Case for New Build - Recommendations?

[Melee]

I've always been a huge fan of NZXT and used their cases for many of my builds. I love how unique their cases look with sleek angles and color choices. The ones I've dealt with always appeared to be built with high quality parts and were easy to build in. Off the top of my head, I've owned three Phantoms, two Phantom 410s, Switch 810, and I believe either a Phantom 630 or 820.

For my new build, I have been considering the NZXT Noctis 450, H440 in Red/Black or Blue/Black, or just defaulting to one of the Phantom models as they've never let me down. Does anyone know where to purchase a Blue/Black H440, by the way? I've found every other color choice but can't seem to locate one of them for purchase.

I'm certainly open to something new it's just that I've looked through all the cases on Newegg and Amazon and yet to see much else that I'd enjoy looking at every day. I'm not a fan of tiny cases as I have large hands and they're a huge pain to build in. I also don't like bland, purely rectangular cases or ones that have a ton of mesh. Windows are always a huge plus but I guess not required. I appreciate bold, unique cases but certainly nothing extravagant or ridiculously colorful.

What would you guys recommend? Are there other options out there or ones that will be released in the near future that may interest me? Is there any reason not to purchase the ones I'm considering or any factors that makes one option better than the rest?

As it stands, the NZXT Noctis 450 is probably the frontrunner as it reminds of a Phantom but is a breath of fresh air. The main issue I'm having with it is deciding between Black/Red and White/Blue. lol They both look equally great to me in different ways (black more "bad@ss" and the white more "elegant". If you like this case, feel free to give me input between the colors because I can't decide.

Thanks for the help!

 

[zaniix]

https://store.nzxt.com/products/h440-mid-tower-case-black-blue?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=googlepla&variant=7024693763&gclid=CLWN6a6L5MgCFQ-EaQodUc0Mlw

H440 is a great case, looks great and built very well.

I find the Noctis kind of ugly, but its just not my style. Go with your heart. As for color you should always go for black as the primary color IMHO.

Good luck

If I had to throw one more case in the ring it would be the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX, nothing compares to a well designed aluminum case.

 

[Fixall]

For what it's worth... I spent months narrowing down what I considered to be the "perfect case" and came up with the NZXT H440 and the Phanteks Evolv ATX (I went with the Phanteks in the end, but it was an aesthetical choice). They are both DAMN FINE cases.

 

[Melee]

Thanks for the input guys. NZXT's store has the Blue H440? I am 99% positive when I looked it said not available or out of stock. Thanks a lot for finding that for me. That definitely makes things more difficult because I do love that case. I'm not sure if I prefer the red or blue as every time I've purchased a case with red on it, it's a completely different shade in person than in the pictures. The blue one looks so clean and nice, though. I've always been a fan of Black/Red themes before it appears to have become the "standard gaming" colors now, back when everyone used nothing but green and blue.

I can understand your feelings on the Noctis. A lot of ppl don't like the "Phantom style" cases but I've always appreciated the unique look. I do like the white one as well as the black but I do agree that I've always strayed from white cases as they seem a bit too bold for me, especially since everything else on my desk is black.

In regards to the Phanteks, have you guys (or just you Fixall since I believe Zaniix was just suggesting it) owned it for a while? How was it to build in, how quality did the parts fell, and how have you liked it so far? I've never seen or owned anything from Phanteks and just recently started seeing people mention them. However, it's always positive and they seem to really like the cases.

I apologize for being so thorough and particular but I've built enough PCs to know that if I do not absolutely love the case I choose, I will regret it and be reminded of it when I have to look at it every single day. lol

Thanks again!

 

[Millerboy3]

Cant go wrong with either of the two suggested case at all. Both give to you plenty of flexibility and options

 

[WarLust]

For what it's worth... I spent months narrowing down what I considered to be the "perfect case" and came up with the NZXT H440 and the Phanteks Evolv ATX (I went with the Phanteks in the end, but it was an aesthetical choice). They are both DAMN FINE cases.

I can vouch for the Phanteks EVOLV ATX as well. I have big hands like you and for the most part have owned full towers in the last 20+ years of building PCs. I've mostly used higher end aluminum cases like Lian Li, Silverstone, and my last case was a Corsair 800D (still have it, but will put it up for sale).

The design of these more current cases, even though most are made from steel, is greatly improved from just a few years ago. I considered the H440 for my latest build, but I ended up choosing the Phanteks based on lots of reviews, videos, and commentary. It's my first Phanteks case and it's my first mid-size case I've owned in 10+ years. I grew tired of picking up a heavy full tower and wanted something to sit on my desk instead of on the floor.

What swayed me from the NZXT to the Phanteks:

1). Sandblasted aluminum exterior, no plastic on the Evolv
2). Didn't like the front intake for air on the H440 being on just one side (restricts airflow)
3). Drop N Lock SSD brackets
4). More room inside Evolv since the H440 has a HDD frame in the front
5). 5yr warranty vs 2yr
6). Newer with a unique front panel look

Honestly, you can't go wrong with either. I don't know enough about the 450.

 

[Zohar78]

I was in the same boat. H440, 450 Noctis, s340, or phanteks. Hardware canucks has some good vid reviews up.. I especially liked this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdWXLAmmSjc
I settled on the phanteks pro because of 3 main reasons: 1) price (20 bucks or more) 2) needed atleast one 5 inch bay. 3) i liked having a little more room for cable management.

I also strongly debated saving another 40 bucks (55 refurbished) and getting a nzxt s340 refurbished with 10 bucks off and looks like you can possibly get a free fan on orders over 35 from nzxt site. I decided against it just incase i get 2 AIO water cooling units later and wanted more flexibility that the phanteks or the h440 allows.