what to look for in a case

adolf hamster

adolf hamster

adolf hamster

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18 Oct 2012
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hi guys, havent exactly posted on here much so go easy on me.

basically, about a year ago laptop died, and about 8 months ago went ahead and decided to have a crack at building me own pc, my lack of knowledge goes to show in a few areas, but one that seems to be bugging me the most of late is the case.

in case you don't know why this is bugging me, this is the case my 'infinite wisdom' had me buying:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-006-IW

before someone says it, no i'm not 14 and yes I do like how it looks [I have no sense of time, temperature and hearing so I imagine no sense of taste isn't a big leap from there]

basically, i'm considering changing it. the main issues i'm facing are thus:

internal space, or lack of, seriously the side fan is mounted outside because the graphics card wouldn't fit.

cables, so many cables, everywhere. I don't have OCD but every time I see the inside I feel like I do.

cooling, apart from the 200mm fan [which i approve of highly] there isn't any.

quality, the internals aren't painted. that is all


so, after that unnecessarily long back story, what good cases are there out there? i was looking at the likes of these:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-165-AN&groupid=2362&catid=2277

looks pretty good, plus it looks like it will take at least a 200mm rad [at the top?] and possibly a 360 at the front. don't have watercooling but its on the cards

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-237-CM&groupid=2362&catid=29

looks very good, less space for a 'standard' dimension rad, but i should assume a 200mm square rad wouldn't be too difficult to bolt in. plus if the large amount of 230mm fans [i approve of this] isn't enough then that 1.4m rear exhause fan should be good :p

for budget i don't really fancy going much further north than £100, those two look decent enough in terms of quality etc? anyone know of anything else that would happen to suit my tastes/budget, i don't really want anything too plain [ie just a black box] but i'm open to ideas.
 
I take it that you like the "aggressive" sort of look rather than a simple clean look?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Anidees AI-6B Midi Tower Case - Black £99.95
1 x NZXT Phantom 410 Enthusiast Midi Tower Case - Black/White £84.95
1 x CM Storm Scout II Midi Tower Gaming Case - Black £84.95
1 x Cooler Master HAF XB Case - Black £82.99
1 x Aerocool Xpredator X3 Gaming Tower Case - Black/Orange £82.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 500R Midi Tower Case - Black £79.99
1 x Xilence Black-Hornet Midi-Tower Case - Black £76.99
1 x BitFenix Raider Tower Case - Black £62.99
1 x Zalman Z9 USB 3.0 Midi Tower Case - Black £54.98
1 x Xigmatek Alfar Midi Tower Case - Black/White £44.99
Total : £814.51 (includes shipping : £48.95).



There is a mixture in there of options.

I personally really like the Anidees case atm, I looked at one in OCUK's shop and its very very nice, looks and feels quality.
 
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Hi I have a Cooler Master HAF X Gaming Tower Case it came as Part of an OC build and I'm not so sure I would have picked it as its a full size tower but OMG it's first class well finished looks the part and has masses of space inside keeps everything very cool and Its worth 5 stars + it's been over 5 years since I looked at PC parts until I got this new system a few weeks back.

Plenty of space for liquid cooling lots of fans to move air around the case and a slot for everything :)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-203-CM&groupid=2362&catid=29
 
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yeah, I knew there was one of the HAF series was pretty good.

just took a look at the corsair 600t, tempting I must say although it looks a little 'fat' [if that even makes sense] edit: its also a little expensive too, damnit corsair why do you have to make something I want ever so slightly more than I want to spend....
 
The only thing I can say is the case lighting is not as red as it looks in the OC image as there is only an led in the front fan and there is a switch on the top of the case to turn this off.
 
not all that fussed about led's, I know I've been looking at cases with led's but that's probably because it highlights where the fans are in pictures. can't seem to avoid them, between my psu, ram and mobo its already lit up like a Christmas tree, funnily enough I didn't know about it until the first power up lol.

as for the HAF series, the x and the 932 seem similar, just instead of 2 fans in the top of the x the 932 has one on the side instead.

still find myself drawn to the 600t. this is going to be like buying a new keyboard all over again.....
 
yeah, shame there's a rather inconvenient sea in between me and ocuk otherwise i'd be tempted to go and have a look in the flesh.

liking the look of the 600t even more now I've done a bit of background reading on it, theres a few issues [you can have decent watercooling or a disc drive, not both], but for most of what i'm looking for it seems ideal.

now the next question, white or black lol
 
the 600t can take a front 200mm rad and a 240 up top without modding which is ample for most watercooled setups.

I personally wouldnt have one though, it looks great and cable management is so easy with it but it is so plastic, the panels creak and make cracking noises as the components go hot and cold
 
yeah, been looking and it looks like, as you say, a 200mm front and 240 top would work, considering a 200mm is roughly the same as a 360 [ever so slightly smaller].

noise isn't so much of an issue for me, considering my current setup involves an amd stock cooler. at least the 600t will be able to accommodate an ample air cooler until such times as I can afford full blown watercooling.

decided, seeing as i'm going to try and quit smoking to make this a kind of reward, plus it'll ease my mind about the 600t being ever so slightly over budget.
 
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