Looking for best airflow & minimal dust acumulation compromise

vlad_8011

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 13, 2020
Messages
140
Hi. I'm really tired of problems with my RTX 3080 TUF, and currently i'm selling it. Once it get sold i'll buy new case to fit Radeon 6800XT TUF inside. As we all know, those cards neet to be placed horizontally in case to operate in normal temps (not video outputs to the top like in SilverStone Cases).

So currently i'm lookin at case with best thermals and airflow and good anti-dust filtration. What seems to be the best for me seems CoolerMaster HAF-XB (with Demcifles filters set), LianLi Lancool II Mesh Performance or O11 Dynamic Air MINI - but those cases dont have any dust filter and seems to be big unknown in terms of GPU temps. Specially Air Mini, which WAS my number one on wishlist, till i saw GN review.

What i will do with any case in standard layout (components wise) will be blanking PCI slot covers to not let GPU suck dust from outside, so some kind of vents underneath GPU is needed.

Also noted that Mesh II Performance and Air Mini gets better GPU temps without ANY fan under GPU - just vent holes - did anyone tested it with some fan putted there on low RPM?

CPU will have same air tower as it have now, no LC.

So, are there anything worth to note in terms of case choice? Any ideas? Any help is apreciated.
 
fractal torrent
Yeah, i tought about it, but PSU position is totally unacceptable for me. Its sucking most of hot air from rest of components, as PSU is second exhaust fan out of 2 in total. Besides its too expensive as for its capabilities. I already have fans (2 x 180mm, 3 x 140mm, 4 x 120mm) so dont need case with fans (i forgot to mention it).
 
Yeah, i tought about it, but PSU position is totally unacceptable for me. Its sucking most of hot air from rest of components, as PSU is second exhaust fan out of 2 in total. Besides its too expensive as for its capabilities. I already have fans (2 x 180mm, 3 x 140mm, 4 x 120mm) so dont need case with fans (i forgot to mention it).
psu position is fine. exhaust fans arent needed in this case, theres so much airflow they barely make any difference. as per people using them in the torrent thread. which also addressing your psu "issue".
ok but most include fans.
 
psu position is fine. exhaust fans arent needed in this case, theres so much airflow they barely make any difference. as per people using them in the torrent thread. which also addressing your psu "issue".
ok but most include fans.
Ok but torrent cost almost same as Silverstone Alta F1 in Poland. Besides that no-one actually checked PSU temps yet, and if I have a choice I want silent PSU than loud PSU. Right now inside my case (Alta F1) I got around 85 degree internal.
 
and? prices change around the world. if psu temps were an issue, GN would have mentioned it. 85 what, F? thats totally normal.
85f=29c and is completely fine. there is no way your case temp is 85C.
 
and? prices change around the world. if psu temps were an issue, GN would have mentioned it. 85 what, F? thats totally normal.
85f=29c and is completely fine. there is no way your case temp is 85C.
I see temps of my components, and exhaust is very poor so its somehow near it. I dont want Torrent. Any other case?
 
I see temps of my components, and exhaust is very poor so its somehow near it. I dont want Torrent. Any other case?
wat? F or C? F is totally normal, C you have serious problems.
you dont seem to understand the design of the case, exhaust fans are not needed. i was already corrected on that by people using the case...
look at a meshify or p500a
 
Meshify is added to my list (specially compact) and i tought about Corsair 4000D, but i got one lesson from the past - the smaller case, the better temps, and faster termal exchange.

As for torrent i was analyzing air route - and even when there is big positive pressure, PSU fan NEED TO TAKE AIR, and its taking it from hottest point in case (above and on the rear of Air cooler from CPU, which by the way take SOME of air from GPU. Thats worse possible combination, and manufacturers resigned from that design by some reason. For now its new case, problems will appear with time, and i bet its gonna be problems with PSU's.
 
I've been using a Meshify 2 the past few months and have been really impressed how well its mesh keeps the dust out.
What GPU do you have, and whats its temps? I had Meshify C in the past, was happy and in contrast to all opinions removing front mesh to clean it was super easy - untill latch on the bottom cracked ;)
 
What GPU do you have, and whats its temps? I had Meshify C in the past, was happy and in contrast to all opinions removing front mesh to clean it was super easy - untill latch on the bottom cracked ;)

Not currently near the PC, but it's a hybrid 3080, so probably not the best way to gauge the case's airflow prowess for a GPU.
 
Ok, so current list (i'm still looking over internet) is;
- Lancool II Mesh Performance <<<<
- Phanteks P500A<<<<
- Meshify 2 Compact
- O11 Dynamic Air MINI
- Cooler Master HAF XB

2 on the top are best berforming cases for temps & noise levels BUT are typically airflow oriented and doesnt contain dust filter. Yeah i know holes in mesh are small, but there is no single metal mesh that would perform better (for dust catching) that nylon filter. Here torrent shows how it should be made for all cases - non-restrictive front panel, and mostly dust filter are standing in front of fans.

Lancool seems to be winner for now - with price (i can buy roll of dust fitler from China for 65zł (around 15$)). If you know some of cases that arent so famous, let me know. IO'm holding with decision untill RTX will be selled, and this will take some time (in perfect state its on 1325$ if someone's interested). I'll also make sure if current case wont be enough for Radeon, but for 90% it will require different position to work on (in standard layout Alta F1 have same temps as vertically, but its hard to work with).


EDIT:
Lancool II Mesh ordered, together with fizeline for dust filters. (something like this https://edekoracja.pl/artykuly-kreatywne-diy/1770-3401-czarna-flizelina-fizelina-rolka-9m50cm.html ). Alta F1 is set for sell.
 
Last edited:
Ok, so current list (i'm still looking over internet) is;
- Lancool II Mesh Performance <<<<
- Phanteks P500A<<<<
- Meshify 2 Compact
- O11 Dynamic Air MINI
- Cooler Master HAF XB

2 on the top are best berforming cases for temps & noise levels BUT are typically airflow oriented and doesnt contain dust filter. Yeah i know holes in mesh are small, but there is no single metal mesh that would perform better (for dust catching) that nylon filter. Here torrent shows how it should be made for all cases - non-restrictive front panel, and mostly dust filter are standing in front of fans.

Lancool seems to be winner for now - with price (i can buy roll of dust fitler from China for 65zł (around 15$)). If you know some of cases that arent so famous, let me know. IO'm holding with decision untill RTX will be selled, and this will take some time (in perfect state its on 1325$ if someone's interested). I'll also make sure if current case wont be enough for Radeon, but for 90% it will require different position to work on (in standard layout Alta F1 have same temps as vertically, but its hard to work with).


EDIT:
Lancool II Mesh ordered, together with fizeline for dust filters. (something like this https://edekoracja.pl/artykuly-kreatywne-diy/1770-3401-czarna-flizelina-fizelina-rolka-9m50cm.html ). Alta F1 is set for sell.
Hello, I hope to get parts for a build soon - one of these days. :)

I really like the look of the P500A - I was going to say, get that one.... a relative got the Lancool II Mesh - had great reviews on Gamers Nexus. I thought it was a bit cramped inside - not as bad as the 4000D series (and these mid-towers are fine for most scenarios). If you want air cooling - and you have a big air cooler - there might be limited space up top. It depends what you use, though.

I think the P500A has lots of room - I think for air cooling - it's 190mm and there's room for AIOs at the top - 240, 280, even 360 supposedly. It's usually more $$ than the Lian Li case but seems worth it. I like the design, too - of the other features except for the case covers - it's probably the only 'negative' and it's more a 'ugh' than horrible or a deal breaker.

Good luck with with the Lancool II Mesh - it's a pretty good mid-tower with a really good design for air flow.
 
Cannot recommend the Fractal Torrent at all. Any of the Corsair series 4000 on up are a good choice. I have the 4000D and the 5000X and they are great cases. The Torrent has minimal cable management and can make your PSU run warmer than normal even with an exhaust fan in my case. I switched out my Torrent for the 5000X and am very happy I did. Good luck with your choice on the Lancool.
 
In last minute I choosed o11 air mini instead of mesh 2 performance - build is almost complete - I'm getting "milky" plexi for led strips and it will be ready in Sunday. As for fan placement I putted 2 x 140mm at bottom, 1 X 120mm on top, swapped back 120mm for noctua 120mm (default fan was making ticking noise after 20 minutes - funny that most out of box fans, that come with cases one of 3 is faulty - same was with Alta F1, Cosmos C700P and H500). Temps are amazing, RTX 3080 TUF without any limits have exac same temps as in Alta F1 with 65 power limit, -45 core clocks, -35 memory clock.
CPU temps are the same.
Whole case is very small, looks like microATX for first glance, however there is very much space for everything. I also made myself dust filters - I bought (sorry for not translating it) "Tiul" (made for making dresses) and "Fizeline" (for COVID masks) and for now I don't see dust inside of case. I highly recommend tiul for dust filters, and fizeline for (at least for me) covering pcie slot covers. I wanted to make sure air will come only from filtered holes.
 
So tomorrow i want to cut the rails for LED strips and finally place it in the right spot inside the case, for now its the only thing left to do. Maybe i conside changing dust filter for PSU for the one mounted inside, but that can be a problem, as my Dark Power Pro 11 is really big, and case panel is making contact with it all the time, so whatever i would decide to mount there would need to be very fit and strong.
Thats fleece i used for covering back of the case:
P_20220322_114148.jpgP_20220327_141222.jpg
Thats tulle i made for main dust filters (that white stripes are magnetic tape - didnt needed to use glue, so i leaved transport tape on it):
P_20220322_114145.jpgP_20220327_141112.jpg
Whole thing looks like this:
P_20220327_140829.jpgP_20220327_140854.jpgP_20220327_141002.jpgP_20220327_141403.jpg

quick look for comparsion in size with Alta F1
276045431_342031254529908_8677391384823653784_n.jpg
 
I've been using a Meshify 2 the past few months and have been really impressed how well its mesh keeps the dust out.
I'm trying to find one - even used. Nothing on sale. I found one online from a private seller but across the country! No luck at all. :-( It was a good price, too.
Can I ask you, what parts you use in it?

Cannot recommend the Fractal Torrent at all. Any of the Corsair series 4000 on up are a good choice. I have the 4000D and the 5000X and they are great cases. The Torrent has minimal cable management and can make your PSU run warmer than normal even with an exhaust fan in my case. I switched out my Torrent for the 5000X and am very happy I did. Good luck with your choice on the Lancool.
How come you got the 'X' (glass front?) version? I am open to the 5000D Airflow. My concern is about the top of the case - it's limited compared to other large cases? I think you need to mount fans on the top if you use a 360 AIO? Edit: Or it depends on the rad/AIO cooler? I have seen pictures of both types of setups. Is there a dust filter at the top? I read, someplace, that would need to be taken out? It's very confusing and difficult to confirm any of these claims.
 
How come you got the 'X' (glass front?) version? I am open to the 5000D Airflow. My concern is about the top of the case - it's limited compared to other large cases? I think you need to mount fans on the top if you use a 360 AIO? Edit: Or it depends on the rad/AIO cooler? I have seen pictures of both types of setups. Is there a dust filter at the top? I read, someplace, that would need to be taken out? It's very confusing and difficult to confirm any of these claims.
I just like the look of the 5000X case, and it has good thermals. I used another glass case (Lian Li 011 Dynamic) and it was a hot box. I haven't used an AIO in the 5000X yet. I'm sure it would fit up to a 360mm AIO on the top or front if needed. There is a dust filter on the top which I do have on there at the moment, but I know it isn't recommended for exhaust though I don't notice any difference. The only thing that would be a slight issue for an AIO would be my power supply cpu cables at the top of the case, but I'm sure it would still fit.
3-27-22.jpg
 
Added additional feets, added dust filter on PSU panel (same as on rest panels - no need for magnetic filter mounted externally) and added LED rails with milky (Matt) plexi.P_20220330_135355.jpgP_20220330_135344.jpg
 
Can I ask you, what parts you use in it?

R7 2700x (cooled by EVGA 360 AIO) and a RTX 3080 EVGA FTW3 hybrid are the hotties. There's also a NVME drive tucked in there as well (the SSD and hybrid drive are hidden behind the mobo tray).
 
R7 2700x (cooled by EVGA 360 AIO) and a RTX 3080 EVGA FTW3 hybrid are the hotties. There's also a NVME drive tucked in there as well (the SSD and hybrid drive are hidden behind the mobo tray).
Where did you mount the EVGA AIO? Those are still available here - I remember when they were the 'got to get' AIO. Honestly, the Meshify 2 is probably my favourite case. It seems to take any AIO in any position except for maybe the 420 - I think it can't go in the front because of the design - the tubes.... but, I have no plan on getting a 420 - I would like to get a 360 in the future and I want to mount it in the top.

In fact, I am hope to upgrade to a 3070 Ti/3080 (or MAYBE a 6800 XT) in the future since I hope to be more advanced at video editing by then. Those cards often have 3 fans and are longer - so a big case is probably a must. The Meshify 2 would be ideal but is so expensive here. I found an ad for one used and a great price but they were another province away! Nothing is ever near me! LOL!

OP, sorry to hijack your thread, btw! Your case build looks good! I dunno if I would like the glass fronts in these cases - I dunno about air flow but I am all about lowering the noise as much as possible. If I had the $, I would get a 2nd build and use something like that (or Corsair 5000X/7000X ) and compare!!! :)
 
EVGA AIO is top mounted as an exhaust, Hybrid AIO is front mounted as an intake. Meshify 2 swallowed them both up easily enough.
 
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