Question What do/should you look for in a case? What are some good examples?

[UKTone]

I never used water cooling before, so i want to start with aio cooling until i feel comfortable enough to go with custom water cooling. I might go with a 240mm, 360mm or 420mm aio and the motherboard will be an atx (but may want to have the option to change to an eatx for when i upgrade) so want a case for those clearances. But, other than that, i'm not sure what i should look for in a case. I also do have an optical drive in my current build, but not necessary since i'll use usb for the windows installation. I also don't need any hdd bays. What are some good examples of what you guys typically buy/recommend?

 

[Lutfij]

If you're looking for good temps you generally look for an open internal layout, meshed front panel, not to mention top and rear venting to aid with ventilation of the case's innards. Just don't look for a case that has glass panels on all sides, they are the worst when in comes to netting good temps. AIO are the same as custom watercooling, albeit you can't add components to the loop. You might want to read through the Closed Loop Cooling section in the watercooling sticky, listed in my sig space, has a lot of information to help get your feet wet.

Lian-Li as of recent have been friendly with EATX motherboards and are generally aren't expensive.

You could look into this one by Fractal;

Torrent

Built to maximize cooling potential straight out of the box, the Torrent comes with a brand-new component layout and two custom-made 180 x 38 mm Dynamic PWM / Prisma RGB fans. The Torrent is a perfect fit for anyone serious about high-end cooling – with or without a custom water loop.

www.fractal-design.com

Aside from the above, where are you located, what is your budget and what would your preferred site for purchase be?

 

[UKTone]

Dearborn, Michigan. Best Buy (employee discount), Microcenter, Amazon (Prime), Newegg, in this order.

No budget limit, as long as it's reasonable and i do want to keep it for some years. But if a number is needed, under $250.