Need opinions, stuck on deciding cases

[excella1221]

Hello, I'm stuck on deciding between these two cases:

Aerocool Strike-X
Thoughts/comments:
- 3 pre-installed fans
- supports up to 6 fans
- CPU cooler height limit 163mm (one of my main concerns cause i'm planning to get a Noctua NH-D14)
- Max VGA length 295mm
- 2x USB 2.0
- 9 External 5.25" drive bays; convenient but really what am I suppose to do with all that


Aerocool Strike-X One Advance
Thoughts/comments:
- 2 pre-installed fans only
- supports up to 12 fans
- decent amount of drive bays
- Max VGA length 400mm
- 2x USB 3.0
- CPU cooler height limit 158mm (Noctua specs say 160 x 140 x 158mm, I'm guessing 160 is the height?)

Please help me choose between them and give brief reasons as to why you chose one.
Also, if you see more pros and cons I missed, kindly point them out as well.

 

[nikorr]

OK, whats your HW?

CPU+mobo+GPU?

HDD#

 

[geofelt]

For the question as posed, your only choice is the strike-x.
The reason is that the noctua NH-D14 cooler height is 160mm, 2mm more that the advance allows.
Here is the Noctua spec page:
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products_id=34&lng=en&set=1
Most other top tower type coolers will also be 160mm tall, mainly because of the fan size.

As to the other specs, I see no issue.
Most graphics cards will be well under 295mm(11.6")
Two 120mm fans will give you sufficient airflow for any of the newer 28nm graphics cards and a great cpu cooler.

Some questions:
What will each case cost:
What motherboard will you be using?
What cpu?
What graphics card?
How many hard drives?
What is attracting you to Aerocool? Perhaps the red lights?
Do you need front panel usb3.0?

Cases are a personal thing, go with one YOU love.
Personally, from a functional point of view, I would pick something different.

 

[excella1221]

CPU = i7-3770K
Mobo = ASRock z77 Extreme 4
GPU = Sapphire Radeon HD 7850
Just one hard drive for now, will get an SSD sometime soon.
About the USB 3.0, I guess not really but I have a feeling I will in the future.
I find the Aerocool cases to have neat features you can possibly want, they're cheap comapared to other high-end cases that give the exact same features, the external physical appearance looks cute, and yes the red lights are a plus.

My choices are very limited since I can't really order from Newegg.
I shop here, it's the cheapest local store I can find.

I don't really wanna go over 3,000PHP for this, so yeah. If you can find a better case there, please do suggest it.
Is there a smaller alternative to Noctua? The only reason I chose it is because I read everywhere that it's about enough to support mild overclocking on the very overheating i7-3770K.

 

[geofelt]

Your link does not seem to work for me.
Can you name a few brands that are available to you?
Some popular good cases come from Antec corsair, nzxt, lian li coolermaster to name a few.

 

[excella1221]

Apologies. I seem to have mistyped the URL.
I've edited it now. Thank you for looking into it.

 

[geofelt]

It is strange to me that the aerocool cases have such a reestrictive cpu cooler height limitation.


Here is a link to a list of cases that will hold the noctua nh-d14:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1183203/noctua-nh-d14-compatibility-list

One of the nice cases that is not expensive is the NZXT Gamma.
http://dynaquestpc.com/index.php/components-2/chassis/nzxt-gamma-mdtower-casing.html

Installing side fans is not required for good cooling on this case.
It will hold a 10" long graphics card. I think your 7850 is about 8.5" long.

 

[Smeg45]

I'd get a Storm Enforcer over both. Cheap, can hold a big fat 39cm GPU if required and very easy to work in. I rebuilt my gaming PC in one. That or a HAF XM.

 

[excella1221]

The NZXT Gamma looks neat actually. It even has an eSATA port. One thing I'm confused about is the CPU cooler clearance section where it says 143.5(with fan) 168.5(w/o fan), isn't the height practically the same w/ or w/o the fan?
Also, I'm a teeny bit OCD on the lack of USB 3.0 ports. |:

I'm thinking if I should just drop the Noctua cooler idea and just go with the Strike-X One Advance. |:

The Storm Enforcer is nice but it's a bit out my price range for cases.

 

[geofelt]

The NZXT Gamma looks neat actually. It even has an eSATA port. One thing I'm confused about is the CPU cooler clearance section where it says 143.5(with fan) 168.5(w/o fan), isn't the height practically the same w/ or w/o the fan?
Also, I'm a teeny bit OCD on the lack of USB 3.0 ports. |:

I'm thinking if I should just drop the Noctua cooler idea and just go with the Strike-X One Advance. |:

The Storm Enforcer is nice but it's a bit out my price range for cases.

The gamma case has a provision for an optional side fan. Fans are usually 25mm thick, so if you install a side fan, the space for the cooler will be reduced by that amount.
As a rule, I don't much like side fans, I think they disrupt the natural front to back and low to high airflow.
I would just not install anything there. The top exit fans will provide plenty of ventilation.

Your motherboard will have some rear USB3.0 ports. I prefer that for permanently attached devices.

If you need front usb3.0 ports, then first verify that your selected motherboard has usb3.0 headers.
Even if it does not, you can always add a usb3.0 front panel unit in one of the front bays.

 

[excella1221]

Best answer selected by excella1221.