Help me pick a new case

[QueBert]

Case I bought last week's just too loud and there's nothing I can do about it, so I'm case shopping again. Here's what I'd like

ATX, not huge, possibly a full tower, mid-tower works too.
good cable management
white color - if possible.
large window, the bigger the better.
USB 3.0 ports, on the side/top or hidden if possible


Not too concerned with cooling options as long as I can mount 3 or 4 120/140 fans total. I'll end up water cooling but that'll be a good ways down the road. By then I'll probably get a new case.

I stumbled upon the Corsair Carbide 540 and I like it a lot, but I think it might be too wide to fit well on my desk well. I haven't ruled it out though. My budget's around $300. I already have a heatsink which is like 170mm so I'll need something deep enough to fit that.

 

[Alan G]

It doesn't come in white but the Fractal Designs Arc Midi R2 fits the bill and it's not nearly as expensive as your budget. It's my case and it's easy to build in with lots of room for routing cables.

 

[QueBert]

Looks kind of plain, but it has almost everything I want and a lot of grommits for cable routing. I was looking at higher price cases because they're usually made a lot better, but I'm definitely going to add this one to my list.

 

[aigomorla]

Lian li A55 is the SMALLEST full ATX case u can buy due to its unique PSU layout.
u wont be able to mount that many fans in it tho.. u can definitely do an front and rear 120... it has no top 120 tho, and honestly it doesn't require it at its size.
Its not super watercooling friendly... infact its only AIO friendly... if u want to add stuff a full bloated custom, u can do it, however skill with dremel required.

If u want to splurg a little Quebert... my recommendation is all over the silverstone FT series.... The FT02 is one of my favorates.
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=242

I love the funky board layout... how the gpu cards hang vertically... how the board is rotated 90 degree's and not 180 degree's in an inverted fashion.

Gpu shown is a ATi 5970... so it has plenty of room for long GPU's.
Is watercooling friendly, even custom setups will work.
Its Silverstone, so its a very thick alu constuction, and the FT series has silverstone's quality stamp'd all over them.
u also plug in the cables from the top... not rear... so its better situated for a case which sits on the floor.

 

[Aikouka]

Although, with the Fortress 2, I highly, highly recommend getting a modular PSU. I tried one awhile back with a normal PSU, and it was cable hell.

 

[QueBert]

aigomorla OHHHH that Fortress looks amazing! Why the hell is the window on the right side though?

That wasn't a question for you I just almost never see cases with the panel not on the left side.

*EDIT* oh, this is the case with the rotated MB, hummm I think I'll splurge on it thanks for the suggestion aigomorla, you're amazing as always.


hummm, case supports up to 165mm heatsinks, the heatsink I ordered says it's 166mm Overall dimensions without mounting material, I'm not even sure what without mounting material means. Guess it's even taller once mounted.


uuugh!

 

[aigomorla]

Although, with the Fortress 2, I highly, highly recommend getting a modular PSU. I tried one awhile back with a normal PSU, and it was cable hell.

ROFL...

+1 yes... i also recall Aikouka's living hell happening to me as well.
Well it made my PSU look like a octopus... i think Aikouka knows what im talking about.

aigomorla OHHHH that Fortress looks amazing! Why the hell is the window on the right side though?

That wasn't a question for you I just almost never see cases with the panel not on the left side.

*EDIT* oh, this is the case with the rotated MB, hummm I think I'll splurge on it thanks for the suggestion aigomorla, you're amazing as always.

lol yes... its cuz the board is rotated in a funky direction...

The PC would sit on the left side against the wall, and not the right side.
However all the plugs on the PC are located on the top, so u could even have it behind a desk sideways and it would still work out fine...

Its a very fun case to play with if your bored, because no other case has that layout.
Its definitely not something u will get bored about... and it doesnt look cheap at all, or bling bling LED screaming obnoxious, so it can also hold executive office PC image if required.

 

[QueBert]

I love the idea of the case, I googled a bunch of reviews of the heatsink I ordered, they all say 166, that's 1mm over, I might push it and try to put it in this case I like this case A LOT.


Or maybe I should be smart and just send the heatsink back before I open it so I can buy something I know will fit.

I love that case though, dunno why I'd never seen it before today.

*EDIT* never mind I forgot you have to factor in the mm's between the MB and the cpu socket. it'll be way over 166

DOOH! Forgot I have the Zalman LC-320 that should work perfectly in this case, I can send the cooler back to NCIX.

 

[QueBert]

ONE last question aigomorla, I promise. Will the rotated MB make my AIO water cooler any less effective? Oh and I have a Twin Frozr video card with the heat pipes, I read on another site that cards with blower coolers work best, any truth there?

Damn that was 2 questions my bad

 

[aigomorla]

ONE last question aigomorla, I promise. Will the rotated MB make my AIO water cooler any less effective? Oh and I have a Twin Frozr video card with the heat pipes, I read on another site that cards with blower coolers work best, any truth there?

Damn that was 2 questions my bad

i dont see any problems with any aio.

Heat sinks with heat pipes all work the same... treat the case as a regular case when u build from it... dont think it requires anything special cuz the board is in a funky mounting position.

If anything, it allows u to be more creative with your builds...

The only thing is get a modular psu... having left over connectors hanging make the cable hell were talking about.

 

[QueBert]

I just ordered the case a minute ago, I was on the fence between this one and the Corsair 540. My Be Quiet! cooler was shipped today, I saw pics on another forum of a guy who fit a Phantek 140mm heatsink in this case, so I'm confident the one I bought will fit. I guess I'll find out

This is the most expensive case I've bought, coming 2 weeks after I just bought that damn Hadron lol. I have a modular Corsair, I might upgrade to a PCP&C one, a fully modular might be better here for routing.

 

[aigomorla]

its a much more fun case then the hadron...

I have 2 of them for office duty and love each of them.

 

[FredNotFound404]

There so many options but here is a few good ones:

http://www.amazon.com/NZXT-PHANTOM-T...2661583&sr=1-6

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Obsidi...2661583&sr=1-9

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbid...661583&sr=1-23

http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Te...661718&sr=1-80
^Personal Favorite But very pricey.

You can't go wrong with any of those, its all a matter of taste. Cheers

 

[QueBert]

its a much more fun case then the hadron...

I have 2 of them for office duty and love each of them.

I plan to have a lot of fun with it, only negative I can see from pics is the PSU, even a fully modular one it's going to look a bit off. I'm going to order some ATX/PCI-E extension cables that match my MB's color scheme. But from the PSU to the cut out hole it will look wrong since. I'm not even sure what length to get 16 or 24". Guess I gotta get the case and do some measurements.

Knowing me after 3 months I'll go MEH and order the Corsair 540. Have you've seen the custom white one someone did? HOLY CRAP! If I could have ordered this today I would have I'm partial to white cases, but I think it looks amazing

 

[Aikouka]

I actually had more issues with the Fortress II. It's been a while since I used it and sold it on eBay, but I recall a problem with the 3.5" drive bays and fitting stuff. I think it was an issue with one of the cables. I believe I also didn't care much for the 5.25" bay as I prefer putting an optical drive (yes, I still use those!) at the top. Oh, and I'd probably buy some fan grills (I own some of these) because you'll most likely hit the uncovered fans.

 

[aigomorla]

Knowing me after 3 months I'll go MEH and order the Corsair 540. Have you've seen the custom white one someone did? HOLY CRAP! If I could have ordered this today I would have I'm partial to white cases, but I think it looks amazing

it looks like a glorified MM....



u forget im stuck with my case not because i cant afford another one... because currently without me commissioning a custom builder to make me a case, no other case would fit all my EQ.

lol...

Including a standard MM + XSPC + any other large class box...



Oh.. Quebert, my favorate all time case from silverstone tho is the TJ-07.
Its a very old case... however... i still consider it the best case silverstone has ever made.

 

[QueBert]

I actually had more issues with the Fortress II. It's been a while since I used it and sold it on eBay, but I recall a problem with the 3.5" drive bays and fitting stuff. I think it was an issue with one of the cables. I believe I also didn't care much for the 5.25" bay as I prefer putting an optical drive (yes, I still use those!) at the top. Oh, and I'd probably buy some fan grills (I own some of these) because you'll most likely hit the uncovered fans.

I'm confused about the optical drive part, I see 5 bays are you saying you can't put an optical drive in the top one?

 

[Aikouka]

I'm confused about the optical drive part, I see 5 bays are you saying you can't put an optical drive in the top one?

It's been about two years since I built a system using the case, but I recall having issues with it. I looked at photos, and I believe the issue is how the expansion slot area is a bit too low and gets in the way of the top slot. Although, my drive might have just been too long!

 

[aigomorla]

i dont install optical drives anymore.

i have a slot load usb2.0 which i love to death cuz its slot load, and hence i use that when an optical is required.

otherwise i realized dust collects in optical or has places to get stuck into.

So i couldnt answer this question if i wanted.

Also my top bay usually has a lamptron FC controller, which shows real time temps at places i need to keep an eye on, so i never had to plug anything long in that top optical bay.

 

[Topweasel]

It's been about two years since I built a system using the case, but I recall having issues with it. I looked at photos, and I believe the issue is how the expansion slot area is a bit too low and gets in the way of the top slot. Although, my drive might have just been too long!

It probably was too long. I doubt there are a whole lot of burners nowadays that would stick out the back of the mount.

 

[QueBert]

Weird that a case that costs this damn much doesn't have rubber grommets for the cable cutouts. My case is coming tomorrow, and looking at some more pics I just noticed Silverstone left them off. Seems cheap for a premium priced case.

 

[atm743]

i've always loved the corsair 600T have a look at that case. i just did a build with the case. was awesome working with it

 

[QueBert]

i've always loved the corsair 600T have a look at that case. i just did a build with the case. was awesome working with it

2 Cases ago I had the white 600t, I loved it but wanted to go smaller so I got the Bitfenix Prodigy. Now I want to to bigger again. Was definitely one of my favorite cases ever.

 

[Topweasel]

Weird that a case that costs this damn much doesn't have rubber grommets for the cable cutouts. My case is coming tomorrow, and looking at some more pics I just noticed Silverstone left them off. Seems cheap for a premium priced case.

It's more along the lines of them not designing it with Grommets in the first place most pre-2011 cases unless they have major update are missing grommets. Like the CM HAF 932. vs the X or the much cheaper XM.

 

[atm743]

2 Cases ago I had the white 600t, I loved it but wanted to go smaller so I got the Bitfenix Prodigy. Now I want to to bigger again. Was definitely one of my favorite cases ever.

that's where im at. i loved the 600t but its bigger than the case i have now (antec 900v2) not by to much but its is bigger. and i cant get a prodigy being that i have a regular atx motherboard. i just build a bud a computer with the corsair 350D microatx case and i LOVE IT. its small BUT it has really good room to work with for wire management. i really wish i had a microatx motherboard. i would go with that for my case.

other other cases i can think of that come in white are the NZXT Phantom. not sure how they are. some say they are awesome but i never liked the look of them for some reason. and i HATE how it has one of them font doors.