Big tower case

mart1985

mart1985

mart1985

Associate
Joined
27 Sep 2012
Posts
371
I am struggling to pick one of the following:

CM Storm Stryker
Cooler Master HAF X
NZXT Phantom Enthusiast USB3.0 White
NZXT Switch 810 Special Edition White
Bitfenix Colossus

I will aircool so airflow is a priority. I know the HAF X is probably best for that and that Bitfenix is not great at cooling with the stock fans (but it is awesome looking).

Does anyone have experience of these cases and can you give me any advice?
 
Switch 810 is hideous to look at, so the Stryker for me. I went with a Shinobi XL and don't fully support my decision now.
 
olivier renault - I don't plan on water cooling atm but would like the option to in the future. I would rather pay the extra now and have room for expansion in the future.

Muel - I had a look at the Shinobi but I have seen a few people say they wish they had chosen differently! What is your reason for not supporting it? I am looking at the Colossus which seems to have quite good reviews (bar an issue with the stock cooling)
 
I love the looks, it's a beautiful piece of design, but I just haven't "bonded" with it (as daft as that sounds). With most cases/builds they seem to take on a personality, and this one just hasn't. Plus the air flow through the front of the case is severely restricted, even with the single 230mm fan. I think it's a bit too reserved? It's all clean lines and stuff.

I really wanted a stryker, but it wouldn't have fitted on my desk.
 
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I do like the look of it, Bitfenix seem to be good at producing aesthetically pleasing products (I love the lighting on the Colossus). My case will actually go under my desk so I am keen on getting one with good airflow capabilities.

I know the Cooler Master HAF X is probably the best case for that but I prefer the others looks-wise.

Decisions, decisions!
 
My first case was a CM Scout which was too small. Went from that to the HAF-X when everything was air cooled because it seemed to have the best airflow. Build quality was great, temps were great but even with the filters it was a bit of a dust magnet. Decided to watercool and bought a white Switch 810. Having spent some time with the case and as much as I love the build I am struggling to get away from the fact that is feels a bit cheap and not as solid as the HAF was. If you are looking for air cooled then my vote would be with the HAF. If you are thinking of water cooling any time soon the buy a Corsair 800D. Which is where I will be going next :)
 
810 for me. Looked at several reviews of it online for a few hours and its one hell of a case for cooling!
 
Thanks for all the advice guys!

Alz D - is there an easy of combating the dust in the HAF X? Can I fit dust filters easily? I would like to watercool in the future but atm my knowledge is poor so would rather wait before attempting anything complicated!

At this rate I may have to buy one of each as I can't decide!
 
mart1985 said:
Thanks for all the advice guys!

Alz D - is there an easy of combating the dust in the HAF X? Can I fit dust filters easily? I would like to watercool in the future but atm my knowledge is poor so would rather wait before attempting anything complicated!

At this rate I may have to buy one of each as I can't decide!
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Buy NZXT 810 its a great case.
 
I have narrowed it down to either the Switch 810 or the CM Storm Stryker.

I did read there is a new NZXT coming out in the next week or so. Is that correct?
 
Muel said:
I went with a Shinobi XL and don't fully support my decision now.
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I've got a Shinobi XL on order and before it has even arrived i've decided i'm going to be returning it and getting a HAF X,

I should have thought about it more before ordering especially because i'm not going to be watercooling anytime soon and the airflow in the Shinobi is supposedly not great.

mart1985 said:
I have narrowed it down to either the Switch 810 or the CM Storm Stryker.
Click to expand...

Out of the two above I would go with the Stryker, but that's more personal taste.

Also if you change your mind and put the HAF X back on your list you can get some 3rd party filters made by DEMCiflex, i'm not sure how good they are though so you will have to look around for reviews/opinions.
 
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I don't plan on watercooling for now so aircooling is a big factor for me too.

The HAF X seems to be on every list I look at for good aircooling towers so its hard to ignore it but I love white so that is pushing me towards the Stryker.
 
Get a Lian Li full tower case, beautifully built, nice simple design and the quality is unbeatable.
 
TheSgtDK said:
I've got a Shinobi XL on order and before it has even arrived i've decided i'm going to be returning it and getting a HAF X,

I should have thought about it more before ordering especially because i'm not going to be watercooling anytime soon and the airflow in the Shinobi is supposedly not great.
Click to expand...

The airflow through the front is pathetic. I don't think I know of a more restricted case tbh.

The rest of the case is great, I'm just disappointed that the only flaws with it could so easily have been sorted.
 
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