Help Me Choose My Next PC Case!

[GTechGeorge]

Hey everyone,
          Recently I've been thinking about upgrading my PC case to something a little more modern. The issue is that I can't seem to find a case that catches my eye in quite the same way as my current driver; the Corsair 450D. I have a few options in mind but was looking at other recommendations or second opinions. Some of the cases that have caught my eye are the Corsair Spec-OMEGA RGB, the Cooler Master H500P and H500M, and the Phanteks Evolv X. The issue with the Spec-OMEGA is somewhat poor cable management (and the HD-series fans would clash with my LL-series fans), the H500P has pretty bad airflow before switching to the mesh front panel, the case itself is pretty large, and I'd have to deal with another ecosystem of RGB products, and the Enthoo Evolv X has just fallen off the face of the earth or something because I can't find it in stock anywhere. I'm trying to stay within a $150 budget give or take $20 but have been interested in some cases in the $250 range and if the case fits all of my needs and I have no complaints, I'm willing to spend the extra cash.

Features I'm looking for:
(Mandatory)
-ATX Mid-Tower ('nuff said.)
-Full-Length PSU Shroud (I'm not a fan of the half-length shrouds on some Corsair cases.)
-Good Airflow (I have 2 140mm LL-series fans from Corsair so I'd like to show them off if I can.)
-280mm AiO Support (My current liquid cooler size. Thinking about potentially getting a 360mm AiO so compatibility would be nice)
-Ample Cable Management Room.

(Optional)
-Tempered Glass Side Panel (Only a maximum of a front and side panel. No more than that.)
-Vertical GPU mounting (Thinking about picking up one of Cablemod's universal GPU mounts that keep the GPU centralized so I could care less if it has vertical GPU mounts.)

I'm open for pretty much all ideas at this point and would be happy to discuss your thoughts and opinions.

[WickedStarfish]

6 minutes ago, StrikerX1360 said:

Hey everyone,
          Recently I've been thinking about upgrading my PC case to something a little more modern. The issue is that I can't seem to find a case that catches my eye in quite the same way as my current driver; the Corsair 450D. I have a few options in mind but was looking at other recommendations or second opinions. Some of the cases that have caught my eye are the Corsair Spec-OMEGA RGB, the Cooler Master H500P and H500M, and the Phanteks Evolv X. The issue with the Spec-OMEGA is somewhat poor cable management (and the HD-series fans would clash with my LL-series fans), the H500P has pretty bad airflow before switching to the mesh front panel, the case itself is pretty large, and I'd have to deal with another ecosystem of RGB products, and the Enthoo Evolv X has just fallen off the face of the earth or something because I can't find it in stock anywhere. I'm trying to stay within a $150 budget give or take $20 but have been interested in some cases in the $250 range and if the case fits all of my needs and I have no complaints, I'm willing to spend the extra cash.

I to really like the Corsair cases as well and my next build was either going to feature a Corsair Omega (the one with the white front panel though) or the Corsair Obsidian 500D RGB SE as that is a tempered glass dream (is $259.99 on the Corsair website in the US [i'm australian so the price for me is alot closer to 400])

 

White Omega - 

Obsidian 500D - 

[GTechGeorge]

1 minute ago, WickedStarfish said:

I to really like the Corsair cases as well and my next build was either going to feature a Corsair Omega (the one with the white front panel though) or the Corsair Obsidian 500D RGB SE as that is a tempered glass dream (is $259.99 on the Corsair website in the US [i'm australian so the price for me is alot closer to 400])

 

White Omega - 

Obsidian 500D - 

Yeah I've definitely thought about going with the white Spec-OMEGA as an update to my color scheme. The 500D just seemed to me as more of a "catch up with the trends" rather than a true successor to the 450D successor. The SE version kinda passes out of my budget and all the tempered glass just seems like a shatter hazard waiting to happen.

[TVwazhere]

8 hours ago, StrikerX1360 said:

-Vertical GPU mounting (Thinking about picking up one of Cablemod's universal GPU mounts that keep the GPU centralized so I could care less if it has vertical GPU mounts.)

Even if the case you buy has a vertical GPU mount, i'd stil use an aftermarket one because the buit in ones put the cards too close to the glass, choking the cards of air, resulting in higher temps loss in performance, etc etc. 

 

I would never recommend the Original h500P. Either the Coolermaster H500 (no suffix, and not the NZXT H500) or the H500P Mesh

Fun fact the Evolv X is nearly the same size as the H500 series 

Dimension (Evolv X)

240 mm x 520 mm x 510 mm M 9.45 in x 20.5 in x 20.1 in

Dimensions (H500P Mesh)

544 x 242 x 542mm /                                                                      21.4 x 9.5 x 21.3 inch

 

In your situation, since you have Corsair LL fans and you dont want to clash with those, I'd basically stay away from any RGB case since they'd clash with your currrent setup.

 

Two recommendations would be the Meshify C (In your choice of TG, dark TG or white) and Phanteks Enthoo Pro M TG. Both hit every single mark listed including future 360mm rad support, good airflow (The Pro M TG front panel IS mesh though it doesnt always look like it from renders). In many ways they're the same, and the only real reason to choose the Enthoo Pro M TG over the Meshify C is the Meshify C is shorter, meaning if your GPU you use is over 287mm, you wont be able to fit both the AIO in the front (the only place to put it in that case) and the GPU. 

 

Here's an example I found on PCPer how the LL fans will look in the Meshify C (Dark TG)

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/B24qqs

 

Here the ML fans in the Enthoo Pro M TG (I couldnt find LL)

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/JwFtt6

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/J3jypg

 

Edit: Found some LL's

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/mHsZxr

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/wQxG3C

[Inversion]

I'd recommend the Fractal Design Meshify C. Seems to have everything you're looking for in your case and you have a choice of a few colours. Most outlets agree it's one of the best cases in it's price range and if I hadn't been a little budget limited and hadn't needed a disk drive, I would have most likely gone for it. My Focus G is good but the Meshify C has a few more creature comforts.

[GTechGeorge]

3 hours ago, TVwazhere said:

Even if the case you buy has a vertical GPU mount, i'd stil use an aftermarket one because the buit in ones put the cards too close to the glass, choking the cards of air, resulting in higher temps loss in performance, etc etc. 

 

I would never recommend the Original h500P. Either the Coolermaster H500 (no suffix, and not the NZXT H500) or the H500P Mesh

Fun fact the Evolv X is nearly the same size as the H500 series 

Dimension (Evolv X)

240 mm x 520 mm x 510 mm M 9.45 in x 20.5 in x 20.1 in

Dimensions (H500P Mesh)

544 x 242 x 542mm /                                                                      21.4 x 9.5 x 21.3 inch

 

In your situation, since you have Corsair LL fans and you dont want to clash with those, I'd basically stay away from any RGB case since they'd clash with your currrent setup.

 

Two recommendations would be the Meshify C (In your choice of TG, dark TG or white) and Phanteks Enthoo Pro M TG. Both hit every single mark listed including future 360mm rad support, good airflow (The Pro M TG front panel IS mesh though it doesnt always look like it from renders). In many ways they're the same, and the only real reason to choose the Enthoo Pro M TG over the Meshify C is the Meshify C is shorter, meaning if your GPU you use is over 287mm, you wont be able to fit both the AIO in the front (the only place to put it in that case) and the GPU. 

 

Here's an example I found on PCPer how the LL fans will look in the Meshify C (Dark TG)

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/B24qqs

 

Here the ML fans in the Enthoo Pro M TG (I couldnt find LL)

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/JwFtt6

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/J3jypg

 

Edit: Found some LL's

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/mHsZxr

https://pcpartpicker.com/b/wQxG3C

 

1 hour ago, Inversion said:

I'd recommend the Fractal Design Meshify C. Seems to have everything you're looking for in your case and you have a choice of a few colours. Most outlets agree it's one of the best cases in it's price range and if I hadn't been a little budget limited and hadn't needed a disk drive, I would have most likely gone for it. My Focus G is good but the Meshify C has a few more creature comforts.

I've definitely had a few people recommend the Meshify C to me because of its looks and good airflow. A friend of mine has it as well but doesn't have very high-end components in it so he's not really worried about overheating. As for the Enthoo Pro M I can say that I've taken a look at it in the past before. I really don't need the optical drive anymore because the GPU I used to have had a front-panel VR passthrough which I ended up not using anyway, so to me the extra top space just looks a bit wasted. Thanks for your opinions, I'll definitely keep them in mind!

[GTechGeorge]

A case that I reeeaaally like in terms of aesthetics is the Lian-Li PC-07SX but I can't seem to find it anywhere for under $370

[Happycowdance]

evolv x

link

[TVwazhere]

1 hour ago, StrikerX1360 said:

A case that I reeeaaally like in terms of aesthetics is the Lian-Li PC-07SX but I can't seem to find it anywhere for under $370

Try the PC-O11D

 

Comes with two TG panels, lots of RAD support and a vertical GPU option that uses the PCI-E slots so you wouldn't need a third party option

[GTechGeorge]

4 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

Try the PC-O11D

 

Comes with two TG panels, lots of RAD support and a vertical GPU option that uses the PCI-E slots so you wouldn't need a third party option

See, I absolutely love cube cases and the PC-O11 Dynamic is definitely one of the nicest looking cube cases I've seen as well as the Corsair 280X. But I just don't have the space for a cube case on my desk which is why I'm steering away from it.

[mxk]

Meshify C is the way to go for airflow. Theres a white version and Fractal Design sells colored panels that replace the black one that comes on both cases.

[TVwazhere]

18 minutes ago, StrikerX1360 said:

See, I absolutely love cube cases and the PC-O11 Dynamic is definitely one of the nicest looking cube cases I've seen as well as the Corsair 280X. But I just don't have the space for a cube case on my desk which is why I'm steering away from it.

To be fair, it's only 2" wider than most standard ATX cases(272mm, or about 10.75")

 

[GTechGeorge]

15 minutes ago, TVwazhere said:

To be fair, it's only 2" wider than most standard ATX cases(272mm, or about 10.75")

 

Yeah but even still, I have very little room for a width increase. Back home I have maybe an inch from the edge of my case to the edge of my desk and here at my college dorm there's less than a centimeter between the case and edge of the desk.

[TVwazhere]

3 minutes ago, StrikerX1360 said:

Yeah but even still, I have very little room for a width increase. Back home I have maybe an inch from the edge of my case to the edge of my desk and here at my college dorm there's less than a centimeter between the case and edge of the desk.

Balls

 

The Meshify C would definitely be one of the smallest footprint cases you can get in the ATX form factor while still holding all your hardware (remember that 287mm GPU length limitation with the front mounted AIO though!)

[GTechGeorge]

1 minute ago, TVwazhere said:

Balls

 

The Meshify C would definitely be one of the smallest footprint cases you can get in the ATX form factor while still holding all your hardware (remember that 287mm GPU length limitation with the front mounted AIO though!)

Does the Meshify C support 280mm (or 360mm) rads in the top? That's where my liquid cooler is mounted currently because in order for me to move my liquid cooler to the front of my current case I'd need to remove the hard drive cage.

[TVwazhere]

Just now, StrikerX1360 said:

Does the Meshify C support 280mm (or 360mm) rads in the top? That's where my liquid cooler is mounted currently because in order for me to move my liquid cooler to the front of my current case I'd need to remove the hard drive cage.

240 rad support at the top only. The Enthoo Pro M TG can support a 280 or 360 at the top or front (You need to remove the 5.25" bay, but you werent going to use that anyways)

[GTechGeorge]

1 minute ago, TVwazhere said:

240 rad support at the top only. The Enthoo Pro M TG can support a 280 or 360 at the top or front (You need to remove the 5.25" bay, but you werent going to use that anyways)

What I've considered doing is modding my current case to give it a little bit of a refresh. One of my favorite modded builds that I've seen used my case and did a phenomenal job.
Check out "Paradyse Cinq" here:
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/paradyse-cinq-mod.219106/