Looking for a new case

[sephirothdawn2]

So I am planning on building a new computer soon, have all the parts picked except for the case.


This is the desk I have:https://www.amazon.com/Sauder-Harvest-Computer-Hutch-Finish/dp/B001E8OKQM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1514687027&sr=8-8&keywords=sauder+desk+with+hutch.
I want to sit the computer with the side facing out and it should fit under the shelf, so the case would need to be shorter than about 18.5 inches at the most. I would like it to have a window that does not show the psu or one that has a psu shroud. It would also need some good cable management.

I looked at a lot of cases that seemed great but they were all too tall, any advice would be nice.

Edit: budget would be around 160 dollars at most.

 

[volkgren]

Phanteks P400 and it is 18.30 inches tall and has a PSU shroud. I'm using it now is why it comes to mind.
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $69.99

*Edit: I just saw your edit. I'll look for a better case.

 

[Darkbreeze]

The Fractal Design Define C is under 18.5" tall, has a side window, has a PSU shroud, has pretty good cable management options and offers excellent airflow due to there not being any drive cages to interfere with airflow from front to back. Makes for a very clean build with no visible drives or power supply.

Drives mount on the backside of the motherboard tray on the cable management side. I've done several builds in the Define S (My own case actually), Define C and Define C meshify, and they are easy to work in as well as offering a fair price and good quality.

The Define S has all of the features you're looking for except the PSU shroud, but the way the side panel window is configured you can only see the top of the PSU, so that might be an option too and is generally a bit less expensive than the Define C. The Define C is available with an acrylic OR a tempered glass side panel though, while the Define S only has acrylic available.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case: Fractal Design - Define C TG ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $74.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-30 21:45 EST-0500

 

[sephirothdawn2]

Phanteks P400 and it is 18.30 inches tall and has a PSU shroud. I'm using it now is why it comes to mind.
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $69.99

*Edit: I just saw your edit. I'll look for a better case.

I was looking at that case earlier, I was a little worried the power button being on top would be hard to push though. If I don't find anything with a button on the front I might end up getting that one.

 

[vapour]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400 TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $79.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-30 21:43 EST-0500

Or

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case: NZXT - H440 (Matte Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $89.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-30 21:45 EST-0500

 

[Darkbreeze]

The Corsair Crystal 460x meets all your criteria as well.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139085&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

 

[Darkbreeze]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400 TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $79.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-30 21:43 EST-0500

Or

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case: NZXT - H440 (Matte Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $89.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-30 21:45 EST-0500

Why is it that you always just sling answers out, with no regard to what has actually been asked?

The H440 is WAY taller than the required 18.5" or smaller, and the P400 has terrible cable management. If you have not built in one I can tell you that there is very little room on the backside of the motherboard tray for cable management. Look around and you'll find tons of complaints about how difficult that case is to work with. It can be done, but it is certainly not comparable to a lot of other cases out there in regard to the ease of assembly due to limited room.

 

[sephirothdawn2]

Why do all the cases these days have the power button on top...
The 460x might be short enough to push the button in without having to move the case out.

Edit:
So far I think the meshify C would be the best out of the ones mentioned, but are there any cases with a power button that is not on the top that still looks good?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Why do all the cases these days have the power button on top..

So far I think the meshify C would be the best out of the ones mentioned, but are there any cases with a power button that is not on the top that still looks good?

Because cases with the power buttons in front are likely to get accidentally powered on or off by knees etc., when located in the front of the case. Also, since most cases these days have configurations allowing for nearly all of the front panel to be taken up by installed intake fans, there is really no other place to run the necessary wiring or install a mini-board for the USB, except at the top.

Kind of hard to have 2 or 3 fans up front and still put the power buttons on the front of the case. On older cases it was uncommon to have more than one or maybe two intake fans, and they were mostly of the 80 and 92mm variety, occasionally a single 120mm at the front bottom, so there was plenty of room for power button wiring and mini-boards for the USB, sound, etc., to be installed in front rather than at the top. Now, you will be very hard pressed to find this configuration except on very cheap cases with extremely limited cooling options.

There are I think a few decent cases out there (Can't recall which ones off the top of my head) that have the power button down at the bottom of the case front, but most people have complained that it is hard to get to and tends to get broken accidentally by casual contact from foot movements etc.

 

[sephirothdawn2]

snip

Because cases with the power buttons in front are likely to get accidentally powered on or off by knees etc., when located in the front of the case. Also, since most cases these days have configurations allowing for nearly all of the front panel to be taken up by installed intake fans, there is really no other place to run the necessary wiring or install a mini-board for the USB, except at the top.

Kind of hard to have 2 or 3 fans up front and still put the power buttons on the front of the case. On older cases it was uncommon to have more than one or maybe two intake fans, and they were mostly of the 80 and 92mm variety, occasionally a single 120mm at the front bottom, so there was plenty of room for power button wiring and mini-boards for the USB, sound, etc., to be installed in front rather than at the top. Now, you will be very hard pressed to find this configuration except on very cheap cases with extremely limited cooling options.

Makes sense I suppose. How are the feet on the meshify C case? Would they scratch a desk if you are not being careful? I had to put some cardboard pieces under the antec one I am using now which was a little annoying.

 

[Darkbreeze]

The Meshify C has the exact same feet as the Define S and Define C, which are hard rubber. They will not scratch the desk surface. They are similar material as what you would see on the bottom of a pool cue, except a bit harder. They are not "hard", but they are not "rubbery soft" either. They will not however scratch anything.

I actually have an extra set of feet from a Define/Meshify case on my workbench and grabbed one to feel it, just to be sure, and they would be good for what you want.

 

[sephirothdawn2]

The Meshify C has the exact same feet as the Define S and Define C, which are hard rubber. They will not scratch the desk surface. They are similar material as what you would see on the bottom of a pool cue, except a bit harder. They are not "hard", but they are not "rubbery soft" either. They will not however scratch anything.

Sounds good to me, I think I will pick that one.
Thanks a lot.

 

[Darkbreeze]

No problem. Good choice.

One thing I would suggest no matter which case you go with is paying a little more for a tempered glass side panel. The ones with acrylic side panel windows tend to scratch rather easily, even when only cleaning with cloths. The tempered glass is VERY hard to scratch.

 

[vapour]

@ darkbreeze

Sry I was cut off in the half way writing and couldn't check the second case. Adding second due to someone mentioning the phantek case could use better cable management. Was planning to come back and update but found you already answered, I will just discard next time if I was cut off

 

[volkgren]

If the P400 has terrible cable management I can't wait to get a case with good cable management

*The only thing wrong with the P400 is it is too narrow. So the back-side can't fit a lot of cables bunched together and it can't fit a tall air cooler. Other than that it comes with some nice rubber-coated holes and straps for cables.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I agree that it's much better than some cases out there and that the quality is decent. The fact that it IS so narrow though, is what causes the compromise on cable management. So, yes, cable management is at least MORE difficult with that case simply because it is narrow and being narrow obviously there can be less room on the backside of the motherboard tray for cable management.

Also, as you say, it limits your choices of CPU cooler. Not a big deal if you plan to use a low profile cooler or one of the shorter tower coolers, some of which are pretty good, but if you plan to overclock or simply want a larger cooler, you'll be somewhat limited so that's a factor that needs to be considered.

Having straps and grommeted pass through holes is nice, but not much help if what you're passing through can't be easily routed once they ARE through to the backside. Not the worst case out there by any measure, just, much better ones for not that much more money. I get it though, sometimes there IS no more money and for the price I'd agree it's a decent choice.

 

[sephirothdawn2]

Would it be worth waiting on the define r6 coming out in a few weeks? I looked at a few reviews and seems like a solid case too, but is it actually that different than the define C?

Edit: watched some videos on the r6, I think I will be waiting for that one instead of the C or meshify.

 

[Darkbreeze]

I would be likely to opt for the Define R6 than the Meshify. I don't particularly like the meshify, simply because the front looks like a challenged 9 year old designed it despite the fact that the rest of the case is basically the same as the others.

If you do, go with the TG model. I think the Define R6 TG is likely to become one of the most popular cases of all time because it has nearly every feature you'd ever want to see and is the continued development of a case that has consistently shown itself to be of high quality with a wagon full of desirable features. I may even decide to retire my Define S and get one myself.