Help finding the perfect case

[vegard.olav.wahl]

Hi guys,

I'm retiring my 5 year old gaming pc, and building a new one in the next few months. I think I'm happy with the parts I've eventually picked out, but I can't for the life of me find a case I really want.

What I'm looking for:

- Silent case
- Decent cooling
- Can fit 2x120/140 radiator on top
- Can fit 2x120/140 fans at the front
- Dustfilters on all vents
- Decent cable management
- Separated PSU storage space

Components I've decided on:

- Asus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Strix
- Asus ROG Maximus X Hero
- i5 8600k
Rest of the components isn't a deal breaker, so can change if it doesn't fit the perfect case.

Price doesn't matter, the aesthetics doesn't matter, size, weight, etc. doesn't matter, I like large cases. Maybe there's no case like this, but anything similar is more than welcome. I appreciate any help or tips you might have!

 

[g-unit1111]

There's tons of cases out there that would meet your requirements, and a lot of them do look good. Here's a few of my go to cases:

- NZXT S340 Elite: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3TYWGX/nzxt-ca-s340w-b3-atx-mid-tower-case-ca-s340w-b3
- Phanteks Enthoo Pro: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mn3RsY/phanteks-case-phes614pbk
- Corsair Crystal 570X: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wLdFf7/corsair-cc-9011098-ww-atx-mid-tower-case-cc-9011098-ww
- Fractal Design Meshify C: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Y6Crxr/fractal-design-meshify-c-atx-mid-tower-case-fd-ca-mesh-c-bko-tg
- Phanteks Enthoo Evolv: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/NRvZxr/phanteks-case-phes515etgbk

There's also the new EVGA DG7 series cases: https://www.evga.com/products/productlist.aspx?type=11&family=Chassis&chipset=DG-7

But I think the Enthoo Pro would probably be your best bet out of all of those, but you can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[Darkbreeze]

None of those have separated PSU compartments. They all have PSU shrouds. I think that is probably what the OP meant anyway, but it's probably best to be sure because there ARE units where the power supply sits in a completely separate bay on the backside of the motherboard tray.

I would definitely cast votes for the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX, The Define C tempered glass, any of the Corsair crystal series and that company of of Colorada, mean:it has some really decent products too. I think there are some deals on the Enthoo Evolve ATX right now but I'd have to check.

If you want a slightly more budget friendly option, the Fractal Design Focus G cases offer very good features and aesthetics for a case that's usually 55-65 bucks.

Will you be overclocking, to any significant degree?

 

[JoeMomma]

What I'm looking for:

- Silent case
- Decent cooling
- Can fit 2x120/140 radiator on top
- Can fit 2x120/140 fans at the front
- Dustfilters on all vents
- Decent cable management
- Separated PSU storage space

Price doesn't matter, the aesthetics doesn't matter, size, weight, etc. doesn't matter, I like large cases. Maybe there's no case like this, but anything similar is more than welcome. I appreciate any help or tips you might have!

be quiet! Dark Base 700 -$170

 

[vegard.olav.wahl]

Thanks for all replies!

.

I'll check them out. Already looked at the Meshify C and loved it, until I watched a video and they couldn't fit a radiator on the top.

.

Yes sorry, a PSU shroud is what I meant, but not necessery. I will take a look at those cases for sure, thank you.

I will be overclocking. Not a lot of experience with it, but I like to read )

be quiet! Dark Base 700 -$170

That looked very nice, I'll check out that too.

 

[g-unit1111]

Thanks for all replies!

.

I'll check them out. Already looked at the Meshify C and loved it, until I watched a video and they couldn't fit a radiator on the top.

Is there a link to that video? I think it would totally depend on the size of the radiator being used. I would think in the case of the Meshify C that a 120mm radiator like the Corsair H110 would be able to fit on the top, but a 240mm radiator like a NZXT Kraken X62 would have to be front mounted due to the compact size of the case.

be quiet! Dark Base 700 -$170

That is a good option as well.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Personally, while I do very much like some of the Be Quiet coolers and fans, I'm not a fan of their cases. (Pun unintentional.)
I think they tend to be on the skinny side, not support large air coolers well or when they do, not have much room under the motherboard tray for cable management as compared to a lot of other cases out there. They may have improved this area on some of their newer models, but I haven't checked into those as of yet.

To each their own though.


If you are going to be overclocking the CPU or graphics card, or most especially if you'll be doing both, I'd really suggest giving consideration to a case with a full open front. Cases with very limited front entry points for air can tend to exhibit undesirable noises from air movement past the restrictions, that an open front case does not make. If the front case panel is open all the way around, as with the Define S and cases of that type, not AS much of a concern. I have found that cases like the H440 do have this issue so I don't recommend those for overclocked systems especially if you're going to have a water cooling radiator up front.

I don't like top mounted radiators. It's self defeating. Either you lose the majority of your exhaust fan capability, because you turn those locations into intakes and now you only have a single rear exhaust, or you use already heated air to try and cool your radiator which makes it much more difficult to be efficient. That's just my opinion but I think it holds up as a valid one.

 

[vegard.olav.wahl]

Thanks for all replies!

.

I'll check them out. Already looked at the Meshify C and loved it, until I watched a video and they couldn't fit a radiator on the top.

Is there a link to that video? I think it would totally depend on the size of the radiator being used. I would think in the case of the Meshify C that a 120mm radiator like the Corsair H110 would be able to fit on the top, but a 240mm radiator like a NZXT Kraken X62 would have to be front mounted due to the compact size of the case.

be quiet! Dark Base 700 -$170

That is a good option as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoxpAl5ED0Y

Here's the video, starts at around 2 min. He's trying with a 280mm radiator, but it doesn't look like a 240mm would fit either, with fans attached. Unless the depth differ that much between 280 and 240?

Personally, while I do very much like some of the Be Quiet coolers and fans, I'm not a fan of their cases. (Pun unintentional.)
I think they tend to be on the skinny side, not support large air coolers well or when they do, not have much room under the motherboard tray for cable management as compared to a lot of other cases out there. They may have improved this area on some of their newer models, but I haven't checked into those as of yet.

To each their own though.


If you are going to be overclocking the CPU or graphics card, or most especially if you'll be doing both, I'd really suggest giving consideration to a case with a full open front. Cases with very limited front entry points for air can tend to exhibit undesirable noises from air movement past the restrictions, that an open front case does not make. If the front case panel is open all the way around, as with the Define S and cases of that type, not AS much of a concern. I have found that cases like the H440 do have this issue so I don't recommend those for overclocked systems especially if you're going to have a water cooling radiator up front.

I don't like top mounted radiators. It's self defeating. Either you lose the majority of your exhaust fan capability, because you turn those locations into intakes and now you only have a single rear exhaust, or you use already heated air to try and cool your radiator which makes it much more difficult to be efficient. That's just my opinion but I think it holds up as a valid one.

I appreciate the input. I have read similar about Be Quiet!, but never tried them. All cases I read about has someone being negative, different tastes and all that, so it's hard to find a case when all I have is videos and reviews.

What do you mean by a case with a full open front? No filters, nothing?

My thought was to have two intake fans at the front, exhaust at rear and maybe bottom, with a pull 240+mm radiator on top. Maybe it doesn't hold up. Pull configd radiator front, intake top, exhaust rear? It's not much difference in my head. Exhaust top maybe, since heat rises, making it easier to cool. Changing rad placement maybe makes Meshify C an option again.

 

[g-unit1111]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoxpAl5ED0Y

Here's the video, starts at around 2 min. He's trying with a 280mm radiator, but it doesn't look like a 240mm would fit either, with fans attached. Unless the depth differ that much between 280 and 240?

A 240mm radiator is essentially a radiator with mounts for 2 x 120mm fans, and a 280mm radiator is a radiator with 2 x 140mm fans. If you check the specs on the case it should tell you how many fan mounts there and what size they can accommodate. In the case of this video it sounds like they were trying to fit a radiator that was too big for the fan mounts provided. However that is only the top part of the case. They don't take into account a front-mounting option which you could easily do if the mounts accommodate for it.

 

[Darkbreeze]

All modern cases say directly on the product page specifications WHICH sizes of water cooling radiators they support. The caveat however is that not every radiator has the exact same external dimensions, regardless of what size fans or fan mountings they use. Generally speaking though, if it says it will fit a specific radiator size, ie, 240mm, 280mm, then it usually does. In some cases though its actually the DEPTH of the assembly including the radiator and fans, that is problematic due to how high or low on the motherboard tray that the motherboard is mounted at. If a motherboard is mounted to close to the top of the case then there can be interference issues with VRM/Northbridge heatsinks or RAM. Taking measurements or simply finding confirmation of a similar setup generally helps to avoid that.


As far as full open front, I guess I thought I was clear but looking back maybe I was not. I mean open as in not a solid front panel design with only a few small holes or a slot in the bottom of the panel for air to come through. This would be a full open front, just as an example.

while this would be a pretty restricted one:

Either will work, even if you overclock, but there is clear and incontravertible evidence that cases which either come with open fronts or are modified to have open fronts, have WAY better cooling performance but they are also not AS quiet those designed to muffle internal noise from fans, CPU coolers and graphics cards. Personally, in my opinion if you choose high quality components with good noise characteristics, this shouldn't be a problem even on a very much overclocked system with a full or mostly full open front panel. Or even no front panel at all.


I modified my front panel on my Define S window and with no other modifications or changes to the CPU cooler or intake fan profiles, my full stress temperatures dropped by 5°C and my idle temps dropped by 7°C.


Before:

After:

I'm probably even going to redo it again, using mod mesh like you see in the first picture I posted up above with the circular holes. I actually don't care as much for the angular holes in the piece I used as I thought I would when I first did it. I'll also probably increase the size of the opening to within about 1/2 of the edges all the way around. Plus, the define S has slots along all sides and the bottom of the front panel, so it has a lot more airflow than something like the H440 front panel even without modification. Not having any drive cages on the hardware side of the case internals helps a lot with airflow as well.

Having a bunch of drive mount locations on the backside of the motherboard tray is really, really nice in that regard plus it allows a much cleaner look and also gives you additional real estate for mounting things like the Hue+ controller or radiators or reservoirs, since there is nothing directly behind the front panel to get in the way.

I have five drives installed in my Define S and you can't see any of them since they are all on the other side of the motherboard tray in the cable management area. No issues with heat on any of my SSDs either, since all my internal drives are of the solid state variety.

 

[vegard.olav.wahl]

A 240mm radiator is essentially a radiator with mounts for 2 x 120mm fans, and a 280mm radiator is a radiator with 2 x 140mm fans. If you check the specs on the case it should tell you how many fan mounts there and what size they can accommodate. In the case of this video it sounds like they were trying to fit a radiator that was too big for the fan mounts provided. However that is only the top part of the case. They don't take into account a front-mounting option which you could easily do if the mounts accommodate for it.

I understand that, I'm more worried about the space between top and motherboard, and if the radiator will have enough clearence from the motherboard. So far IMO, this isn't mentioned in some cases. This is what was the problem in the video. He eventually installed the radiator at the front.

.

That's what I assumed, I thought maybe you meant a completely open front. This is why the Define series isnt so attractive to me, becasue of the closed front. What you have done looks nice, did you do it yourself? A Define S case with the front you linked to in the first picture would be perfect for me. Do you know what the clearence is between motherboard and top part of case? Fractal only mentiones radiators for 140mm fans, saying nothing about 120, 240, 360 radiators which I was planning to use. The radiator I was looking at has a height of 68 mm.

From Define S page:

Top – 420, 360, 280, 240, 140 and 120 mm radiators. (A thickness limitation of 55mm for both radiator + fan applies on 420, 280 and 140 mm radiators)

Thanks for all of your help/input, I appreciate your time. I find it difficult, it's a lot to figure out when it comes to component sizes and compatability.

 

[Darkbreeze]

It depends on the motherboard too. They are not all the same dimensions when it comes to the placement of the various components AND the actual PCB material itself. That is why you sort of have to make decisions factoring in all elements including the case, the radiator (Or HSF) AND the specific motherboard.

USUALLY, if the case was intended for use with liquid cooling in that location, AND if it is a case towards the upper middle to high end of the overall spectrum, most will fit. Some cheaper cases or those from more generic manufacturers, Rosewill being one for example (Although Rosewill TOO has cases that range from low to high quality), might be less stringent in their assessment of what will or will not work in any given model.

Personally, I'd almost certainly use a front mounted radiator if I was going to use liquid cooling. It eliminates much of the guesswork since there are far fewer potential interference issues in that area plus it assures that using an intake configuration won't result in going against the grain so to speak as far as adhering to traditional intake and exhaust fan schemes.

 

[Darkbreeze]

It depends on the motherboard too. They are not all the same dimensions when it comes to the placement of the various components AND the actual PCB material itself. That is why you sort of have to make decisions factoring in all elements including the case, the radiator (Or HSF) AND the specific motherboard. Also, there are additional factors to consider such as where the cabling for the CPU_FAN and EPS 12v connectors are going to be located on the motherboard. Looking at my current configuration I'd think that the 8 pin power cable going to my EPS 12v power socket on the motherboard would likely be an interference issue using the Define S and Gigabyte Z170x-Gaming 5 motherboard due to the placement of the EPS 12v socket being right along the upper edge of the motherboard above the heatsinks for the VRM/Northbridge assemblies.

USUALLY, if the case was intended for use with liquid cooling in that location, AND if it is a case towards the upper middle to high end of the overall spectrum, most will fit. Some cheaper cases or those from more generic manufacturers, Rosewill being one for example (Although Rosewill TOO has cases that range from low to high quality), might be less stringent in their assessment of what will or will not work in any given model.

Personally, I'd almost certainly use a front mounted radiator if I was going to use liquid cooling. It eliminates much of the guesswork since there are far fewer potential interference issues in that area plus it assures that using an intake configuration won't result in going against the grain so to speak as far as adhering to traditional intake and exhaust fan schemes.