Best Mid-Tower case?

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eliptic

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Jul 2, 2017
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ey guys I'm going to be making my own computer and I'm really stuck on which case to buy as there are lots out there. I'm completely new to building pc's and I'm looking for something between 90$-130$ and something that will show off my RGB lights!

Thanks for your help!

ASUS GeForce GTX 1070 STRIX 8G-GAMING
Corsair RM750x
ASUS ROG STRIX Z270E GAMING


 
Solution
raisonjohn


Pcpartpicker is pertaining to the 4x removable drive mounting trays located at the interior front portion of the Phanteks P400 that may be obstructed with the Strix GTX 1070's length (but not the 2x HDD drive trays located inside the PSU shroud below):
P400-13.jpg


So, you will still have that 2x HDD drive trays...
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What CPU Cooler will you install? This is imperative as the case you select should have enough clearance (in the case of tall air coolers) and enough radiator mounting locations (in the case of AIOs/liquid cooling).

How many internal drives (2.5" SSD and 3.5" HDD) will you be using (and planning to use in the future)?

Do you need external 5.25" drive bay mounting (e.g. a DVD/CD/Bluray drive or a fan controller)?

Are you going for maximum airflow (lots of case fan mounting location and open vents) or maximum silence (closed/dampened panels)?

Do you prefer ultra-minimalist case designs (clean looks) or alien-spaceship-inspired gaming rigs with lots of bling-blings?

Is there a specific case measurement that you wish to maintain (depth of your desk, overall height of the case, etc.)?
 
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Im getting a Corsair Hydro Series H110i. The case I'm looking at at the moment is a Phanteks P400 especially because its got RGB lights. Would it be a good fit? And I'm only planning on putting a 2TB 3.5' HDD in. Thats probably it in terms of storage. No plans on changing storage either.
 
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Great pick but I'd prefer something with full window. Would the Phanteks 400 be a good choice for that? It looks extremely simple for me since I'm new to this stuff. Appreciate the help!
 
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Ah, so you're going for clean looks...

Yes, the Phanteks P400 (it comes with Acrylic and Tempered Glass versions) would support that H110i radiator but only at the front (intake). The top mounting of the case only supports 120mm-wide fans (i.e., radiators in the 120/240/360 lengths; not the 140/280). It has a nice PSU shroud and great cable management area. Since your only option for the CPU cooling is to mount the radiator in front, the HDD mounting locations will only be limited to 2x 3.5" HDDs (inside the PSU shroud). The case still has 2x dedicated 2.5" SSD (at the back of the motherboard tray). It has no external 5.25" drive bays. There is also the Phanteks P400S (intended for a more silent PC, which also comes in Acrylic or Tempered Glass versions).

If you want to mount the 280mm-sized H110i radiator at the top, then, you might want to consider the Fractal Design Define S (http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/define-series/define-s-window), which has more HDD mounting (3x) and the same SSD mounting (2x) locations - all behind the motherboard tray:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case: Fractal Design - Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $69.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-04 05:51 EDT-0400
 
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For RGB preference, and the limited number of storage drives that you will install, yes, the Phanteks P400 is a good choice.

Consider the tempered glass version if you want full window. Note that the P400 comes with Black, White, Black+White, and Gray models:

Black: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Jjhj4D/phanteks-eclipse-p400-tempered-glass-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-ec416ptg_bk
White: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vghj4D/phanteks-eclipse-p400-tempered-glass-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-ec416ptg_wt
Black/White: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/h4jWGX/phanteks-eclipse-p400-tempered-glass-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-ec416ptg_bw
Gray: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/XTDzK8/phanteks-eclipse-p400-tempered-glass-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-ec416ptg_ag
 
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It's a matter of preference and a case-to-case basis depending on your specific needs/wants and other factors.

Typically, AIO radiators mounted at the top are exhaust (fans pull in slightly warmer air from inside your case and pushes that warm air thru the radiator, where such air becomes even 'hotter', and continues to exhaust it outside the case); AIO radiators mounted in front are intake (fans pull in significantly cooler ambient air from outside your case and pushes that cold air thru the radiator, where such air now becomes slightly warmer, and continues to flow inside your case).

The effect of AIO radiators mounted as exhaust will typically have slightly cooler CPU temps and a significantly cooler temperature for components inside your case (GPU, RAM, motherboard, etc.). On the other hand, AIO radiators mounted as intake will typically have significantly cooler CPU temps but at the expense of slightly warmer temperature for your other components inside your case.
 
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....Touche'! :)

I'm 53, so had/have little interest in RGB strips, although I can see a bit of LED glow-fest going on in my MB, but, since it sits under the TV, I don't pay much attention to it....

The Corsair100R is not the roomiest case, and I'd sure look elsewhere if desiring full view inside for flaashy effects; it's just many of the appropriate cases for this are an extra $150, and I'd rather sink that money into an M.2 NVME drive, or a better GPU....; of course, folks with unlimited budgets are clear to choose $200-$400 cases to their hearts' content! :)
 
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Is the fractal design define S the best option for putting water cooler on the top? what about the enthoo pro? and the NZXT S340 Elite? Sorry if I'm asking you so much but i rather get a different opinion than youtube channels. and pcpartpicker is telling me my graphics card cant fit into a phanteks p400 without removing hard drive bays as well as putting on AIO cooler on front. so I'm guessing it won't work as I have the graphics card will go into the AIO cooler?
 
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For a cleaner look and proportional size, yes, the Define S is very suitable for your needs.

The Enthoo Pro (http://www.phanteks.com/enthoo-pro.html) also supports 280mm rads at the top (not at the front). However, that case is a very large one (a full tower), with 3x 5.25" exterior drive bays and numerous 3.5"/2.5" interior mounting that you won't even use. Apart from that, the Pro has a split-window (not full window which you prefer), effectively decreasing what you can show-off inside.

But, if you are pertaining to the Enthoo Pro M - Tempered Glass version (http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Pro-M-TemperedGlass.html), then, that would be a better (and more proportionate) alternative to the Fractal Design Define S, though, it does costs more.

Acrylic Window version (smaller window) at ~$80: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/jrVBD3/phanteks-case-phes515pbk
Tempered Glass version (full window) at ~$108: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/2mQRsY/phanteks-enthoo-pro-m-tempered-glass-atx-mid-tower-case-ph-es515ptg_bk
 
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Pcpartpicker is pertaining to the 4x removable drive mounting trays located at the interior front portion of the Phanteks P400 that may be obstructed with the Strix GTX 1070's length (but not the 2x HDD drive trays located inside the PSU shroud below):
P400-13.jpg


So, you will still have that 2x HDD drive trays available (inside that PSU shroud as shown above) and the 2x SSD drive trays at the back of the motherboard in the P400:
P400-7.jpg


Check this sample build using the P400 and the GTX 1070 Strix: https://pcpartpicker.com/b/wd9J7P
202987.99fa6efbed5cca8b8e5d1850881f0dbb.1600.jpg

202987.ea6f25507f6d0c009dd83b1fabf24ffd.1600.jpg

Photos above shows the actual GTX 1070 Strix's length and how much space remains for a front mounted radiator (occupies the drive trays that is possible to be mounted at that area). The other photo shows the back of the motherboard tray where you can see the 2x SSD mounting positions as well as the 2x HDD drive bays at the bottom - still available, despite the GTX 1070's inclusion in the build.

As for the NZXT S340 Elite, that case doesn't support mounting the 280mm-sized rad at the top (only supports it at the front, similar to the Phanteks P400): https://www.nzxt.com/products/s340-elite-black
 
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Solution
thanks so much! think i'll go with the phanteks enthoo pro M tempered glass. But as i live in switzerland everything is overpriced 😉 just one last question as you've been so informative and helpful, is that how many watts do you think all this stuff needs?
 
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A good-quality 550W PSU should be more than enough to handle a rig built around a GTX 1070 + i7-7700K + other basic components. It'll have considerable headroom already for OC'ing or future upgrades. That said, to save on costs, you may want to replace the 750W PSU you initially-selected (though that is a great quality PSU).

You can select the Corsair RM550x (or even the RM650x if the price difference is very minimal) to lessen the costs. You can also look at the EVGA SuperNova G2 550 or the EVGA SuperNova G3 550. All of the aforementioned PSUs are of great quality.
 
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How about the Phanteks p400 or the Coolermaster Masterbox 5
 
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