Moving To A New Mid Tower- Help Me Decide

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profoundnoah

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Hey Guys,
So after evaluating my system setup, I wanted to move my PC to my desk. Needless to say, with a system inside of a phantom 820, that would be very ridiculous, since I'm running on an ikea computer desk. So I'm looking for something a little smaller to fit on my desk. I've narrowed it down to a few cases, but don't hesitate to recommend any other chassis. The cases are the Fractal Define R5, NZXT H440, and the Phanteks Enthoo Pro M Acrylic. I haven't been able to decide on which case to get, so I came here looking for some advice. Being a die hard NZXT Fan, I would instantly go for the h440, but I've read of some bad airflow and unsparing cable management inside of it. Considering Im running a 980 ti and an aircooler, bad airflow is the last thing I want to have. The define R5 has great functionality, but it's missing the power supply shroud from the h440, something I'd really like to have. So then I saw the Phanteks Enthoo Pro M, and I really liked the acrylic window and power supply shroud, but I've heard that it's a little bit bigger, and it might not fit the best on my desk. At this point Im thinking I should just go for the h440, but I'd like to get a secondary opinion. If you have any recommendations for a good Desk-Friendly Mid-Tower under $130, I'd be happy to hear them.

TL;DR
Need recommendations for a desk-friendly mid-tower under $130. Thinking either the Pro M acrylic, define r5, or the h440, having a hard time decide.
 
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g-unit1111


Yeah, and that is a good choice.
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Honestly you can't go wrong with any of them. One of my rigs is in an H440 and that's a great case, the other is in a Phanteks Enthoo Pro and that's a great case. I love the Enthoo Pro so I would be a bit inclined to recommend that over just about anything else.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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I assume we talking ATX MoBo ? I I have an Enthoo Primo, Enthoo Luxe and Enthoo Pro all sitting on office desks here in my home office. The Primo is the only one that stands out as being "big".... The white ones are gorgeous.

Primo = 25.59" x 9.84" x 23.62"
Luxe = 22.04" x 9.25" x 21.65" ($119 - white)
Pro = 21.06" x 9.25" x 21.65" ($109 - white)
Pro M = 18.90" x 9.25" x 19.70" ($69 - Titanium Green)

H440 = 18.11" x 8.66" x 18.11"($112 - white)
R5 = 18.19" x 9.13" x 20.91" ($100)

The H440 is most often compared with the Luxe which is a bit bigger. The Luxe is a steal at $119, but it's about 3/4" taller than the R5. On a desk, its the height that seems the most imposing ... I find width is not that much of an imposition and depth none at all. In the office here, and in the home, I'll use the Luxe as my 1st choice for anything that is gonna see any serious workload (CAD / gaming). The difference between the Luxe and Pro being insignificant.

But, it would appear that you want smaller... and all three of your choices are between 18" and 19" tall, so little difference there.... width wise, we are talking less then 3/4 of an inch so again, don't see that as being an issue. Depth wise, it's about 2" but that isn't going to impact anyone, ya can always leave part of it hanging off back of desk.

The inexpensive ProM is a lot cheaper and I really do like the Titanium Green color
 
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profoundnoah

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@jack Thank you for providing the measurements. I'm assuming it's perfectly safe to leave part of it off the back of the desk? Since I nearly dropped my predator because it wasn't fully on the desk, I'm still a little bit worried, but then again, that's the x34. I'll definitely keep those measurements in mind, but I guess it's time to binge watch HWC! I'll get back to you guys on what case I chose, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting really close to making a decision. Thanks for the advice!
 
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profoundnoah

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Alright guys, I just saw the noctis 450 and I think I've made my mind up. I'm going to spend a little bit extra, but the noctis 450 looks amazing. Just making sure, I'll have about 2 inches of the system hanging off the back, but that should be safe, right? If not, I can angle it I guess.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Yeah, and that is a good choice.
 
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gondo

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Not sure if you purchased yet but I'm a fan of the Fractal R5 and RS. Also on my liked list are the InWin 805 and many of the LianLi cases. I love Lian 300 portable ATX case design. Also the Lian Li's with the tempered glass sides are nice. LianLi and InWin are some of favorites for their use of tempered glass and aluminum.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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I've never been a big fan of LianLi mainly because of the price of their cases, although In Win is also a bit on the pricier side of cases.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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As long as the "feet" are on the desk, your golden. In one instance, had a desktop return that was not as deep as the PC and when flush with the front, the rear feet were only "half" on the desktop. I took a 6 foot sandwich board, cut to 2" longer than the desktop and put it under the PC as a remedy.
 
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