which case is the best overall?

What are some of the other components? Hard to recommend too much without knowing a little more...
 
Phenom II 1090T 6 core CPU
4GB Mushkin DDR3 1600 MHz memory
Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P socket AM3 motherboard
Palit GTX 560 Ti video card
Plextor DVD burner
Seasonic X650 power supply
 
Thanks for the quick reply.

The Lian-Li case you linked to is nice, but I would prefer a case that has no side windows.
 
I'd give the vote to the Silverstone FT02 or Corsair 800D as two of the best overall cases. The FT02 possesses some of the industries best cooling capabilities and the 800D has an incredible amount of room, top notch cable management and screams to be watercooled. The TYR series (like the X500 and X2000) are some of the most unique looking cases and should get a mention. Although my all-time favorite case would definitely be the Lian Li V1020. It's drop dead gorgeous and can hang with the FT02 when it comes to cooling. I've heard dust can be an issue with the V1020 with it's completely perforated fascia, but dust doesn't bother me since I have a DataVac. :)

The PC-9F is no slouch either, too bad the Egg doesn't carry the 8FI anymore. Can't go wrong with those two.
 
This is a actually a very good question..

It's better though to approach this problem thinking about what your needs are - and then come to a conclusion.

For me I need good looks - and I like sleek black minimalistic cases. I also hate doors. I also dislike plastic. I also believe in positive pressure and filtered intakes (and I want the filter to be easy to access).. Cable management is also important. I like a quiet case too - but I feel that's mostly dependent on the components in your case and the fans you use.. But still its something to consider..

So for me like others the Siliverstone FT02, Lian Li PC-9F, the Corsair 650d, the Lian Li PC-P50 and a few others come to mind. So tell us more what you want in a case and we can recommend other cases. But that's just me. Some more expensive cases are indeed awesome - I just wouldn't need them and would save my money for components. Even if you can afford a $600 case labs monster - that doesn't mean you should get one.
 
Man, asking which case is the best is like asking which woman is the most beautiful in the world.....it's all subjective to the person you're asking!

My advice? Start searching through the online retailers, find a half dozen you really like, then narrow down your choices.
 
Nivram said:
Man, asking which case is the best is like asking which woman is the most beautiful in the world.....it's all subjective to the person you're asking!

My advice? Start searching through the online retailers, find a half dozen you really like, then narrow down your choices.
Click to expand...

Depends on how you're asking. In his case, he's asking on a purely function base, so yes, there will be a best case.

If you're asking on looks, however, then yes it is completely subjective.
 
Imo overall best case is silverstone TJ07. It has really many features and is aftermarket custom parts to mod it. Can be ATX or inverted atx, that is a huge deal for some people, depending on where on their desk they want to put case. One of the very best cases for water cooling (easily beats 800d), full aluminium. Overall i think it is best computer case. The downsides could be limited amount of pci slots (huge motherboards), and it is fairly expensive.
And of course, if you just want nice case for simple air cooled setup, there are much cheaper cases that will do the trick (like regula rold fractal design define).
 
aerial- said:
Imo overall best case is silverstone TJ07. It has really many features and is aftermarket custom parts to mod it. Can be ATX or inverted atx, that is a huge deal for some people, depending on where on their desk they want to put case. One of the very best cases for water cooling (easily beats 800d), full aluminium. Overall i think it is best computer case. The downsides could be limited amount of pci slots (huge motherboards), and it is fairly expensive.
And of course, if you just want nice case for simple air cooled setup, there are much cheaper cases that will do the trick (like regula rold fractal design define).
Click to expand...

The 07 is sub-par for air cooling, lacks a anodized inside, and strait up sucks at cable management. It's beginning to show its age.
 
The Silverstone FT02 is the best aircooling case on the market and one of the best looking cases IMO as well and along with that Silverstone has great support in the US if you need replacement parts whereas Lian Li does not so the FT02 would be my first choice.
 
The "best" case will depend on each individual's own set of needs.

Based on your build, why don't you check out a Lian Li A05?

That said, I have no problems with the PC-9F. It's a great case along with all the other ones mentioned by the other responders.

J
 
burningrave101 said:
The Silverstone FT02 is the best aircooling case on the market and one of the best looking cases IMO as well and along with that Silverstone has great support in the US if you need replacement parts whereas Lian Li does not so the FT02 would be my first choice.
Click to expand...

Excellent point about the post-purchase support. Lian Li is virtually impossible to get a hold of and sourcing spare parts from online retailers like Performance PCs can get pricey. As for Silverstone, I know there's a rep that floats around on this forum and chats with fellow members. Same goes for Corsair, there is a very active representative that frequents this forum as well. I've seen both handle inquiries fairly well and this factor can easily sway someone's decision on which brand to purchase from.

ParasiticJ said:
Based on your build, why don't you check out a Lian Li A05?
Click to expand...

I'd be a bit careful recommending the A05. The case requires a healthy amount of investment to cool optimally. I'm not even sure if the latest revision, the A05FN, properly addresses the issues even though Lian Li included a top blowhole. If the OP is interested, there's a massive A05 owner's thread he can check out. Plenty of information in it!
 
True - but you probably won't need support on a Lian Li case - when it comes down to it its a metal box that hold circuit boards. In general much doesn't go wrong - and when it does you could send it back the people who sold it to you. I have bought 6 cases now and none have ever 'failed' me.

The added value of awesome support is low in the world of PC cases... Motherboards OTOH..haha.
 
GuyClinch said:
True - but you probably won't need support on a Lian Li case - when it comes down to it its a metal box that hold circuit boards. In general much doesn't go wrong - and when it does you could send it back the people who sold it to you. I have bought 6 cases now and none have ever 'failed' me.

The added value of awesome support is low in the world of PC cases... Motherboards OTOH..haha.
Click to expand...

I have to disagree. One of the main things that can go wrong with a computer case is the fans and if it uses larger than 120mm fans like the 180mm ones in the FT02 they can be expensive to replace. I have an earlier model FT02 without the 180mm air penetrator fans and one or two of the fans had started making a clicking noise and so I e-mailed Silverstone and they shipped me out two new FM181's as a replacement. Those fans cost $26 a pop retail.

You also run into the issue of things breaking or getting scratched and needing a replacement part which from Lian Li will be more troublesome and costly to get than with Silverstone. Silverstone also offers upgrade kits such as for USB 3.0 for only $12 shipped for the Fortress and Raven. Contact Lian Li and see how far you get with coming up with a USB 3.0 upgrade kit for one of your Lian Li cases. And after 30 days there's no returning the case to the vendor who sold it to you so your stuck with contacting the manufacturer for anything you need replaced.

But warranty in the US is just a plus to buying from Silverstone because the fact still remains that none of Lian Li's cases can touch the FT02 in cooling so your just paying more to get something that may look a little nicer but performs worse in its primary task which is cooling. The only reason to get a Lian Li is if you want a full tower to fit watercooling in.
 
Last edited:
burningrave101 said:
The Silverstone FT02 is the best aircooling case on the market and one of the best looking cases IMO as well and along with that Silverstone has great support in the US if you need replacement parts whereas Lian Li does not so the FT02 would be my first choice.
Click to expand...

No the Silverstone FT 02 and RV 02 are not the best air cooling case's they do well but are not the best.
 
mannyman said:
No the Silverstone FT 02 and RV 02 are not the best air cooling case's they do well but are not the best.
Click to expand...

The FT02 and RV02-E are among the very top but if you know of a case that offers better cooling without the addition of a whole bunch of aftermarket fans that the case does not ship with please link me to it. The only other one that is comparable in cooling would be the HAF X which beats the FT02 by about 1C in GPU cooling but loses in CPU cooling. You also have to factor in how much quieter the FT02 is when cooling with 3 180mm fans compared to a bunch of 120/140mm fans. Then after that factor in the FT02's positive pressure design which cuts way down on the amount of dust that gets inside your computer.
 
Last edited:
I'm VERY happy with my FT02 case. Exceptional airflow and sleek look......although I wouldn't mind having this one...

Full gallery Here: http://www.million-dollar-pc.com/systems-2010/cygnus-x1/cygnus-x1.htm

cygnus-x1-00.jpg
 
GuyClinch said:
True - but you probably won't need support on a Lian Li case - when it comes down to it its a metal box that hold circuit boards. In general much doesn't go wrong - and when it does you could send it back the people who sold it to you. I have bought 6 cases now and none have ever 'failed' me.

The added value of awesome support is low in the world of PC cases... Motherboards OTOH..haha.
Click to expand...

Agreed, but there's never a such thing as too much support! :D

mannyman said:
No the Silverstone FT 02 and RV 02 are not the best air cooling case's they do well but are not the best.
Click to expand...

And? You're going to dispute his recommendations and not offer anything better? :rolleyes:
 
I really like the ft-02 except for no usb 3.0 default and the cpu cooler backplate cutout is way off. Meaning, if you upgrade your cpu cooler, you have to take out everything first.
 
fochkoph said:
Agreed, but there's never a such thing as too much support! :D



And? You're going to dispute his recommendations and not offer anything better? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Didn't you do the same? :rolleyes: Anyways i said they are not the best, But are still very good... Read much?
 
I have to disagree. One of the main things that can go wrong with a computer case is the fans and if it uses larger than 120mm fans like the 180mm ones in the FT02 they can be expensive to replace. I have an earlier model FT02 without the 180mm air penetrator fans and one or two of the fans had started making a clicking noise and so I e-mailed Silverstone and they shipped me out two new FM181's as a replacement. Those fans cost $26 a pop retail.
Click to expand...

Yes if you are buying a case with obscure parts like 200 x 20mm fans or rare 180mm fans you might want to get a company with good support. But a Lian Li PC-9F uses standard 120mm fans.

You also run into the issue of things breaking or getting scratched and needing a replacement part which from Lian Li will be more troublesome and costly to get than with Silverstone. Silverstone also offers upgrade kits such as for USB 3.0 for only $12 shipped for the Fortress and Raven. Contact Lian Li and see how far you get with coming up with a USB 3.0 upgrade kit for one of your Lian Li cases. And after 30 days there's no returning the case to the vendor who sold it to you so your stuck with contacting the manufacturer for anything you need replaced.
Click to expand...

True - but again the chances of you NEEDING to replace a part in a case is pretty low. Just be careful when you are putting your PC together. Even then a scratch won't prevent you from using your PC. That was my point.

But warranty in the US is just a plus to buying from Silverstone because the fact still remains that none of Lian Li's cases can touch the FT02 in cooling so your just paying more to get something that may look a little nicer but performs worse in its primary task which is cooling. The only reason to get a Lian Li is if you want a full tower to fit watercooling in.
Click to expand...

Meh. I bet a PC-P50 can 'touch' an FT02. And its around a 100 bucks cheaper. Actually the Lian Li cases in general cool surprisingly well. Here is why - diminishing returns. You can blow more air at your PC but after a certain point (and this depends on your hardware of course) dramatic increases in airflow cause minimal increases in temps.

So this means a more mundane cooling setup can cool very well.. So cooling isn't the only thing that's important in a case. (I wouldn't be surprised if some gamer cases like the 690II advance actually cooled better well loaded with fans - so calling it the best is a bit debatable)

I look for things like ease of install, cable management, quality of construction, features, etc. For example I was considering the FT02 instead of my PC-9F for use as a HTPC machine. For me I decided I didn't really need awesome cooling - just decent cooling. But I wanted something light (so it would be easy to move and add parts too) - that could hold alot of HDs and most importantly had easy to clean filters. Lian Li won on alot of catergories - plus looked better so I went with that.

You can't just say 'cooling' is all that matters with a case. it's on the list - but long as it provides sufficent cooling you can look at other aspects. Anyway I don't want to get into some kind of lame war about cases. The FT02 is an excellent case from what I can tell. I personally wasn't that keen on my old HTPC GD04 (that was from Silverstone) so I was not anxious to go with another Silverstone case. I have good luck with Lian Li - and actually their top of the line cases (which are terrible values) are excellent air coolers.
 
fochkoph said:
Check out post #6.

Still curious to see what you believe is better.
Click to expand...

Looked at it... Not much jumped at me, The HAF X and Dark Fleet cases cool better, My own case cools awesomely. There is 3 at least and there are more.
 
mannyman said:
Looked at it... Not much jumped at me, The HAF X and Dark Fleet cases cool better, My own case cools awesomely. There is 3 at least and there are more.
Click to expand...

None of those cases including your NZXT offer better cooling than the FT02 unless you load them up with additional fans that they do not ship with and all three of those cases are already noticebly louder than the FT02 before you even start adding more fans.

You can look here to see how the cases mentioned perform with their stock cooling:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2011/04/08/silverstone-temjin-tj11-review/3
 
^^^cept you can buy an awful lot of fans for $100 if you buy say Yate Loons.. The OP wanted the best case. Not the best case if you keep every single thing stock..and only test with stock coolling.
 
mannyman said:
Looked at it... Not much jumped at me, The HAF X and Dark Fleet cases cool better, My own case cools awesomely. There is 3 at least and there are more.
Click to expand...

They may cool similarly, but definitely not better by a long shot. On top of that, the HAF X and DF series are catastrophic to look at compared to the FT02. But then again, appearances are subjective. If price is taken into consideration and looks thrown completely out the window, I would entertain the idea of purchasing a HAF X because it is indeed good value, but as far as I can tell, the final word in ultimate aircooling would be the FT02.

There is no mention of any DF cases because to match the FT02, they must run at full speed and as well all know, lots of moving air = lots of noise and the OP deliberately states he/she wanted a quiet case.

GuyClinch said:
^^^cept you can buy an awful lot of fans for $100 if you buy say Yate Loons.. The OP wanted the best case. Not the best case if you keep every single thing stock..and only test with stock coolling.
Click to expand...

Touche. But as someone who's spent a good amount of time with aftermarket fans and experimenting with several airflow patterns in my A05N, I can confidently say that while the type of fan you use does make a difference in noise and cooling performance, the layout of the case and airflow direction will almost always take precedent over the former.
 
GuyClinch said:
^^^cept you can buy an awful lot of fans for $100 if you buy say Yate Loons.. The OP wanted the best case. Not the best case if you keep every single thing stock..and only test with stock coolling.
Click to expand...

The OP also said he wanted a quiet case and regardless if you use Yate Loons or not none of those cases mentioned are going to cool as well as the FT02 at the same decibel level. The FT02 is also a lot higher quality case with its aluminum unibody frame than the HAF X, Dark Fleet, ect so the extra $100 is getting you more of a premium product instead of cheaper steal/plastic.
 
burningrave101 said:
The OP also said he wanted a quiet case and regardless if you use Yate Loons or not none of those cases mentioned are going to cool as well as the FT02 at the same decibel level. The FT02 is also a lot higher quality case with its aluminum unibody frame than the HAF X, Dark Fleet, ect so the extra $100 is getting you more of a premium product instead of cheaper steal/plastic.
Click to expand...

Well my case does cost more but with it decked out with all yate loons it is dead silent at 2 feet i think my room ambient DB is like 42-45 ish when i checked it.

My case is solid aluminum and weighs 43 pounds unloaded.
 
If you want silence an quality, antec's p180 series is the way to go. Even though its big enough to be a mini fridge.
 
None of those cases including your NZXT offer better cooling than the FT02 unless you load them up with additional fans that they do not ship with and all three of those cases are already noticebly louder than the FT02 before you even start adding more fans.
Click to expand...

I'd imagine almost any mountain mods case would cool better - providing you configured it right. OTOH not sure those cases ship with ANY fans at all.

Listen the FT02 is a great case from what I can tell. But you are trying to set the parameters of the argument so it automatically wins. It's called framing the debate - and I don't think its in the spirit of the OP request.

You are disqualifying every case that doesn't cool quite as well but ignoring cases that cool better just because they need additional parts - that's unfair. Who cares if you need to go out and buy fans. BFD. If you were a weathly man on a mission to buy the fastest sports car - and that turned out to be a Ferrari 599. Would you not buy it because you needed to also buy new tires? Hell no.

I do agree the FT02 is a mighty fine case. But for my money if some dude gave me $500 bucks and told me it HAD to be spent on a PC case I'd probably get a Lian LI X2000f. If they gave me a 1000 I'd look for a nice pre built water cooling unit....

Ultimately there are no 'best cases" only good and bad ones IMHO. It's too subjective to come to some definitive answer.
 
GuyClinch said:
I'd imagine almost any mountain mods case would cool better - providing you configured it right. OTOH not sure those cases ship with ANY fans at all.

Listen the FT02 is a great case from what I can tell. But you are trying to set the parameters of the argument so it automatically wins. It's called framing the debate - and I don't think its in the spirit of the OP request.

You are disqualifying every case that doesn't cool quite as well but ignoring cases that cool better just because they need additional parts - that's unfair. Who cares if you need to go out and buy fans. BFD. If you were a weathly man on a mission to buy the fastest sports car - and that turned out to be a Ferrari 599. Would you not buy it because you needed to also buy new tires? Hell no.

I do agree the FT02 is a mighty fine case. But for my money if some dude gave me $500 bucks and told me it HAD to be spent on a PC case I'd probably get a Lian LI X2000f. If they gave me a 1000 I'd look for a nice pre built water cooling unit....

Ultimately there are no 'best cases" only good and bad ones IMHO. It's too subjective to come to some definitive answer.
Click to expand...

The X2000F delivers some mighty fine cooling stock. It's also insanely expensive, so unless you love the styling of it, I wouldn't recommend it.
 
Hi, first post here. I really wanted to get a Silverstone RV02-EW for my new i7 build but as chance has it I came across a mint Corsair 800d for $140.00 so I guess I'll just have to get by. I still might get one in the future though.
 
Corsair 800d is the better case IMHO but stock doesn't cool that great with regards to air. Hard to pass it up for that price though..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top