Best full tower case for air cooling?

FT-02's also make good server cases.

dsc00780.jpg
 
I currently have a FT-02 WRI limited edition one with red interior , but I will be moving to a Fractal R5 shortly.

The FT02 is pretty good for air cooling , agreed about cable management as it is not the best. Also the case is bloody heavy as well with a fully installed system in there. Also it's not that quiet as well.
 
540 is good for airflow/cable management and looks, however, the materials used for construction are cheep and of questionable quality.
The included fans are too loud and need replacing with quality items.
First thing I did was snap a hd caddy, which I thought was made from the tray from a biscuit box.

Other than that......
 
540 is good for airflow/cable management and looks, however, the materials used for construction are cheep and of questionable quality.
The included fans are too loud and need replacing with quality items.
First thing I did was snap a hd caddy, which I thought was made from the tray from a biscuit box.

Other than that......

Sure, not quite as solid as their previous 650D/800D range, but I've not had any quality issues.
Connect the fans to motherboard headers and get a fan profile going. Or just replace them (as in OPs case he specifies no budget).
I wouldn't rate them any lower than the likes of Thermaltake, Coolermaster, NZXT in terms of quality though.
 
I've also been looking at Silverstone cases as they're meant to be pretty top-notch in terms of build quality. I stumbled across the FT04 and though that could be the one. Great looking, supposedly great cooling too, but then I read about problems with a weak magnet for the door and poor cable management.

The FT04 comes with our highest performing fans, the AP182, which are upgraded fans over the AP181 included in our other cases. They have dual ball bearings and better IC to enable higher speeds. They are fully adjustable too so you can fine tune the exact fan speed that strikes the best balance of cooling and quietness.

As for magnets on its door, they are tuned to hold the door shut in normal usage (level floor) but easy to open by hand. Obviously with a heavy unibody aluminum door, it is going to swing open if you pick it up from the rear at enough of an angle. But with a case this heavy, we'd recommend that you pick it up with both hands anyways, so this should be a none issue.

And for poor cable management, this must have been a mistake because the FT04 is excellent for that as it has sizable room behind the motherboard tray. Those we thought FT02 was manageable would think FT04 is too easy!
 
The FT04 comes with our highest performing fans, the AP182, which are upgraded fans over the AP181 included in our other cases. They have dual ball bearings and better IC to enable higher speeds. They are fully adjustable too so you can fine tune the exact fan speed that strikes the best balance of cooling and quietness.

As for magnets on its door, they are tuned to hold the door shut in normal usage (level floor) but easy to open by hand. Obviously with a heavy unibody aluminum door, it is going to swing open if you pick it up from the rear at enough of an angle. But with a case this heavy, we'd recommend that you pick it up with both hands anyways, so this should be a none issue.

And for poor cable management, this must have been a mistake because the FT04 is excellent for that as it has sizable room behind the motherboard tray. Those we thought FT02 was manageable would think FT04 is too easy!

Some interesting info, thanks.

I can't remember which website the review was on, but for cable management the criticism was around excessive cable lengths for fans rather than space behind the tray.
 
Back
Top Bottom