I need a case for open loop

[Ravendarat]

I need an idea for a case choice. No 011 Dynamic. I have done open loops in Define R6 cases, Thermaltake p5 and a Corsair 7000. I was gonna do a 9000 but just don't want to invest the close to 5k CAD I would end up wanting to do it right so I am looking for something more manageable. Ideally 2x360 mm rads, would like the room to do push/pull on both but not a deal breaker, EATX board, would like the OPTION of doing a vert mount gpu but would probably go traditional. Size isn't an concern, but I want a currently available new case, I don't want to hunt for something out of production. Also I want black. Any ideas?

[IkeaGnome]

The Fractal Pop XL Air gets very close to what you want.

Pop XL Air — Fractal Design

Only thing it doesn't quite fit would be push/pull on both with an EATX board and it won't fit a 360mm in top. *Just* a 280mm.

Spoiler

Ignore the bad bends and tube angles, that was my first shot with hard line. There's room for push pull on the top rad, but depending on your fittings and pump and everything else, you probably won't be able to get away with it on the 360mm front.

[Ravendarat]

Ya that's not to bad, if I go Fractal Ill probably go back to a define r7, but I decided to check for other good candidates first

[Wardude]

39 minutes ago, Ravendarat said:

I need an idea for a case choice. No 011 Dynamic. I have done open loops in Define R6 cases, Thermaltake p5 and a Corsair 7000. I was gonna do a 9000 but just don't want to invest the close to 5k CAD I would end up wanting to do it right so I am looking for something more manageable. Ideally 2x360 mm rads, would like the room to do push/pull on both but not a deal breaker, EATX board, would like the OPTION of doing a vert mount gpu but would probably go traditional. Size isn't an concern, but I want a currently available new case, I don't want to hunt for something out of production. Also I want black. Any ideas?

I built a PC in a Phanteks Enthoo Pro a couple of years ago. It's a fantastic black case that doesn't cost a fortune. I love how modular it is. It's easy to build and to take apart later for deep cleaning. If I ever decided to try liquid cooling, which I probably never will after having replaced so many motherboards in systems with leaky liquid cooling back when I worked for Fry's and CompUSA, I could still use this case because it comes with brackets for mounting that stuff. 

It's well made with most of it being metal. The plastic parts are durable feeling as well and you can snap them on and off (such as when you take the fan filters off to clean them once a month) without feeling like you are going to break them. 

The Pro model that I got even has optical drive bays which is still a must for me because I still use a lot of software and play a lot of games that come on DVD or CD ROMs. I also like to play CDs from my music library while I work in my office. 

I also loved the price. I got mine on a black Friday sale so it was only $70 then, but they are still only $109 on Phanteks own website. I just checked before I posted this. You may find the case even cheaper on other websites, but I got mine direct from them because of the black Friday sale. 

A couple of things that could be better are the weight and the panel fit. Because it is mostly made of somewhat thick metal, it isn't the lightest ATX tower you'll find. I move mine as seldom as possible and I had to get a more sturdy computer desk for it after I built in it. It would be even heavier if I had paid a bit more for the tempered glass side panel, but I went with the plexiglass one. It still looks good two years later, so I don't regret my decision. 

I love how easy it is to remove the panels, but when I first put them on and fired it up, the side panels vibrated loud enough to annoy me. I'm autistic, so I'm easily annoyed though. It might not bother others as much. I solved the problem by putting electrical tape on the edges of the side panels to make them fit on the case more tightly. 

[PDifolco]

14 minutes ago, Wardude said:

I built a PC in a Phanteks Enthoo Pro a couple of years ago. It's a fantastic black case that doesn't cost a fortune. I love how modular it is. It's easy to build and to take apart later for deep cleaning. If I ever decided to try liquid cooling, which I probably never will after having replaced so many motherboards in systems with leaky liquid cooling back when I worked for Fry's and CompUSA, I could still use this case because it comes with brackets for mounting that stuff. 

It's well made with most of it being metal. The plastic parts are durable feeling as well and you can snap them on and off (such as when you take the fan filters off to clean them once a month) without feeling like you are going to break them. 

The Pro model that I got even has optical drive bays which is still a must for me because I still use a lot of software and play a lot of games that come on DVD or CD ROMs. I also like to play CDs from my music library while I work in my office. 

I also loved the price. I got mine on a black Friday sale so it was only $70 then, but they are still only $109 on Phanteks own website. I just checked before I posted this. You may find the case even cheaper on other websites, but I got mine direct from them because of the black Friday sale. 

A couple of things that could be better are the weight and the panel fit. Because it is mostly made of somewhat thick metal, it isn't the lightest ATX tower you'll find. I move mine as seldom as possible and I had to get a more sturdy computer desk for it after I built in it. It would be even heavier if I had paid a bit more for the tempered glass side panel, but I went with the plexiglass one. It still looks good two years later, so I don't regret my decision. 

I love how easy it is to remove the panels, but when I first put them on and fired it up, the side panels vibrated loud enough to annoy me. I'm autistic, so I'm easily annoyed though. It might not bother others as much. I solved the problem by putting electrical tape on the edges of the side panels to make them fit on the case more tightly. 

LL Lancool III is imo an underrated very nice case that'll easily fit 2x360, and only cost around $150

Else the Torrent can be a very good host for a loop, even if not designed to

[thrasher_565]

tower 900

phanteks Enthoo Pro 2

Phanteks Enthoo 719

Fractal Design Pop XL might work

lian li v300 plus

core w100

CTE E550 maybe?

Antec Performance 1 FT

Antec Flux, 5

Antec C7

HAVN HS 420

Geometric Future M5

Geometric Future M8

Corsair Obsidian Series 1000D

Cooler Master HAF 700 EVO

Cooler Master HAF 700

Phanteks NV7

Phanteks NV9

Cougar MX600

In Win F5

In Win ModFree Deluxe

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2025 by thrasher_565