Question Being gifted a 6800XT - upgrade suggestions?

[cwburns32]

Hi all - being gifted a PowerColor 6800XT and with my current build being 6 yrs old I am in now in need of an upgrade. Trying to do this somewhat on a budget so hoping to repurpose my current Samsung Evo 960, Samsung 850 Pro, WD Black and my EVGA 850 G3 PSU. My intended upgrades below, please let me know if I should consider anything else.

Intel i7 7700K > AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
2x16GB Corsair Vengeance DDR4 > 2x32 GB Corsair Vengeance 6000/CL30 (Cities Skylines 2 is RAM intensive )
MSI Z270 XPower Titanium > ASRock X670E Pro RS
Corsair Hydro H115i > Artic Liquid Freezer II 240
EVGA 1080 FTW Gaming > PowerColor Red Dragon RX6800 XT
Phanteks Enthoo Evolv > NZXT H5 Flow

Appreciate any advice in advance

 

[punkncat]

There is no doubt that a newer CPU and motherboard combo would help realize the capability of the card you were gifted. The rest of your system isn't bad spec at all, I would have concern over the PSU and only due to age. TBH, I would pop that joker in and enjoy the upgrade while saving and hunting on the next rig to put it in.

That 1080 GPU is still very relevant, so consider keeping it or hooking up a nephew or something.

 

[cwburns32]

There is no doubt that a newer CPU and motherboard combo would help realize the capability of the card you were gifted. The rest of your system isn't bad spec at all, I would have concern over the PSU and only due to age. TBH, I would pop that joker in and enjoy the upgrade while saving and hunting on the next rig to put it in.

That 1080 GPU is still very relevant, so consider keeping it or hooking up a nephew or something.

While I should just take advantage of the card and continue to save I am tempted to upgrade sooner rather than later especially with the release of Cities Skylines 2 on the horizon. I play a TON of Cities Skylines on my current build. I wouldn't have even thought about upgrading the whole rig for CS2 until this GPU fell into my lap

 

[punkncat]

Your current system is capable, but is also a bit closer to the minimum than the suggested spec.

As far as suggestions, there are quite a few members here who are excellent at providing a build list. What is your budget for the update?

 

[cwburns32]

Your current system is capable, but is also a bit closer to the minimum than the suggested spec.

As far as suggestions, there are quite a few members here who are excellent at providing a build list. What is your budget for the update?

I had originally planned for $1500 but that was me reusing my drives and PSU, if you feel that may be a concern due to age I am okay with $1500 + the cost of new PSU.

 

[punkncat]

I would check the health of the drives...but so long as you are keeping regular backups and such then even if they fail it isn't going to break anything. Just a rebuild of OS and data.

$1500 is a healthy amount for a mobo, CPU, RAM, PSU, and case (if you like). If you have a MicroCenter anywhere nearby check the combo deals they offer. Great pricing and just a good place to shop. Adult candy store for sure.

 

[ilukey77]

personally id think twice about a 7700x with a 240mm a non x 7700 would be a better option or go a 280mm even 360mm
( i built a 7700 non x 6800xt a few months back for a friend using the arctic freezer 280mm on a 7700non x and its super cool 58 - 60c in R23 all core )
( when i was using a 7600x with a 420mm i was getting 75c R23 even with diminishing returns thats warm even if not over hot for specs )
so i would think a bigger cooler than 240mm for a 7700x !

850w psu should be a min requirement with a 6800xt i usually recommend corsair but if the evga 850w isnt to old then should be good

cl 30 6000 is the sweet spot for ZEN 4 so that looks great

The x670e is going to give you the better chipset and if the VRM's are solid they will do 8000 and possible 9000 series cpu's

 

[RodroX]

Hi again, well since you now gave us more details and a budget, and you believe $75 more for the 77000X its ok, then I will give you one idea considering gaming as the main focus of the build, you can adjust it up or down, depending on the final parts you pick, and even take out the PSU:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($349.00 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($128.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X670 AORUS ELITE AX (rev. 1.0) ATX AM5 Motherboard ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H7 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1211.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-09 18:08 EDT-0400

PD: Im not saying you need to pick up your wallet, go out and buy this, just pointing out a posible build below your original $1500 budget.

 

[cwburns32]

personally id think twice about a 7700x with a 240mm a non x 7700 would be a better option or go a 280mm even 360mm
( i built a 7700 non x 6800xt a few months back for a friend using the arctic freezer 280mm on a 7700non x and its super cool 58 - 60c in R23 all core )
( when i was using a 7600x with a 420mm i was getting 75c R23 even with diminishing returns thats warm even if not over hot for specs )
so i would think a bigger cooler than 240mm for a 7700x !

850w psu should be a min requirement with a 6800xt i usually recommend corsair but if the evga 850w isnt to old then should be good

cl 30 6000 is the sweet spot for ZEN 4 so that looks great

The x670e is going to give you the better chipset and if the VRM's are solid they will do 8000 and possible 9000 series cpu's

For what I am going to use it for the 7700 will do just fine so no need to get a 360 mm cooler if I can mimic the results you got with a 7700 + 6800XT and 280mm

My PSU is 6 years old now - not sure what is considered too old for PSU nowadays. It's 850w 80+ Gold. I was hoping I didn't have to drop another $250 on a PSU but if age is a concern I will

 

[cwburns32]

Hi again, well since you now gave us more details and a budget, and you believe $75 more for the 77000X its ok, then I will give you one idea considering gaming as the main focus of the build, you can adjust it up or down, depending on the final parts you pick, and even take out the PSU:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($349.00 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($128.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X670 AORUS ELITE AX (rev. 1.0) ATX AM5 Motherboard ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H7 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1211.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-09 18:08 EDT-0400

PD: Im not saying you need to pick up your wallet, go out and buy this, just pointing out a posible build below your original $1500 budget.

This is incredibly helpful here!! All looks great but would love to get away with a smaller cooler and the H5 vs the H7 just to keep the smaller footprint. The H7 is just a tad too big for my space. Thinking it may be a bit tight inside a H5 with the 360 so don't mind stepping down to a 7700 + slightly smaller cooler for the smaller case.

Also would prefer SPDIF/digital audio on the mobo but I can find one comparable to what you have found that fits that need.

Any objections to going this route vs the above?

 

[RodroX]

This is incredibly helpful here!! All looks great but would love to get away with a smaller cooler and the H5 vs the H7 just to keep the smaller footprint. The H7 is just a tad too big for my space. Thinking it may be a bit tight inside a H5 with the 360 so don't mind stepping down to a 7700 + slightly smaller cooler for the smaller case.

Also would prefer SPDIF/digital audio on the mobo but I can find one comparable to what you have found that fits that need.

Any objections to going this route vs the above?

As I wrote that was just an idea with the parts available at the time of making it. Sadly the H5 flow wasn't available, and far as I know it doesn't support 360mmm radaitors, thats why i went with the H7 flow. And I píck the 3600mm radiator because of the more powerfull 7800X3D.

Then again if you are going with the R 7 7700, which I believe should also be an awesome CPU performance wise, then a 280mm radiator will be more than fine if you ask me.

Also my bad about the mobo, I was almos sure the Aorus Elite X had SPDIF output, indeed thats a must for me to.

Basically, something like this (yes now there is the H5 Flow):

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($321.92 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X670E Pro RS ATX AM5 Motherboard ($271.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H5 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1118.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-09 18:51 EDT-0400

 

[cwburns32]

As I wrote that was just an idea with the parts available at the time of making it. Sadly the H5 flow wasn't available, and far as I know it doesn't support 360mmm radaitors, thats why i went with the H7 flow. And I píck the 3600mm radiator because of the more powerfull 7800X3D.

Then again if you are going with the R 7 7700, which I believe should also be an awesome CPU performance wise, then a 280mm radiator will be more than fine if you ask me.

Also my bad about the mobo, I was almos sure the Aorus Elite X had SPDIF output, indeed thats a must for me to.

Basically, something like this (yes now there is the H5 Flow):

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($321.92 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 72.8 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($104.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock X670E Pro RS ATX AM5 Motherboard ($271.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H5 Flow ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair RM1000x (2021) 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1118.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-09 18:51 EDT-0400

After doing a tad bit of research I may consider I shift in my approach - please don't kill me haha

I have read quite a bit about AM5 issues with it being AMD's first go at DDR5, etc that I'd rather not deal with especially since it's been 10+ years for me since my last AMD proc. It seems recent BIOS updates on most boards have fixed most of the issues but it also doesn't sound definitive.

I hate to do away with my DDR4 so quickly, I just picked up the 2x32GB DDR3600 (CMK64GX4M2D3600C18 is the exact kit) less than a year ago - with this in mind I was thinking of shifting gears to the i5-13600K, same cooler, same case, Corsair PSU and then one of the mobos below. Trying to understand the differences between them all has my head spinning but most important for me is digital audio, WiF which I think these all cover.

ASRock Z690 Steel Legend
ASRock Z690 Extreme
MSI B660 Tomahawk
MSI Z690 Tomahawk

 

[ilukey77]

End of the day its your call !!

My advice is not to bother with the LGA1700 socket as its dead after 14th where as AM5 is going to give you longer life span .

Also keep in mind unless the z690 has bios flash usb support you will need to either get the pc shop to update the bios before you build if you want to use 13th in it or slap in 12th before hand..

Another option is a b760i i got a Rog strix B760i gaming wifi for a all intel build im doing ( most likely with a 13600k ) DDR5 and its gen 5 pcie x16 but it is 13th ready with no stuffing around !! ( if youre hell bent on intel )

As for issues with AM5 ive been using my Asus rog Crosshair x670e gene since about Jan this year and not a single issue with the 7600x or the 7800x3d ..

Even with the now resolved issues Asus mobos's had with the CPU's over heating ..

Smart people watch videos and update the bios regular !!

Now im not saying the issues didnt exist but ALOT of its Idiots now scaring people out of fanboy BS ..

Nvidia fanboys spring to mind hating on AMD drivers for the last 5 plus years !!

Like i said its your call and i think ( well my self for sure ) look at whats the best option for your dollar and to me AMD is just that for life span at the very least !!

If i was building a new main computer today i wouldnt even entertain Intel till maybe 15th gen !!

 

[Moonstick2]

Given the EVGA 850 G3 is listed with a 10 year warranty (if yours is this one and came with the same?) and is a highly rated PSU, it seems a waste to change it when it's only six years old.

If it was nine or even eight then maybe, but it's only just past half its warranted lifetime.

 

[RodroX]

After doing a tad bit of research I may consider I shift in my approach - please don't kill me haha

I have read quite a bit about AM5 issues with it being AMD's first go at DDR5, etc that I'd rather not deal with especially since it's been 10+ years for me since my last AMD proc. It seems recent BIOS updates on most boards have fixed most of the issues but it also doesn't sound definitive.

I hate to do away with my DDR4 so quickly, I just picked up the 2x32GB DDR3600 (CMK64GX4M2D3600C18 is the exact kit) less than a year ago - with this in mind I was thinking of shifting gears to the i5-13600K, same cooler, same case, Corsair PSU and then one of the mobos below. Trying to understand the differences between them all has my head spinning but most important for me is digital audio, WiF which I think these all cover.

ASRock Z690 Steel Legend
ASRock Z690 Extreme
MSI B660 Tomahawk
MSI Z690 Tomahawk

Well as other already wrote, lots of people out there said lots of things. Reality is not many outlets out there do follows up to the issues.
When I got my Ryzen 5 3600 I was kinda on panic, it was only 2 weeks after launch and internet was blooming of people hating the CPU because it didn't reach the MAX advertised boost clock, well mine didn't at first, it was 50 MHz below..... 50 Mhz!, OMG!!!, and it was a little bit on the hot side on temps when under full load (benchmarking). Less than a month later (2 weeks actually) AMD launched a few AGESA updates that adjusted the clock and voltage behavior (and a few other things like RAM compatibility) and my CPU got the incredible extra 50 Mhz (I almost didn't sleep at night because of this, OMG!).
And it was working way cooler under the same becnhmark conditions, getting little better results. I never had any RAM issues with it, any.

Im not saying go with AMD, yoiu are free to pick either that or Intel. Just giving you some background on what you find on internet.

BTW right as today, I can run my +3 years old R5 3600 with the boxed cooler under Cinebench R20, and get the same benchmark results as with a 120mmm tower cooler, with only like +6°C more. Thats to show how after a few BIOs updates things got even better.

As for what motherboard to pick, all I heard is between MSI and Asrock most people will pick MSI. On the other hand, I have an asrock mobo in my living room PC, very basic one (asrock A320m-hdv) and never had an issue.

Cheers

 

[cwburns32]

Well as other already wrote, lots of people out there said lots of things. Reality is not many outlets out there do follows up to the issues.
When I got my Ryzen 5 3600 I was kinda on panic, it was only 2 weeks after launch and internet was blooming of people hating the CPU because it didn't reach the MAX advertised boost clock, well mine didn't at first, it was 50 MHz bwlow..... 50 Mhz!, OMG!!!, and it was a little bit on the hot side on temps when under full load (benchmarking). Less than a month later (2 weeks actually) AMD launched a few AGESA updates that adjusted the clock and voltage behavior (and a few other things like RAM compatibility) and my CPU got the incredible extra 50 Mhz (I almost didn't sleep at night because of this, OMG!).
And it was working way cooler under the same becnhmark conditions, getting little better results. I never had any RAM issues with it, any.

Im not saying go with AMD, yoiu are free to pick either that or Intel. Just giving you some background on what you find on internet.

BTW right as today, I can run my +3 years old R5 3600 with the boxed cooler under Cinebench R20, and get the same benchmark results as with a 120mmm tower cooler, with only like +6°C more. Thats to show how after a few BIOs updates things got even better.

As for what motherboard to pick, all I heard is between MSI and Asrock most people will pick MSI. On the other hand, I have an asrock mobo in my living room PC, very basic one (asrock A320m-hdv) and never had an issue.

Cheers

This may be enough to get me to jump back on the AMD train!!! It sounds like based off of what you and many others have said that many of the issues have been resolved by AMD and/or the mobo manus BIOS updates.

I stumbled upon this deal at Microcenter last night - seems too good to pass up. Lacks optical audio unfortunately but checks all the other boxes for me, most importantly USB Bios flash, debug LEDs and WiFi. RAM isn't the fastest but I can always upgrade this later, nearly $350 in savings is tough to say no to. May pull trigger today.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/5006269/amd-ryzen-7-7700x,-msi-b650-p-pro-wifi,-gskill-flare-x5-series-32gb-ddr5-6000-kit,-computer-build-combo

Per your comment regarding coolers, many folks out there are saying I can tweak the 7700x to draw about half as much power and still perform incredibly well in games. I am considering going with a Be Quiet Dark Rock 4, PA 120 or Noctua vs going with the AIO, to save costs and allow me to go a tad bit smaller on the case.

 

[cwburns32]

Given the EVGA 850 G3 is listed with a 10 year warranty (if yours is this one and came with the same?) and is a highly rated PSU, it seems a waste to change it when it's only six years old.

If it was nine or even eight then maybe, but it's only just past half its warranted lifetime.

I purchased it in May of 2017, installed it late 2017, so it's at about 6 years of use right now. That IS my PSU and I did see the 10 year warranty which made me a bit more comfortable if I elected to wait on PSU. Something I can always upgrade at later date as I near the 10 yr mark

 

[Order 66]

I think your potential upgrades look good. The only thing I would maybe consider changing (as other users have said) is the PSU. I have a very similar build with a 6800 and 7700x but "only" 32GB of RAM, because I only have one game where it uses more than 16GB.

 

[RodroX]

This may be enough to get me to jump back on the AMD train!!! It sounds like based off of what you and many others have said that many of the issues have been resolved by AMD and/or the mobo manus BIOS updates.

I stumbled upon this deal at Microcenter last night - seems too good to pass up. Lacks optical audio unfortunately but checks all the other boxes for me, most importantly USB Bios flash, debug LEDs and WiFi. RAM isn't the fastest but I can always upgrade this later, nearly $350 in savings is tough to say no to. May pull trigger today.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/5006269/amd-ryzen-7-7700x,-msi-b650-p-pro-wifi,-gskill-flare-x5-series-32gb-ddr5-6000-kit,-computer-build-combo

Per your comment regarding coolers, many folks out there are saying I can tweak the 7700x to draw about half as much power and still perform incredibly well in games. I am considering going with a Be Quiet Dark Rock 4, PA 120 or Noctua vs going with the AIO, to save costs and allow me to go a tad bit smaller on the case.

This microcenter deal looks pretty decent, keep in mnd if you have a store near by, and you want 64GB of RAM, they can may vbe kind enough to make you a new combo with a decent price that includes the 2x32 kit instead. Thats if you are close to it.

As for teawking the CPU, yes!, you can set a few options in BIOS to make it consume less power, I don't rememebr the exact name of each, but it shouldn't be too hard to do. I bet there are lots of videos out there showing the step by step (I think I even saw a few back in the launch days). Keep in mind, cooling wise things may be better right now, AMD had plenty of time to launch many AGESA updates that may have fixed the "high" power drawn and temp outputs, so it wouldnt be a bad a idea to try stock settings first. Just remember stock settings may not be exactly stock settings for some motherboard vendors who like to send mobos with some kind of default OC from factory (and this happend not only to AMD but for Intel too).

 

[Moonstick2]

I purchased it in May of 2017, installed it late 2017, so it's at about 6 years of use right now. That IS my PSU and I did see the 10 year warranty which made me a bit more comfortable if I elected to wait on PSU. Something I can always upgrade at later date as I near the 10 yr mark

Yeah, personally I'd keep it then. I mean obviously nobody can promise you that it won't fail in the next whatever months, but the point is there's no obvious reason why it should plus it's still guaranteed if it did. Nobody can promise you that a brand new PSU won't give you any problems whatsoever either.

 

[cwburns32]

This microcenter deal looks pretty decent, keep in mnd if you have a store near by, and you want 64GB of RAM, they can may vbe kind enough to make you a new combo with a decent price that includes the 2x32 kit instead. Thats if you are close to it.

As for teawking the CPU, yes!, you can set a few options in BIOS to make it consume less power, I don't rememebr the exact name of each, but it shouldn't be too hard to do. I bet there are lots of videos out there showing the step by step (I think I even saw a few back in the launch days). Keep in mind, cooling wise things may be better right now, AMD had plenty of time to launch many AGESA updates that may have fixed the "high" power drawn and temp outputs, so it wouldnt be a bad a idea to try stock settings first. Just remember stock settings may not be exactly stock settings for some motherboard vendors who like to send mobos with some kind of default OC from factory (and this happend not only to AMD but for Intel too).

It's only about 3 miles away, I will go in and ask them for sure. Appreciate all your insight!!

Yeah, personally I'd keep it then. I mean obviously nobody can promise you that it won't fail in the next whatever months, but the point is there's no obvious reason why it should plus it's still guaranteed if it did. Nobody can promise you that a brand new PSU won't give you any problems whatsoever either.

Will likely use what I have now and then upgrade the PSU at a later date, knowing I still have 4 years on the warranty. Thanks!

 

[cwburns32]

I know am hemming and hawing about a case with what seems to be endless options.

I have narrowed it down to 5 cases based on my needs listed below. Let me know if you have any thoughts or other recs. Heading to Microcenter this evening.

Sub 20" x 9.25" x 19", less than 20 lbs, Type C on front panel, at least 165mm of CPU clearance, at least 160mm of PSU clearance and at least 330mm of GPU clearance

NZXT H5 Elite
Montech Air 903 Max
Fractal Meshify 2 Compact
DeepCool CK560
DeepCool CH560 Digital

 

[RodroX]

I know am hemming and hawing about a case with what seems to be endless options.

I have narrowed it down to 5 cases based on my needs listed below. Let me know if you have any thoughts or other recs. Heading to Microcenter this evening.

Sub 20" x 9.25" x 19", less than 20 lbs, Type C on front panel, at least 165mm of CPU clearance, at least 160mm of PSU clearance and at least 330mm of GPU clearance

NZXT H5 Elite
Montech Air 903 Max
Fractal Meshify 2 Compact
DeepCool CK560
DeepCool CH560 Digital

I guess is all about how you like it and if it have all the features you look for.

Fractal, DeepCool and Montech ones have similar stock airflow operation. Fresh air comes in through the front panel and hot air is removed through the back (and the top if ever feel like adding one extra fan there).

NZXT have a solid glass front panel which means air need to come in through a different direction. Fresh air gets inside from the bottom (at the front) and the right side panel (at the front), then the air is pushed with the front fans to the back to get out. You may feel like adding one extra fan in the back (I think it doesn't include a rear one).

I can not give any advice on any of them because I haven't worked with them. Fractal almost never hit the market where I live, Nzxt are usually too expensive, those particular DeepCool cases I have never seen them on the stores or online, and its about the first time I know someone is interested in Montech case.

I had used some DeepCool tower coolers and they all worked great (all of them are still working after several years of operation).

 

[cwburns32]

I guess is all about how you like it and if it have all the features you look for.

Fractal, DeepCool and Montech ones have similar stock airflow operation. Fresh air comes in through the front panel and hot air is removed through the back (and the top if ever feel like adding one extra fan there).

NZXT have a solid glass front panel which means air need to come in through a different direction. Fresh air gets inside from the bottom (at the front) and the right side panel (at the front), then the air is pushed with the front fans to the back to get out. You may feel like adding one extra fan in the back (I think it doesn't include a rear one).

I can not give any advice on any of them because I haven't worked with them. Fractal almost never hit the market where I live, Nzxt are usually too expensive, those particular DeepCool cases I have never seen them on the stores or online, and its about the first time I know someone is interested in Montech case.

I had used some DeepCool tower coolers and they all worked great (all of them are still working after several years of operation).

The Montech just jumped out at me for the value, $72 for a decent (but ugly) case plus 4x140mm fans. I understand those can always be swapped. Seems to have solid enough reviews though not nearly as many as some of the others.

I have used Fractal once before, currently own a Phanteks Enthoos Evolv. Never have dealt with DeepCool but they looked appealing and fit the bill for me.

Appreciate all your kind insight

 

[RodroX]

The Montech just jumped out at me for the value, $72 for a decent (but ugly) case plus 4x140mm fans. I understand those can always be swapped. Seems to have solid enough reviews though not nearly as many as some of the others.

I have used Fractal once before, currently own a Phanteks Enthoos Evolv. Never have dealt with DeepCool but they looked appealing and fit the bill for me.

Appreciate all your kind insight

Have fun this evening!, I can not even dream what it will mean to go inside a place filled with different PC parts of all kinds and purpose.
Most local vendors here (Argentina) have a small place with very small and narrow selection of PC parts.