Which case should I get for cooling and airflow?

[RustedBot]

I've been looking around for my first gaming PC lately and I've come across two that I like. They are identical in specs but one of them has a mini tower case while the other has a mid tower case with five pre-installed fans.

Mini Tower Case:
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Intel-Core-I7-4790-2tb-SSD-16gb-1600Mhz-GTX-970-4gb-Core-Gaming-PC-/171690086901?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27f986d1f5

Mid Tower Case:
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Intel-Core-I7-4790-2tb-SSD-16gb-1600Mhz-GTX-970-4gb-Zalman-Z11-Gaming-PC-/171526096968?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item27efc08848

What I would like to know is if it is recommended to get the bigger case to maximise airflow and to keep things cool or if the smaller one will be fine. These are relatively high end components so I don't want them frying!

Thanks for the help.

 

[DasHotShot]

Airflow is dependant on many factors.

I well designed mini case can be good at cooling and a big spacious tower can be awful.

You need to look at the fan placement, correct setup (intakes/exhausts), dust filters, fan speed, cable managment (using the space behind the mobo and components to tuck away stuff), component placement etc

If you are asking which of those two will do better, probably the bigger tower, provided the above is setup correctly.

 

[Mr5oh]

The one in the Fractal case is the route I would take (Mini Tower Case).

The important factor is not size, it's design, fans, cable route etc.

 

[DasHotShot]

Mr5oh is right.

Make sure you check what fans etc are included and how it is setup. Fractal cases are decent and should be fine.

However if they did it right at construction the other case will have a natural edge due to size.

 

[RustedBot]

Thanks for the replies.

I've had a look at reviews for both of these cases on LinusTechTips and they're generally spoken quite positively of, but the reviews never went into much detail on how the cases would perform while gaming and under general operation, more just the construction quality.

The Fractal Design Core 1000 case has one front 120mm fan with a mesh front and it uses something called 'positive pressure cooling'.

The Zalman Z11 case has five fans, a front 120mm, a top 120mm, a rear 120mm and two side 80mm fans to expel heat from around the hard drives.

I had thought that the Zalman Z11 would be a clear favourite with the extra fans and greater space, but now I'm not so sure. Do you really reckon the Fractal case will be just as good for gaming and won't be more likely to overheat?

May I ask, is it likely that pre-built systems will be well constructed, or is it random luck? The seller that I'm looking to buy from, ftsgaming, has a near perfect record on ebay, so I would hope I'm in safe hands there.

 

[DasHotShot]

Unlikely they build the system. When you buy prebuilt and don't spend 5k the companies tend to build to..."a schedule"

They need to pump out a certain amount of builds and so they don't pay much attention to this kind of stuff. They will cut corners and do what they need to, no more.

I think you should get the bigger case and then take a look inside and consult this forum again to see what can be improved.

Zalman is not a bad company, so the case will be good.

 

[mcnumpty23]

personally i wouldnt buy something that costs that amount from ebay

i would buy from a long standing company with a good reputation

some one on ebay could disappear next week

my choice would be somewhere like here

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/LP/systems2.php

 

[RustedBot]

@mcnumpty23
Price is an issue though. My max budget is roughly €1200. Would the same build be more expensive on overclockers.co.uk?

 

[mcnumpty23]

@mcnumpty23
Price is an issue though. My max budget is roughly €1200. Would the same build be more expensive on overclockers.co.uk?

you would have to look through the page i linked

they would probably be using better components those ebay ones were cheap motherboards for one thing and overclockers wont be using stock heatsinks either

pretty sure that budget will get you something on there

and they are a well established company with a good reputation