Help Choosing a Case

[SolidSnake42]

I'm torn between a few cases and I would like your opinions on some of them. And yes, I am looking for great price to performance/features ratios as well. Here's the list of cases that I've been looking at:

Corsair 400R
Corsair 500R
Corsair 650D
Cooler Master Storm Trooper
Antec P280

And just letting you know, for some of the cases that don't have the USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 adapter that the 400R/500R has, I got one from a friend, so that is no issue.

Also, currently, I'm leaning towards the Trooper, unless someone can convince me for something else.

For now, I'm just going to get a new case before I upgrade my stuff in my computer, and when that happens, I'd like a case where I can just easily do anything and basically enough or more than enough room for whatnot.

Thanks in advance.

 

[lsv]

The 650D just dropped in price, it's now the same price as the P280. So really, I'd go for the P280 hands down if I was in your shoes... and I have a 650D heh.

If you want to save money get the 400R or 500R.

Also considering silent or quiet operation the P280 beats out all of the Corsairs and the Trooper.

I can't comment on the Trooper since I have only read/seen OC3Ds review of it... However it looks great but $190 @ Newegg the cheaper P280 outshines it.

Edit - one thing I want to add, the Corsair 200mm fans are not very good. They are sleeve bearing and when mounted vertically begin to whine from just a few months use.

 

[Drazn]

I would choose the Storm trooper. Man that case has inpressed the hell out of me. All the reviews give it a 10 that I have seen.

 

[SolidSnake42]

Just letting you guys know, sorry for not saying earlier, but sound dampening isn't necessarily needed, considering I can sleep with my GPU's fan on full blast. Honestly, I have a harder time now sleeping in a dead silent room.

Also, where is it that the 650D dropped in price?

 

[ehume]

I've come to some conclusions in the past couple of years about what I want from a case. Here is my ideal case for air cooling:

(parts not drawn to scale)
Note that the rear grill and the backplane slot covers have been removed so that the air can find its own way out, quietly, without the assistance of an exhaust fan. Fewer fans, less noise.

Also, note that either the 5.25 bay slot covers are mesh or you have to put a fan carrier there. With three slots free and some room at the top you can put a 140mm fan in the 5.25 bay.

Because of the free air exit, no pressure can build up. I call it a positive flow case, not a positive pressure case.

Here is a typical case setup. I don't like it:

I avoid negative pressure cases: they are vacuum cleaners without the bag.


Criteria for a good air cooling case:

- Unfettered access for the main front intake fan. No plates or fancy covers that block the air.
- Side panel intake fan.
- Case fans as large as possible to be able to run them slowly and thus quietly
- Mesh covers for 5.25 slots
- No narrower than 200mm. This allows for full tower heatsinks and room behind the mb for cables. Actually, any case with a 120mm exhaust fan will most likely handle a full tower cooler (they are 155 - 160mm tall). But a 7.5-inch case, for example, will hardly have any room behind the motherboard tray for managing cables. My 200mm-wide Beta Evo, for example, has room for a full tower cooler and just enough room for managing cables.
- A forward position on top for a top intake fan forward of the cpu heatsink air intake.

Cases that I believe are pretty good for air cooling:

CM 692. CM HAF series, especially HAF X (HAF X works better with two top intake fans because of its high ceiling).
NZXT Beta Evo and NZXT Tempest Evo
Zalman Z9 Plus and maybe the Z7
Azza Hurrican 2000
Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower
There are Lian Li and other high end aluminum cases that have no grill at the rear. This is best, because you can allow the air to simply flow out. No noise, no pressure build up.

To the extent that the Corsair cases fit those criteria, they'd be pretty good. The Antec P280 is the first one of theirs since the DF-85 that seems to allow a forward top fan for intake. The rest of their line is not worth having IMO.

 

[SolidSnake42]

Anyone else with suggestions?

 

[DaveSimmons]

The P280 got a nice review at SPCR, it's what I'm thinking of for my 2012 system since it has better cable management than a lot of the other lowish noise / good cooling cases:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Antec_P280

 

[SolMiester]

Just bought a Raven RV03....will be completed with Gigabyte Windforce x3 GTX580 and i5 2500k w\ Hydra H80 and SSD

 

[ArmyVet88]

The wife is going to get me the Trooper for my birthday in April so i can build my 8core finally. I have this case right now and i love it its a mid case but with 5 fans in it is amazing. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo