Decent case for this build?

bobboberts

bobboberts

bobboberts

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Joined
21 Sep 2003
Posts
408
This is my proposed build:

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Radeon R9 280X Gaming Edition OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £245.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £167.99
1 x Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £109.99
1 x SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 650W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £74.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G1600HC9DC01) £55.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache WD10EZEX - OEM ** Single Platter ** HDD £52.99
1 x Deepcool GAMMAXX S40 CPU-Cooler - 120mm £19.99
Total : £827.52 (includes shipping : £8.00).



I was going to re-use my Antec 900 from my current build, but I figure if I'm dropping this cash I might as well get a new case too. It doesn't have to be whisper-quiet nor push hurricanes of air, but a nice compromise between both is what I'm looking for. A window might be nice, but not essential.

Just a quick browse of 'The New Case' thread and I saw a picture of the Fractal Design ARC Midi R2 case (which is old, I realise that) - I liked that the right-side wasn't completely full of bays - so that design feature would interest me.

I want to keep the price sensible (around £60-£80 max), so what is good?
 
The Bitfenix Ronin would be ideal for you, I think. Slap bang in the middle of your budget, a big window, and you can remove some of the drive bays.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Antec P100 Mid Tower Silenced Computing Case £74.99
1 x BitFenix Ronin Tower Case - Black £69.95
1 x Corsair Graphite Series 230T Compact Mid Tower Case (CC-9011036-WW) £57.95
Total : £212.48 (includes shipping : £8.00).



The Corsair Graphite is a decent cheap option. The Antec P100 is there if you want something quiet.

Your build looks sensible. Might I suggest spending the extra £10 on this cooler? It is excellent value and will get you a decent overclock (although getting it into the Corsair Graphite would be tight, if you went with that case):

YOUR BASKET
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler £29.99
Total : £35.96 (includes shipping : £4.98).



Also, the PSU is capable of powering two 280Xs. You could drop down to a 550w model if you aren't planning to Crossfire in the future.
 
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What would a suitable replacement PSU would you suggest? I'd want modular but I didn't see any that much cheaper. Also (really silly question here) does that fan come with thermal paste (I saw a different cooler did and wasn't sure if that was standard now)?
 
Yeah, sticking with the current PSU will give me some headroom down the line.

Might go with the Ronin then, I'd had a look and it seems to be ok. Ignoring the lack of window, would you say it is overall worth the price premium over the Merc Alpha (which I was also looking at as a budget option)?
 
Certainly, yes. Apart from looking much, much better, the Ronin has better air flow and better cable management options. It's more expensive, of course, but the Ronin is in a different class of cases.
 
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