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Building First Pc, need opinions on cases

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March 31, 2013 12:34:01 PM

Im building my first computer, and im stuck on what case to get....

I was thinking between:

NZXT Phantom 410
Corsair 500r
Fractal Design Refine R4

*If there are any cases which are better for my price range please suggest, Im from NZ and all these cases cost 199NZD*

Thanks in advance
~Peter

More about : building opinions cases

March 31, 2013 12:42:40 PM

All three cases are great choices. I have a Phantom 410 at home and its pretty much perfect. If you like a more refined look either of the others you posted are fine. I would pick between those 3 and just get the one you like the best...
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March 31, 2013 12:49:56 PM

Why not buy the 400R QUOTE: Corsair has already managed to impress with the Carbide 400R chassis and the more potent 500R is no exception. It takes the already great 4-series Carbide chassis and improves on its cooling possibilities, adds a fan controller to adjust the rotation speed and give the user the possibility to remove the hard drive cages to make room for long graphic cards. Also with an updated edgier design, some may just go ahead and dish out the 40 US Dollar more for the Carbide 500R. The question thus is, if this rather large price premium is worth it, or if the sub 100 US Dollar 400R is the better choice. Well, if you are going for water cooling or need the additional space for long graphic cards instead of six hard drives, want the 200 mm side fan - then yes, the Carbide 500R is worth every penny more. If none of these aspects would really sway your decision, then by all means go for the Carbide 400R and invest the saved money into more memory, a faster CPU or better cooling. That said, the pimped 500R is an excellent chassis nonetheless and you should still be very happy with it for some time to come.Source: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Corsair/Carbide_500R...
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March 31, 2013 1:08:30 PM

I see, Well im getting a 660TI with this build and i dont think ill be watercooling it, maybe a H80i, but im not really swaying towards that atm.

Hows the airflow and dust accumulation in the 500r and Phantom 410?
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March 31, 2013 1:18:31 PM

The Fractal Designs are very sturdy cases. They are made of steel instead of plastic and the fans that are included are quiet. Look at all the designs of the R4 (there are like 5 of them) at Newegg.
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March 31, 2013 1:33:40 PM

Arkinaios said:
I see, Well im getting a 660TI with this build and i dont think ill be watercooling it, maybe a H80i, but im not really swaying towards that atm.

Hows the airflow and dust accumulation in the 500r and Phantom 410?


Curious, why 660ti over 7950 when they are the same price?
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March 31, 2013 3:20:54 PM

I read that Nvidia cards use less power and PhysX :p 
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March 31, 2013 3:27:24 PM

They do and you do not need to explain why you choose the card you do that has nothing to do with your question so just ignore it.
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March 31, 2013 3:28:19 PM

Arkinaios said:
I read that Nvidia cards use less power and PhysX :p 


both of those are accurate!! :p 
I just bought a 7950 over the 660ti yesterday. We should keep in touch when you get yours and compare to see how they do against eachother.
And im way more interested in real life gaming than those benchmarks. Even though typically the OC edition of the 7950 benchmarks higher, the 660ti is still great for gaming and im curious to see how they compete
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March 31, 2013 3:31:34 PM

Ok, What case did you go for btw?

* im still stuck on which case to get :(  *
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March 31, 2013 4:00:31 PM

bigcyco1 said:
They do and you do not need to explain why you choose the card you do that has nothing to do with your question so just ignore it.


Whoa dude.. No need to be a jerk!!
I wasnt ridiculing him for choosing nvidia or anything. I was just curious.. No need to get so offended over a question..
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March 31, 2013 4:03:41 PM

Arkinaios said:
Ok, What case did you go for btw?

* im still stuck on which case to get :(  *


I would get the raidmax Agusta if its in your budget ($90 and a $20 MIR)
Its a full tower with plenty of room and comes with a ton of fans. Even running on low rates with all the case fans you are looking at great cooling and little noise since they run at low power.
Lots of 3.5" bays with adaptability to 2.5"
Plenty of 5 and 1/4 bays
7 expansion cut outs i believe.


Just a fricken fantastic case for the money.
Fits very long graphics cards. All around awesome.
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March 31, 2013 4:03:55 PM

caydn12 said:
bigcyco1 said:
They do and you do not need to explain why you choose the card you do that has nothing to do with your question so just ignore it.


Whoa dude.. No need to be a jerk!!
I wasnt ridiculing him for choosing nvidia or anything. I was just curious.. No need to get so offended over a question..
I wasn't offended it had nothing to do with his question that is what private messages are used for on the Forum.

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March 31, 2013 4:05:30 PM

bigcyco1 said:
caydn12 said:
bigcyco1 said:
They do and you do not need to explain why you choose the card you do that has nothing to do with your question so just ignore it.


Whoa dude.. No need to be a jerk!!
I wasnt ridiculing him for choosing nvidia or anything. I was just curious.. No need to get so offended over a question..
I wasn't offended it had nothing to do with his question that is what private messages are used for on the fourm.



You sounded pretty offended
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March 31, 2013 4:08:22 PM

caydn12 said:
Arkinaios said:
Ok, What case did you go for btw?

* im still stuck on which case to get :(  *


I would get the raidmax Agusta if its in your budget ($90 and a $20 MIR)
Its a full tower with plenty of room and comes with a ton of fans. Even running on low rates with all the case fans you are looking at great cooling and little noise since they run at low power.
Lots of 3.5" bays with adaptability to 2.5"
Plenty of 5 and 1/4 bays
7 expansion cut outs i believe.


Just a fricken fantastic case for the money.
Fits very long graphics cards. All around awesome.



Tbh the Raidmax Augusta doesnt suit my tastes :p 

Also i dont mind answering questions of why i picked a part :) 

Does anyone own/used to own the Phantom 410/500R?
If so do you like? Any complains?
I really need help deciding on one of these 2 lol
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March 31, 2013 4:08:34 PM

caydn12 said:
bigcyco1 said:
caydn12 said:
bigcyco1 said:
They do and you do not need to explain why you choose the card you do that has nothing to do with your question so just ignore it.


Whoa dude.. No need to be a jerk!!
I wasnt ridiculing him for choosing nvidia or anything. I was just curious.. No need to get so offended over a question..
I wasn't offended it had nothing to do with his question that is what private messages are used for on the fourm.



You sounded pretty offended
No i was not have no reason to be doesn't matter to me what card another person gets. ;) 

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March 31, 2013 4:11:09 PM

Arkinaios said:
caydn12 said:
Arkinaios said:
Ok, What case did you go for btw?

* im still stuck on which case to get :(  *


I would get the raidmax Agusta if its in your budget ($90 and a $20 MIR)
Its a full tower with plenty of room and comes with a ton of fans. Even running on low rates with all the case fans you are looking at great cooling and little noise since they run at low power.
Lots of 3.5" bays with adaptability to 2.5"
Plenty of 5 and 1/4 bays
7 expansion cut outs i believe.


Just a fricken fantastic case for the money.
Fits very long graphics cards. All around awesome.



Tbh the Raidmax Augusta doesnt suit my tastes :p 

Also i dont mind answering questions of why i picked a part :) 

Does anyone own/used to own the Phantom 410/500R?
If so do you like? Any complains?
I really need help deciding on one of these 2 lol


I can't say I have. If no one else replies to your thread saying they have owned one, youtube is a great place to watch reviews and check out the case a bit closer up than pictures
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March 31, 2013 4:14:54 PM

Hmm ok
Hope someone comes and replies to my thread with more insight on these cases
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March 31, 2013 4:15:01 PM

caydn12 said:
Ordered this for my build! It is a great case!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Raidmax Agusta!!


Cancel your order or return it, Raidmax is one of the industry's worst vendors. These cases fall apart rather quickly and use very poor build materials.

As far as the OP goes those are excellent case choices. I have the 500R so I can vouch for it - it's very well built and the interior materials are of the highest quality. However there is a downside - the white panels show dirt and smudges really easily, it's not easy to keep clean.
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March 31, 2013 4:20:39 PM

g-unit1111 said:
caydn12 said:
Ordered this for my build! It is a great case!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Raidmax Agusta!!


Cancel your order or return it, Raidmax is one of the industry's worst vendors. These cases fall apart rather quickly and use very poor build materials.


Ive read tons of reviews on it and they all say its a great case though.
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March 31, 2013 4:21:41 PM

g-unit1111 said:
caydn12 said:
Ordered this for my build! It is a great case!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Raidmax Agusta!!


Cancel your order or return it, Raidmax is one of the industry's worst vendors. These cases fall apart rather quickly and use very poor build materials.

As far as the OP goes those are excellent case choices. I have the 500R so I can vouch for it - it's very well built and the interior materials are of the highest quality. However there is a downside - the white panels show dirt and smudges really easily, it's not easy to keep clean.
agreed Raidmax is awful.

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March 31, 2013 4:23:11 PM

I vote for fractal defne r4, simple, silent, dust cant come inside of case easily

Hd 7870 xt(slightly weaker model of hd 7950 and faster then hd 7870 ghz) has better price/performance then hd7950 and gtx 660ti
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March 31, 2013 4:34:35 PM

Unless you find a lot of people saying it I wouldn't worry about it. This is where Newegg comes in handy as you can read owner's ideas about their cases.
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March 31, 2013 4:44:44 PM

Well all 10 pages are people complaining about it :o ?
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March 31, 2013 4:50:45 PM

Well 300r is also an option
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March 31, 2013 4:53:15 PM

Sharkoon t28. Good price/performance
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March 31, 2013 5:04:21 PM

Maybe it is time to look over the R4 again?
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March 31, 2013 5:54:00 PM

Is the R4 good? What are the pros and cons of it?
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March 31, 2013 6:28:01 PM

Solid build heavy (can be pro or con)
Sound dampening foam
Well engineered.
Washable filters on intakes

My only con with my arc midi is I can't find the fans they put in their cases. I want a few more.
If you like bling then this case is not for you, though they do have the white and windowed models.

Here are some reviews
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-obsidian-55...
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/fractal_design_r4_...
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6102/fractal-design-defin...
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Fractal_Design/Defin...
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March 31, 2013 7:37:08 PM

caydn12 said:
g-unit1111 said:
caydn12 said:
Ordered this for my build! It is a great case!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Raidmax Agusta!!


Cancel your order or return it, Raidmax is one of the industry's worst vendors. These cases fall apart rather quickly and use very poor build materials.


Ive read tons of reviews on it and they all say its a great case though.


If you're going strictly by the Newegg reviews - it's not an accurate way to judge products. Look at how long most of those products are owned less than a week by the time the review goes up. So the positive ones are completely biased. A lot of garbage brands get highly recommended for that reason alone. The negative ones usually don't have anything to do with the product itself - they are either about bad refunds or problems with UPS. So the negative ones are biased in that regard. The people complaining about DOAs - a good 90% of those could be prevented had the installer read the instructions prior to installation.
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March 31, 2013 7:46:31 PM

Hmm I see, the R4 looks pretty good. Im still leaning towards the Phantom 410 tho...

Also idk if should post another thread so im just gonna ask here, what are some decent CPU coolers? i thought about going for the H80i or the cheap CM Hyper 212 EVO
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March 31, 2013 8:01:51 PM

Maybe something a bit cheaper?
In NZ there $199.00
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March 31, 2013 8:02:54 PM

The Hyper 212 EVO is the best budget cooler at $30 US. It allows a decent overclock in the i5 up to about 4.5Ghz

Above that it is the Noctua NH -D14. That can allow the overclock up to about 4.8-4.9Ghz but it is heavy and expensive at $80US and the overclock needs voltage changes needing more power to remove the heat.

Above that I think is the 100i or 80i. Frankly I haven't watched them too closely as the cost of these items are high and the overclock though higher means more electricity used. By the time you NEED that high of an overclock I think it is time for a new computer.
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March 31, 2013 8:05:57 PM

Arkinaios said:
Hmm I see, the R4 looks pretty good. Im still leaning towards the Phantom 410 tho...

Also idk if should post another thread so im just gonna ask here, what are some decent CPU coolers? i thought about going for the H80i or the cheap CM Hyper 212 EVO


Both are excellent choices, you can't go wrong either way.

The Hyper 212 is a great choice for cooler, I'd pick that over the H80i. The Noctua D14 and NH-U9B are also good choices.
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March 31, 2013 8:07:09 PM

Well ill prob only overclock to 4ghz....so you reckon i should just go with the Hyper 212 EVO?
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March 31, 2013 8:09:28 PM

Yes
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March 31, 2013 8:10:51 PM

Arkinaios said:
Well ill prob only overclock to 4ghz....so you reckon i should just go with the Hyper 212 EVO?
For that light of a overclock yes hell you can do 4.2ghz with the evo no problem. ;) 

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March 31, 2013 8:16:27 PM

Ok thnx! :)  Ill get the 212 EVO!

Another question that has come to arise, here the 1tb WD Caviar Black is $30 more than the seagate 1tb barracuda, Is the WD worth $30 more than the Seagate?
*This is NZD*

SEAGATE BARRACUDA ST1000DM003 1TB 64MB 6GB/S SATA3 = $99 NZD
WESTERN DIGITAL CAVIAR BLACK WD1002FAEX 1TB 64MB CACHE SATA3 = $129 NZD
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March 31, 2013 8:18:48 PM

Both are good the difference is the WD Black has a better warranty i am not sure if it's worth 20 more only you can decide that.
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March 31, 2013 8:22:18 PM

So both exactly the same, no differences? why is it more expensive?
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March 31, 2013 8:26:32 PM

I told you why the warranty is longer with the WD Black and i didn't say they were exactly the same give me a link to the two your talking about and i will tell you the differences.
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March 31, 2013 8:41:26 PM

The warranty is only two years for the seagate vs 5 years for wd black i don't see any other differences
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March 31, 2013 8:48:30 PM

Wow so deffinetly not worth the 30 extra dollars lol

Is it worth the extra $50 to get the NZXT Phantom instead of just the Phantom 410, or just stay with the Phantom 410?
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March 31, 2013 8:59:12 PM

Just stay with the Phantom 410
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March 31, 2013 9:02:49 PM

Ok thnx for your help everyone!
Much appreciated
~Peter
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