Best case for air cooling under 200$ that will fit an E-ATX mobo?

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LonelyMan

LonelyMan

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Jun 22, 2012
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I've looked at a dozen cases, such as Fractal Design XL, Silverstone RV3, Rosewill Thor v2, Cooler Master HAF XM, NZXT Switch 810 and others and they all look poorly made to me. Lots of plastic, many features that are excluded, some have poor cooling and acoustic performance. What I want is a case that will fit a e-atx mobo with excellent air cooling and low noise, usb 3.0, fan controller and excellent build quality. A side window is a bonus. I would like to keep it under 200$ unless the case is so godly that it's worth the extra money.

System specs if they help:

Asus Maximus V Formula
Intel i5-3570k
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 140mm UFB (Updraft Floating Balance) CPU Cooler
Msi gtx 580 lightning
Seasonic x-760

PS: I will be heavily overclocking the system.
 
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Uther39

Uther39

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Feb 3, 2011
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Save another $64 and buy this baby...
http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/obsidian-series-pc-case/obsidian-series-800d.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139001&Tpk=800d

800d-threequarterview.png

800d-angled.png

800d-side.png

800d_newdoor-wcovers.png

 
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LonelyMan

LonelyMan

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Jun 22, 2012
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I think I am going to go with the Cooler Master Storm Stryker since I like the window. Plus, white case with black accents and black and red mobo with white led fans is pure win. How is the airflow in this case and the acoustics?
 
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LonelyMan

LonelyMan

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Jun 22, 2012
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Ahhhhh. I have this voice in the back of my skull saying to me that I'm wasting money on the Maximus V formula. Only advantage that I can see that it has over the Gene is that it's bigger, it has wifi and bluetooth, and an upgraded audio and some bios tweaks. All for 110$. What do you guys think? Should I just get the Gene and this adapter http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045 and call it a day? Only problem is I need a matching high performing CPU cooler for the color scheme and the noctua NH-C14 is brown :pfff:
 
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amuffin

amuffin

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Jul 29, 2011
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Sabertooth.
 
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LonelyMan

LonelyMan

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Jun 22, 2012
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The reviews are saying that the Gene is better than the Sabertooth, and 40$ cheaper. So Storm Stryker with the Gene and the Phanteks cooler I mentioned= winning combo?
 
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LonelyMan

LonelyMan

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Jun 22, 2012
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Hmmm. So change the case, or change the mobo.

Option 1: Maximus V Gene, Phanteks PH-TC14CS cooler(in red or black or white), change the case (smaller one, with a window preferably).
Option 2: Maximus V Formula, same cooler or change it with its bigger brother (PH-TC14PE), keep the case.
Option 3: Sabertooth, Noctua cooler(NH-C14 OR NH-D14), change the case (to match the color scheme).

Thoughts?
 
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LonelyMan

LonelyMan

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They have never failed me. Plus they have the best UEFI in the market. Will the Formula fit inside the Stryker? It only supports mini-atx, atx and xl-atx, but not e-atx?
 
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LonelyMan

LonelyMan

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Jun 22, 2012
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Well, I know that, but they only have 1 z77 motherboard, which is 30$ more expensive than the Formula and I bet their UEFI, if they even have one, is not as good since, from what I've heard, all the bios boys left EVGA and went to ASUS. Plus Asus is constantly doing revisions to their BIOS=big win. So, if you are 100% sure that the Formula will fit perfectly in the Stryker and I won't have any surprises, ill get the Phanteks cooler (white, black or red) and gg.
 
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LonelyMan

LonelyMan

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Jun 22, 2012
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Well the only Switch that I would buy is the matte black version to go with my theme, but IMHO I think that the Storm Stryker is better due to its cooling options, lower price, better features (such as the fan controller, that handle in case I need to move it, secret compartment :lol: ) and overall feel of the case. It's like comparing Audi to BMW. I like Audi better :)
 
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