Corsair 500D RGB or Phanteks P500A (Help me decide which one).

djxput

djxput

djxput

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So I narrowed down my case selection to these two.

Corsair:
200pounds~ but comes with Commander pro and 3 LL120 fans, ventilation will be slightly above average, have a 240 msi radiator to put up here, will go with 3 more LL fans to round it off for a nice rgb setup (trade off the msi ones for 2 ll ones 1 ll in back).

Off putting - Almost every negative thing I have heard about the case centers around the tight space in the back of the case ie the side when you are dealing with cable management. I also don't like the harddrive placement. I want them in-line with the front fans to help cool
them. I plan to use 2 possibly 3. (Im hoping I could use my current or bought harddrive cage in the space adjacent to the psu enclosure.)

Summary: I like the looks of this case better, Im a bit worried about temps and the wiring in the back and the hardrive cage I might have to fanagle.

Phanteks:
120pounds - but has 3 only semi decent fans (would want to buy better ones (so I am considering the price to be about even~ when I consider this. The cooling has scored at the top or near the top. I like the idea of 140mm fans and I would go with 6 140mm fans eventually 3 front 2 top 1 back. I see zero problems with cooling. Although, I would want/need a different aoi then I bought.

Off putting - While people talk about how easy it is to build in it may be too big as far as cables reaching and the size. The aesthetic looks good but the corsair looks better. I am slightly concerned about dust with just the mesh front ... but I have heard of dust issues also with the 500d also.

Summary: Top of the line cooling, slightly cheaper but sourcing 6 140mm rgb fans will be more challenging. I trade off a slightly less appealing look for better cooling.
Ive been piece-mealing my parts since mid nov., I missed a 'sale' on the corsair 500d rgb and the price has raised since so this kept me from pulling the trigger - and Im waiting for it to
drop again ... the p500a has been out of stock for how long now? And as stated above I bought a msi 240r cpu cooler for my build but totally not sure what case I would go with; and I decided Id want a 280 if I went with the phanteks (for the 140mm fans)

Only thing I need is the case before I start my build. So which one ...
 
djxput said:
So I narrowed down my case selection to these two.

Corsair:
200pounds~ but comes with Commander pro and 3 LL120 fans, ventilation will be slightly above average, have a 240 msi radiator to put up here, will go with 3 more LL fans to round it off for a nice rgb setup (trade off the msi ones for 2 ll ones 1 ll in back).

Off putting - Almost every negative thing I have heard about the case centers around the tight space in the back of the case ie the side when you are dealing with cable management. I also don't like the harddrive placement. I want them in-line with the front fans to help cool
them. I plan to use 2 possibly 3. (Im hoping I could use my current or bought harddrive cage in the space adjacent to the psu enclosure.)

Summary: I like the looks of this case better, Im a bit worried about temps and the wiring in the back and the hardrive cage I might have to fanagle.

Phanteks:
120pounds - but has 3 only semi decent fans (would want to buy better ones (so I am considering the price to be about even~ when I consider this. The cooling has scored at the top or near the top. I like the idea of 140mm fans and I would go with 6 140mm fans eventually 3 front 2 top 1 back. I see zero problems with cooling. Although, I would want/need a different aoi then I bought.

Off putting - While people talk about how easy it is to build in it may be too big as far as cables reaching and the size. The aesthetic looks good but the corsair looks better. I am slightly concerned about dust with just the mesh front ... but I have heard of dust issues also with the 500d also.

Summary: Top of the line cooling, slightly cheaper but sourcing 6 140mm rgb fans will be more challenging. I trade off a slightly less appealing look for better cooling.
Ive been piece-mealing my parts since mid nov., I missed a 'sale' on the corsair 500d rgb and the price has raised since so this kept me from pulling the trigger - and Im waiting for it to
drop again ... the p500a has been out of stock for how long now? And as stated above I bought a msi 240r cpu cooler for my build but totally not sure what case I would go with; and I decided Id want a 280 if I went with the phanteks (for the 140mm fans)

Only thing I need is the case before I start my build. So which one ...
Click to expand...

The reviews aren’t wrong about the tight cable management at the back of the 500D. It’s tight definitely, but does fit. I battled getting the back door to close for a couple of hours the other day but I’m not generally good with cabling anyway.

The other issue I have with it was limitations in size when speccing up a custom water cooling loop. With a rad on the front and a pump it severely limits how big a video card you can use, although I can still fit a 3090 that fits the 3090 reference card water block so it’s all good there too luckily

On the whole though I really do love the case, but yeah. Cable management at the back is tricky!
 
andrewr2019 said:
The reviews aren’t wrong about the tight cable management at the back of the 500D. It’s tight definitely, but does fit. I battled getting the back door to close for a couple of hours the other day but I’m not generally good with cabling anyway.

The other issue I have with it was limitations in size when speccing up a custom water cooling loop. With a rad on the front and a pump it severely limits how big a video card you can use, although I can still fit a 3090 that fits the 3090 reference card water block so it’s all good there too luckily

On the whole though I really do love the case, but yeah. Cable management at the back is tricky!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply,

Hows the cooling with this case and the dust? How do you have your fans setup? more then the 3?
 
djxput said:
Thanks for the reply,

Hows the cooling with this case and the dust? How do you have your fans setup? more then the 3?
Click to expand...

Luckily I don’t seem to get any dust issues inside the case. It builds up a bit on the front dust filter, but that just in clips and is easy to clean.

I’ve currently got 3 LL120 fans on the front and 1 on the rear as an intake , with 2 140 fans on top as part of the AIO cooler, although I have a 240mm rad and another 2 LL120 fans to go up there when I bother to set my loop up. I get mid 30s on an i9 9900k to 80s when stress testing. I don’t think I have the best of chips though as when I tried to overclock it I had to up the voltage way more than I’d like causing higher temps. My 3090 seems to reach 70-73 under full load.
 
andrewr2019 said:
Luckily I don’t seem to get any dust issues inside the case. It builds up a bit on the front dust filter, but that just in clips and is easy to clean.

I’ve currently got 3 LL120 fans on the front and 1 on the rear as an intake , with 2 140 fans on top as part of the AIO cooler, although I have a 240mm rad and another 2 LL120 fans to go up there when I bother to set my loop up. I get mid 30s on an i9 9900k to 80s when stress testing. I don’t think I have the best of chips though as when I tried to overclock it I had to up the voltage way more than I’d like causing higher temps. My 3090 seems to reach 70-73 under full load.
Click to expand...

That makes sense what you wrote about the dust. You have 4 ll120s as intakes and 2 140 as out-takes. So there is more air coming in and the air doesnt need to come from the gaps at the side panels. I think the people that reported lots of dust had too much push out and thus the air had to come from the sides where they dont seal properly.

The temps seem decent; although Im not totally versed with where they should be at.
 
djxput said:
That makes sense what you wrote about the dust. You have 4 ll120s as intakes and 2 140 as out-takes. So there is more air coming in and the air doesnt need to come from the gaps at the side panels. I think the people that reported lots of dust had too much push out and thus the air had to come from the sides where they dont seal properly.

The temps seem decent; although Im not totally versed with where they should be at.
Click to expand...

I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure the front 3 are exhaust by default and I’ve not changed that. I’ll confirm later.

I can’t say anything about the Phanteks case but I do like the Corsair.
 
The chassis of the P500A is essentially the same as the P600S of which I have two. Fantastic chassis with loads of space and excellent cable management. The P500A's mesh front is essentially the same as on a P400A which I also have and it works very well as a filter.
 
I have a 500D as my current case and it’s a really good case. Bags of room. The only issues I had were it didn’t like thicker rads up top. And the rear cable management is tight. If you take your time though it can be done.

I have a P400a in the loft as it was my old case. Great case again. But wanted duel rads and this just didn’t handle it. Other than that it was just so easy to build in. Looked good and temps were great.
 
kidloco said:
I have a 500D as my current case and it’s a really good case. Bags of room. The only issues I had were it didn’t like thicker rads up top. And the rear cable management is tight. If you take your time though it can be done.

I have a P400a in the loft as it was my old case. Great case again. But wanted duel rads and this just didn’t handle it. Other than that it was just so easy to build in. Looked good and temps were great.
Click to expand...

Agree with that. You just need to cram everything back underneath that cable cover and screw it down. Life is good again then.

I also moved the commander pro and fan hub to the rear of the case too.
 
MikeTimbers said:
The chassis of the P500A is essentially the same as the P600S of which I have two. Fantastic chassis with loads of space and excellent cable management. The P500A's mesh front is essentially the same as on a P400A which I also have and it works very well as a filter.
Click to expand...
kidloco said:
I have a 500D as my current case and it’s a really good case. Bags of room. The only issues I had were it didn’t like thicker rads up top. And the rear cable management is tight. If you take your time though it can be done.

I have a P400a in the loft as it was my old case. Great case again. But wanted duel rads and this just didn’t handle it. Other than that it was just so easy to build in. Looked good and temps were great.
Click to expand...

You guys make it hard to decide ;)
I was looking at the p600s before and rewatched some review vids of this case. I probably like this case better then the p500a if it wernt for the missing led's in the psu shroud and the front of the case (sort of like that and I want to go for a rgb build this time).
The p600s does seem better then the p500a - some sound dampening material, more HD cages, and I like the top better; the p500a's top is similar to my current corsair 450d ie just a magnetic dust filter sitting up here. Why I sort of liked the corsair 500d (the top looks nice).
I looked to see if you can get a psu shroud led but I cant seem to find any info on that for the p600s.
Sounds like the cooling is really good with it the phanteks case.
 
andrewr2019 said:
Agree with that. You just need to cram everything back underneath that cable cover and screw it down. Life is good again then.

I also moved the commander pro and fan hub to the rear of the case too.
Click to expand...

ya if I went with the corsair 500d rgb Id want the commander pro and fan hub in back in place of the HD cages and Id like to use a HD cage from my 450d or buy a new one (I read that they dont fit but not sure if I believe it). Or I could 'jimmy-rig' it.
 
It is a tricky one. The Corsair defo feels more premium. Oh and the fans on the Phantec I found to noisy so I sold them.

Cooling wise, the phantec you would think would be better with its mesh front panel. But I didn’t notice any difference and closely watch the temps. Cool and quiet come top of requirements for me.

Oh. The 500d is quieter as well.

500d it is then. I’ve just made the choice for you. :p
 
kidloco said:
It is a tricky one. The Corsair defo feels more premium. Oh and the fans on the Phantec I found to noisy so I sold them.

Cooling wise, the phantec you would think would be better with its mesh front panel. But I didn’t notice any difference and closely watch the temps. Cool and quiet come top of requirements for me.

Oh. The 500d is quieter as well.

500d it is then. I’ve just made the choice for you. :p
Click to expand...

You’re right though. The 500D just feels like it’s quality.
 
kidloco said:
It is a tricky one. The Corsair defo feels more premium. Oh and the fans on the Phantec I found to noisy so I sold them.

Cooling wise, the phantec you would think would be better with its mesh front panel. But I didn’t notice any difference and closely watch the temps. Cool and quiet come top of requirements for me.

Oh. The 500d is quieter as well.

500d it is then. I’ve just made the choice for you. :p
Click to expand...

oh so you had the p400a and now the corsair 500d ... and like the 500d for cool and quiet - (which I am after also) but want nice lights too :)
 
andrewr2019 said:
So did you make a choice? :D
Click to expand...

Well technically my case is a Christmas/bday present from my wife and I only wanted to spend X amount. Before blackfriday I could have gotten the corsair for less then 200, but hesitated and it quickly went up to 250~
So price is a slight factor considering 120 for the p500a... (but this has been oos for 2 months ~).

Long story short if the price drops again soon I'll be inclined to grab the corsair but holding a bit till it does so. I did like to hear about the cooling and quietness of the case from you guys. What I'm after. And I got a 3 pack of ll120s unopened sitting here (can return if need be).
 
Just ordered P500A and 3 extra fans after reading and watching several reviews, price was right and triple pack of fans (on here, :eek:) was best price I could find. Was gonna go full size but this is plenty big enough. Hope it is in stock by 7/1/21 as indicated.
 
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