[SOLVED] What the best ATX computer chassis for my upcoming Ryzen 7 3700X (8 Cores/16 Threads - TDP:65W) setup?

Page 4 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

valeman2012

Distinguished
Apr 10, 2012
1,272
11
19,315
What the best ATX Form Factor Case for my upcoming Ryzen 7 3700X Setup?

Price ranges from $25 to $100 USD (AMAZON and Newegg Only - No Microcenter)
Form Factor: ATX

Cable Management Difficulty: Easy
 
Last edited:
Solution
Newer cpus don't require more cooling. One of the hottest running cpus of all time was the Pentium 4, any of the extreme series of c2q, any of the 140 HEDT cpus, the amd fx 9 series cpus etc. What requires more cooling is you. Ppl are finally getting around to knowing that cpus under 70° (the lower the better) are best. For years, ppl didn't care, coolers were mostly an afterthought. Now, cool and quiet is king.

valeman2012

Distinguished
Apr 10, 2012
1,272
11
19,315
It's a pretty solid option. Well built, big window, cable hiding bar, decent airflow.

You can opt for the h100i for rgb.
No Plans to overclock anything...i am there plug and play...I was planning to get a PCIe Gen4 SSD, but i going just go get a Intel 660P 512GB should be enough alongside my Intel Optane 900P and get rid of the 120GB NVMe SSD`s and HDD, H500 with the PCIe Gen4 SSD would be good too.
 
Last edited:

valeman2012

Distinguished
Apr 10, 2012
1,272
11
19,315
For gaming right now the pcie4 isn't a benefit, but in the years to come it may be. The pcie4 ssds are great for content creators now.

The 512gb 660p drives are very fast as well. Definitely more usable than any 120gb NVME.
Pooh. My old 128Gb Samsung 840 Pro Sata3 ssd puddles along just fine. Just takes a little foresight when installing anything new.
My 120gb HP S700 (which is 65% slower than an 840) still is very fast. I use it as a nas cache drive now. Dead reliable.
It was a my digital 120GB NVMe SSD.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
That's what cracks me up some days, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a 120Gb ssd as OS drive, could slap in a 250 for games and a 1Tb hdd for long term storage, yet ppl freak out anyways because the 120 is so small. Windows isn't any larger than it used to be, it's still @ 60Gb. Wasn't that long ago that a 120Gb was over $100, the 250's were the biggest available and some were over $300. So ppl got the 120Gb and that was the general recommendation. Now a 250 is minimal and 500 preferable. If not, NVMe.

My ex father-in-law was the first I heard of to get more than 1Tb worth of storage, it was 2x brand spanking new 540Mb hdds, to the tune of over $1000, when the prior largest drive was a 480Mb.

Too many puppies have no clue. I remember dancing over the fact I got a great deal on a brand new 16Mb 3dfx Voodoo 2, on the day it went public... I remember when adding 5K of ram was a huge deal. Diamond supramax 56k v.92 modem.

And ppl are hyped over a 2 second gain on boot times with ssd vs NVMe.

Bah lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: valeman2012

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
My 128Gb sits at @ 70Gb and hasn't budged in years. As far as default installs go, I never choose the express option, always custom and even if not given that choice, almost all installed programs with an executable use an avi with changeable installation address. I'm not trusting of anything that forces its wishes on my pc, like one click auto installs. Either the program gets installed where I want it to, or I'll get a competitors version. 😊
 
  • Like
Reactions: valeman2012

valeman2012

Distinguished
Apr 10, 2012
1,272
11
19,315
My hp drive was 40 on sale.
My 128Gb sits at @ 70Gb and hasn't budged in years. As far as default installs go, I never choose the express option, always custom and even if not given that choice, almost all installed programs with an executable use an avi with changeable installation address. I'm not trusting of anything that forces its wishes on my pc, like one click auto installs. Either the program gets installed where I want it to, or I'll get a competitors version. 😊
That's what cracks me up some days, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a 120Gb ssd as OS drive, could slap in a 250 for games and a 1Tb hdd for long term storage, yet ppl freak out anyways because the 120 is so small. Windows isn't any larger than it used to be, it's still @ 60Gb. Wasn't that long ago that a 120Gb was over $100, the 250's were the biggest available and some were over $300. So ppl got the 120Gb and that was the general recommendation. Now a 250 is minimal and 500 preferable. If not, NVMe.

My ex father-in-law was the first I heard of to get more than 1Tb worth of storage, it was 2x brand spanking new 540Mb hdds, to the tune of over $1000, when the prior largest drive was a 480Mb.

Too many puppies have no clue. I remember dancing over the fact I got a great deal on a brand new 16Mb 3dfx Voodoo 2, on the day it went public... I remember when adding 5K of ram was a huge deal. Diamond supramax 56k v.92 modem.

And ppl are hyped over a 2 second gain on boot times with ssd vs NVMe.

Bah lol.
Yea I used a 120gb as an os drive, but even if you install programs on another drive, it fills up quick. Also some programs default to putting files on your boot drive, further filling it up.
The SSD was $70 during that time. I actually might keep the MyDigital 120GB NVMe as a Operating System Windows 10 Education 64-bit boot drive and have the "bigger storage" Intel 660P (512GB - QLC) and Intel Optane 900P (280GB - 3DXPoint) solely for computer games which can take from 15GB to 80GB per game and other big applications to beef up my NXZT H500 Black Computer case is that good?.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Op, it's pathetically easy to add a drive, it's plug and play as far as windows is concerned, quick format to get it recognized and you are done. Moving drives is/can be a pain, and can take a good long time depending on size of data to be moved. And God forbid if you forgot to install the new drive as a boot capable drive before moving over. That puts windows on a storage drive instead.

What I'd do is as you said. Keep the 120 solely for OS and OS necessary stuff, like Java, office, steam main folder etc. Install all your games to the 256Gb. The only thing the game will add to OS drive is the saved game files, which aren't large.

The only things I'd add to that, is remove hibernation on OS drive, totally. Hibernation automatically portions 75% of your total ram size for itself, and never gets used. Hibernation is for laptops, your pc will wake from sleep just as fast as hibernation. Most modern pc's that's 12Gb of ssd space you get back.
Also, make sure to img the OS 1x a month, keep it on the hdd, even a second copy on the 256 ssd, just in case. One good virus can wipe out the OS drive, simple to just repartition/format and install a prior image. If the OS was on the 256, you'd end up scrapping everything and an image of that drive would be massive.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: valeman2012

valeman2012

Distinguished
Apr 10, 2012
1,272
11
19,315
Op, it's pathetically easy to add a drive, it's plug and play as far as windows is concerned, quick format to get it recognized and you are done. Moving drives is/can be a pain, and can take a good long time depending on size of data to be moved. And God forbid if you forgot to install the new drive as a boot capable drive before moving over. That puts windows on a storage drive instead.

What I'd do is as you said. Keep the 120 solely for OS and OS necessary stuff, like Java, office, steam main folder etc. Install all your games to the 256Gb. The only thing the game will add to OS drive is the saved game files, which aren't large.

The only things I'd add to that, is remove hibernation on OS drive, totally. Hibernation automatically portions 75% of your total ram size for itself, and never gets used. Hibernation is for laptops, your pc will wake from sleep just as fast as hibernation. Most modern pc's that's 12Gb of ssd space you get back.
Also, make sure to img the OS 1x a month, keep it on the hdd, even a second copy on the 256 ssd, just in case. One good virus can wipe out the OS drive, simple to just repartition/format and install a prior image. If the OS was on the 256, you'd end up scrapping everything and an image of that drive would be massive.
So how would manage the cables in the computer case of H500 Case. (Power Supply to Motherboard, Graphics card, Power Button) in which way would best best to ensure airflow at 80% load.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
No. It's a matter of pride, not just aesthetics or airflow. Spending a lot of money on your pc, and you now have the choice, just throw it on there and don't care about doing a good job, with wiring going every-which way, looking like a $10 Goodwill special Ed, put together by a 5yr old, OR make it look like it's worth something to you to do it right.

My daughter has $5 white shoes from Walmart. She cleans them just the same as her $150 Nikes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: valeman2012

valeman2012

Distinguished
Apr 10, 2012
1,272
11
19,315
No. It's a matter of pride, not just aesthetics or airflow. Spending a lot of money on your pc, and you now have the choice, just throw it on there and don't care about doing a good job, with wiring going every-which way, looking like a $10 Goodwill special Ed, put together by a 5yr old, OR make it look like it's worth something to you to do it right.

My daughter has $5 white shoes from Walmart. She cleans them just the same as her $150 Nikes.
Airflow to the best considering how newer cpu require more heat cooling.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Newer cpus don't require more cooling. One of the hottest running cpus of all time was the Pentium 4, any of the extreme series of c2q, any of the 140 HEDT cpus, the amd fx 9 series cpus etc. What requires more cooling is you. Ppl are finally getting around to knowing that cpus under 70° (the lower the better) are best. For years, ppl didn't care, coolers were mostly an afterthought. Now, cool and quiet is king.
 
  • Like
Reactions: valeman2012
Solution