Portable Mid Tower Case Recommendation

[mthx]

Hey all,

 

I run a lot of smaller local esports events, often which involves recording and/or live streaming on location and for the last few years I have been using an Ncase M2 case with an external capture card. The build is a bit dated, and being a mini-itx case, my upgrade options are not as abundant as I'd like. So I am building myself a new rig in about 6 weeks. I've linked my PC part picker list below for reference, its not 100% final yet, but really close. This will also be my primary gaming rig, which I will game and stream from simultaneously, as well as do a lot of video and data processing for my day job.

 

My question here is that I am looking for a good quality mid tower case that will hold up well to regular travel. I tear down my setup and bring it with me at least once per week, sometimes 2-3 times in a single week depending on tournament schedules. I've currently picked out the Lian Li 011 Dynamic, but I wanted to get some input from you guys.

 

How does tempered glass hold up to regular travel?

Is in safe to use water cooled loops in a system that moves around a lot, or would I be better off with fan cooling?

What is the best way to transport a larger system regularly?

What cases would you recommend for this kind of use case? For reference, price isn't really a significant factor. Pretty much anything under $300 I am willing to consider if it meets my needs.

 

Thanks a lot for your help!

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$499.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Corsair - H150i PRO 47.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$169.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	MSI - MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$193.34 @ B&H
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory	$224.99 @ Corsair
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory	$224.99 @ Corsair
Storage	Samsung - 970 Evo 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$77.89 @ OutletPC
Storage	Samsung - 970 Evo 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$77.89 @ OutletPC
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$147.00 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$147.00 @ Amazon
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card	$549.99 @ Newegg
Case	Lian-Li - PC-O11DW ATX Full Tower Case	$137.98 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply	Corsair - RMx White 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$129.89 @ OutletPC
Operating System	Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit	$129.99 @ B&H
Monitor	Dell - P2418D 24.0" 2560x1440 60 Hz Monitor	$238.99 @ Amazon
Other	Samsung CFG70 Series 24-Inch Gaming Monitor (C24FG70)	$279.99 @ Samsung
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$3269.81
	Mail-in rebates	-$40.00
	Total	$3229.81
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-09 12:13 EST-0500

 

[Acid Panda]

well if your moving a pc around the safest option would be to remove the cooler and the GPU since they carry a lot of 'sheering force' see almost any "my new pc arrived damaged" video on you tube.

 

Also im not sure if more of an issue in other parts of the world but i have never had something arrive damaged in the post due to bad shipping. seems to happen lots in other places. but in  The greatest country in the world with out a shadow of a doubt and the parent to the US, The United Kingdom we seem to have a delivery force that care about the deliveries.

 

also its down to risk with glass. unsuprisingly it breaks if it get dropped  so that's a risk for you.

 

good suggestions:

NZXT

Phanteks

Fractal just to say a few.

quote me to add to the list

[TVwazhere]

20 hours ago, mthx said:

1. How does tempered glass hold up to regular travel?
2. Is in safe to use water cooled loops in a system that moves around a lot, or would I be better off with fan cooling?
3. What is the best way to transport a larger system regularly?
4. What cases would you recommend for this kind of use case? For reference, price isn't really a significant factor. Pretty much anything under $300 I am willing to consider if it meets my needs.

1. Tempered glass shouldnt break unless it gets hit , bumped hard or the PC falls over. In that regard it's less durable than Acrylic side windows in transport because acrylic can take a bump and maybe come out with a scratch or a slight warp. Tempered glass will shatter the whole panel (not just one side) and cleanup can be a pain. 
2. Watercooled loops should be fine. There's no weight on the CPU like there would be an Air tower which has mass that moves around in transport. Complete systems are often shipped by 3rd party builders with both air coolers and AIO's, the difference being for air coolers they use special foam to fill all the holes. Your main concern will be the GPU, which I would probably remove for each transport. Since AIO's are sealed you shouldnt have air moving around within the system.
3. It would be best to remove the GPU and any Air tower CPU cooler you have before each travel. Most of the other hardware should be fine. I would lay it on a side where it has the lowest Center of gravity if possible (usually that means on its side), preferably the right side panel down for a few reasons. A, so if any scratches occur, theyre on the side least likely to be used as the show piece side. B because it keeps the motherboard flat and not hanging or supporting any weight, which will help in case of any hard bumps. 
4. If you take the precautions mentioned above, most cases should work ,though I wouldnt go out of my way to get a case with any more than one TG side panel if possible. I probably wouldnt use the PC-O11D as a travel case (as BEAUTIFUL as that case is) and would probably value something with handles. Those arent too common to find standard on cases so you can always buy aftermarket ones and mod it. Somthing like the Corsair 400C. It's not the prettiest case but it's still a decent looker, a full acrylic door with a modern interior. 

[mthx]

Thank you both for your inputs. I think I have decided to go with an all aluminum case so as not to even worry about it's durability. Currently leaning towards the new Corsair 275Q, but I am waiting for some reviews to come out before committing. Thanks again!

[TVwazhere]

18 hours ago, mthx said:

Thank you both for your inputs. I think I have decided to go with an all aluminum case so as not to even worry about it's durability. Currently leaning towards the new Corsair 275Q, but I am waiting for some reviews to come out before committing. Thanks again!

Well thats a steel case  but it should work just fine

[mthx]

@TVwazhere Thanks, I misheard or misunderstood the video's from CES where they where discussing it. I am still waiting on some reviews, but I am running out of time. Planning to place my order this Friday.

 

I've actually adjusted my plans a bit. I am still going to be building the above linked computer, but I am also going to be upgrading my existing computer which is built inside the Ncase M2. The Ncase will become my dedicated streaming computer and the one I travel with. So durability during travel is no longer a consideration for this build. But I am likely sticking with the case because the design language of the 275Q matches the Ncase M2 almost perfectly.

[mthx]

Oops, the above linked list is actually for my 011-Dynamic build option. This is the actual current planned build.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor	$529.99 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Corsair - H150i PRO 47.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler	$159.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	MSI - MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON AC ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$216.83 @ Amazon
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory	$189.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 970 Evo 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$77.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 2 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$297.99 @ Newegg
Video Card	Asus - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB Video Card	$529.99 @ Newegg
Case	Corsair - Carbide Series 275Q ATX Mid Tower Case	$89.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair - HX Platinum 750 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$119.89 @ OutletPC
Operating System	Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit	$119.99 @ Dell
Monitor	Samsung - LC24FG70FQNXZA 24.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor	Purchased For $279.99
Monitor	Dell - P2418D 24.0" 2560x1440 60 Hz Monitor	Purchased For $229.95
Keyboard	Das Keyboard - 4C Professional Wired Standard Keyboard	Purchased For $143.00
Mouse	Logitech - G603 Wireless Optical Mouse	Purchased For $69.99
Headphones	Audio-Technica - M50x Headphones	Purchased For $151.18
Other	Blue Microphones Yeti Pro USB Condenser Microphone, Multipattern (BLUE-YETIPRO) with Pop Shield Universal Pop Filter Microphone Wind Screen with Mic Stand Clip	Purchased For $218.50
Other	Antlion Audio ModMic Wireless Attachable Boom Microphone for Headphones - Compatible with PC, Mac, Linux, PS4	Purchased For $129.70
Other	SecretLab Titan Series	Purchased For $389.00
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$3983.85
	Mail-in rebates	-$40.00
	Total	$3943.85
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-02-04 12:55 EST-0500