Modern cases with a 5.25 bay. Is the Fractal Pop the most sensible option and if so which model?

[sastusbulbas]

Hoping to have a 9070xt by the end of the month, putting together an AM5 system, starting with air cooled, may stay air cooled. But I will be needing a new case, my old system was MicroATX and the only spare ATX case I have is an old solid front NZXT H500.

I will be wanting a 5.25 bay though, I often archive music, so having it built into the case is preferable to an external as the desk already gets a little cluttered.

The most recent case range I see with a 5.25 bay is the Fractal Pop, though the bay is inconveniently at the bottom, it is also conveniently hidden which I also like.

I also quite like a solid top PC, but if it's detrimental to the system willing to go for well ventilated. So I do like the Pop Solid Silent, think it may struggle to cool, but there is the Pop Air to cover a need for airflow. Is the XL a better option than the mid sized case?

Has anyone got any input on the Pop Air vs Pop solid or alternative more up to date PC cases with the option of a 5.25 bay?

 

[rare]

I’ve got a pop air, it’s not a ‘modern’ system in it but I bought it specifically because the air variant had decent airflow and it allowed for an optical bay. Personally I would not go for the closed front version. In my experience they don’t offer a great many benefits, cases with better airflow usually mean you can have the fans spinning slower creating less noise.

Other than the Pop, you are left with some cases which are getting on a bit, for example the Phanteks Enthoo Pro which is a nice case but on the large side and a bit more old school in its design.