FudoMaster

And I thank you for your suggestions, man! There's a lot of options out there and there's a lot of choices to be made. While I won't be sticking to specific build selections EXACTLY part for part, this has given me a lot more to think about. Thanks, man!

Holy crap that was fast. Well done on such short notice, man! Thanks!

As great as the build is, and I do agree with you on a number of points, I still need the two optical drive bays and the monitors and peripherals, which push that past $1900 in its current state.

Nah, just wanted to be able to upgrade to that in the future.

There were more words in my last two forum topics.

Last time I did one of these I put like a giant novel at the start for the description so I'll just keep things simple. I want an upgrade to my Asus G75VW that's a solid air-cooled desktop pc that I can use for the coming years for a variety of multimedia production works. Music, graphic design, 3D modelling, gaming, content creation, streaming: I want no-holds barred on this thing. Except there are, because I've got a $1900 (USD) budget. Which sucks. A lot. If I had $3K then I wouldn't even be posting and I'd have a monster of a machine that would meet my needs for a long long time. So, here are the basics: $1900 USD Budget (ordering from West Virginia, USA) Aim is for web browsing, gaming, and content creation of all sorts (videos, music, and pretty much anything that can be defined in "multimedia") Intel + Nvidia please. Not to rat out the red team, it's just personal preference. (Also a DDR4-based system would be HEAVILY preferred. I have a need for speed.) Air cooling is preferred as well. Probably going to cap out at 1080p 60Hz gaming since I don't play many AAA titles, but I'd like a GPU that can handle high frame-rate 1440p or better just so I don't have to replace the damn thing in like a year. I just can't afford 1440p panels right now. SSD for a boot drive as well as storing my primary programs like the Adobe suite and my streaming software and PC screencap software (OBS and Action! if anyone's curious) Preferably 2TB of WD black for storage, I'd really like two of those for the sake of running the Raid setup that treats the two drives as one but gives me some assurance for file backups. Likely going to use an Elgato HD 60 Pro later on, so there's that. I'd REALLY like a MOBO with AC Wireless. I'd either need an absurd amount of cable to connect via LAN or I'd have to drill a big hole in my wall and I refuse to do that. PSU should be Gold or better. Case should be airflow optimized and have at least 2 5.25" bays available externally. Probably just going to get the MasterCase Pro 5 just because of how good a bargain Amazon's selling it at right now (ordering within a few days, probably) I want at least two monitors for the system. Preferably a minimum of 60Hz and having IPS monitors sounds pretty rad for artwork and stuff. The monitors will also be funded by that $1900 budget I do need peripherals as this will be my first build and thus do not have pre-existing peripherals to work with (I have a Logitech M185 mouse, but it's crap and is dying, just like my 4-year old laptop) I'd prefer something like the G710+ for the keyboard and the G700s for the mouse, but if there are cheaper equivalents then I can live with that. Preferably from a reliable and renown brand, though. None of that 3rd party "$10 Pro Gaming Mouse" garbage. The peripherals will ALSO be funded from that $1900 budget I'm upgrading more so out of necessity than want. My sound is glitching all the time in games and videos and frankly, this laptop wasn't that great from the start. I was just a dumb kid back when I bought this thing. I got it because it "looked cool" but over the years I've educated myself and realized I got a terrible sale with this thing. So yeah, if any of you would be willing to make some recommendations, that'd be fantastic. This community is awesome. P.S. As a note, this was what that ideal $3,000 build would have been: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Xx8RjX

See, my problem with building my own case and/or just re-painting a manufactured case is my lack of knowledge/experience/proper-setup to do such things. I'm just a giant with a desk (6'7" I don't know if that makes me bigger than Luke or not, but yeah). Not much going for me in the creative garage/workshop department, honestly. It's why I mentioned the whole "rationale between hardcore builder and filthy casual (like me)" thing. That said, the 750D AF Ed. is VERY impressive. It doesn't quite offer that compromise that I'm looking for, but I must say if air cooling is your game and you want very fair-quality fans right out of the box, the 750D_AF is a very solid choice for other people looking for similar features.

I looked into that one. I know it's a bit too much of a gripe, but the asymmetry of the top panel design as well as the questionable airflow for the front are big minuses for me. Plus there don't seem to be any 5.25" bays. Thanks for the suggestion, though!

This generalized description could easily be posted in the "New Builds and Planning" forum, and I get that. But the main mental debate that's eating at me is case selection (at the moment) so that's why I'm putting this topic here. Right then, so I've been browsing components, binging review videos and build guides, delving through forums, and slowly losing my mind for nearly two months now. In that time, I've learned that PC building is made as easy or as difficult as the builder wants (for the most part). I could easily look at a recommended build guide and say "Yeah, I'd like to have that," and then build an exact replica and have that be my own personal computer, but it's not PERSONAL, you know? Granted, buying a manufacturer's case isn't technically "personal" either, but there's a line of rationality to be drawn between people who build computers with a passion and people (like me) who do so simply because it's how you get the best price/performance ratio (for the most part) and plus you get a LOT of customization options and upgradability options that you would otherwise either not have or be heavily restricted on with a pre-built system. That said, I would want my components to be within that middle-ground of having a number of functions that I would actually take advantage of while also maintaining that visually appealing aesthetic that really synergizes with everything else and truly creates an artistic masterpiece. "But Fudo, this is PC building, not art class, dummy." And I get that. It's a computer, not a sculpture (although if most of the housings for components are a combination of 3D-printed parts, does that make it artificially "sculpted"? Hmm, questions for later) So, this particular thread regards PC cases and what would be the "best" one for ME. (Though I would also like the results to possibly help other nitpicky people like myself have a general idea of the process of elimination or whatever when it comes to case selection) Price isn't really much of a concern of mine (though I'd really like to shoot for sub $200 if we're being honest), however I know for sure that I'll be in the ATX Mid Tower or Full Tower range. I don't have the absurd funds to fill up an Ultra tower, otherwise I'd probably just shove a bunch of hardware inside a Cosmos II and be done with it. The NZXT Switch 810 is probably about as close as I'm going to get when it comes to case design, visual appearance that I don't hate (but don't like, either), features and functions, etc. Here are the general "wants" for my "dream case" that are dictating my decision-making process: White, Silver, White/Black, White/Silver, Gray, Metallic White, Metallic Silver, etc. (basically I don't want an all-black case. Having it as an accent here or there is fine, but I want it to be primarily white to go along with my build scheme) [Using an Asus Z170 Deluxe for the board, so you get my point, yeah?] Generalized front I/O (headphone jack, microphone jack, 2+ USB 2.0, 2+ USB 3.0, Reset switch) HOWEVER with a pre-integrated SD CARD READER (seriously, with how much file transfer I do with those things with cameras and my phone, I'd really like one of those) At least two 5.25" bays for an optical drive (and probably a fan controller or something if one isn't already installed in the case) Optimized for both liquid and air cooling (I'm not really picky about radiator mounting options since I don't see myself doing a liquid-cooled rig for a long time until otherwised convinced to do so) Fan filters at a variety of conceivable intakes (Like how the Switch has two small ones instead of one large one along the bottom of the case, one for the power supply and the other for possibly a bottom-mounted radiator or something [I think, I'm no expert in theoretical computer physics]) Modular drive cages with different mounting possibilities and combinations (Like how the Phantom 630 has a few drive cage variants that you can move around or just take out completely based on your possible needs) Tool-less panel removal (for sides, top, front, etc.) [Much like how the Switch 810 has little "clickies" that secure the bottom fan filters, the front panel with the integrated filter, and the top panel that has that handle that opens and closes a vent. option] Ease of internal access (I know this is probably the most non-specific "duh" part of this list, but I have big hands) Solid cable management options (with a lot of rubber grommet holes and stuff as well as a mostly "roomy" space behind the motherboard and drive cages and stuff) Solid case construction (in terms of state of matter, all cases are solid [I mean technically a test bench is a case with panels made of "air"], but I want mine to have some rigidity to the overall construction of it. The 780T is a mostly poor example with the way it bends) Now, I know this list is mostly generic, but still. It's about as creative as I can get with it. In terms of upgradability I'll one day want to have two 980 Ti G1 Gaming cards from Gigabyte running in SLI, so there's that. My big gripe about Mid Towers is that they're not "roomy" enough, and since I'm air cooling, I'm a little paranoid about the flow of things, so anyone with advice in that regard is welcome to input their knowledge as well. Here's my component list for what I'll be throwing in initially: Intel Quad Core i7 6700K Phanteks PH-TC14_BK (undecided, but pretty sure) Asus Z170 Deluxe ATX Mobo 32 GB (4x8) Corsair Vengeance Dominator LPX Memory Samsung 950 Pro 512GB M.2 drive (will likely just hook it into the M.2 slot on the board, but the PCIe Hyper Kit adapter included with the Z170 Deluxe is another option) (2x) 4TB WD Black HDD Corsair Hx Power Supply (either 850W or 1000W, but I really want that Plat efficiency and I know I'll be doing 2 980 Ti's in SLI later down the road) I know this was a bit of a novel, but thanks to those who actually read through it and thank you to those who are willing to offer their time to provide their opinions on this matter. Hopefully we can figure things out, yeah?

I'd really like to get my hands on that keyboard because I hear it's a pretty cool guy and doesn't afraid of anything. (Memes aside, I literally don't have one and am building my first PC and need peripherals.)

If there's one thing that I live for, it's speed, and Solid State Drives like the Panther demonstrate that very effectively. Boot times for the OS and package-based programs like the Adobe Suite or (god forbid) Grand Theft Auto V are a nightmare on any ol' hard disk drive. Gotta go fast!

This looks like exactly what I"m looking for. Thanks, mate! I'll be dropping the Headphones as I've already got Custom One Pros from Beyerdynamic and have a Yeti Pro mic, but everything else looks about as ideal as it can get. Thanks again!

EDIT 1: I should have noted that the Elgato HD60 Pro is like $200 and will also be part of that $1500ish budget. And since the Asus Monitor is like $300, that leaves like $1000ish for the rig itself and the peripherals. My bad... EDIT 2: I should also note that I sorta found a rig configuration that I really like, I'm just having issues finding comparable parts for a cheaper price to get it closer to the budget. Here's what I have so far: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YsbjwP Budget: $1,500-$2000ish U.S.D. I'm not entirely sure yet, though it will likely lean more towards the $1500 mark. (Shoutouts to Tax Refunds) Aim: High-quality 1080p 60+fps gaming. Streaming (via Elgato HD60 Pro capture card, or some equivalent). Video editing (through the Adobe CS6 suite). Web browsing. Upgrade from Asus G75vw gaming laptop. Last 5+ years without falling behind in terms of quality content output. Monitors: With the budget, I'll likely be starting with one Asus VG248QE monitor, but am considering a multi-monitor setup later on for convenience of editing layouts. Peripherals: This is my first desktop PC build, so I'll need keyboards, mice, speakers, and a monitor, which will sadly be taken out of the main budget as well. Why I'm upgrading: In order to really break out of my digital shackles and make the content I want to make as well as stream games and other things, I need a rig capable of doing so, as well as offer an amazing gaming experience that I've wanted, but lacked for many years now. For the past two years, I've been using the Asus G75vw gaming laptop. (CPU: Intel Core i7-3610QM 2.3GHz, RAM: 12GB SODIMM, 1500GB internal hard drive, NVIDIA GTX 660M 2GB Graphics Card) Up until now, it's been an absolutely incredible experience (granted, I had only used old laptops and desktops that ran on Windows XP or the crappy Win7 computers at school), but I've wanted to start streaming and make higher-quality content for a long time now. With tax season coming up, I believe now is the ideal time to build a rig that'll do what I want it to for a fair amount of time. (Sorry for this novel's-worth of crap information, I'm just trying to emphasize the significance of this. But shortened reasons are bulleted below.) Better performance and quality output than the Asus G75vw gaming laptop Wanting to start a livestream and make 1080p60fps high-quality gaming/comedy content Digital Content Creation- artwork, video editing/production, potential game creation Able to tackle rendering-intensive projects in Premiere and After Effects with ease Preferences: i7 processor (for compatibility with the Elgato HD60 Pro capture card) GTX card (because the whole "AMD" thing confuses me and I don't want to chance anything. White case with filters for air cooling (The idea of liquid being pumped through an electrical system seems insane to me)Also I don't want a stupid-looking case. Seems like a pretty obvious quality, but I don't want some asymmetrical block sitting on my desk. (And a roomy full tower sounds pretty appealing too. Any and all help with this would be incredibly helpful. I'm incredibly paranoid that I'll mess this up so that's why I'm here. I have a fairly generalized idea as to how to go about putting an air-cooled rig together from watching the build guides on the Linus channel. What's made me so paranoid is the program/code-related nitty gritty to starting the system and making sure all the parts are compatible with each other. I'm fairly computer savvy, but the second that anything code-related comes up, I'm clueless. So uh... yeah. That's it.