What kind of case should i look for?

[Woofboy13]

These are my specs: RX 570 or RX 580, Ryzen 2600x, b450 mobo, 2x8gb 3000mhz ram, and im thinking about some cheap psu with 500w. What should i be looking for in the specs when buying a case, so all these can fit in it and work properly?

Also what size should my psu be?

[Semper]

First things first. Consider your use of the word "cheap" when referring to a PSU. An inexpensive, but well made unit is fine, an unit that's cheap, because it's low quality is not. I'd strongly recommend searcing for reviews through jonnyguru, this thread or this  sticky. The one thing you NEVER (ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER) cheap out on is a PSU.

Now, when it comes to a case, you have three basic options;
Looks
Performance
Looks and performance.

2017 presented a lot of cases that had great looks (tempered glass, clean lines, RGB, though tastes are subjective), with terrible performance (heavily restricted airflow)
2018 brought back some performance while still providing looks.
20xx has cases that perform well, but don't look flashy. Silverstone as one example is known for doing this quite well.

The biggest compatibility issue that really exists is finding a case that supports your motherboard form factor, eatx being the most difficult to find support for. Water cooling support would be next on this list, though generally, most cases will support some form of water cooling with an AIO. Next would be desk retail space, how much room you have to place it on your desk (or floor, or wherever it will be going).

[emosun]

yeah dont buy a junk power supply

[andrewmp6]

Case depends a lot on your needs and budget,And like said a cheap psu is a very bad idea.It could short out and smoke if your lucky/Or maybe fry things on its way out like your cpu or motherboard.To me a cheap psu is 120 to 150 bucks and most of those in that price range are good psu.

 

[Woofboy13]

Allright, but what about the type of case i should take? Are there specific types of cases supporting specific types of motherboards or other component sizes?

[TVwazhere]

4 hours ago, Woofboy13 said:

Are there specific types of cases supporting specific types of motherboards or other component sizes?

That depends on your system. Is your planned B450 board an ATX board? If so, your future case NEEDS to support at least ATX sizes. You cannot fit a ATX motherboard into a case that only supports up to mATX. You can however fit a mATX board into an ATX case. 

 

There's a few things you also need to be aware of

• Making sure your CPU cooler fits. For air towers make sure your cooler is smaller than the max allowed CPU tower height listed for the case. For AIO coolers, make sure the radiator size you use is listed as compatible for the case. If you're using the stock cooler, you almost never have to worry about this.
• GPU Length. Some cards can be VERY long (over 300mm or about 12") so maker sure if you're picking a smaller case that it can support your choice of GPU. The length of the GPU and the listed max length of the case will both be listed on their respective product pages.
• Make sure your case has enough Drive bays for the amount of drives you have. This is almost never an issue unless you're trying to use more than two 3,5" HDD's. Many cases have at least 2 dedicated 2.5" SSD bays as these are becoming increasingly common. Many cases no longer come with 5.25" bays, usually used for optical bays for CD's. If you need one of these, you will either need to limit your search, or potentially consider external options that are not integrated into your case.
• You rarely need to consider PSU size as long as youre not building an mITX system. If you're building an mATX, ATX or E-ATX system theres a 99.99% chance it's using an ATX psu size.
• CPU and RAM selections do not physically conflict with the case directly, so these do not usually need to be factored into a case decision. (there is a reason CPU heat would influence your decision though, I'll get into that next)
• The amount of fans your case comes with/supports and the available airflow it has is something most people overlook. You need to make sure you have air moving through the case to adequately cool your planned system, ESPECIALLY if you plan on doing any overclocking. If you do not want to buy additional fans separate from the case, consider cases that already come with at least two fans pre installed. Additionally, make sure your intake fans have at least some access to air. @Semper's mentioned 2017 cases which often tended to overlook this last bit, as they would design beautiful looking front panels and fans but offer no gaps or ventilation for these fans to breathe. 

[Woofboy13]

On 1/22/2019 at 4:15 PM, TVwazhere said:

That depends on your system. Is your planned B450 board an ATX board? If so, your future case NEEDS to support at least ATX sizes. You cannot fit a ATX motherboard into a case that only supports up to mATX. You can however fit a mATX board into an ATX case. 

 

There's a few things you also need to be aware of

• Making sure your CPU cooler fits. For air towers make sure your cooler is smaller than the max allowed CPU tower height listed for the case. For AIO coolers, make sure the radiator size you use is listed as compatible for the case. If you're using the stock cooler, you almost never have to worry about this.
• GPU Length. Some cards can be VERY long (over 300mm or about 12") so maker sure if you're picking a smaller case that it can support your choice of GPU. The length of the GPU and the listed max length of the case will both be listed on their respective product pages.
• Make sure your case has enough Drive bays for the amount of drives you have. This is almost never an issue unless you're trying to use more than two 3,5" HDD's. Many cases have at least 2 dedicated 2.5" SSD bays as these are becoming increasingly common. Many cases no longer come with 5.25" bays, usually used for optical bays for CD's. If you need one of these, you will either need to limit your search, or potentially consider external options that are not integrated into your case.
• You rarely need to consider PSU size as long as youre not building an mITX system. If you're building an mATX, ATX or E-ATX system theres a 99.99% chance it's using an ATX psu size.
• CPU and RAM selections do not physically conflict with the case directly, so these do not usually need to be factored into a case decision. (there is a reason CPU heat would influence your decision though, I'll get into that next)
• The amount of fans your case comes with/supports and the available airflow it has is something most people overlook. You need to make sure you have air moving through the case to adequately cool your planned system, ESPECIALLY if you plan on doing any overclocking. If you do not want to buy additional fans separate from the case, consider cases that already come with at least two fans pre installed. Additionally, make sure your intake fans have at least some access to air. @Semper's mentioned 2017 cases which often tended to overlook this last bit, as they would design beautiful looking front panels and fans but offer no gaps or ventilation for these fans to breathe. 

Wow, thank you so much for the detailed answer, helped a lot!

[NineEyeRon]

ITX High end gaming PCs are the future.