Case suggestion

[zmaster]

hi guys
for the last 10 years i have been using the thermaltake armor (solid case no complaints)
i am busy building a new pc and i was leaning heavily for the upgrade to level 10GT
however the company i am buying from
http://www.atelco.de/
is having issues with my delivery (they are talking about 3 weeks)
naturally i cant wait that long, so i either have to look for alternatives or run a pc without a case

what i need in a case is as follows:
it needs to be impressive looking. i dont need 100 strobe lights and such, but clean edgy design.
it needs usb 3 ports in the front
it cant have pop open front dvd place holders

if you have any suggestions please let me know

 

[Blain]

Any wiggle room on the case having 3 x 3.0 ports?
Are you open to some type of front panel 3.0 expansion plate?

 

[zmaster]

oh sorry i meant usb 3.0 ports. not worried about the number of ports

 

[XavierMace]

You mention it can't have pop open DVD place holders, does it need front drive bays at all? If not, I'm quite happy with my Razer Edition h440. It's a small premium over the regular h440, but a far nicer finish. The lighting is a bit bright but there's a button on the back near the top to turn the lights off. The lighting on rear for the mobo and PCI slots is quite nice when trying to plug something in.

 

[DigDog]

as far as i remember, the level 10 was not a great case; it had poor-to-average cooling and the weird looks made building inside not very comfortable.

i would just go with a Define R5 ..

 

[squirrel dog]

that and you can get two r5's for one of the other(almost) Cases are a compromise , you get looks , size and or cooling , seldom all three . I have a sniper from cooler master . Large , awesome cooling , and needs to be cleaned monthly . I got it on craigs for 50 .

 

[smitbret]

Yep, a Define R4 or Define R5 are awesome cases.

If you get on NewEgg's list you can grab the R4 for about $80 every other week or two while they close them out. In my opinion, the upgrade from the R4 to the R5 isn't worth the extra $30. Really only provides better accomodations for water-colling and makes it easier to remove the SSD/2.5" HDD that is mounted behind the motherboard.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I'm partial to the cooler master haf series myself.

 

[SolMiester]

I have to say, that 10GT is quiet a fugly case...R5 or R4 easy!

 

[ClockHound]

R5 for sure.

But, if you want to be a style rebel, the Be QUIET! Silent Base 800 is edgy. And quiet. Various trim color options. Just don't put really hot stuff in there - airflow is more restricted than its style flow.

Or the NZXT H440 in various 'accent' colors is edgy too. Not a good way to me and it has intake restrictions too.

PHANTEKS Enthoo Luxe is another edgy, but functional contender. As is the Silverstone FT05, but with a little less edge.

But...since you can get it from your supplier (unlike in North Amercia), I would get the Cooltek/Jonsbo W2: http://www.atelco.de/en/Tower/178756/Cooltek+CTC+JB-W2+-+Silver+Window.article
Sleek (in a cubish sort of way), brushed aluminum, easy to work in and cools well. Non-window versions and available in black.

Techpowerup scored the W2 as highly as the R5.

 

[zmaster]

thanks guys
ended up getting the nzxt 820 as per the anandtech review.
still sad i couldn't get the gt, but who knows maybe in a few years i shall be able to afford one of those fancy lian li's or a titanium edition level 10

 

[Puffnstuff]

If you really want something unique you could go the mountain mods route.

 

[rchunter]

I'll be buying my 3rd fractal design case at the end of the month. It will be a r5. I always get the windowless version so no one can see my shitty cable management haha.

 

[bonehead123]

I recently built a rig with a Corsair Carbide Air 540 and I can say without a doubt it is a really well made case with excellent cooling options and plenty of room inside to install/connect things. and it just looks cool IMHO I got it used for $90....

 

[LV3]

I just built a system with the Define R5. Its my favorite case yet. (Previously used Antec mini-P180 and Nanoxia Deep Silence 1)