more space on the right side for cables.
* Front and floor dust filters are not easily removable. (XL's front seems better.)
* Intake fans on those spots get close to filters. (GT AP15 scratches the net.)
* Side has no dust filter (and is usually for intake). But it is optional, and closed by default.

 

[Arg Clin]

Fractal Design R3 / XL - Nice looking cases...though I've heard concerns of poor build quality. Are these founded?

I just picked up a R3 yesterday, and I'm throughly impressed. Build quality seems good to me - I haven't found any flaws.

I agree with most of the points made by mv2devnull, but I would consider all these quite minor.

As for the tight cable space on the right side - that's the tradeoff for having good noise dampening. I don't see how it could have been done differently, without widening the case. (Which would have been a bigger tradeoff IMHO)

My only real objection is the lack of a HDD led. Wonder if those swedes got a bad batch of moonshine when they designed the led layout :biggrin: I'll have to look into getting and placing a HDD led myself somehow - fun little project.