Spec Me: Small ATX/mATX Case for Watercooling

RedMogg

RedMogg

RedMogg

Soldato
Joined
1 Nov 2011
Posts
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Location
Portsmouth
I'm after a decent compact case that will suit the following components:

3700X
Gigabyte X470 Aorus Ultra Gaming
Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32Gb (2 × 16Gb) 3200Mhz
EVGA 2080Ti XC ULTRA GAMING (with Aurora Eisblock)
Corsair RM750i
M.2 NVME x2
Team SSD 1Tb
WD Black 4Tb
1× Alphacool Nexxos ST30 280mm Radiator
1× Alphacool Nexxos ST30 240mm Radiator

I'm currently using the Jonsbo W2 cube case with front- mounted Alphacool Eisbaer 280, with extra 240mm rad on the bottom and Be Quiet Pure Wings 2 on both rads, plus a 120mm BQ PureWings 2 on the rear as exhaust. (It's pretty crowded, but should be better once the GPU block is installed)
The case measures H385 x W278 x D395:



(This is a better image of the W2 internal layout):
Front chamber:



Rear chamber:




I have considered putting a custom loop in this case, with a single 5.25 bay Res/Pump (Alphacool do one with a Laing DDC 12v pump), but I think I'm making life much harder than it needs to be - since the 5.25 bay is in the rear chamber.

I love the case and it has performed brilliantly, particularly considering it fits sideways into an IKEA Besta media unit (I'll add pics & dimensions later) and this is the kicker, I need the new case to also fit within the W560× H580× D380 internals. I do have a shelf inside to fit router, 5 port Gigabit switch and CCTV recorder, which drops the height approx 100mm:
(Excuse the mess, mid-build and pre- cable management)


If I could find a reasonably priced case of similar dimensions, but better suited to a custom water loop, I may just give it a go...

If needs be, I can swap my motherboard out for a B550 m-ATX when they drop in the next couple of weeks, but if I can avoid it, I'd rather not.

I'm thinking Meshify C Mini, Meshify S2, LianLi O11-D Mini, Corsair Carbide 275R (in White)...
 
Not sure I've understood right. The Besta unit has 560mm x 580mm x 380mm (WHD) of space? And you're displaying the PC side-on, so you need something that's less than 560mm deep, 580mm tall, and 380mm wide? Or is it 480mm tall because you want your router etc. on top?

If either of the above are right, why is Micro ATX even a consideration? You can fit some good ATX cases within those dimensions (e.g. O11 Dynamic).
 
McPhee said:
Not sure I've understood right. The Besta unit has 560mm x 580mm x 380mm (WHD) of space? And you're displaying the PC side-on, so you need something that's less than 560mm deep, 580mm tall, and 380mm wide? Or is it 480mm tall because you want your router etc. on top?

If either of the above are right, why is Micro ATX even a consideration? You can fit some good ATX cases within those dimensions (e.g. O11 Dynamic).
Click to expand...

480 tall to allow the router shelf.

I'm not trying to fit the biggest case possible - I need some room for airflow (I've three 120mm Pure Wings fans exhausting out of the back of the unit, powered by a PWM extension cable). I'm just in need of some suggestions of compact ATX cases like the one I have, but more suited to a custom water loop.

The O11D is certainly a contender - I just thought I'd ask for some more options, given the space constraints (my rig can only go in the lounge media unit, at least until we move somewhere bigger).
 
RedMogg said:
If needs be, I can swap my motherboard out for a B550 m-ATX when they drop in the next couple of weeks, but if I can avoid it, I'd rather not.

I'm thinking Meshify C Mini, Meshify S2, LianLi O11-D Mini, Corsair Carbide 275R (in White)...
Click to expand...

none of these has 5.25 inch bays. if you want 5.25 bays you have to go for an old school case
 
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