Sleek mid tower case

robwigan · 25 Sep 2022 at 09:23

I have a budget of about 100.0 I want to use on a case but there are so many I’m not sure which to go for, I love the look of the sleek cases in particular Corsair D cases and was thinking of a 400D. Before I make that the case I go for are there any other similarly priced ones around the 100.00 mark that have a similar look I should consider ?

mickyflinn · 25 Sep 2022 at 10:05

Fractal meshify cases are nice.

robwigan · 4 Oct 2022 at 11:07

mickyflinn said:
Fractal meshify cases are nice.,

They are, I checked them out on the back of your reply and loved it so it’s on its way (iv got the C variant), without looking into them ha so I’m a bit nervous…. Being a bit clumsy and inexperienced are they ok for building in do you know ? I know it’s not a huge case so expecting it to be a bit snug but for it’s class is it any worse or better than others that you know of ?

I much prefer it to the Corsair in my op for it’s looks though so thanks for pointing it out

mickyflinn · 4 Oct 2022 at 11:15

robwigan said:
They are, I checked them out on the back of your reply and loved it so it’s on its way (iv got the C variant), without looking into them ha so I’m a bit nervous…. Being a bit clumsy and inexperienced are they ok for building in do you know ? I know it’s not a huge case so expecting it to be a bit snug but for it’s class is it any worse or better than others that you know of ?

I much prefer it to the Corsair in my op for it’s looks though so thanks for pointing it out

No more difficult then any other case there are design well so just take your time and plan ahead .

Read the case manual it saves a lot of hassle so you don't miss anything.

What cpu cooler will you be using.

robwigan · 4 Oct 2022 at 11:32

mickyflinn said:
No more difficult then any other case there are design well so just take your time and plan ahead .

Read the case manual it saves a lot of hassle so you don't miss anything.

What cpu cooler will you be using.

I’m going to buy buying a 120 or 240mm AIO, which I haven’t decided hey I’m not going to be over clocking so just want it over a air cooler due to aesthetics so it won’t need to be a really high performance one

mickyflinn · 4 Oct 2022 at 11:39

robwigan said:
I’m going to buy buying a 120 or 240mm AIO, which I haven’t decided hey I’m not going to be over clocking so just want it over a air cooler due to aesthetics so it won’t need to be a really high performance one

Wouldnt bother with a 120mm aio a 240mm fits at top and front but be careful the arctic freezer aio have a thicker rad and may only fit in the front.

240mm rad at the top so I would move the rear exhaust fan to the front.

ZXSpectrum · 4 Oct 2022 at 11:50

I have a Meshify C White TG which i picked silly cheap a while back (Think it was £45). I downgraded from a Antec P110 Luce. The Meshify C is a good case, i use a load of Define C and they are very similar case albeit a few differences.

The only thing i would say is a bit of a neg is that if you are using a AIO at the front of the chassis (I am using a Corsair H150i Pro RGB) then you are heavily restricted on the length of GPUs to about 285mm iirc. But it sounds like you are going for 240mm AIO and i would suggest mounting at the top and get some nice airflow fans for the front which should give you a bit more room for a bigger GPU.

robwigan · 4 Oct 2022 at 11:58

ZXSpectrum said:
I have a Meshify C White TG which i picked silly cheap a while back (Think it was £45). I downgraded from a Antec P110 Luce. The Meshify C is a good case, i use a load of Define C and they are very similar case albeit a few differences.

The only thing i would say is a bit of a neg is that if you are using a AIO at the front of the chassis (I am using a Corsair H150i Pro RGB) then you are heavily restricted on the length of GPUs to about 285mm iirc. But it sounds like you are going for 240mm AIO and i would suggest mounting at the top and get some nice airflow fans for the front which should give you a bit more room for a bigger GPU.

Yeah I have seen that a lot being said about mid towers in general, is there a benefit for fitting in the front as it seems to be what a lot of people say to be careful doing but if it’s fitted up too it’s not going to be an issue as much. A 240 should be fine up too shouldn’t it ? I’m looking at putting a 3080 in there if budget permits but failing that it’s going to be a 3070

thebandit · 4 Oct 2022 at 12:05

Last year I purchased a Lian-Li Lancool 205M Micro-ATX Case, best case I've ever bought, such a bargain (I paid £40 from here), so easy to use, made for a nice cool, neat and tidy build with a 240mm AIO cooler.

ZXSpectrum · 4 Oct 2022 at 12:25

240mm should be ok but if you are considering those GPUs then you will have to check if they will fit. the only ones i have managed to fit in the Fractal Define C is a Turbo/Blower card. You might get away with a FE card though. It states the max length GPU is 315mm with a front fan fitted so about 285mm with rad/fan. I dont think i have seen any 3080 cards that will fit 285mm except "maybe" the FE. Cards like the Gigabyte Gaming OC are 320mm so wont even fit with a front fan fitted. Just something to be aware of..

mickyflinn · 4 Oct 2022 at 12:28

robwigan said:
Yeah I have seen that a lot being said about mid towers in general, is there a benefit for fitting in the front as it seems to be what a lot of people say to be careful doing but if it’s fitted up too it’s not going to be an issue as much. A 240 should be fine up too shouldn’t it ? I’m looking at putting a 3080 in there if budget permits but failing that it’s going to be a 3070

240mm at the top is fine but like I said the arctic may cause problems having a thicker rad , 38mm compared to 27mm on most others.

Th

robwigan · 4 Oct 2022 at 12:55

ZXSpectrum said:
240mm should be ok but if you are considering those GPUs then you will have to check if they will fit. the only ones i have managed to fit in the Fractal Define C is a Turbo/Blower card. You might get away with a FE card though. It states the max length GPU is 315mm with a front fan fitted so about 285mm with rad/fan. I dont think i have seen any 3080 cards that will fit 285mm except "maybe" the FE. Cards like the Gigabyte Gaming OC are 320mm so wont even fit with a front fan fitted. Just something to be aware of..

So I’m understanding your post, the front clearance with the cooler not fitted at the front is 315mm ?

ZXSpectrum · 4 Oct 2022 at 13:06

With only a fan fitted, yes you can fit a 315mm GPU. With a AIO Cooler the fan is 25mm thick and radiator is normally about 30mm thick reducing the space you have by 30mm so you can only fit a GPU that is 285mm.

robwigan · 4 Oct 2022 at 13:58

ZXSpectrum said:
With only a fan fitted, yes you can fit a 315mm GPU. With a AIO Cooler the fan is 25mm thick and radiator is normally about 30mm thick reducing the space you have by 30mm so you can only fit a GPU that is 285mm.

I’ll put the rad at the top and not the front then to make sure it’s not tight

ZXSpectrum · 4 Oct 2022 at 14:15

robwigan said:
I’ll put the rad at the top and not the front then to make sure it’s not tight

Front is optimal for cooling (pulls cool air from outside through the cooler) top is optimal for longevity (over time the liquid will slightly evaporate causing a small air bubble, with the RAD at the top of the case at the highest point the bubble is unlikely to form in the pump causing it to put additional strain on it but heat from components such as GPU will naturally rise towards the top mounted cooler). So fitting at the top will not be an issue.