1. #1
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    Flashy gaming case - what to pay attention to?

    Hi guys,

    Recently, with the help of this very forum, I've rebuild my gaming computer. I'm not very rich, so I decided to save whatever components I could. I ended up only saving my dvd drive and case basically. And quite recently, it started bugging me that I put all these fancy components in this old shabby case. (Took the side off once, because of high temperatures during the summer (+/- 40-45 Celsius). Never did find the side again, and my house really isn't that big...)

    You can imagine how awesome my airflow is. It's basically just room temperature with no flow at all, even though there's several fans to at least get some cooler air in there. So, I've come to realize that I actually do need a new case. On one side because it just looks better, and on the other side to extend the life of my components.

    I'm quite confused when it comes to cases these days. The case I have had for years I solely picked based on how it looked like. But, with my new setup, I'd like to actually get a case with proper cable management and the room and features to get a nice airflow going. It also wouldn't hurt if it looks a bit cool. Not a big fan of the 'simple looking cases'. Not sure why, might be because I like the fact that when people come over they ask me "wth that thing is that sort of looks like a computer".

    TL;DR: Recently upgraded pc. Micro ATX Mobo, but Gigabyte Windforce x3 7950 graphics card. They're both the same size, nearly. I want a nice looking, dare I say flashy case for a gaming computer. Must have good cable management and whatever's needed for a good airflow. I don't need a PSU, but could use recommendations on what fans to get. (Effectiveness vs noise)

    Extra info:

    Based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Europe.
    Micro ATX mobo: Asrock B75 Pro3-M
    Two 3.5" HDD's.
    One 2.5" SSD.
    One dvd drive.
    Gigabyte Windforce x3 7950 (quite a large card, and it releases heat on the "top side". Basically, the side of the card thats the furthest away from the mobo.)
    I don't need a PSU to be included. Recently bought the Antec HCG520.
    Extra USB ports in the front for easy access are not necessarily required. Always have a big hub in one of the ports of the back. Also don't care about any audio plugs in the front.
    Budget is no issue, although I would like it to stay as low as possible without sacrificing quality.

    All help and recommendations on brands and particular cases are more than welcome. Thank you very, very much in advance!

  2. #2
    I am Murloc! Cyanotical's Avatar
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    one of the more popular cases it seems is the Silverstone FT02, but it's kinda big for a micro-atx, they do make a more aggressive variant called the RV02e, and it has a successor called the RV03 which is a very unique case design

  3. #3
    Voor een goede Lucht circulatie zou ik voor een Big tower gaan zoals een Aerocool XPredator.
    Die kan je vinden op de website alternate.nl
    Zelf heb ik de witten hij is lekker groot, veel plaats en staat ook al 6 maanden non-stop op en max temp = 48°C.

  4. #4
    I'm going to recommend the NZXT Phantom series. There's many different cases to look at now days, with the 410 if you don't want a full size tower, then you have the original, 630, and 820. So you basically have a large variety to choose from, with ranging sizes and price ranges. If I were to replace my original, I would go with the 630 because it's the middle of the price ranges, has some of the nicer stuff but doesn't contain the extra flashy stuff such as the 820. However, since you're running a Micro-atx build, you might want to go with the 410 although it's not as up to date feature wise.

  5. #5
    I am Murloc! Cyanotical's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by barutu View Post
    Voor een goede Lucht circulatie zou ik voor een Big tower gaan zoals een Aerocool XPredator.
    Die kan je vinden op de website alternate.nl
    Zelf heb ik de witten hij is lekker groot, veel plaats en staat ook al 6 maanden non-stop op en max temp = 48°C.
    simply adding fans does not mean proper air circulation, that's why cases like the HAF get made fun of by enthusiasts, they are entry level cases that are not much more than junk designed to be flashy enough to catch someones eye

    look for something that is intelligently designed first, you can add a flashy light show later

  6. #6
    air flow. something with a few case fan slots and dust filters for intake fans.

  7. #7
    Dreadlord Whidbey's Avatar
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    Air Flow is your biggest friend, make sure their are fans in the front as well as the rear. Make sure of one thing I have seen so many building systems fail at doing. Fan facing in at the front to draw in cool air, Fans at the rear facing out to blow out the heat, Side fan blowing inward to draw in air toward your processor. I don't know how many time I have seen systems with issues and the whole problem has been they either mounted all the fans inward with nothing exhausting heat but card port cover being removed, thus causing the processor, vid card and drives to overheat, or all the fans facing outward, with no cooling air being drawn inward over heating the drives.
    So lots of fan ports and decent reliable fans mounted correctly. I also prefer bottom mounted power supplies that let the heat rise to the fans.

  8. #8
    I recently built a new setup and I'm really happy with the products below. All together they work very well and keep my rig well cooled.

    NZXT Tempest 410 Case
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=tempest%20410

    Cooler Master 120mm Fans x 4
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835103060

    NZXT Sentry-2 Fan Controller
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811992005

    I replaced all but 1 of the stock fans in the case. The only stock fan I left was the one in the rear of the case. Right now I've got 2 fans blowing in the case from the front and then the two fans on top of the case are blowing out as well as the one in the rear of the case. The controller is great because I can change the fan speeds based on what I'm doing on my computer. If I know I'm going to be gaming for a few hours I'll crank the fans up to 90-100% but if I'm just going to be doing some web browsing I'll turn them down to 60% to keep energy costs down.

  9. #9
    Airflow, Case Size, Material (the heavier aka more metal the better) and forward thinking (thunderbolt and USB 3.0 etc)

  10. #10
    Ignore the general statement of "fans, lots of fans!"

    More fans does not always equal better cooling. However it always translates to more noise.

    Just as Cyanotical already mentioned, take a look at Silverstone's RV02e and RV03. Silverstone really know's how to make quality cases. An important note, Cyanotical is probably the most experienced enthusiast we have in these forums. I'd advise listening to any advice he offers as no one disputes his knowledge around here.

    I recently moved my rig over to the window option of the Silverstone FT02 and I must say, I have never been more impressed with a case. I completely understand why so many label it as the "king of air cooled cases". I have my three 180mm bottom mounted fans set to low(using the built in switches for hi/low) and this case is silent as well as amazingly cool. However, the case itself costs a high premium while maintaining the feel and look of a premium case.

    As far as any further "flash" you might want in a case, you can easily do so by changing out fans with LED laden fans yourself. You could simply add cheap LED strips of your choice in strategic spots of your case, here's one example.

    LED light strips can start quite cheap, and in most cases you may end up paying more for shipping then you would the actual LED strip.
    i5-3570k @ 4.6Ghz | Phanteks TC14PE | Asus Sabertooth Z77 | Gigabyte GTX 1080 | 16GB Corsair Vengeance
    Asus Xonar Essence STX | Crucial M4 256MB | Seasonic X760 Gold | Silverstone FT02

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  11. #11
    I'm going to agree on Silverstone cases, but I doubt OP is going to get a €250 case.
    Perhaps some of the Corsair made cases(C70, 400R, 500R, 600T or even 650D) are a bit more in-line with the rest of his build.
    Intel i5-3570K @ 4.7GHz | MSI Z77 Mpower | Noctua NH-D14 | Corsair Vengeance LP White 1.35V 8GB 1600MHz
    Gigabyte GTX 670 OC Windforce 3X @ 1372/7604MHz | Corsair Force GT 120GB | Silverstone Fortress FT02 | Corsair VX450

  12. #12
    Herald of the Titans Skarsguard's Avatar
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    I would probably get http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811139014 Corsair C70
    or
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352023 Fractal Design R4

    With a Micro ATX there is no reason to get a Full Tower esp if you don't have much space in the house Mid Tower is good enough for sure.

    Thou I think you can stick a 7950 in a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811345021 not quit sure though.
    Last edited by Skarsguard; 2013-02-09 at 02:57 AM.

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