Help me pick a new case...

Which case should I transplant current PC into?

  • NZXT Noctis 450

  • IN WIN 509

  • be quiet! Silent Base 800 Window

  • IN WIN 805

  • IN WIN 805 ∞

  • NZXT Phantom 530

  • Other (Please reply in thread)

Results are only viewable after voting.
Armenius

Armenius

Extremely [H]
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
Messages
42,114
After going back and forth on many things (going smaller, ditching my 5.25" Blu-ray drive) I think I've finally narrowed down my choices. First, here are my primary criteria:
  • Form with function
  • Good cable routing options
  • Mounting for a 120mm AIO on the CPU (Kraken X31)
  • Mounting for a 120mm or 140mm AIO on a video card (Kraken X31 or X41)
  • Mounting for a standard ATX motherboard
  • Mounting for two 2.5" SATA SSD and on 3.5" SATA HDD
  • At least one USB 3.0 port
  • Preferred bottom mounted PSU with dimensions of 180mm x 150mm x 86mm
  • Preferred side panel window
The specs in my signature are of the system that will be transplanted.

I've basically narrowed my choices down to 5 (ordered in list of current preference):
  1. NZXT Noctis 450
    + Aesthetics, PSU shroud, plenty of fan/radiator mounting options, integrated fan controller, good experience with NZXT
    - No external 5.25" drive bay
  2. IN WIN 509
    + Tempered glass side panel, external 5.25" drive bay, integrated graphics card support bracket
    = Aesthetics
    - Heavy, questionable airflow characteristics
  3. be quiet! Silent Base 800 Window
    + Conventional case design, external 5.25" drive bay, good airflow characteristics
    - Aesthetics
  4. IN WIN 805/805 ∞
    + Aesthetics, tempered glass panels, integrated graphics card support bracket, integrated lighting options
    - Minimal fan/radiator mounting options, questionable airflow characteristics, tempered glass panels on 3 sides, no external 5.25" drive bay
  5. NZXT Phantom 530
    + Update to current case, external 5.25" drive bay, plenty of fan/radiator mounting options, integrated fan controller, good experience with NZXT
    - Grown tired of the Phantom design
What do you all think?
 
all of those cases seem a bit big for the limited liquid cooling you intend to implement. that said, if you're intent on the size then i would suggest the nzxt source 530 over the phantom. all of the internal goodness of nzxt's 530 design without the ricey fairings.
 
Put it in something a little classier, I prefer Lian-Li and then Silverstone for my cases. The PC-X510 looks like it meets all of your requirements. If you want to go smaller, the PC-V700WX may work.
 
cyclone3d said:
Have you looked at the Corsair Carbide Air 540?
Carbide Series® Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case

Or if you want to not spend so much, the DeepCool Dukase V2 is a pretty nice case, especially for $50.
DEEPCOOL DUKASE V2 Mid Tower ATX case Black Metal Panel and All-Metal Inner Structure Fan Speed Control Switch Cable Management-Newegg.com
Click to expand...
The Air 540 was on my list, I just can't remember why I eliminated it. The DEEPCOOL case looks interesting. I'll have to look it up on their own website.
Koween said:
Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX with tempered glass side panel.
Click to expand...
I'm not a fan of the look of cases from Phanteks. Otherwise it's an excellent case, just not for me.
rennyf77 said:
all of those cases seem a bit big for the limited liquid cooling you intend to implement. that said, if you're intent on the size then i would suggest the nzxt source 530 over the phantom. all of the internal goodness of nzxt's 530 design without the ricey fairings.
Click to expand...
I would prefer a mid-tower or smaller. The Noctis is a mid-tower, though, and it's my top choice (actually more expensive than the full tower Phantom 530). I've been looking around at smaller cases, but nothing has really stood out to me. I'm not a fan of the Source design, but thanks for the suggestion. If you have any others I would certainly appreciate them.
ND40oz said:
Put it in something a little classier, I prefer Lian-Li and then Silverstone for my cases. The PC-X510 looks like it meets all of your requirements. If you want to go smaller, the PC-V700WX may work.
Click to expand...
My opinion of Lian-Li is the same as Phanteks, above. I like the Silverstone RAVEN cases, I'm just not entirely sold on the 90 degree rotation of the motherboard orientation.
 
i've personally abandoned all my full tower builds in favor of small mid tower builds. my flavor of the year has been these diypc cases. their silence model is what i've used for my personal build and i've been using their matx cases for the majority of my client builds this year. the silence case is a copy of the pricier fractal define r5. its wide at a smidgen over 9in and square at about 18.5in height and length. when i bought the windowed model it was $60 but its climbed $5.
IMG_1035.jpg
 
Thanks for all the responses. My list of cases I'm considering has changed, so please ignore the poll. I took another look at Phanteks and found their Eclipse line that I fell in love with, which now replaces the NZXT Noctis at the top.
  1. Phanteks Eclipse P400S
    + Aesthetics, PSU shroud, good fan/radiator mounting options, steel construction, integrated RGB ambient lighting
    - No external 5.25" drive bay
  2. NZXT Noctis 450
    + Aesthetics, PSU shroud, plenty of fan/radiator mounting options, integrated fan controller, good experience with NZXT
    - No external 5.25" drive bay
  3. Corsair Carbide Air 540
    + Dual chamber design, good airflow characteristics, external 5.25" drive bays, good radiator mounting options
    = Aesthetics
    - Plastic everywhere, cube design looks large and unwieldy
 
the phanteks and corsair cases have smoked windows. are you cool with them. i've built with smoked windows before and you can hardly see what's in your rig.
 
I'd do the corsair 400c. It's pretty sweet looking for the price. Clean lines too.

If you want a 5.25" bay the 600c/q can be had for 120 right now.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top