Looking for a Case - So overwhelmed ...

[JJ24]

I am planning on putting together a new computer just after Christmas or at the beginning of the new year (Assuming the Mayans were wrong 😉 ) But I am having trouble finding a case in my hopeful price range that I really like.

I like the general styling and relative simplicity of these 3 cases, but all of them have the ventilation/opening on the top which I am scared to use, b/c I have a habit of setting things on top of the computer case and would realllly suck if something got spilled into the case from the top. Fractal Arc Midi, Corsair 300R, CM Storm Scout

Likes-
Storage Bays facing the side instead of backwards
Front USB3.0
Side Air Intake
Bottom Mount PSU
Need space for the large heatsink...

Dislikes-
Power Button / Connections on flat TOP of case (Angled like the Scout is ok)
Open/Ventilated top

Undecided/Either Way-
Side Panel window
Supposedly Tool less designs (Have heard good and bad about these)

Tenative Build for just after Christmas:
MB: ASRock Z77 Extreme4
CPU: Intel i5-3570K 3.4GHz
HS: CM Hyper 212 (Evo or Plus? Whats the difference?)
RAM: G.Skill Ares DDR3-1866 2x8GB
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650W
GPU: Radeon HD 7870 (Haven't picked specific brand yet due to changing prices/specials)
HD: OCZ Vertex 4 128gb SSD-Bought already on BF for only $75 🙂
HD: 1 TB 7200RPM drive to be determined by pricing/specials
Optical: Blu-Ray Burner (Specific model to be decided by pricing/special deals)

The max I really want to spend on the case is around $75-80 as you can probably tell by the 3 I listed above... As for where I would purchase... Newegg, Amazon for online retailers, and I am lucky in having a Microcenter local also. (They have great deals on CPUs usually like that 3570k has been listed as 169.99 for a while now)

Looking forward to options! Thanks

**Edit:
Forgot to mention, I do have an old school Antec Super Lanboy case that I've used for my last few builds, its about 6-8 years old now. I like it a lot and may end up reusing it if I cannot find anything I really like, my biggest complaint on the Antec is trouble fitting the bigger graphics cards in and its aluminum construction feels cheapish and easily breakable (I have bent the side panel a couple times and had to bend it back to force it on)

 

[lehtv]

Corsair C70 $70 AR on newegg. Ports and power button on the front, has a side window with fan slots.

Overall your build looks good but I'd consider upping to 7950 and backing down to 2x4GB DDR3-1600. 1866 isn't worth it over 1600, and if it's just for gaming, you have no use for more than 8GB.

Regarding the cooler, 212 Evo is newer and has an improved contact surface and fan.

 

[JJ24]

lehtv thats an excellent looking case though I question the front intake fans being mounted behind the internal storange mounts...

however it has the fan mounts / open ventilation on TOP which I mentioned above I am scared to use due to my propensity for sitting things on the case, and I'm afraid of spilling something into it.

 

[lehtv]

Well, I couldn't find any case that's in your price range and has all you want.

If you're willing to pay more, take a look at Fractal Design Define R4. The top is covered, however the power button faces up...

If you're willing to sacrifice cooling capacity, Cooler Master Silencio 450 is pretty good. It doesn't have a side air intake and it's pretty compact.

Another option is to search eBay for a used Define R3.

Or perhaps you should simply not put stuff on top of the case, especially small objects or drinks. Or use some sort of cover or tray?

 

[JJ24]

Point taken on the not placing spillable/small objects on top of computer 🙂 And thanks for further recommendtions.... I've been doing research on your other suggestions, particularly the Video Card...

I saw a comparison of memory speeds recently either on this site or TomsHW that said the 1600 to 1866 can be worthwhile but going higher then that wasn't worth it at this time. And with the price difference being very small... $5 for 2x4gb modules and $9 if talking about 2x8gb modules, I don't see any reason not to go ahead and get the 1866.

Now the video card...
Radeon HD 7870 with good reviews $230-250
GTX 660 TI with good reviews $280-300
Radeon HD 7950 with good reviews $300-320

660TI vs 7950 in AnandTech comparison benchmark, trades blows with the 660TI winning in several gaming benchmarks...

660TI vs 7870 in AnandTech comparison benchmar, 660TI clearly wins in all the gaming benchmarks....

The two AMD Cards win in synthetic benchmarks and Encryptions like SmallLuxGPU, DirectX11 Tessellations, and AESEncrypt... but in "real world" applications of games the 660TI seems to win out.

So why would you recommend the 7950 over 660TI if you are going to recommend I upgrade from the 7870?

 

[JJ24]

Here is the Memory testing/review/comparison I was tlaking about... its here on AnandTech
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6372/...-to-ddr32400-on-ivy-bridge-igp-with-gskill/14

 

[lehtv]

I don't know if there are professional reviews on this particular card: Sapphire 7950 Dual-X OC Boost $280 AR (with three free games). But the user reviews are positive.

It runs at 850Mhz most of the time and 925MHz when the stock power limit of 0 allows it. I have that very same card overclocked to 1100MHz with stock voltages and power limit +20 (max), temperatures and noise levels are both fine. This 30% overclock at stock volts is common for a 7950 and puts it on par with a stock GTX 680. 7870 and 660 Ti don't overclock this well, so yes I'd recommend 7950 over 660 Ti.

If you can find the 660 Ti on sale and don't care much for the free games, it's worth it - Asus 660 Ti DirectCu II is $255 AR but out of stock. MSI has the cheapest 660 Ti at $240 AR but only with one fan.

Here is the Memory testing/review/comparison I was tlaking about... its here on AnandTech
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6372/m...with-gskill/14

As it says in the title, that's a memory comparison when using the Ivy Bridge IGP. You're using a discrete graphics card that has its own high speed memory, you won't be using system RAM as graphics memory. So the comparison is not relevant to you at all.

You'll never notice any difference between 1600 and 1866 apart from benchmarking. Anandtech Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling (applies to Ivy Bridge just the same). I'd recommend G.Skill Value 1600 2x4GB $35. The lowest priced standard profile 2x4GB 1866 kit is $10 more, not worth it.

 

[JJ24]

thanks again for replies lehtv

You do the OC'ing of the 7950 in the Catalyst Control Center or do you use a different program?

My current computer has a 6750 card that I've noticed the overclocking screen in the CCC... Messed around with it a bit, but couldn't be sure it made any noticeable diference lol

 

[lehtv]

I use RadeonPro beta to load the overclock settings each time I start a game. It uses profiles and recognizes when you start the game the profile ties to. Some games are so easy to run that I just play them on stock clocks, in demanding games I load the 1100MHz OC.

CCC overclocking would be fine as well but it doesn't remember the overclock at bootup.

Plenty of people use MSI Afterburner, Sapphire TriXX or similar, but all I need is RadeonPro. It has a ton of useful features other than game-specific overclocking as well. If you decide to go with an AMD card, I definitely recommend using it - it's basically what the CCC should be.

Messed around with it a bit, but couldn't be sure it made any noticeable diference lol

Yeah you have to be pretty systematic about it. First you set the highest power limit, then load up a stress test and start increasing the clocks in small increments. Keep an eye out for artifacts during testing (I recommend Unigine Heaven 3.0), once you reach clocks that produce artifacting, back down around 20-30MHz. That's your stable OC. Then if you want you can do the same for the memory clock, but the GPU clock overclocking is what makes the real difference. During all this you should be monitoring your GPU temperatures and clock speeds with GPU-Z.