[SOLVED] A good case for an i5-13500 and a B760 Tomahawk (plus futureproofing) ?

[will2power]

Hi all, I am currently on the final parts of my build, I decided to go for a i5 13500 CPU and Tomahawk B760 MB (reduced a lot for some reason, if it is still in the store, will check tomorrow!)

I plan to have no graphics card for the moment but will likely pick up a 2nd hand one if needed in the future, the build is not for gaming but photoshop, graphic, photography and possible 3d work.

I plan on nothing outrageous,
32 GB RAM (2 x 16)
1TB m.2 storage, possible 6 or 8 TB HDD for back up. Could add to those in future.
Blu Ray disk (for many current backed up files)
No need for fans etc at the moment but with a possible GPU in future will need. I was thinking a GTX 1660 or RTX 1080 but decided to wait, in future prob a RTX 3060 max although depends how many years I wait and prices.

Is there a good, basic, functional case that could fit those requirements? I do not know how much I should spend as flashing lights, transparent bits etc do not interest me. Something that is compatible with MB, can cope with the airflow in the future (with a GPU) and is reliable but not breaking the bank.

Another option would be to go with something cheap and very primitive, then upgrade case when I upgrade to a GPU and know what I need. I do not know where to start looking tbh.

 

[logainofhades]

What do you consider breaking the bank? This will give you some options to consider, at different price points.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL5uttjPWZE

 

[will2power]

Thanks Logainofhades. Breaking the bank is more buying something that is really not needed, looking for base price for simple case. For the MB I need to check sizes, is there a code or number to look for or do I just check MB dimensions and imagine the space left? For example should Case be much bigger than MB for air and cooling or something? Or is a "snug" fit ok?

Here are few examples of really cheap cases, I have never heard of makers, I live in Japan. They range from $20-40 and imagine they are unsuitable in some way? 2 case fitted fans advisable? I guess I need to watch for terminals and USB connectors as well as size. I will see what shop recommends too. Sorry for only Japanese links, I use the English translate button with Chrome browser

Last one is a step up in price to $50 or so but has 4 installed fans and is heavier.

ZALMAN S4 Plus (ATX Acrylic)
ZALMAN T8 (ATX)
ENERMAX PABYS PB30 ECB-PB30-BB-ARGB
DEEPCOOL CC560 WH R-CC560-WHGAA4-G-1

I will check out video and see if I can find any of the recommendations here in Japan!

 

[logainofhades]

Of those 4, I would choose the deepcool.

 

[Why_Me]

Hi all, I am currently on the final parts of my build, I decided to go for a i5 13500 CPU and Tomahawk B760 MB (reduced a lot for some reason, if it is still in the store, will check tomorrow!)

I plan to have no graphics card for the moment but will likely pick up a 2nd hand one if needed in the future, the build is not for gaming but photoshop, graphic, photography and possible 3d work.

I plan on nothing outrageous,
32 GB RAM (2 x 16)
1TB m.2 storage, possible 6 or 8 TB HDD for back up. Could add to those in future.
Blu Ray disk (for many current backed up files)
No need for fans etc at the moment but with a possible GPU in future will need. I was thinking a GTX 1660 or RTX 1080 but decided to wait, in future prob a RTX 3060 max although depends how many years I wait and prices.

Is there a good, basic, functional case that could fit those requirements? I do not know how much I should spend as flashing lights, transparent bits etc do not interest me. Something that is compatible with MB, can cope with the airflow in the future (with a GPU) and is reliable but not breaking the bank.

Another option would be to go with something cheap and very primitive, then upgrade case when I upgrade to a GPU and know what I need. I do not know where to start looking tbh.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/KLQcCJ/fractal-design-pop-air-atx-mid-tower-case-fd-c-poa1a-01
Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case $88.98

Pop Air

Fractal fuse flair with function in the new Pop series of cases that doesn’t skimp on aesthetics or flexibility. The entire series offers a solid foundation and excellent build quality, giving all users plenty of options and room to maneuver.

www.fractal-design.com

5.25” drive mounts: 2

 

[Lafong]

That Tomahawk is a standard ATX form factor motherboard.

Cases are not highly standardized, but you may see designations such as mid tower, full tower, etc. Those are mostly sorting criteria used at vendor web sites, but they DON'T mean anything specific about case dimensions in millimeters or inches.

Newegg probably has the best sorting mechanism for cases; they have these major categories:

ATX full tower
ATX mid tower
Micro ATX
Mini ITX
ATX super tower
ATX minitower

For any motherboard at Newegg, you should see something like this in the board's description:

Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / ATX / Mini-ITX

You'd need to dig into the spec sheets of any candidate case to confirm Newegg's classification. Newegg could be wrong, as could PC Part Picker.

It's critical that you get a case with sufficient width to accept whatever cooler you may eventually install. Maximum cooler height is a common specification.

A case with large interior dimensions doesn't necessarily mean it will be easier to cool a given set of components.

You can also sort by price, brand, and a bunch of other factors.

If you intend to buy a video card in the near future, I suppose it does make sense to maybe go with a cheapo case now unless you have an excellent idea of what video card you will buy and what case specifications that would require.

 

[will2power]

Of those 4, I would choose the deepcool.

Thanks, the others look too cheap and do not have 2 pre installed fans. I am giving up with really cheap and replace later

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/KLQcCJ/fractal-design-pop-air-atx-mid-tower-case-fd-c-poa1a-01
Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case $88.98

Pop Air

Fractal fuse flair with function in the new Pop series of cases that doesn’t skimp on aesthetics or flexibility. The entire series offers a solid foundation and excellent build quality, giving all users plenty of options and room to maneuver.

www.fractal-design.com

5.25” drive mounts: 2

Thanks it looks like a great case. It is 13,000 yen here which is about $95. In Japan there is maybe something similar but more widely sold here.

Noticed in reviews someone was using with a 13600K / RTX 4080 / 32GB DDR5 which is spec above the max I think I would ever need. I will use as great start point for a more expensive case. It is supposed to be "budget friendly" so I feel pressure to look around the 10,000 yen range, maybe Deepcoool I listed is not good enough?

That Tomahawk is a standard ATX form factor motherboard.

Cases are not highly standardized, but you may see designations such as mid tower, full tower, etc. Those are mostly sorting criteria used at vendor web sites, but they DON'T mean anything specific about case dimensions in millimeters or inches.

Newegg probably has the best sorting mechanism for cases; they have these major categories:

ATX full tower
ATX mid tower
Micro ATX
Mini ITX
ATX super tower
ATX minitower

For any motherboard at Newegg, you should see something like this in the board's description:

Motherboard Compatibility: Micro ATX / ATX / Mini-ITX

You'd need to dig into the spec sheets of any candidate case to confirm Newegg's classification. Newegg could be wrong, as could PC Part Picker.

It's critical that you get a case with sufficient width to accept whatever cooler you may eventually install. Maximum cooler height is a common specification.

A case with large interior dimensions doesn't necessarily mean it will be easier to cool a given set of components.

You can also sort by price, brand, and a bunch of other factors.

If you intend to buy a video card in the near future, I suppose it does make sense to maybe go with a cheapo case now unless you have an excellent idea of what video card you will buy and what case specifications that would require.

The Tomahawk is listed as 243.84mm x 304.8mm and the Fractal Design Pop Air ATX is listed as 473.5 mm x 215 mm x 454 mm, I can assume this is a good size to work with. The DEEPcool is 416×210×477mm, little smaller but revies in Japanese not great, giving up on DeepCool and looking to go bit more expensive. Will try 2nd hand too, might get a fully working great one cheap.

Let me look around size and spec of Fractal Design Pop Air ATX
Corsair 4000D Airflow Tempered Glass CC-9011200-WW is a little cheaper at 10,300 yen,

I may check them out in person at a store. One thing I noticed is that more expensive DeepCool and the 4000D have graphic card max of 380 and 360mm respectively. Most cases in this range are around 360-380mm with Fractal Design Pop Air ATX at 405mm.

Edit: found a graphics card comparison and most seem to be under 300mm with larger ones at 320mm. Are they getting bigger or smaller? Or impossible to say? From someone at Tomshardware, updated 2019. Compares lots of cards
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wGRZ-5sl7G9DhIgwW36g2KnrwVfZqBW7GDKHOd2vbaM/edit#gid=0

Double ninja edit: There is a Fractal Design Pop Air ATX without the flashy lights at 11.900, about $85

Fractal Design Pop Air White TG Clear Tint FD-C-POA1A-03

DEEPCOOL has a 3 front fan and rear fan with 370mm for Graphics card, I feel it looks flimsy, will check in store but likely go for Fractal Design Pop Air ATX
DEEPCOOL CC560 WH R-CC560-WHGAA4-G-1

 

[geofelt]

Most cases these days do not include a front 5.25" bay for your bluray dvd.
As above, use newegg filters to search for such a case.
A simple such case might be the fractal design focus G:

https://www.newegg.com/white-fracta...tx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352067?quicklink=true

 

[Karadjgne]

Motherboards come in standardized form factors (for the most part), so if a case says it'll fit ATX motherboards, it'll fit any ATX motherboard regardless of actual mm dimensions, as all the vendors who make ATX motherboards stick to general criteria.

Standard ATX specifies length to be 12 inches with width varying from 6.7 to 9.6 inches.
Micro-ATX specifies length to be 9.6 inches with width varying from 6.7 to 9.6 inches.
Mini-ITX specifies length to be 6.7 inches with width of 6.7 inches.

So case designers will make cases according to slightly larger than the largest dimensions according to form factor.

You have an ATX mobo, so any case from ATX or Larger will work. ATX Mid, ATX Desktop, ATX Full Tower, E-ATX Full tower, E-ATX Super Tower etc.

 

[will2power]

Most cases these days do not include a front 5.25" bay for your bluray dvd.
As above, use newegg filters to search for such a case.
A simple such case might be the fractal design focus G:

https://www.newegg.com/white-fracta...tx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352067?quicklink=true

Thanks, I think they have that case too in the shop. If it really comes down to it though I could keep using my external Blu Ray drive. Was very cheap and not ideal.

Motherboards come in standardized form factors (for the most part), so if a case says it'll fit ATX motherboards, it'll fit any ATX motherboard regardless of actual mm dimensions, as all the vendors who make ATX motherboards stick to general criteria.

Standard ATX specifies length to be 12 inches with width varying from 6.7 to 9.6 inches.
Micro-ATX specifies length to be 9.6 inches with width varying from 6.7 to 9.6 inches.
Mini-ITX specifies length to be 6.7 inches with width of 6.7 inches.

So case designers will make cases according to slightly larger than the largest dimensions according to form factor.

You have an ATX mobo, so any case from ATX or Larger will work. ATX Mid, ATX Desktop, ATX Full Tower, E-ATX Full tower, E-ATX Super Tower etc.

I think the MB itself I am not concerned with size, the sizes I was looking at were for maximum GPU cards, and the Graphics cards I checked seemed to go to 320mm largest.

The Fractal Design Pop Air ATX with 405mm for graphics card may be overboard and other cases at 370mm enough, I have no idea for futureproofing though. If GPUs are getting bigger, smaller or staying same.

A quick check of the most expensive GPUs like RTX 4090 and they are up to 332mm for length, a more modest 3060 is 235mm. I feel 370-405mm should be enough for case for any future GPU I add.

Thanks again everyone

 

[sonofjesse]

Lian 216 or mesh III or air are all amazing cases. Just super solid.

I pad 95 for AIR and 130 for Lan MESH III RGB very reasonable since they come with fans.

 

[Karadjgne]

Heh, my case was over $200, and doesn't have a single case fan, because there's no need for one. There's multiple cases, even popular ones like the nzxt H510 series, that benefit from minimal fans, adding fans just creates worse airflow and worse temps.

The right fans, right number of fans, in the right case for that design will have superior airflow. Same case, wrong fans, wrong number of fans will have miserable airflow.

There's 3 ways to build a pc. Performance, aesthetics or mix. It's why there are no Noctua RGB. Extremely rare to get performance And aesthetics, usually you pick one or the other or a compromise of both. That applies to any pc part. It's also why showcase pc's are just that, all show and no go, even the watercooled pc's using that opaque but nice looking chalky thick coolant aren't worth much for temps, all show.

So when building a pc, pick the parts based on what the priority is, just remember that priority when the ugliest case available also fits every check mark.

 

[will2power]

Lian 216 or mesh III or air are all amazing cases. Just super solid.

I pad 95 for AIR and 130 for Lan MESH III RGB very reasonable since they come with fans.

I checked and for some reason Japan is more expensive for somethings while US is cheap. Visa Versa prob true too though not sure for what, case wise. The Lan Mesh 3 is 20,000 JPY which is $150, I feel too much for a PC with no GPU at the moment. I am thinking something that can take an upgrade or 2 over the years but cheap enough I can ditch it if needed. Under $100 is good I think.

Heh, my case was over $200, and doesn't have a single case fan, because there's no need for one. There's multiple cases, even popular ones like the nzxt H510 series, that benefit from minimal fans, adding fans just creates worse airflow and worse temps.

The right fans, right number of fans, in the right case for that design will have superior airflow. Same case, wrong fans, wrong number of fans will have miserable airflow.

There's 3 ways to build a pc. Performance, aesthetics or mix. It's why there are no Noctua RGB. Extremely rare to get performance And aesthetics, usually you pick one or the other or a compromise of both. That applies to any pc part. It's also why showcase pc's are just that, all show and no go, even the watercooled pc's using that opaque but nice looking chalky thick coolant aren't worth much for temps, all show.

So when building a pc, pick the parts based on what the priority is, just remember that priority when the ugliest case available also fits every check mark.

nzxt H510 seems a solid case. I wonder how it compares to the Fractal Design Pop Air or DEEPCOOL CC560, same price as the Air here.

Apologies for not getting back. The shops are all out of i5 13500 CPUs and if I want a big discount I can only get that in the shop, online they are decent price, coming down but shops all have good discounts for MB and CPU together. Going to keep checking this week and grab one when it comes in.

Case I can get now as I wont be carrying it!

 

[sonofjesse]

I got both of my OPEN box at Micro center.

New the lan III was 169.99 + tax here