Choosing a new case (and cooling to go with it)

[outercry]

A follow-up to my origninal topic, if anyone wants to read;
https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/676763-upgrading-my-current-build/

 

After quite a bit of research I have come to a conclusion that my current case, Cooler Master Elite 430, is not necessarily the biggest one out there (slight sarcasm).

 

I have looked for different cooling options from AIO water cooling to at least half a dozen potential air cooled ones. The most common problem I have faced is the size or more precisely the width of my case. The usable width with my case is 163mm and while the likes of 212 would just about fit (with not much clearance), I have had to rule out certain taller coolers altogether simply because they wouldn't fit.

 

Now, this has lead me into thinking, I might need a new case... Which has not only lead me having to spend (soon) extra on something that I wasn't planning to to begin with, but also to realise how difficult it is to find "the best" case.

 

I have looked at least these cases potentially;
Aerocool X-Predator II
Corsair Graphite 760T V2
Corsair Obsidian 750D Airflow Edition
Cougar Panzer Max
Thermal take Core x71

 

Corsair Graphite Series 780T (I also thought about this one, but its just way too big)
NZXT Source 530 (threw this in here for a slightly cheaper price)

 

My concern with the 760T are the hinged side-panels, which I thought at first to be really great idea with ease of access/maintenance and all that, but I'm not sure about the actual functionality and long-term use. If someone has this case, could you kindly share your opinion about the quality?

 

At the moment I'm leaning towards the Thermal take Core x71. Is there a reason, perhaps other than the name, why Corsairs' cases cost more than this for one?

 

I would be very grateful for any suggestions regarding either the cases I have mentioned or any recommendations about other cases (full tower) that fall into the same price range (up to around £150ish), and which are not quite as bulky as 780T. Other thing I can think of is the obvious cooler situation, just so that I don't have to rule out any potential cooling options simply because they won't fit.

[Himommies]

Have you considered the Phanteks cases

[DrM]

18 minutes ago, Himommies said:

Have you considered the Phanteks cases

i second this. for a full tower, phanteks makes some pretty good options, such as the enthoo pro and primo.

 

25 minutes ago, outercry said:

Is there a reason, perhaps other than the name, why Corsairs' cases cost more than this for one?

its corsair. most of their stuff is overpriced, mostly for the name. they can do that since their top end products are some of the best, though at a premium.

[outercry]

On 10/20/2016 at 7:11 PM, Himommies said:

Have you considered the Phanteks cases

I had read about them yes, but all the stores I had had a look previously didn't even stock them, so I kind of skipped them for that reason.

 

Having another look right now and I have found some, although Primo is actually more expensive than any of the ones I mentioned, go figure.

 

Seems though that the Pro is cheaper and looks to have pretty decent size to it. Would it be a good choice, as in future-proof, as well? If I decided to have a go at water cooling etc.?

 

On 10/20/2016 at 7:29 PM, DrM said:

i second this. for a full tower, phanteks makes some pretty good options, such as the enthoo pro and primo.

 

its corsair. most of their stuff is overpriced, mostly for the name. they can do that since their top end products are some of the best, though at a premium.

That's what I thought, its a bit like that with everything, the badge sells.

[outercry]

Just an update on my situation. After a rather long and even arduous search, I chose Phanteks Enthoo Luxe as my case.

 

After I had been toying around with cases like 760t, 780t, and all the other previously mentioned, plus Cooler Master cases, Fractal Design, NZXT etc in the end it really came down to Enthoo Pro and Enthoo Luxe.

 

After considering what extras I got with the Luxe, which are in part aesthetic, I got it for a really good price, in fact the difference in price was only around £30ish in the end. And if I'm not mistaken you do get an extra fan with Luxe as well, so that evens it out even further.

 

As of now (not having the case yet, obviously) I'm really happy with my choice. I do believe that for a case with its size you get hell of a lot for your money, and I have a lot of options in the future, whether I want to go custom water cooling or just normal, as I'm going to do for now.

 

Also, leaning quite heavily towards Noctua's NH-D15 at the moment. I know it is more expensive than most air coolers, but judging from numerous benchmarks I have seen, you just can't go wrong with it. It's on par, or even better, than a lot of AIO options out there, and I find that truly amazing. And to top it all off, that 6 year warranty that comes with it is great too.

 

Plus I had a £250ish budget for my case plus a cooler anyway, so the case being £121, D15's £70-80 price isn't really a problem either.

 

I would just like to thank you both for mentioning Phanteks cases, because otherwise I might had forgotten them altogether since my initial search didn't show any of their cases being sold in my usual places.

[Wydz]

imo just get a AIO water cooler such as the h110i, h115i etc