Need Help choosing a Case!

Velexis

Velexis

Velexis

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Joined
25 Jun 2009
Posts
126
Well my parts will be arriving within the week, but I have yet to order a case. The parts I will be using are:

CPU: AMD Phenom x4 955 Black Edition
GPU: Powercolor ATI Radeon 4890
MoBo: MSI 790FX-GD70 AMD 790FX
Memory: Corsair Dominator 4GB 1600mHz
HDD: 1TB Samsung FI
500GB WD Caviar Black
Optical: Pioneer DVR
PSU: OCZ 700W Silent

I am thinking about getting another GPU in the future (Another 4890) so I will require room for an extra GPU. Will I need a different PSU also?

Anyway, back to my question. I have five cases in mind, these are:

Coolermaster RC-1000 (Looks nice, large, quiet but is it cool?)
Silverstone Fortress FT01B-W (Seems popular and it's a nice case)
Lian-Li PC-V1010B (It's on B-Grade for cheap. Is this case any good?)
Antec 1200 (Kind of ugly, nice space and I don't mind the lights)
CM Storm Sniper (I like it, LEDs but I have seen no reviews)

So, what are peoples opinions? I am also a first time builder so I don't plan on watercooling. Also feel free to suggest other cases that are between 60-150 pounds.
 
When I speced last week and asked here I chose the Scout, but have since turned away. Just browsing Case Central changes my mind so often.

What do people think of the Scout and also the HAF 932?
 
Velexis said:
I am thinking about getting another GPU in the future (Another 4890) so I will require room for an extra GPU. Will I need a different PSU also?
Click to expand...
Game/StealthXstreme become ripple happy at high loads. But second card shouldn't increase lod yet to that level.

What size case you're looking for and any other future space needs besides second graphics card?


Coolermaster RC-1000 (Looks nice, large, quiet but is it cool?)
Silverstone Fortress FT01B-W (Seems popular and it's a nice case)
Lian-Li PC-V1010B (It's on B-Grade for cheap. Is this case any good?)
Antec 1200 (Kind of ugly, nice space and I don't mind the lights)
CM Storm Sniper (I like it, LEDs but I have seen no reviews)
Click to expand...
RC-1000:
Good internal space but CPU temp benefits from controlling where top exhausts draw their air and with more than couple HDDs their cooling suffers.
FT-01:
Rather small for price, neither extra vertical space or E-ATX depth. Very good CPU cooling but not so for graphics card thanks to restrictive HDD cages.
LL V1010:
E-ATX depth but you can't use many 5.25" without blocking intake capacity of upper chamber because intake fan is for chamber with minority of heat production.
1200:
Similar cheese grater as HAF but with lot less space. (that extra ~10cm depth makes wonders for working inside case with long cards)
CM Sniper:
Between cheese grater and more solid look, decent space but just why is CM restricting rear exhaust hole with mountings for "nobody uses"/80mm&92mm fans... Review here.

For that price there's also Lian Li A70 which has E-ATX depth, good internal space and lot of device bays. (internally same as A71)
 
Pea0n said:
Lian Li A17B, perfect for me and I'd recommend it

- Pea0n
Click to expand...

What's your setup?

EsaT said:
Game/StealthXstreme become ripple happy at high loads. But second card shouldn't increase lod yet to that level.

What size case you're looking for and any other future space needs besides second graphics card?
Click to expand...

I'm not quite sure what size I am after. Just something roomy with excellent air flow for fan cooling. It will need to fit, as stated earlier, two 4890s in the future. Other than space needs for these two there's not much else. It will be my first build and I wouldn't feel confident doing anything else within a year of construction.

I even checked out the Lian Li PC-P50, which is due to release on the 24th. Really didn't help my decisions when I saw that thread pop up. Has quite good reviews too and I don't mind waiting :/
 
Velexis said:
What's your setup?
Click to expand...

ASUS P5Q-PRO
Q9550 (Noctua UH-12 or whatever its called)
4870 1GB (3rd party cooler)
8 GB RAM
2 HDDs
DVD Drive
Corsair HX620

Lovely and cool and still plenty of room if I wanted a second GFX card, or if I wanted to swap it out for a 4870x2 or something, cant recommend it enough

- Pea0n
 
EdAllonby said:
You can't go wrong with Coolermaster. Me and my friend have got one, they really know their cases and how to please.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but you can, some of their cheap cases are utter rubbish.

From my experience, Silverstone or Lian Li would both be good choices, Antec are quite good as well.
 
Velexis said:
I even checked out the Lian Li PC-P50, which is due to release on the 24th.
Click to expand...
ATX sized so cramped in depth with long graphics cards, like A17.
Multiple cards pretty much block rear access to 5.25" bays at same level making it harder to have anything in there.

Here's thread with A70 and short looking 8800(?) GTX
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17799173
After early revisions that main HDD cage was changed to lot less restrictive which helps in cooling.
 
While looking at some Lian Li and Silverstone cases I came across another case, which is similar in design to those mentioned and I quite like it. The reviews on BT are high, although the air flow is not great (Which I kind of wanted) it has relatively good temperatures on their tests. The Coolermaster ATCS 840

I have also got the Silverstone FT01 and Lian Li A70B in mind. I really have falen for the slick and nice designs, as well as the good air flow in these cases. The options for windows is great too. I would love to see some light/inside my case. It will not be on my desk, though.

The Fortress is quite good looking (Although the CM 840 is lovely) with room to accommodate my future 2*4890s. One problem though is the GPU cooling with the racks, but I guess removing the HDD racks will help (I only need two). I like the window too :P

The Lian Li is good looking too and will also hold the 2*4890s. The future possibility of WCing is tempting (Although I do not plan it). There is no window, but I can buy one if needed. I haven't seen any temperature tests for this case though.

At the moment the CM 840 is my favourite, due to the slick design and space inside. The price tag suits it well in my opinion (Although this is coming from someone that has never built a rig before).

What does everyone think of these three cases? I really do need your opinions as I have all my components and no case to build with and you all know far more about these cases than I ever will!
 
Velexis said:
While looking at some Lian Li and Silverstone cases I came across another case, which is similar in design to those mentioned and I quite like it. The reviews on BT are high, although the air flow is not great (Which I kind of wanted) it has relatively good temperatures on their tests. The Coolermaster ATCS 840
Click to expand...
Cooling the case isn't the problem, internal temperature followed ambient precisely. It's distribution of airflow (/lack of its control) inside what caused those results.
Frontmost top fan is such far from heat production and actually in entirely other direction that it probably just diverts airflow away from rear area. So not connecting it could improve CPU area airflow. There's also space for building airflow guide from for example cardboard which forces top fans to draw air only from area above CPU which could help notably if CPU heatsink is run passively or with very low speed fan.

It will not be on my desk, though.
Click to expand...
As you'll be keeping it apparently on floor you might want to look also how easily air filters can be accessed.
 
I had the Silverstone FT01 briefly, before I got my current Coolermaster ATCS 840.

The FT01 is a very nice looking case but it is quite small inside, and if you want to hide a lot of cables behind the motherboard tray, the side panel will bulge and be quite difficult to fit back on.

In comparison, the ATCS 840 is massive. Not quite as stylish as the FT01 but still very nice. The motherboard sits about 1cm away from the motherboard tray so it's easy to hide cables behind it. Airflow is decent in the case. The hard drives mountings are more spaced apart than in the FT01, minimising airflow disruption. I also have a couple of extra fans in mine, one at the bottom, drawing air in from under the base, and one in a Scythe Kama bay. I use a fan controller to turn the front top fan down to minimise it drawing air out of the case prematurely.

The only minor issue I've had with the ATCS is that the rear motherboard screws are quite hard to access whilst they are in the case, but the motherboard case slides out anyway, so not a massive issue. Also, there is a hole in the motherboard tray where the CPU cooler backplate is, so it is very rare that you'll need to remove the motherboard.

Overall, I'd say the FT01 is a decent case if you just want to build a PC and don't want to do much else to it. The ATCS 840 is great if you intend to add extra bits over time.
 
I think I may be going for the ATCS 840. I find it good looking and the potential for expansion in the future is vast. It will last a couple of years too, along with the rest of the hardware. My only worry is the GPU heat, as I do plan on putting a second in too. Would adding a fan controller and extra fans help? I don't want to do anything too special, as this is my first build and it will be the first time doing any of this. Also, is there anywhere I can by a windowed (Or mesh) side panel that includes a fan?

If I can't find extra options I will settle with the HAF 932 for the cooling potential and space. The case is not the best looking, but the cooling is amazing.
 
There's a windowed side panel on Coolermaster's website, but with no fan. Adding a side fan would probably disrupt the airflow anyway.

You can get another fan on the base to draw cool air upwards, and also a Scythe Kama-Bay with a better fan for another intake. As mentioned above, turning off or lowering the speed of the front top fan would help too. I currently have all intakes at maximum speed and both top fans and the rear fan set to the lowest speed in an attempt to negate negative air pressure in the case. I have my CPU cooler blowing upwards.
 
I think I have decided go with the CM 840. Thank you all for your opinions and help!

One last thing Faffer. What temps are you getting currently with your setup?
 
Idle temps between 35-40c on all 4 cores, load temps mid 70s running Intel Burn Test with 16 threads at maximum. CPU is at 1.24V vcore.

4870x2 with stock fan at 38% idles at around 47c. With Rivatuner controlling the fan, it never goes above 70c at around 50% fan speed whilst gaming.

Room temp is low 20s.
 
I think I am sold. Cheers Faffer. I never thought my first build will be such an experience and I have not even put the parts together yet! I'm going to have some fun and stressful times ahead.
 
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