Hey there, fine peoples! 🙃 In continuation of constructing my new PC, I am at the difficult case + cooler selection stage. Here's what my system will have, and what I'm looking for in a case & cooler:
FULL SYSTEM:
CASE FANS:
I assume having the 420/360mm radiator top-mounted would make the most sense, to keep heat at the top(exhaust) and to keep internal case airflow restriction to a minimum. I know the Fractal Torrent is THE case to get for best general airflow, with 2 x 200mm front intake fans, but that case doesn't seem to make sense for my big PSU and 420mm AIO. I care about cooling over noise, so I don't need dead silence. I also likely want a case that's tunnel-shaped, not one that's too TALL or square, which may cause all kinds of airflow problems. I don't think HYTE Y60 is the best option, with poor GPU airflow, and GPU ribbon cable that only supports PCIe-3.0(?).
So, here are the only cases I've found that have: 2 x 200mm front fans, 420+mm top radiator, ATX/eATX/XL-ATX, and 220+mm PSU:
Because of the cramped GPU limitation 3 of these cases have, that would narrow it down, between these options, to the Level 20 XT and Core X9, with Core X9 being the older, smaller, uglier, inferior-seeming option.
Hm, looking closer at the Level 20 XT, it appears there are ONLY 2 thin grills for intake air on the front panel... That makes zero sense, with 2 200mm fans behind the panel glass :\ I would have to take the front panel off, and leave it off.
FULL SYSTEM:
- 13900K (no plans to OC, but misc rendering=yes. Will likely try a better mounting plate for it)
- 3090 Ti (EVGA <3) (300mm length)
- 1600W T2 (220mm length)
- ATX/eATX/XL-ATX mobo
- ~32GB DDR5-6000 CL30
- 4 x 2TB 980 Pro Gen2 M.2
- ~2 x 3TB HDD
- Best 420mm AIO (No idea. Maybe 360mm is still plenty?)
- (OR)
- Best air cooler (Noctua D15 w/3 fans?)
CASE FANS:
- All Noctua, 200mm (and under) (unless there's a better fan brand out there?)
I assume having the 420/360mm radiator top-mounted would make the most sense, to keep heat at the top(exhaust) and to keep internal case airflow restriction to a minimum. I know the Fractal Torrent is THE case to get for best general airflow, with 2 x 200mm front intake fans, but that case doesn't seem to make sense for my big PSU and 420mm AIO. I care about cooling over noise, so I don't need dead silence. I also likely want a case that's tunnel-shaped, not one that's too TALL or square, which may cause all kinds of airflow problems. I don't think HYTE Y60 is the best option, with poor GPU airflow, and GPU ribbon cable that only supports PCIe-3.0(?).
So, here are the only cases I've found that have: 2 x 200mm front fans, 420+mm top radiator, ATX/eATX/XL-ATX, and 220+mm PSU:
CASE | Radiator | PSU size | GPU size | Mobo mount | 5.25" Bays |
| Thermaltake View 37 | 420mm (side) | 220mm | ?mm; 410mm w/out fan | Verticle | None |
| Thermaltake V71 | 420mm | 220mm | 310mm; 480mm w/out HDD rack | Verticle | 2 |
| Thermaltake Level 20 GT | 420mm (side) | 220mm | 310mm; 410mm w/out HDD rack | Verticle | None |
| Thermaltake Level 20 XT | 2x420/480mm | 220mm | 400mm; 590mm w/out ODD cage | Horizontle | None |
Because of the cramped GPU limitation 3 of these cases have, that would narrow it down, between these options, to the Level 20 XT and Core X9, with Core X9 being the older, smaller, uglier, inferior-seeming option.
Hm, looking closer at the Level 20 XT, it appears there are ONLY 2 thin grills for intake air on the front panel... That makes zero sense, with 2 200mm fans behind the panel glass :\ I would have to take the front panel off, and leave it off.
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Bigger = less noise, also. I just wish the exhaust fan power(140+mm!) was stronger than the intake(as it should be?), which is likely NOT the case with most cases(unless their intake airflow sucks). I really wish Fractal had a more accomodating version of the Torrent, where I could fit my 220mm PSU, 420/480mm AIO, and big GPU.
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