Please help me find the perfect case

S

Sparkynutz

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
156
I'm having a hard time finding the perfect case because most product pictures don't show all details especially filters and how changed

My requirements for a case with most important first.

1.Easily removable cleanable intake filters.
I keep my computer inside a desk and if I didn't need to remove it, unwire it just to open case and clean filters would be most important thing for me.

2. Front USB 2.0 and USB 3.0
My current case has them on top and requires me to slide it slightly out of desk cabinet and close keyboard tray just to use them. If they were on front would be easier.

3. Good cooling with front intake rear exhaust.

4. Full or micro at don't matter as long as there's room for cables, and my video card 10" long 4-1/2" wide and takes two rear slots. I will choose mobo based on case chosen for build.

5. One or more 2.5" bay for an ssd.

6. 8-1/8" wide by 17-5/8" high by 21" deep absolute max to fit in my desk.

7. No LED's a plus. Just wastes electricity.

8. Under $125 absolute max. Prefer under $100.
Doesn't need to be built like a tank, just have requirements above

Anyone have a case that fits the bill you can reccomend?

Ryan
 
Only has usb 3.0 no 2.0 and is too wide to fit in my desk.

I've found a couple I like trying to narrow it down-

Cougar spike micro atx $38
Thermaltake versa h21 mid tower $46
Cougar mx300 $39
Thermaltake versa h22 $46
Cooler master 352 $69

I also like these two but they most likely wont fit without taking door off my desk.

Phanteks entheo pro $89
Antec sonata solo II $114
Raidmax stingray $34
 
audioman81 said:
Only has usb 3.0 no 2.0 and is too wide to fit in my desk.
Click to expand...

Why would you need 2.0 in the first place? 3.0 is the new standard.
audioman81 said:
Cougar spike micro atx $38
Thermaltake versa h21 mid tower $46
Cougar mx300 $39
Thermaltake versa h22 $46
Cooler master 352 $69
Click to expand...
Ouch, it looks like a gallery of bad cases:

The Cougar Spike has no cable management features whatsoever and has little to no room behind the motherboard tray for cable management. In addition, the top mounted PSU design means less than effective system cooling. Basically these days for a tower-style gaming PC, you're going to want to aim for a case with the PSU at the bottom.

The Versa H21, Cougar MX300 and Versa H22 are all based on the same cheap internal case design. They're very flimsy, cooling is so-so, and have barely any room for cable management. In addition, while they may have filters in front, they're not actually "easily removeable" since they require you to remove the DVD drive first and then remove the front face where you can get to the filter. The Bitfenix Neos uses the same cheap internal case design and was found to be...well crap:
http://techgage.com/article/a-fine-line-between-inexpensive-and-cheap-bitfenix-neos-review/

As for the Coolermaster Silencio 352, the ATX version of that case didn't really fare all that well in reviews. So I don't see the mATX version faring any better. A definite avoid as a result.

Pro-tip: With the exception of the Coolermaster Silencio 352, the one key aspect that all of your previously listed cases shared that would indicate extremely low quality are the tear-off expansion slot covers. I don't ever see those on decent quality cases let alone good, better, and high quality cases. So basically, if you see tear-off expansion slot covers(meaning you're not seeing screws holding in the expansion slot covers), ditch them.

audioman81 said:
I also like these two but they most likely wont fit without taking door off my desk.

Phanteks entheo pro $89
Antec sonata solo II $114
Raidmax stingray $34
Click to expand...
It's spelled "Enthoo" FYI. The Enthoo Pro is a great case but it won't even fit inside your desk at all with case dimensions of "21.06" x 9.25" x 21.65".

The Antec Sonata Solo II is basically a higher-end version of the Cougar Spike you listed earlier in terms of design but with the added disadvantages of even more obstructed cooling to lower noise levels. As such, I don't recommend it. The obstructed cooling and overall case layout makes it more suitable for a low-power general use PC than a gaming PC. In other words, your video card is going to be starving for air.

I've had the unfortunate experience of working with similar and slightly pricier Raidmax cases to the Raidmax Stingray and I can definitely say they're cheaaaaaaaap. The tear-off expansion slots are a dead-giveaway of that. It also has no room for cable management as well.

Have you thought about going mITX instead? At least the lack of cable management features and space are actually justified there.

EDIT: So the max width for your computer case area is really 8.125"?
 
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Yup that the widest I can go with the door on and be able to slide it out for hookup without having to remove the door every time. A new desk really isn't an option for many reasons. Its just the space I have. My old full atx case fits just fine. Cooler master centurion, but top mount psu and top facing usb so I'd rather upgrade. I have lots of usb 2.0 drives still in use.
I've never put cables on back side. Always tucked in extra drive bay spot on last 3 builds.
Cooler master 352 looks best as far as cleaning fans. I miss spelled the enthoo because I couldn't read my own handwriting trying to make a comparison spreadsheet on paper sucks not having a computer and library is closed.
Seems like all the nice ones are too wide or too tall for my desk.
Any other ideas for me to check out that don't suck?
Mitx? Micro? I'm not really familiar with anything other than full atx, not to say I'm not willing. Dont care what it is to be honest as long as it fits my needs, my desk and my video card reliably.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Again, like I asked earlier, Have you thought about going mITX instead?
 
Sorry see edit above
Googled mitx. It said mini atx.
I didn't see anything that looked like it would work for my video card and be 8" wide. Most were wider for extra room. plus where to put my hard drives? I have 3 now not counting a ssd for the new build.
Any other ideas?
 
What video card do you have now?

There are mITX cases that do fit three hard drives and a SSD but the killer is the video card.
 
750 ti evga superclock I got for like $80 prolly get a 290 or so this fall if funds allow.
Dimensions of it are in first post
How good is onboard video from a 4690k?
If it is capable of playing starcraft2 on low settings I could get by for a while and sell my 750ti and old 8800gts 512
 
Recheck the dimensions of that card again: There's no way that 750Ti could be 10" long. Newegg lists that card at 6.70"

Also, I doubt you'll be upgrading to the R9 290 considering that your current monitor resolution is only 1440x900. You're going to need a significantly higher resolution monitor to justify such a card. Nor would Starcraft 2 even require such a card.

So at your current monitor resolution and choice of game, just keep your 750Ti. It's more than enough.

As for the cases, I have a few more recommendations:

Option 1:
$50 - Coolermaster Elite 130 mITX Case

- Dimensions of 9.40" x 8.10" x 14.90"
- Can fit cards up to 13.5" long
- According to Coolermaster, it can fit
-ODD x 1 + HDD x 2 + SSD x 1 or
-HDD x 3 + SSD x 1 or
-HDD x 2 + SSD x 3 or
-HDD x 1 + SSD x 4

Option 2:
$50 - NZXT Source 220 Black ATX Case

It doesn't have filters and the open mesh design does invite in more dust. Nor can it mount a SSD without the use of a separate adapter. The LED fans are kinda bright as well.

However, you can always just leave the SSD at the bottom of the case or taped to the bottom of the 5.25" bay. Remember that SSDs don't have moving parts you really don't have to mount them per se. In addition, LED don't use all that much power. The light bulbs in your home uses more power in an hour than what LED lights in fans would use in a day.

The case also has dimensions of 17.72" x 7.68" x 19.51" and therefore should fit easily. It's also significantly better built than the cheap cases you mentioned earlier.
 
I measured it with a tape measure. Its 9-7/8" long. Its the gtx superclock version with two fans.
I liked the looks of the nzxt switch 810 from reviews but can't find it new.
I don't mind the nzxt 210, 220, s340w
Not sure what's dif on them yet, but they all should fit per specs.
Wonder how filter comes out. Pulling drives and stuff to clean it is pointless imo.
Thanks
 
Last edited by a moderator:
audioman81 said:
I measured it with a tape measure. Its 9-7/8" long. Its the gtx superclock version with two fans.
Click to expand...
Two fans? That's not the Superclock version. That's either the FTW w/ ACX Cooling version or the regular ACX version. The Superclock version only has one fan. It's all right there on the eVGA site:
http://www.evga.com/Products/Produc...=GeForce+700+Series+Family&chipset=GTX+750+Ti

audioman81 said:
I liked the looks of the nzxt switch 810 from reviews but can't find it new. Ill check that one out.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Are you even trying to find smaller cases? The Switch 810 is too big for your desk. Even if you didn't have the case limitations, it still wouldn't be a good choice these since there are better options nowadays, some from NZXT itself.
 
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- The S340W is out since its front ports are all on the top and it can only hold two 3.5" hard drives. But it does have a filter and SSD mounts.

- There's no filters on the Source 210 or 220.

- The regular Source 210 just comes with one 120mm fans but no USB 3.0 or tool-less hard drive features. I don't ever recommend this case since it's priced way too high for the lack of features.

- The Source 210 Elite comes with an extra top-mounted 140mm exhaust fan, front panel USB 3.0 port, and tool-less hard drive features. It is going to be quieter but not quite as good cooling as the Source 220:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case

- The Source 220 has front panel USB 3.0 and tool-less hard drive features but trades the top 140mm exhaust fan for two front 120mm intake fans. In addition, it has an open front-mesh design for better cooling. Unfortunately those changes also means that the Source 220 is a bit louder than the Source 210 Elite.
 
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Yup it is ftw. Was thinking it was sc.

I liked the 810 when I first started looking and seeing reviews.

Sounds like the source 220 is it. Can't be any louder than my old setup, and from what I read its better to have more intake than exhaust from dust standpoint.

Edit. Seen this one on amazon when looking at the 220
Any thoughts on it?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MNSDBVW?psc=1
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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audioman81 said:
Sounds like the source 220 is it. Can't be any louder than my old setup, and from what I read its better to have more intake than exhaust from dust standpoint.
Click to expand...
Supposedly yes. But I generally don't care or think about dust issues ever since I got my DataVac.

The Source 210 Elite and Source 220 cases are decent cases. I use them all the time for budget builds for my friends and family:
IMG_4042 by dangman4ever, on Flickr
IMG_1513 by dangman4ever, on Flickr
audioman81 said:
Edit. Seen this one on amazon when looking at the 220
Any thoughts on it?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MNSDBVW?psc=1
Click to expand...
See the tear-off expansion slots? Not a good case.
 
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pbassjunk said:
It was mentioned earlier but seconding the Nzxt Source 340. Get a small powered usb3 hub and stick it on top of the desk, run the cable to the back. It is a fantastic case. 3-7 2.5" drives (2 double adapters for the 3.5" slots). 4 filtered 120-140mm fans. No leds. And it looks classy as fuck.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146189
Click to expand...

This.

I have the NZXT H440 and I love the thing. It takes some getting used to not having a drive bay but I have an external DVD burner if I absolutely need it.

The case is insanely quiet with the foam inside. Very easy cable management.
 
audioman81 said:
I'm having a hard time finding the perfect case because most product pictures don't show all details especially filters and how changed

My requirements for a casewith most important first.

1.Easily removable cleanable intake filters.
I keep my computer inside a desk and if I didn't need to remove it, unwire it just to open case and clean filters would be most important thing for me.

2. Front USB 2.0 and USB 3.0
My current case has them on top and requires me to slide it slightly out of desk cabinet and close keyboard tray just to use them. If they were on front would be easier.

3. Good cooling with front intake rear exhaust.

4. Full or micro at don't matter as long as there's room for cables, and my video card 10" long 4-1/2" wide and takes two rear slots. I will choose mobo based on case chosen for build.

5. One or more 2.5" bay for an ssd.

6. 8-1/8" wide by 17-5/8" high by 21" deep absolute max to fit in my desk.

7. No LED's a plus. Just wastes electricity.

8. Under $125 absolute max. Prefer under $100.
Doesn't need to be built like a tank, just have requirements above

Anyone have a case that fits the bill you can reccomend?

Ryan
Click to expand...


I would do my own research on NewEgg or TigerDirect or Amazon :) or read reviews on the web.
 
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Yup its a misprint. Look at the other 220 at newegg. 19 is the depth.
Not sure where the case came from but I got it today already. I tried it in my desk. Fits perfect.
Rest of build parts tracking info says next tuesday.
 
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