Case Upgrade: THOR 2 vs. Level 10 GT vs. BLACKHAWK ULTRA

[Zylicyde]

Thinking about a case upgrade, and have it narrowed down to these three.

Rosewill THOR 2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053

Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133192

Rosewill BLACKHAWK ULTRA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147157

Here is what will be going in it; I'm going for maximum airflow while keeping plenty of room for my bulky Antec Kuhler H2O and the fans alongside it, as well as what will eventually be a GTX 980 SLI. Better cable management will also be a plus.

CPU: Intel Core i7 4790k
CPU Cooler: Antec Kuhler H2O 950
GPU: EVGA GTX 980 SC
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 750W
RAM: 16GB DDR3 Patriot Extreme 2400mhz

Which would be my best choice? Or do you have another you'd recommend?

Thanks!

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Rosewill BLACKHAWK ULTRA

 

[flamefire999]

I would get the BLACKHAWK. It comes with 8 fans and has 10 3.5" bays. The THOR only comes with 4 fans and the Thermaltake only has 4 fans too. But besides the extra fans, there's really no difference between the 3 except looks and a huge price difference.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Each of those cases is designed to catch the eye and make you look at it ..... my issue with them is that "look at me" design gets old after some time. Of the three listed I'd echo SR-71's recommendation but if there's other choices to be put on the table, I'd choose the Enthoo Luxe in a heartbeat.... in white it's gorgeous. The Luxe is basically a fancier version of its little brother the Enthoo pro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkRJsjuvQVY

And when super modder / builder Bill Owen does a 20+ minute review on a case....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-Y1Cr_uJdo

 

[RSutter67]

for the price range i'd say the Black hawk Ultra also with 8 pre installed fans want a monster go for an old eleysium case room for 2 psu's 4 water coolers an my 9lb cat lmao!

 

[flamefire999]

Each of those cases is designed to catch the eye and make you look at it ..... my issue with them is that "look at me" design gets old after some time. Of the three listed I'd echo SR-71's recommendation but if there's other choices to be put on the table, I'd choose the Enthoo Luxe in a heartbeat.... in white it's gorgeous. The Luxe is basically a fancier version of its little brother the Enthoo pro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkRJsjuvQVY

And when super modder / builder Bill Owen does a 20+ minute review on a case....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-Y1Cr_uJdo

If he didn't like the flashy design then the 750D or the 900D would be the best case. The 900D is like the BLACKHAWK ULTRA except without the lights.

 

[RSutter67]

Xigmatek Elysium Super Tower its a monster!!!!

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I replaced 750D / 900D builds with Enthoo builds. They are all great cases but forgetting aesthetics, from a features / performance standpoint, it's not close. It was Phanteks that took the Case of the Year Awards home from Computex in 2013 and 2014.

 

[Zylicyde]

Wow, that was quick! I didn't even get any answers in my other topic, which prompted this one... (Still looking for an answer there, haha...)

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2475514/questions-changing-fans-airflow-rosewill-challenger.html

But yeah, I looked at all of the cases suggested here. I'm not against "plain looking" cases if the airflow and ease of installation is good, but I will admit that I do like some aesthetics to my cases; not necessarily flashy LEDs everywhere, but for it to look somewhat modern.

With that said, I'm not a fan of the Corsair Obsidian 750D or the Enthoo Luxe, since the Blackhawk Ultra has a lot more fans to go with it for the same style and similar price, but the Enthoo Luxes do look really, really nice. Especially the white one.

Between them all, I guess I'm now looking most at the Blackhawk Ultra. And I can actually get one from Amazon for $130, so it would be my best value as well. So I guess Blackhawk Ultra it is! Thanks!

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Of course the lists of what a case provides may have many features which are not on a buyer's hot list. The value in the Enthoo comes from

-Best performance / noise ratio fans on the market...and ya get more than enough
-Fans are inaudible
-Build in LED controller
-Built in Fan controller ($20 if bought separately)
-Built in Pump Mounts
-Built In Reservoir Mounts
-Built in SSD mounts
-Not pop rivited
-Built in PSU Shroud....PSU and cables not visible thru window
-Easily removable fan filters

The aesthetic value of the Enthoo and a great part of it's award history and strong customer demand, comes not from looking at the empty case but the finished build. This is where the competition falls short..... no cables in sight other than the PCI-E feeding the GFX card .... no PSU in sight either.

But if these things are not high on one's hit list, other factors will rule the day.