Suggestions Please - Case Ideas for New TR2 system

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Elf_Boy

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I was kinda surprised I didnt see a system building thread - seems like it would be a good topic, building systems, tricks and tips.

I am starting to spec out and put together a new TR2 system.

I always start with the case. Well I guess I already picked the CPU - in general, but the first piece I nail down to specifics is the case.

Medium to large tower, easy to work with - I have back and neck issues that make putting a system together painful enough with it on a table much less if I am crawling under a desk to change out a GPU or something.

I like having the power supply at the bottom and would need a fair number of fans and room for at least 1 radiator (AIO) dont think I would water cool the GPU but if I found one I could use an AIO with might.

I have nothing against RGB features nor would I require them.

I have a NAS with 8gb so would likely only use M.2 storage. M.2 Raid should help with level load times at least a little. :)

I already have an decent optical laying around so would need a spot for that.

What cases would you elite computer builders of [H] land suggest?

Room for a full size or even large GPU is a requirement. Roomy inside in general is nice.

I prefer to keep it under $200 but for the right case.......

Have not decided (or even researched) a motherboard or any other specific as yet.

I've heard about cases with side panels that are LCD displays? Is this real and on the market yet? Are the special side panels available - er, à la carte as it were?


Thank you everyone!!!! I truly appreciate all helpful replies.
 
if you really don't use the optical drive and can drop it out of the build I recommend the open case I'm using ... easy on the back and looks great on the wall (Peerless ST630P TV wall mount is under $25, has 80 lb weight limit and works perfect, I think anyways and make sure to use the lag screws into a stud).

ThermalTake Core P3 TG Black

it's mid to high end, well build and comes with the riser cable and tempered glass, not the plexi other models come with
 
It's becoming less common for cases to have spots for optical drives, it limited my recent search some but I didn't want an open case or one with poor airflow in the front which is what many of the others were so it wasn't too limiting.

I ended up with a Phanteks Enthoo Luxe TG for a recent build and it's definitely the nicest case to work on I've used*, they also have an Enthoo Pro that's similar but a mid tower instead of a full tower. There was lots of room to work and tons of places to run cables through to the back side making it easy to do a clean build, I also like that the front is all metal except the cover for the front ports.

The next nicest case to work on I've used and almost bought is the Corsair Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition. It's nearly as large as the Luxe but much lighter, unfortunately because of this it feels a bit more flimsy. It also doesn't have quite as many cable routing options and there's no tempered glass version which is nice in cases with windows. It is much easier to access the front filter on the airflow edition of the 750d than the Phanteks case.

*A few Corsairs, a couple Cooler Masters, and couple Antecs.
 
Ebernanut said:
I ended up with a Phanteks Enthoo Luxe TG for a recent build and it's definitely the nicest case to work on I've used*, they also have an Enthoo Pro that's similar but a mid tower instead of a full tower. There was lots of room to work and tons of places to run cables through to the back side making it easy to do a clean build, I also like that the front is all metal except the cover for the front ports.
Click to expand...

I bough the Enthoo Pro M without realizing that you need to remove the optical cage to install a 360 rad in the top whereas the Luxe has enough space in the top to have the same radiator without removing the cage. The Luxe has a slot dedicated to USB ports, headphone jacks, etc. that allow the rad space whereas the Pro M has the optical drive at the top of the cage which is why it wouldn't fit. I really like both cases but just be aware of the limitations if you need that optical drive.
 
Good point.

I dont really have to have an optical... I just have a new one sitting in a box and it does come in handy on occasion. Prob put a nice big monitor on the new one too - best for movies.
 
I have my TR build in a 750d airflow, its a fairly good case for its price - just a note that if you run a 360 aio you will encroach onto the top 5.25 drive bay - not a major issue as it has 3 of them but the front looks odd with the drive not in the top bay. I wanted an Enthoo Primo but I couldn't justify the cost over the 750d at the time of the build
 
Don't do M.2 Raid. Just do two drives. You will *not* see a benefit from RAID, and you'll lose a ton of space, or you just lose more reliability, due to RAID 0.
 
If you're going big a Phanteks Enthoo Pro is a good option, plenty of space if you're thinking on adding WC and it looks great, sleek and profesional.
 
Fractal Define R6 is a good mid size tower with a 5 1/4 drive bay. Plenty of room for oversized video cards, storage, and coolers. Be aware that if you use 280mm or 420mm radiators in the top the case must be in "open" configuration (drive bay panels moved back toward motherboard tray). Also long top mount coolers may interfere with some 5 1/4" drives. There is also plenty of room in the front for up to 280mm/360mm cooling also.
Interior of R6.jpg vGPU.jpg

Open layout with standard video card mounting and full disco light vertical GPU mount.
 
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