What case to buy

[Deleted]

Hello,

So my new build is almost done, though one of the last things I cannot decide on is the case.

Not interested in a side panel, special colour theme or a massive case for later upgrading.
My focus is on a silent case with good airflow to keep my CPU and GPU cool.
So far the Fractal Design 5 and Phanteks enthoo pro looked quite nice.

Using a x99-a motherboard with the NH-D15 cpu cooler.
A Asus 980ti graphics card and a 1000w psu (for OC the CPU and GPU plus SLI option available).

Would love to hear some feedback on those cases or other options instead.

Thanks

[Kagthul]

What size motherboard? X99 goes all the way from eATX to mITX.

I really like the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv (in various sizes). Amazing internal spacing and airflow and cable management in all sizes.

[Deleted]

What size motherboard? X99 goes all the way from eATX to mITX.

I really like the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv (in various sizes). Amazing internal spacing and airflow and cable management in all sizes.

The Asus X99-A. (standard size)

[Lathais]

I have a corsair 200R. It's not marketed as or considered a quiet case, but with quiet fans I do not really notice my PC running at all. That may be partially due to the fact that when I am using it I have headphones on and when I am not I turn it off, but it's still silent enough for me. It's got plenty of space, behind the motherboard cable management and good airflow. It's also very inexpensive for what it is. Only thing is that it has no sound deadening.

If you want to spend more there are other Corsair cases that are marketed as and considered "silent". You have the new 400Q or the 330R. Based on the build quality of my 200R I would imagine both of these to be excellent choices as well and if I was looking for a silent case, these would be my first looks.

Outside of that, I know the Fractal Design gets a lot of great recommendations around here, as does the Phanteks Enthoo series.

[Denkou]

I can vouch for the Define R5, I have one myself. The first time I turned it on I had to do a double-take and check if the power light was on because that's how quiet it was compared to my old case (Antec 300). It is by far the quietest case I have ever used. Even with the fans on the highest speed setting I can just barely hear it, if my window is open then I don't even notice it at all. I have the windowed version as well, if you have the one with the solid side panel then it will be even quieter.

[Deleted]

@Kagthul: Saw some posts about the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv and yes it seems to be a great case. Though I wonder if it is quiet enough. Also quite pricy but a good contender.


@Lathais: Well I will do quite some recording so I need a quiet case, so instead of the 200R I will check out those corsair cases you listed.


@Denkou: Good to hear that it is very quiet. I will get one without a window so it should be very quiet. Also how is the airflow in the case?
I have seen the case myself and everything fits inside quite easily and it has good cable management. Also it is mostly metal right?


At the moment I am leaning mostly towards the Fractal but always good to hear more opinions and experiences.

[Denkou]

Airflow is excellent, it comes with 2 140mm fans (1 intake, 1 exhaust), I bought a second fan for the front (same model, Fractal Design GP-14). for a total of 3. My i5-4690K with a Cryorig H7 idles at around 28 C and it barely gets over 60 under heavy loads, to give you an idea of how the airflow is.

The case is almost all metal other than the front panel, which isn't a big deal for me. It's a rather heavy case due to the metal construction as well as all the sound-dampening material they use, so if you plan to transport your PC a lot it might be tiring. For me, I just leave my PC in one place so it's not a big issue for me. Cable management is excellent, there are plenty of tie-down points throughout the case as well as velcro straps on the backside of the motherboard cutout. The entire case was a breeze to work with; the only part where I had any difficulty was fitting the 8-pin CPU connector through the cutout at the top of the case, it's a rather tight fit and will take you some finesse to wiggle it through (many reviewers have mentioned this as well). Other than that, absolutely no complaints with it whatsoever.

Oh, and if you can find the Titanium version and it isn't too much more expensive, I would definitely recommend it. The brushed polished finish on the front panel of the Titanium is soooo much nicer than the regular black model.

[Denkou]

I just bought a phanteks ethoo pro atx case. are you sure you want a full atx case? It is very, very large. I personally love all the space.

The case is by far the most amazing case I've ever worked with. But I haven't worked with anything by fractal design, your other choice.

It has great cable management, everything comes apart, and it even has a little house for the psu. I can't see how a case could be better.

...except when I received it, there was a bad scratch on the inside and the disk drive clips were all scraped. whoever put it together had no idea what they were doing. they are going to mail me new clips, and newegg would return it, but I don't want to go without a computer while they work it out.

They have the Enthoo Pro M, which is basically the same thing as the Enthoo Pro but in a mid-tower instead of a full-tower size (a few less drive bays and fan mounts, but basically the same design). Unless you have a ton of storage drives, have some crazy watercooling setup, or are running 3 video cards then there is no reason to get a full-tower (or unless you just like really big cases).

[sporkineye]

They have the Enthoo Pro M, which is basically the same thing as the Enthoo Pro but in a mid-tower instead of a full-tower size (a few less drive bays and fan mounts, but basically the same design). Unless you have a ton of storage drives or are running 3 video cards then there is no reason to get a full-tower (or unless you just like really big cases).

I had forgotten how big a full atx case was when I bought it, but working with the giant case just filled me with happiness. I haven't had a full atx case since the 90s. I don't think other people will feel this way though.

[Denkou]

I had forgotten how big a full atx case was when I bought it, but working with the giant case just filled me with happiness. I haven't had a full atx case since the 90s. I don't think other people will feel this way though.

My dad saw me building in my Define R5 (normal mid-tower sized case) and said "oh my god, why is your case so big?!". The average consumer today is moving towards smaller and smaller PCs; they want more HTPC/SFF/media-center cube-style computers and less of a big tower. Most people I know don't even have a PC anymore, just a laptop and/or tablet.

Of course, for enthusiasts like us, a tower will always be the form-factor of choice, just for its superior cooling capabilities and having plenty of space to fit in all the drives and cards that your heart desires. If I had my own place then I wouldn't mind building a small cube build to use for my living room TV, though (just to complement my regular gaming rig, not replace it, of course).