Question Meshify C, Phanteks P400A or something else?

[heartagramm]

Meshify C stock, priced 95 euros, or Phanteks P400A (non-RGB)+ a couple of Noctua NF-A14 coolers for almost same price resulting in total of 4 fans? Or something else on the same budget of around 100 euros?

MSI B450 Carbon Pro, 2700X with stock cooler, RX580, Corsair RM750X. No need for RGB, and require great airflow with too much noise (easy description, eh?).

 

[DrummerManSpike]

Purchased the Meshify C Tempered Glass recently, fell in love with it instantly even though I'm not getting the rest of the components for another month (it was on sale). In terms of airflow, it looks like they'd be about the same. Both cases also have 3-pin fans included instead of 4-pin, meaning they'll be running at 100% constantly. That might contribute to a bit of noise.

What I'm noticing is that the Meshify C is much friendlier towards having multiple SSD's (Up to 5 SSD when not using any HDD, highly recommended. 2 SSD would take up the HDD brackets), while the P400A is geared towards having more HDD's (Up to 6 HDD with space for 2 SSD, but the additional brackets are sold separately, and would mount in the front side of the case). If you don't intend to use any HDDs, the Meshify C would be your best option here.

The Meshify C also has a bit more room for cable management in the back. There's a bit of an indent behind the front panel that gives optimal space to run the case cables down the side, as well as any other cables running through that area. The back of the Meshify C also has many more zip tie locations than the P400A, giving you more options for routing.

The Meshify C's customization options are also very very nice. There's a detachable panel on the bottom shroud, which allows up to 2 additional fans to be installed, one on the front, and one on the bottom (this would replace your HDD cage if implemented). The panel that the SSDs attach to is also completely removable, if you don't intend to use them, or if you want the SSDs in the drive cages. This frees up space behind the motherboard if you need that for any reason (realistically, the only benefit would be access to the CPU cooler mount, if one is used, which would let you swap coolers without detaching the mobo from the case). I've also seen that the front panel mesh can be removed entirely, and swapped out for one in a different color (sold separately).

Ideally, I'd recommend the Meshify C, however the P400A would absolutely get the job done too. If you're on a strict budget, going for the P400A would still be a great choice!

 

[heartagramm]

The looks and swappable front panel is not a reason to get either for me. I read the temperature/noise -charts from the Gamer's Nexus and they state, that the Meshify C is 7 degrees Celsius warmer than the Phanteks with same noise level. Is the Meshify really so superior in your opinion that it's the better case? I have basic setup f components and I don't want to showcase my rig, it's a pure workhorse for me, therefore I don't care if it's a bit messy inside, if temps are really that much lower. And if I get those Noctua fans, then it would get even more silent most likely, at least if I use the Noctua fans only. 🤔

Thanks for the first answer already!

 

[DrummerManSpike]

Temp is really gonna depend on your fans a lot too, like the model and how many you're putting in. The chassis between the two is very similar, with a 3x 120mm mesh front, 120mm back exhaust, and 2x 120mm top exhaust, with similar front and top options for 140mm fans. The Meshify C actually has an additional 120mm fan slot on the bottom for extra intake. I'd expect different sources to have a slightly different temp comparison between the two, but while still being in the same ballpark as each other.

But like I said, the cheaper Phanteks will definitely work well for you if you're not wanting anything fancy. You wont be compromising anything going in that direction!

Fans wise, at the very least, I would go for those two extra Noctuas, and have only one of the included case fans. 2 in the front intake, and one in the back exhaust. That'll give decent airflow and minimize noise a bit compared to having both included case fans running