Easiest case for a newbie?

[Uji Ninja]

Hi,

 

what would be the easiest case(s) you'd recommend for a newbie?

I've only built a PC once, about 12 years ago, and I'm really not a DIY person.

I need a "case for dummies" solution, with everything as easy as possible.

So far I've been advised HAF XB EVO by Cooler Master.

Anything else that would be even easier than this case?

 

Thanks,

Larry

[Meganter]

Hello,

 

Fractal Design Meshify C and S2, Define R6, S, RS Vector and Vision.

Phanteks Evolv X, P600S, P400A, Enthoo Pro M, Luxe 2.

Coolermaster H500P Mesh, H500M, H500.

NZXT H500/i, H510/i, H700/i.

Corsair 500D, ICUe 465x.

 

Must have forgot a lot of them.

 

@TVwazhere can tell you more about that.

[TVwazhere]

6 minutes ago, UjiLarry said:

So far I've been advised HAF XB EVO by Cooler Master.

Anything else that would be even easier than this case?

The case is fairly old, and while it's definitely an "easy case" there are plenty of easy to work in cases that are a much more standard form factor.

 

What kind of case do you need? A mid tower ATX?

Please list full planned system specs, budget for the case and shopping location (country)

[Uji Ninja]

1 hour ago, TVwazhere said:

The case is fairly old, and while it's definitely an "easy case" there are plenty of easy to work in cases that are a much more standard form factor.

 

What kind of case do you need? A mid tower ATX?

Please list full planned system specs, budget for the case and shopping location (country)

I'm in Japan, so budget in Yen, which is not really useful for you -- some cases cost WAY more here than in the US or Europe.

 

As for the size, I'm planning on a Ryzen 3900X, probably an Asrock X570 with TB3, and a Quadro or RTX graphic card, so I need some room and a good airflow.

However, I don't exclude skipping the Ryzen/Asrock part if I can put my hands on a cheap Threadripper 2920X, as it's getting cheaper and easier to find than the 3900X here these days.

 

Edit: I just stumbled on this article

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4413683

stating that 10-bit color with OpenGL is now ok with consumer-grade Nvidia cards.

If true, I may end up with a non-pro graphic card instead of the Quadro.

Edited November 7, 2019 by UjiLarry
added some info

[richie30]

Most cases are easy to work with.. my old case is a 750d that has plenty of room inside and straightforward to follow.

 

I assume when your saying straight forward your meaning standard layout and not ones that are reversed vertical and or small compact

 

I would look at a case your interesed in and get some google pics use paint and mark your areas for installing parts and make a step by step guide how you will go about it.

 

The fourum is full of helpful people if you get stuck.

 

Tell us cases you like and we can advise best methods of installing parts

[TVwazhere]

27 minutes ago, UjiLarry said:

I'm in Japan, so budget in Yen, which is not really useful for you -- some cases cost WAY more here than in the US or Europe.

It's useful because I can sit here all day and say "buy this case" and you can say "I cant get that in my market!", so knowing where you are helps me make suggestions based on what you have available near you. 

 

However I've actually never recommended cases from Japan though so I'm not familiar with their Stores or inventory. If you can find the cases @Plouffe mentioned above for an equivalent Yen price, then those would all be good cases for Workstation level Computers.

 

2 hours ago, Plouffe said:

Fractal Design Meshify C ($95 usd, 10371¥) and S2 (150 USD, 16375¥), Define R6 ($135 USD, 14738¥)

 

Phanteks Evolv X($175 usd, 19105¥), P600S($145 usd, 15829¥), P400A (two versions, one with no RGB fans and one with them)($75 or 99 usd, 8187 or 10808¥), Enthoo Pro M($99 usd, 10808¥), Luxe 2($190 usd, 20742¥).

 

Coolermaster H500P Mesh($160 usd, 17467¥), H500M($200 usd, 21834¥), H500($110 usd, 12008¥).

 

NZXT H500($95 usd, 10371¥), H510($95 usd, 10371¥), (omited for Workstation builds) H700/H710($140 usd, 15284¥).

 

Corsair 500D($175 usd, 19105¥), ICUe 465x($150 usd, 16375¥), 460x ($125 usd, 13646¥)

Added Today's prices with equivalent Yen prices of what they should be, before import fees. Some get marked up or down due to shipping costs. 

Edited November 7, 2019 by TVwazhere
P400A Clarification

[Uji Ninja]

9 hours ago, TVwazhere said:

It's useful because I can sit here all day and say "buy this case" and you can say "I cant get that in my market!", so knowing where you are helps me make suggestions based on what you have available near you. 

 

However I've actually never recommended cases from Japan though so I'm not familiar with their Stores or inventory. If you can find the cases @Plouffe mentioned above for an equivalent Yen price, then those would all be good cases for Workstation level Computers.

 

Added Today's prices with equivalent Yen prices of what they should be, before import fees. Some get marked up or down due to shipping costs. 

So, I checked some of the cases online (a retail store not far from my place)

 

The Define R6 looks nice

https://www.dospara.co.jp/5shopping/detail_parts.php?bg=1&br=72&sbr=79&ic=456561&mkr=2332&lf=0
 

The Enthoo Luxe 2 looks ok too, though I’d prefer a case with no glass panel, and the price gets very close to my limit

https://www.dospara.co.jp/5shopping/detail_parts.php?bg=1&br=72&sbr=79&ic=462439&mkr=2542&lf=0
 

The CoolerMaster Silencio 600 caught my eyes, though I’m not sure how easy/difficult such a case would be

https://www.dospara.co.jp/5shopping/detail_parts.php?bg=1&br=72&sbr=79&ic=461993&lf=0
 

I like this Raijintek

https://www.dospara.co.jp/5shopping/detail_parts.php?bg=1&br=72&sbr=448&ic=437586&lf=0
but I’ve been told they are not easy cases, and I’m a afraid it would be a bit too small for what I want to put inside.

 

I’m not looking for anything fancy, so the less LED stuff the better.

 

I’d buy a Streacom DA2 right away if the price was a bit lower, and if the “how to build” videos I watched on YouTube didn’t make it look a tad too difficult to my taste.

 

Thanks for your time and advices, 

Larry

 

[Uji Ninja]

9 hours ago, richie30 said:

Most cases are easy to work with.. my old case is a 750d that has plenty of room inside and straightforward to follow.

 

I assume when your saying straight forward your meaning standard layout and not ones that are reversed vertical and or small compact

 

I would look at a case your interesed in and get some google pics use paint and mark your areas for installing parts and make a step by step guide how you will go about it.

 

The fourum is full of helpful people if you get stuck.

 

Tell us cases you like and we can advise best methods of installing parts

Thanks but, please, don’t waste too much of your time. I’d probably find how-to videos on YouTube if I get stuck.

 

It’s also a problem of getting plenty of results for cases that are obviously for gamers with LEDs all over the place (not for me), or cases that are really way too bland, like huge all black towers.

Basically, I like brushed aluminum style, and would go for one above the rest if I could find one that suits my needs.

 

I wish most cases were as easy to deal with as the old cheese-grater MacPro, if you see what I mean.

 

By the way, I’m not necessarily interested in vertical only towers.

An horizontal case could be ok. I have quite a few music equipment in racks, so a rackable case isn’t something I’d run away from at first sight.

 

[TVwazhere]

11 hours ago, UjiLarry said:

I’d buy a Streacom DA2 right away if the price was a bit lower, and if the “how to build” videos I watched on YouTube didn’t make it look a tad too difficult to my taste.

The Streamcom DA2 is an mITX case, which I can say from experience even a large ITX case is more challenging to build in than a regular Mid tower ATX case. (Though, not that much harder)

 

The Silencio is mostly focused on silence over airflow. For the system that you're building, I recommend a balance of the two. 

 

Personally I'd go with that Define R6, It's got USB-C and it's the right price relative to the US market. Also many cases these days come with a glass side panel, so finding one without one is significantly more difficult than it was five years ago. 

[Uji Ninja]

16 hours ago, TVwazhere said:

The Streamcom DA2 is an mITX case, which I can say from experience even a large ITX case is more challenging to build in than a regular Mid tower ATX case. (Though, not that much harder)

 

The Silencio is mostly focused on silence over airflow. For the system that you're building, I recommend a balance of the two. 

 

Personally I'd go with that Define R6, It's got USB-C and it's the right price relative to the US market. Also many cases these days come with a glass side panel, so finding one without one is significantly more difficult than it was five years ago. 

 

Isn't the DA2 a bit "tight" for powerful components? I think there's a video on YouTube of a guy fitting a 3900X inside, and temperature gets slightly above 90c. I'd probably end up frying something sooner or later when doing video rendering/compression.

 

I may limit myself to a Ryzen 5 2600 or a Ryzen 7 2700 if I go with that case, with maybe a shorter graphic card, such as the MSI GeForce RTX 2060 AERO ITX 6G OC or ASUS PH-RTX2060-6G (though I'm not sure it would improve the airflow).

 

Too bad I can't find a suitable egpu solution so far. It would be so much easier (for me) to simply have the gpu out of the DA2.

 

As for tempered glass, I'll probably put the computer on some stand cart to move it between two rooms (and let it rest in a closet when not in use). I'm a bit worried a side glass panel might be trouble waiting to happen when moving the tower around.