markchui

Hi all, I currently run a hybrid cooling system with a micro-ATX board inside an older Lian Li PC-V350B. But recently when upgrading, I find the case to be rather cramped. I got the case because of its form factor and 5.25 inch bays.
 
But now I'm thinking of moving back to small tower cases, especially because it makes upgrades more convenient. Plus, I have 5 RGB fans, 2 of which I had to give up when moving my tech into the Lian Li.
 
I have shortlisted a few cases, but I'm somewhat divided. What would y'all pick?
 
1) Tecware Nova M3 - SGD 58
2) Tecware Nexus M - SGD 49
3) Tecware Vega - SGD 89
4) Cooler Master NR400 - SGD 78
5) Apevia XpackQ3 - around SGD 70 without shipping
6) Aigo Darkflash DLM21 about SGD 55
7) Aigo Darkflash DLM22 about SGD 55
? Tecware Quad - SGD 55
9) Gamemax H605 - SGD 55
 
Prices are the best ones I could find around.
 
Also, does anyone have experience with the Aigo cases? How is their cooling like?

Finally got myself a GTX 1060! And it's the OC V1 from MSI too! Not too bad. Don't wait for benchmarks tho. I'll be too busy. Also a Thermaltake Riing!

basically its like what mark said, its a shop you can physically enter and browse through. its good for you to have someone experienced,but you should be fine if you go yourself(if you can carry all the parts; psu and case can be very heavy). most of the stores are not scammers but a few of them are abit sketchy, which is why the locals don't recommend going to places like tradepac(for newbies anyway; they like to take spare things from your purchases). pcthemes is the best you can get in safety though. ask their yilong for help if you need any. and make sure to inspect the motherboard for any bent/broken pins before you leave with it.

Thanks for the heads up, m8!  

the power supply is more than enough

I might come back to this thread once I need help deciding on a case (and maybe a new graphics card later on). I'm pretty glad that there were pretty good replies. Thanks for your inputs and see y'all around!

Generally speaking...
1) Downgrade the mobo chipset to B150, and make RAM capacity higher like 16GB. B150 and H170 has no critical difference.
2) Seasonic PSU is way better than Corsair's.
3) Usually bigger size is easy to upgrade and repair, so choose micro-ATX. Actually mini-ITX mobo costs more money than micro-ATX or ATX.
4) For VGA, I recommend GTX 1060 considering graphics-concentrated tasks like Adobes or 3Ds.
5) Because you are considering upgrade availability, I suggest not to choose LGA1150 based system.
6) You don't have to go for Z170 AT ALL. RAM clocks are only crucial when it comes to the iGPU.
7) If case is thick enough, it will be fine. I mean not width, but the steel itself.
8) If you have a valid license of Windows 7 or 8/8.1, you can upgrade those to Windows 10 and earn 10's license.

Eyy, a local. Let me do up a build for you tmr, just got off my pc
 
For your tasks, an i7 or equivalent xeon would be better than an i5, i'd recommend that if possible, but an i5 is still fine.
Just get a h110/b150 board. A z170 is too expensive for your pc.
Tecware cases are great for the money, very highly recommended. Vios cases are junk and should be only for very low budget pcs.
If your windows key is a retail key then you can just install windows and it'll work fine.if its an OEM cd-key then you'll need to get a new one.

future proofing is defenetly a thing, but your build for your purposes is pretty future proof.
 
the i5 6500 has really good value, it's basically the same as a 4690.
 
no, just go with the cheapest you can't find, (from a trusted brand) as a z170 is more for overclocking the cup and ram. 
Ram speed does not matter much at all (unless you are using the igpu.
2133 ddr4 is what you want if you are buying 1151
 
with cases the brand doesn't really matter that much, but you should watch a review of the case first so you know it's not some plastic pile of trash.
 
if you are migrating from the hardisk you might still have to buy another key
( I think they changed something with Windows 10) but I am not 100% sure so you would have to look that up.
 
 

Not a single one of the hundreds of us ever use SGpcmart for pc builds

I looked up domestic review website and found out that N200 is okay. So go for it!

I would stay with the Skylake chip that you have chosen, unless you would like to get an unlocked SKU. A z170 board is not necessary for what you want to accomplish, and RAM frequency isn't as big of a deal as people think it is. You want to find a balance of frequency and latency, which Linus made a video about here. I would also stick to branded cases, just due to my bad experiences with non branded ones. If you are trying to save money though, they are usually fine, just find some reviews online. If you are going to buy a copy of Windows 10, I would get Pro off of Kinguin.net for much cheaper than MS would charge.
Hope this helps!
Nate