Need some advice on choosing a good case

[Som3one]

Hey there,

I am going to build a (mostly) new rig and need some help on finding/deciding on a decent case.


First of all some of my "case history". Until about 2 or month ago I had the Xigmatek Midgard (2 ?) for 1-1.5 years and I really liked it. But unfortunately, there wasn´t enough room to fit any radiator in it at all. Also, the cutout for the motherboard´s backplate wasn´t at the right place. And last but not least, it was really hard to install certain CPU coolers like the Dark Rock 2 Pro.



So, I decided that it was time for a new case. And since I was a fan of Xigmatek I decided to go for the Xigmatek Elysium.
Now, here is what I like about this case:
- Its sheer size and how easy it is to work in it.
- You can fit pretty much anything (including any radiator) in it.
- The 3.5" hot swap port is nice.
- The included wheels are really really useful.

And now to the stuff I hate about it:
- The whole front - drive cages, fan mountings etc. - seem to have been designed by some monkey.
- It´s just so freaking loud. Sometimes I think it´s noisy even when it´s turned off. lol
- Closing the sidepanels is just a hazzle.
- The thing has so many sharp edges that I can not lift or turn it without cutting myself several times.
- It´s just a huge spacy pain in the a$$.


So, currently I am looking for another case. Some of the things I´d like it to have are:
- Enough space to work in it without the need to brake my wrist or something.
- Enough space to (just to call a number) mount a thick 280mm radiator or a 240mm rad in a push/pull configuration.
- It doesn´t need to be dead silent but it should not be loud. If you know what I mean.
- The ease of access is pretty important. I am not really a fan of thumbscrews for the sidepanels any more. Also, the front part and top panel should be easy accessable, too.
- Oh yeah. No lifethreatening, sharp edges!



I think over the past 1.5 weeks I checked out pretty much every case that is out there but maybe I missed some or some manufacturers.




So far 3 cases caught my eye:

- Corsair Obsidian 900D: First of all I should mention that I became quite a Corsair fan while my research.
I know this case is quite a overkill but you can fit pretty much everything in it.
What I don´t like is of course the price, the missing wheels and I am not sure if I like the window but I could live with that. But the ease of access seems pretty amazing.

- Corsair Carbide 540: I really really like the concept and the price tag. The ease of access is 900D-like, too. But I guess that´s a general Corsair thing.

- Cooler Master Cosmos 2: I like the looks of it very much and the big (very useful) carrying handle on top and the fan controller. What I don´t like is that CM don´t seem to make the best out of the space that thing has. And also, it´s the same price as the 900D over here.

I also should mention that the Cosmos 2 is the only out of these 3 that is currently available over here.
The 900D might be available next week but it also could take another 1-2 months.
The 540´s availability is another problem. As far as I heard it is supposed to be released July-ish. But with no word on the region. Which means it might take another 5 months or something before it will be available over here.



Here´s what I am planning to put into my rig, just so you might get an idea what has to fit into the case:
(I havn´t decided on everything, yet. But the components marked are the ones I am leaning towards.)

CPU: i7-3930K OR I7-4770K
Mobo: Some Asus ROG X79 mobo OR Asus Z87 Sabertooth
CPU cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 OR Corsair H100i OR keeping my current Prolimatech Genesis
RAM: 8 OR 16 GB Corsair Vengeance Pro
GPU: (standard) GTX780 OR EVGA GTX780 ACX OR Asus Matrix 7970 ROG Platinum
PSU: Corsair AX760i
Drives: 1xSSD, 2xHDD, 1xDVD
Soundcard: My current one from Creative. Kinda forgot the name. lol



I mean, like I said, I pretty much looked at every case out there from NZXT, Fractal, Enermax, CM, Nanoxia, Thermaltake, Xilence etc. but maybe I missed one.


Also, I´d appreciate if we could keep this about the cases. I already know what many of you think about AiO coolers, Haswell, sixcore CPUs, 16GB RAM etc.

 

[Som3one]

Currently I am thinking I should add the NZXT H630 to the list, too.

 

[chesteracorgi]

It looks like you have picked out some pretty solid options, but I will add for your consideration:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108437
This is a top open air design.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133192
This is a great case and has great features. I recently built a machine with its little brother and it has good cable management and is a quality choice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139017
This is my current case. It can be outfitted with a solid side door and be a "silent" alternative, or the mesh door and a fantastic cooling case. Cable management is good and if you frequently tweak your computer (like I do) will love the doors and ease of swapping out components. My only criticisms of this case is that Corsair uses proprietary 200 mm fans which leaves no alternative for the front fan (because of its depth) and that there is a clearance issue with a 240 X 120 mm radiator at top.

 

[Som3one]

The first one is a nice idea but it´s not available over here. Also I am not too kean to find out how noisy an open air design case might be.

I stumbled over the 2nd one shortly after I opened this thread. But I kinda instantly clicked it away. Now I might rethink it.

I think I somehow completely missed the third one. Thought I have gone through all Corsair cases. Will do some more digging.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[Som3one]

I just checked out the Thermaltake Level 10 GT but unfortunately it seems you can only install a 240mm rad in in it.
And judging by some reviews even a 240mm push/pull might get tricky.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Corsair Obsidian 900D < Love this one for your new setup.

 

[Som3one]

So, I did some more digging and found the NZXT Switch 810 and pretty much fell in love with it.
No idea why I didn´t notice this one earlier...or why it´s not listed on the NZXT website.

Basically, it can do everything the 900D can do...just not at the same time. lol
But I think it looks better and (depending on the shop) it´s only half the price of the 900D.
So, it´s down to the 900D vs the 810.

I guess I´ll think it over over the weekende, making sure I didn´t miss anything regarding the Switch.

 

[Som3one]

Just ordered my Switch 810 a couple of hours ago. Together with the rest of my build.
Can´t wait.


Anyway, thanks for the help guys.

 

[Som3one]

Just a little heads up: I received the Switch on thursday and while I really like the looks of it (especially on the inside) and the features...I just have to say, it just feels so cheap.
And also I honestly just don´t know how to carry that thing. You just can´t get a grip anywhere. Especially without clipping anything open.

So, I ordered the Corsair 900D (which conincidently was available on friday) which arrived on saturday. And I love it. It looks great, feels great and you it´s just so incredible easy to work in it.