PC Case Recommendations?

[Swordbreaker925]

I bought a PC from Origin PC back in 2014. I love it, but the case is pretty bulky and getting to the SSD is pretty much impossible without taking other components out. I'm planning on upgrading my SSD soon, so i'm thinking i'll also change everything into a new case.

I've been looking at the NZXT H510 because i LOVE how it looks, but i've heard the airflow isn't great. The H510 Elite looks like the airflow would be a bit better, as it allows air to come in the front and out the back (and i would like to have linear airflow, tho not required), but it doesnt look quite as good imo. Does anyone know how good the airflow in these cases actually is?

Also, what are some other good cases with good airflow and easy-to-access SSD/HDD bays? I need something with easy access, cuz i do plan on upgrading my SSD again in the future when they get less expensive for bigger sizes.

[Dedayog]

Honestly, if you love the case that much... just get it.  I can guarantee it's better airflow than your prebuilt.  SSD access is great too.

 

Airflow is not an issue in most cases (pun intended).  People make WAY too much of it, to the point that if you have an intake and exhaust fan.. you're basically fine in damn near all specs.

[Swordbreaker925]

11 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Honestly, if you love the case that much... just get it.  I can guarantee it's better airflow than your prebuilt.  SSD access is great too.

 

Airflow is not an issue in most cases (pun intended).  People make WAY too much of it, to the point that if you have an intake and exhaust fan.. you're basically fine in damn near all specs.

Well my prebuilt has amazing airflow (i did have to re-build it after some parts failed so not TOTALLY pre-built). It has a 3-fan cooler on top, a fan at the back and the bottom, and has a lower portion that keeps it off the ground by 3-5 inches for better airflow underneath. It's also a pretty big case (thus the previously mentioned bulkiness) with lots of room inside for air flow and expansion.

My current case has pretty amazing airflow, it's just that the SSD is nearly impossible to get to cuz Origin decided to put an HDD/SSD 5-slot hot-swap bay on top of it. Great for swapping out storage drives in literal seconds, but makes it impossible to replace the OS/Boot drive that's underneath it, since for whatever reason they didn't put the OS drive in the hot-swap bays.

But i'll keep that in mind. I love the look of NZXT stuff, but i do care about air flow for the longevity of my parts. The house i stay in is always too warm as is (always set to 78F) and i live in Texas so it gets even hotter in the summer. Once i move out of my parents' place maybe that'll change but right now it's already warmer than i'd like, so maximized airflow helps.

[dizmo]

The Elite actually has worse airflow.

It's not that bad. Honestly, I'd just get it if you like it. Everyone rants about airflow, but I've never picked a case with decent airflow, and I've never purchased additional fans, and I've never had a problem with performance

[Swordbreaker925]

2 minutes ago, dizmo said:

The Elite actually has worse airflow.

It's not that bad. Honestly, I'd just get it if you like it. Everyone rants about airflow, but I've never picked a case with decent airflow, and I've never purchased additional fans, and I've never had a problem with performance

How is the Elite version worse? Looks to me like is has much more of an opening for air to come in through the front, vs the standard version's lack of real openings on the top or front for air to come in

[dizmo]

20 minutes ago, Swordbreaker925 said:

How is the Elite version worse? Looks to me like is has much more of an opening for air to come in through the front, vs the standard version's lack of real openings on the top or front for air to come in

It's glass. Air can't get through glass. GamersNexus's review said it was worse.

[Swordbreaker925]

35 minutes ago, dizmo said:

It's glass. Air can't get through glass. GamersNexus's review said it was worse.

Oh wow. That's pretty dumb. I hadn't looked into it much but based on the pics i assumed it was unobstructed to allow air to come in the front. The glass looks worse than the opaque front imo. Probably wouldn't have gotten it anyway, but thanks for the info.

[asheenlevrai]

On 10/6/2020 at 12:15 AM, Swordbreaker925 said:

Oh wow. That's pretty dumb. I hadn't looked into it much but based on the pics i assumed it was unobstructed to allow air to come in the front. The glass looks worse than the opaque front imo. Probably wouldn't have gotten it anyway, but thanks for the info.

 

 

 

[MrAxe]

On 10/5/2020 at 9:49 PM, Swordbreaker925 said:

I bought a PC from Origin PC back in 2014. I love it, but the case is pretty bulky and getting to the SSD is pretty much impossible without taking other components out. I'm planning on upgrading my SSD soon, so i'm thinking i'll also change everything into a new case.

I've been looking at the NZXT H510 because i LOVE how it looks, but i've heard the airflow isn't great. The H510 Elite looks like the airflow would be a bit better, as it allows air to come in the front and out the back (and i would like to have linear airflow, tho not required), but it doesnt look quite as good imo. Does anyone know how good the airflow in these cases actually is?

Also, what are some other good cases with good airflow and easy-to-access SSD/HDD bays? I need something with easy access, cuz i do plan on upgrading my SSD again in the future when they get less expensive for bigger sizes.

The airflow isn't amazing but it's alright... If it was horrendous then they wouldn't sell it but it could be better! 

[Swordbreaker925]

27 minutes ago, MrAxe said:

The airflow isn't amazing but it's alright... If it was horrendous then they wouldn't sell it but it could be better! 

Yeah but i probably care about airflow more than i should. Issue is all the cases with the best airflow just dont look very good to me. NZXT's cases are probably the best looking i've ever seen, tho. Minimal and classy and with the option to forego all the RGB. I'll probably end up going with the NZXT H510 or H710, or maybe a Corsair Carbide series since i already have alot of Corsair parts anyway

[MrAxe]

2 hours ago, Swordbreaker925 said:

Yeah but i probably care about airflow more than i should. Issue is all the cases with the best airflow just dont look very good to me. NZXT's cases are probably the best looking i've ever seen, tho. Minimal and classy and with the option to forego all the RGB. I'll probably end up going with the NZXT H510 or H710, or maybe a Corsair Carbide series since i already have alot of Corsair parts anyway

My case doesn't have great airflow but drilled a few holes in the front panel to improve it! But I wouldn't recommend that...

 

Like I said, if you want it then get it! It's a popular unit and Steve is abit harsh on case airflow! It's not gonna choke anything unless your running a Turkish bath inside!