Haf 912 vs Carbide 500r

[storminthenorman]

Hi guys,

So I'm looking for a case and I've narrowed my options down to the Haf 912 basic with all fans maxed (2x120 front, 1x140 side, 1x120 rear, 1x200 top) or the Carbide 500r, fans maxed as well.

Which case will have better cooling?
Which has better build quality/durability?
Interior space for <167mm heatsinks (TPC 812)
Looks
Personal preferences

Right now, on Amazon, the Carbide ends up at $130 with all fans, and the haf 912 is $90 (all fans), but includes a 5.25 to 3.5 adapter, which is about $15 more to add to the carbide.

 

[rufus_22]

$124.99 with rebate on newegg ( 500r ) that would be my choice if the two were close to the same price but there's approximately a $ 60.00 disparity between the two so ....?? In terms of quality the 500r wins and probobly a draw on cooling but I'll leave that decision to more experienced poster's .. happy hunting

 

[storminthenorman]

Oh and I'm worried about how loud the Carbide 500r will be with all the fan slots filled, and the integrated fan controller only supports 3 fans. With the Haf 912, I can (maybe) get more cooling and a 6-fan controller for less in total. If anyone has maxed out any of these cases, comments about noise and cooling would be much appreciated.

 

[amuffin]

First of all, those cases aren't in the same price range. So why would you compare them together? I have had the 912, the CASE itself doesn't make noise, it would depend on the FANS you get!

 

[mildgamer001]

HAF 912. 500R is a great case, but much more expencive, but ti is also bigger and has more features, both are great cases, mostly comes down to your price preferance and taste in looks. personally i dont really like the look of the 912. still a great case though.

 

[storminthenorman]

Sorry if I'm changing the topic here, but basically, it all comes down to price. I looked around and really like the CM 690 II because it has most of the features of the carbide 500r (I was going to get the black one anyway) and is cheaper.

BUT, I looked at some reviews on Newegg, and a shocking amount all talked about a front panel that would short and shut down you computer when you touched it. This is because it's not properly grounded. I'm kinda scared to buy it, but most people seem to be fine. On the other hand, the front panel issue is known by cooler master and most (in)famous on the 690. Any thoughts?

 

[mildgamer001]

front i/o panels are very common places for shortage, whenever i plug a flash drive into my moms laptop without touching the usb port first it shuts down her laptop and she blames me, basicly for her buying a crap hp laptop that shorts out easily..

 

[amuffin]

I've had the CM 690 II advanced for about a month so far, no problems at all. First I don't really see anything shorting out because the front panel is essentially plastic. If you are worried, don't touch the usb ports when shutting/booting the system!

 

[pdxalex]

BestBuy currently has the 500R for $119 shipped (ship to store)
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp;jsessionid=C502C121F8529D9DA66A0E377A07811F.bbolsp-app01-36?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=-4184695623831019931&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=carbide+500R&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960

 

[amuffin]

Frys is selling the CM 690 II advanced for $50, costs $67 at best buy.

 

[storminthenorman]

Will the 690 fit a NH-D14? I know it's expensive, but I figure I can carryover coolers and cases as I upgrade my computer, and not the cpu, gpu, etc. I'm really leaning towards the 690, as best buy has it at a great price (thanks amuffin). The all black interior is really appealing too. Still, does anyone know anything about the front panel problem? Those Newegg reviews are worrying

 

[amuffin]

newegg reviews=terrible way of deciding.

As for the NH-D14: