Help me decide which case to get!

[jcbullen]

I will be building a ~$2000 gaming rig in the near future, and I've got all of the stuff picked out except for the case. I'm ideally looking to spend between $75-$150 on it, and I need an ATX-mid (a full size wouldn't fit in my area very well). I will be overclocking a Core i5-2500K and using a single Radeon HD 7950 GPU (with the possibility of cross-fire down the road) so I will want it to be pretty spacious for a mid and have good airflow (obviously). I've narrowed it down to the items on the poll. Or say other and suggest another case, thanks!

 

[phamhlam]

The HAF 922 is over-hype and a dust collector with no easy-to-clean filter on the front and no filter at all on the bottom. The Corsair Carbide 500R has great cooling with filters over all intakes unlike the HAF 922 and USB 3.0 unlike the HAF. The Carbide gives you the feature of the 600T in a sleeker and cheaper package. Both Corsair case are great though.

 

[jcbullen]

A lot of people were telling me to go for the HAF, but after looking into the Corsairs, I decided that they are better looking and probably better functioning too. Plus, the white/black carbide is pretty slick looking.

 

[catatafish]

I absolutely love my http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Mid-Tower-Gaming-Hundred-V3/dp/B004ALI5KC.

 

[phamhlam]

@jcbullen, that would be a smart move. HAF were great when they first came out but it has been awhile and Corsair brought a nice new sleek case to the market.

@catatafish, The problem with your case is the old HDD mounts which makes it hard to replace HDD or install them. It also doesn't even have rubber gromets for routing cables neatly.

 

[jcbullen]

What do you guys think about NZXT cases?

 

[Uther39]

Fractal Design Define R3 Black Pearl w/ USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case = $109

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352013

http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=71

 

[catatafish]

@jcbullen, that would be a smart move. HAF were great when they first came out but it has been awhile and Corsair brought a nice new sleek case to the market.

@catatafish, The problem with your case is the old HDD mounts which makes it hard to replace HDD or install them. It also doesn't even have rubber gromets for routing cables neatly.

Maybe its my n00b ignorance but I found the HDD mounting to be pretty simple and easy to open to clean the filters. I also had no issue with lack of grommets....the holes in the back were big enough where there is no rubbing on metal but meh, you could be right, I'm not exactly a cable routing expert but most of mine tucked away pretty nicely. However, the one thing I don't like about it is the lack of labels on the mic/headphone jacks in the front. I had a 50/50 chance of plugging them in correctly and of course, it took my second try to get them right

 

[Cykotr0n]

HAF912 is still my go to for BUDGET case (best sub $60 case EVA!). But if I had a choice, I'd go with the 600t. Being able to use 200mm fans is a must for high air movement with low noise levels. While the 500r will offer much of the same benefits of the 600t, the 600t looks less tacky than the 500r and the design is more tasteful for a 2k system. I also agree the 922 and up cases are terrible for air cooling and are better for using water cooling set ups (HAF X still the best water cooling case for the money imo). The Lanboy (Dustboy) Air is also poorly designed air case. If only they had used foam instead of plastic mesh to keep the dust out. The Antec 900 was also great but like the HAF series is out of date for options/price ratio and isn't as solid in build quality as the other choices you presented.

Speaking of "Other" choices, you should give the NZXT Phantom a once over too. I like the Star wars looking white and black case myself and that is what is "IN" this year (God bless SWTOR). Has excellent cooling options and looks damn snazzy.

My vote goes to the Corsair 600t.

 

[phamhlam]

Whoever put the Fractal Design R3 case is awesome. I actually have one and I love it. It is quiet and beautiful without being flashy. However, the OP wanted to have SLI and I feel like the Fractal would not work well for cooling unless you take of the moduvent that absorb the noise. However, if the OP doesn't care about noise, get a Fractal Design R3 and put fans on all the slots and you have yourself the best looking SLI/xfire rig and nobody would think you are a extreme gamer.

 

[davcon]

The Antec 900 has no business being on anyones list in 2012= old and outdated.
I feel the same way about the HAF 922 - no filters and dated.
The only Antec case worth considering is the 1100.(902V3/1200V3 are great cases but pass thru USB3.0 is balls)
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=65171&vpn=ELEVEN%20HUNDRED&manufacture=Antec&promoid=1029
Add 2-4 120mm fans = excellent airflow.(2x120mm on back of hdd cage/2 fronts)
I like the Corsairs my fav is the 650D.
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=58078&vpn=CC650DW&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1029
Corsair Graphite Series 600T Special Edition White
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=59759&vpn=CC600TMW%2DWHITE&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1029
Another nice case imo.
Fractal Design Arc MIDI Tower
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=58475&vpn=FD%2DCA%2DARC%2DBL&manufacture=Fractal%20Design&promoid=1029

 

[87ninefiveone]

I've had a 600T for a good while now, maybe 8 months or so. Here are my observations.

The Good

1. Excellent case quality. Fit and finish is great. People complain about the plastic, but the finish quality and color is so close to that of the metal used on the case that it doesn't matter. It looks great.
2. Easy builds. Lots of room.
3. Cable management system is great.
4. 8 rear expansion slots instead of 7 means more room for expanded height cards.
5. Awesome, easy to remove doors/side panels.
6. Awesome support and warranty service.
7. Cusotomizable HDD bay positioning. You can completely remove the front mounted bays away from the intake fan.
8. Tons of room for radiator mounting if you're into water cooling, and tons of room above the MB for gigantic air coolers too.

The Bad

1. Weak fan controller. There are no official specs posted, but I've seen 5W max posted and I've blown mine running four fans that were rated 4W each.
2. If you plan on using Crossfire/SLI you need the verion with the open mesh side panel to let heat out. Mine didn't come with this and I had to purchase it extra ($30). This dropped my GPU temps 10'C (GTX 560 Ti's).
3. Stock fans are weak, but livable. At least they're quiet?
4. The case is big, I mean really big. From the front, looking at the center rectangle made of mesh, that's roughly the size of a normal PC. The plus side is that the size leads to lots of places to hide wires during your build.
5. Mine didn't come with a free bag of chips.

The 500R is interesting too. A bit smaller size and couple of added features over the 600T (turning off the LED's would be nice on the 600T).

 

[renz496]

The 500R is interesting too. A bit smaller size and couple of added features over the 600T (turning off the LED's would be nice on the 600T).

that's a nice case but if Corsair offering a version with windowed panel i will not hesitate to get one

 

[mohammedvazeer]

even the corsair 650d is an awesome case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006

 

[rufus_22]

Lots of good ideas here . I like the 600 myself . A thot : at the price of some of these cases you might be able to get into some full tower cases .

 

[jcbullen]

@rufus_22 - I'm kind of trying to avoid a full tower. They are GIANT and I don't have the expansion needs of one. Plus it would have 0 chance of fitting under my desk.

@cykotron - wow, that case is pretty damn sexy.... you may have sold me on looks alone with that one, full tower fitting under my desk be damned. Seems as though the cooling is pretty good too

I'm not usually a flashy guy, but the fractal is just little too plain for me...

I never thought the hardest decision for my computer would come down to case at the end!

 

[phamhlam]

The case is the second most important after your GPU haha. It is what you see everyday and it is the only part that doesn't go bad. The only way to get rid of it is to sell it or donate it.

 

[jcbullen]

Definitely! This is almost as hard as choosing rims for a car.

 

[rufus_22]

Ah guess I should have seen that in your opening . ok then . http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112337

 

[jcbullen]

I think I'm falling in love with the NZXT Phantom, the look is totally for me, even though it's a full. My only concern is there are 2x120mm side fans along with an optional 200mm fan. If I use a 212+ CPU cooler, I can't install a 200mm fan on the side. Would the 200mm fan make a huge difference in cooling, or would the 120mm fans be just fine?

As a side note, which fans are typically exhaust and which are intake. For this case, would the front and side be intake, and the top and back exhaust?

 

[LOBOBAST]

even the corsair 650d is an awesome case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139006

I'm at a cross roads between the 600t white edition and the 650d. Both look awesome and have great features.

 

[amuffin]

600t for me!

 

[signor]

600t Se white. Recently did a build in this case and the cable management is AMAZING, the size of the case is suprising and the cooling is able to compete with the top end full tower cases and can actually beat some with the aid of the mesh on the side and fan(s) attached.

 

[mohammedvazeer]

Hi
Just had a look at the 650d reviews...they are awesome but in white it would've rocked even more....
then i had a look at the 600t in white.... it's heavenly...even the reviews are good...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006644&isNodeId=1&Description=600t&x=22&y=22

 

[jcbullen]

I ended up going with the white NZXT Phantom, I felt it was the sexiest looking case that also had good airflow and lots of other cool stuff. Thanks for all the input.