What Case Is Best

[Leeg5547]

Hi Guys,

I have a pre built system from dell and im doing some upgrades and the problem is that the new upgrades might not fit in my case! (psu and gpu, mobo in the future)

Does anyone have any recommendations on a decent case which ticks all the boxes, with good air flow and which is good for future upgrades as i dont want to keep on buying a new case everytime i upgrade! my budget is probably no more than £100.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MadAdmiral]

Hard to say. Prebuilt vendors often use proprietary parts, which means you can't use aftermarket parts with a prebuilt system. This most often affects the PSU, case, and motherboard. Unless you know that you're board is a standard size (ATX, micro ATX, ITX, etc.), we can't really help other than non-specific advice.

Here's some of the best cases out there (ATX or micro ATX) in roughly price order: Rosewill Destroyer, Rosewill Challenger, Coolermaster Elite, Coolermaster Centurion 5, Antec 300 (or 300 Illusion), Coolermaster 690, HAF 922. Add anything from Lian Li to those. The HAF 922 is easily the best case on the market, so don't spend more than what it costs.

 

[Leeg5547]

Thanks for the advice!

This is my pc spec:
Dell Studio Xps 8100
MOTHERBOARD: Dell Inc-0T568R A00
CPU: i7 860 @ 2.80GHz Stock
CPU COOLING: 95W Heatsink
MEMORY: Kingston -8192MB (4X2GB) 1333MHZ DDR3
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 Single 1792Mb-OC (Stock cooling)
PSU: ? 350W
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit
HDD: ? -2TB(2X1TB) SATA RAID 7200rpm
SOUND CARD: Realtek-HD Audio 7.1 DOLBY DIGITAL-Logitech Z4 Speaker System 2.1
KEYBOARD: Logitech-G15
MOUSE: Logitech-G500
MONITOR: LG-22" HDMI(LGW226122)
OPTICAL DRIVE: ? Dell Inc-PLDS DVD+-RW DH-16ABS
WLAN: ? DW1525-(802.11n) WLAN PCIe Card

I dont know what size my board is but my psu is a standard atx size if that means anything?
I will be changing my psu to a 650w corsair, gpu to a gigabyte 470 gtx soc which is 11'' long which probably wont fit! and changing my optic drive to a Lg, I do believe people have changed the psu and gpu in this system before without a problem (hopefully) its just the case which is a squeeze

If the gpu or psu doesnt fit is it possible to shift it all into a case which is bigger with the current mobo all working with the upgrades? I will be changing my mobo in the future (or straight away if my upgrades conflict with the current mobo)

Thanks

 

[MadAdmiral]

The PSU being ATX just means it'll work with standard boards. That also means the board will work with an aftermarket PSU.

As for what to do if the GPU doesn't fit, I still don't know if the board is a regular sized board. You can't really look up the specs on proprietary parts (like the board made by Dell). It may work in a standard case, it may not.

I will caution you that if you need to swap your board, you'll need to buy a new copy of Windows. Prebuilders use an OEM version of the OS, which means it's tied to the specific board you originally installed it on. A new board means a new $100 copy of Windows.

 

[Leeg5547]

mmm more £££££ thanks for the info! That makes sense about the mobo and OS didnt realise! this current mobo has its own OS and cant be shifted or duplicated legally!

About the case and board size i will look it up!
Do the cases come with holes ready for certain board sizes so does that mean If my board isnt a standard size and is just a custom dell board it wont fasten to a new case.... i think that is what i believe you are telling me!

thanks

 

[Leeg5547]

thanks alot

 

[Leeg5547]

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/2330/75013844.jpg

 

[c_for]

Check out this photo

http://www.logic.nl/Site_files/1f/1f2a8b6b-860e-4f82-829d-748c9578c297.png

Do the measurements of your mobo match any of these. If so then that is likely your form factor. If one of these matches look up a more specific diagram of the specific form factor. Make sure the screw standoffs match your mobo. If so then you have a standard form factor and choosing a case will be much easier.

 

[c_for]

Also if the screw standoffs don't match and you are handy with a dremel or a drill you could always drill your own holes for the screw standoffs.

 

[Leeg5547]

Thanks alot, that graph is handy!

I do have a dremel!
is it wize to drill my own holes!!!! but i hope it just fits with any luck!

 

[Leeg5547]

My mobo measures about 250mm By 245mm? does this mean its a micro atx size??

 

[MadAdmiral]

It's not necessarily that wise to drill your own holes if you don't know what you're doing. If you do, it's still not optimal. Of course, it's better than having to shell out a good $200-300 on a new board and OS...

EDIT: Your board should be a mATX one then. It will fit in pretty much any ATX or mATX case out there.

 

[Leeg5547]

Thank you very much for the advice. Thank god it will fit a ATX or mATX case we got there in the end with a lot of help from the guys who know what they are doing!

I've just seen a case on scan- http://www.scan.co.uk/products/72antec-900-nine-hundred-ultimate-gamer-case-with-200m-top-fan-w-o-psu#ProductFeatures

Any good? think its a ATX and micro ready! so if i was to do the board in the future it will fit a bigger board which is good.

Any other recommendations now you know my board size?

Thanks for the help feel more confident

 

[MadAdmiral]

That's a pretty good one. I use the update version (the 902).

Any of the cases I listed originally would be just fine. Pretty much any case that is labeled as an ATX case will fit a microATX board too.

 

[Leeg5547]

Thanks MadAdmiral for the useful advice, and also c_for for the graph!

Happy new Year to you!(soon)

 

[Leeg5547]

Update:

All done! all transplanted into a antec 902 case, wicked case! fit exactly!

psu changed to 650 corsair, gpu to a 470gtx and disk drive to a LG all working.

Thanks guys.