Phantom 410 or Corsair 400R ?!

Why the Asus maximus board?

You can get a comparable board in features and performance for much less. I'd get something like the Asrock z77 extreme4. Then I'd put the extra cash into things like the CPU/GPU/Aesthetics. If this build is solely for gaming, there's no need for the i7 CPU. An i5 3570k would be able to more than handle it. I'd only get the i7 if you plan on doing heavy video rendering and 3d modeling work. You also won't need the CPU cooler unless you plan on getting a "K" series chip and overclocking.

SSDs only cut back on load time. They do not necessarily affect the performance of your computer in games. If you need to save money or want to put the extra cash elsewhere...this would be a logical cut. You can always add in a SSD later.

As far as the case goes, my pick would be the Corsair 400r. It offers similar airflow and much better cable management.

Here's a few other case recommendations...

Corsair Carbide Series 500R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Antec Eleven Hundred
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

COOLER MASTER HAF 922
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Cooler Master Storm Scout
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00243HHNY/?tag=pcpapi-20

NZXT Guardian 921
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Your build is great. My friend DeusAres why not the asus mobo? First is asus where compared with asrock is no competition. And its not that expensive. Plus it has great features.

Your mobo is uATX so you will not have any space problem. Over that the case pick is up to your likes. They have similar features so it comes down to aesthetics.. Your choice

ASUS Maximus V Gene
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$200

ASrock z77 extreme4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$135

Asrock=more features, full atx board, save $65
Asus=same/less features, mATX board, spend extra money

Now tell me...which would be the logical choice?

Thank you DeusAres for your reply, 1st. I live in Egypt and market here is limited and the difference in price is not too much ( here ).
I agree with you in what you said about the i7, I still don't have any decision but I know I will stick with the i5 at the end and save money for better gpu.
The cpu cooler as I typed it's just a future plan if it gets hotter or in case anything happened I will get it but I will stick with the stock cooler for sure cuz i'm not going to overclock. but you've just said ( unless you plan on getting a "K" series chip and overclocking ) does that mean if I get the i5-3570K ( no overclocking ) , I will need that cooler ? or the stock one will be GOOD !!! ? please advise.
If I can always get a SSD, in my case I gotta get it now ( I don't know when will I have money again to spend on PC   ).
About your case recommendations, I just like the 500R but it's very very expensive here ( 400R will be cheaper ).
I really appreciate your advice thanks a lot.

Thanks, vasilisvvv

400R, having seen the Phantom 410 in life, it looks too plastic. Corsair generally have better build quality when it comes to cases. You can mount 7 fans in 400r and a maximum of 6 in the Phantom (depending on fan size), you get an extra 5.25" in the 400r but a window in the phantom. It's really whatever you prefer and you're going to have to look at it every day - I got a nzxt hades and its the *worst* case possible in terms of build quality, looks and general functionality; its put me off nzxt cases, so i'd say get a 400r.

Actually you could install 8 fan(5 120mm, 3 140mm) on a Phantom 410, 2 in front, 2 on top, 1 on left, 1 behind, 1 on the bottom and 1 on the removeable HDD cage inside the case, this one is one of the main reason I am considering the 410 as its location is directly infront of your GPU mount on a ATX board, allowing you to increase the amount of airflow through your GPU as long as it is shorter than 10.8" (in my case the 10" GTX670 FTW). I could be wrong and this could be massively overrated but that's what I think right now.

I am debating between 4/500R , Phantom 410 & Define R4(new) right now for my new computer. so if you guys could give me that would be recommendation would be great.


Category Item Price
Processor Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz $229.99
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 $134.99
Memory G.Skill Ares F3-1600C8D-8GAB(2X4) 8G $54.99
Graphics EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW $407.99
Storage Samsung 830 256G $228.99
Seagate Baracuda 3TB $149.99
Optical Drive LG Black SATA 24X DVD Burner $14.39 (Purchased)
Enclosure NTZX Phantom 410 $99.99
Power supply Seasonic X650 Gold $118.99 (Purchased)
CPUFan COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO $34.99
Monitor ASUS VG236H 23” 120Hz $329.99
Total: $1805

Reserve: $105.5 left in my budget for Thermal Paste/Price changes/Any hardware changes.

My priorities for the case:
1.Airflow(more important than anything else combined)
2. Ease of installation/replacing drives.
3. Cable management
4. Noise level
.
.
.
100000. Aesthetic appearance

Have you considered the height of the cpu cooler and whether it will fit in these cases? - If you have fans on the left side panel you might not have enough clearance for the hyper.

Hmm, that seems to favor the Phantom 410 where I don't have to worry about the fan on the left side panel as it is not on top of the CPU cooler:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mana-136-midgard-ii... 2nd picture counting from the bottom, the left panel fan mount is pretty far away from where the CPU cooler is.

@azeem40 or any other Corsair 500R owner, how high is your CPU cooler and does it interfere with the left panel 200mm fan?.

The only reservation I have with these cases is they lack dust filter on some fan intakes, for example the Corsair 500R's 200mm fan without a dust filter really bugs me.

Today I am considering the 400R over the Phantom, only because with Corsair rebate(-10) and Today's shellshocker deal Corsair 400R is $20 cheaper than Phantom and comes with free shipping(Phantom doesn't).

If 400R really provide the same amount of airflow as Phantom 410 I would eagerly jump on this deal but could you guys show me some reviews/data to back up that claim. All I have right now is Tom's review of 410 with 52 degree CPU/37.7 GPU temps(Sandy-E 1.3 V OC + GTX 580 Full fan).

I think it's very difficult to base your decision primarily on temps - in depends on the brand and size of fan and how you position them (intake or exhaust); as long as the case has the capability to hold some decent stuff.

http://www.pcgameware.co.uk/corsair-carbide-r400/

At the bottom of the page its got some interesting figures - the ambient temperature of this guy's pc using an i5 and 6950 (notoriously hot) is 27 degrees c on load and overclocked to 4.4Ghz.

I think the difference in temps between the cases is only going to be a few degrees - so is it worth spending extra?

I wish people pointed me to these reviews by high tech legion sooner when they tried to argue Phantom 410 vs Corsair 400R:

Review by the same site 410 only scored a "Gold" rating with 4 Cons compared to 400R's "Editor's Choice" rating with 1 Con. Had I been shown this earlier I would have been convinced easily as I am now.

However seeing this made me consider the Define R4 with Front USB port instead of 2 and better filters over the 400R.

The r4 is soo classy xD