Case Choice Battle / Fractal vs Corsair

[yanis31]

some pros and cons would be great, airflow v.s. noise,
i do want both, however i have a hot gpu and cpu combo so i'll say airflow is a bit more important

current prices where i live:

50.59 EUR - Corsair Midi Tower Carbide 200R CC-9011023-WW
53.59 EUR - Fractal Design Core 3000 USB 3.0 FD-CA-CORE-3000-USB3-BL
59.49 EUR - Corsair Midi Tower Graphite 230T CC-9011036-WW
64.76 EUR - Corsair Midi Tower Carbide 300R CC-9011014-WW
71.99 EUR - Fractal Design Define Arc Midi R2 FD-CA-ARC-R2-BL (78 EUR windowed)
78.23 EUR - Corsair Midi Tower Carbide 330R CC-9011024-WW
80.78 EUR - Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl FD-CA-DEF-R4-BL (90 EUR windowed)

i guess i'm mostly interested in airflow since it's not too hard to make a choice otherwise,
checking hardware canucks videos on all of these now
-i do want to buy as cheap as possible and the 200R looks very appealing but i'm afraid about
reduced airflow due to the closed front... and then the core 3000 looks like good value and comes with 1x120mm and 2x140mm fans - but does anyone know if the newer version still has no hole above motherboard to put the 8pin power cable through?
i have 3 cheapish 120mm fans laying around that are quiet when on slowest setting so i'd add those to the case to maximise airflow since i wont be spending on extra fans for now and have to make do with the ones included... i also like the option of removable drive bay for max airflow, and i hate thin, flimsy cases...

specs:
FX-6350 @ 4.5ghz, 1.428v / Zalman CNPS12X / GA-970A-UD3P / CX600M / GTX580 Windforce / 1xSSD / 1x HDD

 

[giltyler]

71.99 EUR - Fractal Design Define Arc Midi R2 FD-CA-ARC-R2-BL
This case offers lots of function and style for the few $$ more than the others.
Nice review-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7_4iAQMPCo

 

[yanis31]

yeah i'm kinda narrowing it down to arc midi vs Core 3000...
as much as i like corsair they seem to have a bit weird cable management, drive bay, front fan designs on the cheaper end..

 

[yanis31]

does anyone know if this windowed sidepanel for arc midi / define r4 is with the dark tinted window as they come on new cases?
might need to order one later if i take the midi ... not sure if i can get the windowed one delivered in time...
model number - FD-AC-WND-DEFR4-ARC-BL

 

[yanis31]

also - can anyone comment on the airflow difference between the Arc Midi and Define R4 ? - i love silent computers and the clean look but if it reduces airflow it's a no no...

 

[yanis31]

anyone? - im about ready to order and the define R4 non window costs the same as Arc Midi R2 windowed... which isn't a dealbreaker since you can order the windowed sidepanel seperately for not much money... and then you have both.
i have a zalman cnps12x so i won't be doing watercooling... the only thing that makes me shy away from the R4 is the potentially reduced front
intake airflow... and the fact that Arc Midi comes with an extra 140mm fan out of the box (the fan costs the same as the window sidepanel)
other than that - silence and the looks of R4 All the Way!

- so if anyone has any experience - what sort of temperature difference would i experience between them...?
if it's negligible with bottom and top fans installed im getting the R4... but i do run a overclocked system on air so this does make a difference...