Mini Tower mATX Case

[Bogdan Barbu]

Hi,

Regardless of price, I'm trying to find a mini tower mATX case with the following features:

• 
  ■ Good airflow with top and side vents.
  ■ PSU goes at the bottom of the case.
  ■ Can hold CPU coolers at least 165 mm tall.
  ■ Uses sound dampening material.

I'd appreciate any suggestions.

Cheers,
Bogdan

 

[tiny voices]

NZXT Vulcan. Easy.

I have one and it is amazing. I have SLI gtx560s with no cooling problems at all, and a coolermaster hyper T4 CPU cooler.

Doesn't have sound dampening though. Maybe look at the Corsair 350D.

 

[Bogdan Barbu]

NZXT Vulcan. Easy.

I have one and it is amazing. I have SLI gtx560s with no cooling problems at all, and a coolermaster hyper T4 CPU cooler.

Doesn't have sound dampening though. Maybe look at the Corsair 350D.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I had already seen the two and here is my take on them, although I do realize I am unlikely to find a case that is absolutely perfect for my needs and that I am probably going to have to compromise in one way or another---so sorry if I seem a little picky:

• 
  ■ Neither is designed with silent computing in mind: no sound dampening material (I use 3 fans for the CPU cooler, the video card and PSU come with another two each, and I also plan on installing a number of case fans) and no anti-vibration grommets for the HDD (which runs at 10,000 RPM). All these things will add up to a noisy system.
  ■ Neither of them allow for a side fan.
  ■ I am worried about the NZXT Vulcan's side panel, which will probably disrupt the airflow and let dust through when the system is not running. It has no front USB 3.0 ports and I'm also not a big fan of its looks since I prefer more simplistic designs (see below).
  ■ Despide the disadvantages mentioned above, while taking a closer look at Corsair's Obsidian 350D as per your advice, I decided this is my top option so far. (Thanks!)

Originally, I had hoped to get the Fractal Design Define Mini. Alas, my CPU cooler is too big for it. Going into minor disadvantages again, the CPU cutout is rather small and it's not particularly fit for larger video cards.

Cheers,
Bogdan

 

[Bogdan Barbu]

Actually, the Corsair Obsidian 350D isn't good at all since it won't even fit the 165 mm cooler I mentioned in the original post. If anyone else has suggestions, I'd love to hear them.