Good airflow budget-friendly cases?

[Tacitus]

Hey everyone,

 

In planning for a build that will eventually house dual GPUs on air (probably a pair of 290 tri-x's) I was wanting to know of some good cases for airflow that are budget friendly (no more than ~£90) and which have a sleek/minimalist design?

 

I've factored in for a Define R4 right now, which is on sale for £65, but supposedly it's not great for airflow?

 

If not, would it be fine for airflow if I added a few extra  case fans in?

 

Cheers

[BonBon Scott]

@Tacitus

 

The Air 540 has pretty good airflow, since it's optimised for that. You can get one for £100 at Scan UK. (Linksy: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/corsair-carbide-series-air-540-high-airflow-atx-cube-case-direct-airflow-path-cooling-for-revolution)

 

Some people don't like the design of it though.

[Tacitus]

@Tacitus

 

The Air 540 has pretty good airflow, since it's optimised for that. You can get one for £100 at Scan UK. (Linksy: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/corsair-carbide-series-air-540-high-airflow-atx-cube-case-direct-airflow-path-cooling-for-revolution)

 

Some people don't like the design of it though.

 

 

I have heard it is good but it's also one of the ugliest cases I've ever seen I think  

 

Is there anything wrong with the Define R4, and do you know if the 450d is any good?

 

Thanks for your advice

[Held657]

Corsair Carbide 300R

Corsair Carbide 400R

Corsair Carbide 500R

 

The 450D is good, too.

 

The Define R4 is pretty much crap regarding airflow to be honest (nothing from the front, which is the intake normally).

[jameshumphries47]

fractal design make great cases here is the one im getting Fractal design R4

made the gif myself

[Tacitus]

fractal design make great cases here is the one im getting Fractal design R4

made the gif myself

 

 

Nice GIF

 

I've been eyeing that case but planning on adding a couple extra case fans if I do!

[Tacitus]

Corsair Carbide 300R

Corsair Carbide 400R

Corsair Carbide 500R

 

The 450D is good, too.

 

Thanks for your insights

[BonBon Scott]

I have heard it is good but it's also one of the ugliest cases I've ever seen I think  

 

Is there anything wrong with the Define R4, and do you know if the 450d is any good?

 

Thanks for your advice

 

Yeah, alot of people don't like the Air 540 design.

 

I think the R4 has okay airflow, adding some case fans would assist with the airflow.

 

The 450D has pretty good airflow as I believe it is optimised for it. It's got pretty good expansion options too.

 

Personally, I would go with the 450D out of those two because I don't really like the look of the R4.

[brownninja97]

Yeah the R4 is great but its not for airflow, its for silence, the foam keeps sound in but its also acts as insulation which retains heat. In my opinion if its over £60 its not budget, i dont care about appearance too much either, i guess you could consider the nzxt phantom series at your price range but for airflow on a budget zalman cant be beaten, they pack a lot of fans and fan controllers at a low price the drawback is that not everyone likes their appearance and the build quality isnt amazing.

[Tacitus]

Yeah the R4 is great but its not for airflow, its for silence, the foam keeps sound in but its also acts as insulation which retains heat. In my opinion if its over £60 its not budget, i dont care about appearance too much either, i guess you could consider the nzxt phantom series at your price range but for airflow on a budget zalman cant be beaten, they pack a lot of fans and fan controllers at a low price the drawback is that not everyone likes their appearance and the build quality isnt amazing.

 

Appearance isn't top priority for me, but I would like to find a nice balance somewhere

 

I'll take a look at what Zalman have to offer, thanks!

[Toto123456]

the Aerocool X Predator is pretty good because u can install case fan on the side which sucks the air into your gpu, and it looks pretty cool and cheap. the NZXT phantom 410, Fractal Design Arc XL are also good. Personally I will go with Phantom 410 eventhough that case has been out  for a while but it looks good, great cooling aswell. but if your on a budget then the aerocool xpredator is the way

[Tacitus]

the Aerocool X Predator is pretty good because u can install case fan on the side which sucks the air into your gpu, and it looks pretty cool and cheap. the NZXT phantom 410, Fractal Design Arc XL are also good. Personally I will go with Phantom 410 eventhough that case has been out  for a while but it looks good, great cooling aswell. but if your on a budget then the aerocool xpredator is the way

 

Thanks for the suggestions, but the thought of the Aerocool on my desk almost makes me shudder. I really just want something that's plain and effective

 

At everyone else, would buying a cheap case and packing it full of Noctua's be as good as just buying something like the 450d?

[mahmoods30]

I've been using my NZXT phantom for 2 years now. Never had problems with it, it even has a three speed slider which allows you to speed up or slow down your fan as needed. 

 

http://store.nzxt.com/PHANTOM-Full-Tower-White-p/phan-001wt.htm

[Toto123456]

Thanks for the suggestions, but the thought of the Aerocool on my desk almost makes me shudder. I really just want something that's plain and effective

 

At everyone else, would buying a cheap case and packing it full of Noctua's be as good as just buying something like the 450d?

 

Cheap case and noctua fans will make u puke, seriously I used to have the nh d14 in my h440 and I took it out immediately, all noctua fans are very ugly in my opinion. 

 

I think the Fractal design Arc XL is a really good case and is very simple design as well. it looks smart, simple if I can go back in time I probably going to buy this case over the h440 case coz to do cf setup in this case I probably need a 2x g10+h55 which adds another £150 to the overall cost, wheras something like the carbide 540, FD Arc XL I don't need to add anything to it.

[Tacitus]

Cheap case and noctua fans will make u puke, seriously I used to have the nh d14 in my h440 and I took it out immediately, all noctua fans are very ugly in my opinion. 

 

I think the Fractal design Arc XL is a really good case and is very simple design as well. it looks smart, simple if I can go back in time I probably going to buy this case over the h440 case coz to do cf setup in this case I probably need a 2x g10+h55 which adds another £150 to the overall cost, wheras something like the carbide 540, FD Arc XL I don't need to add anything to it.

 

So long as there is no window I care little for colour schemes or uniformity

[IrshaadH]

If you're on a budget, the haf 912 is an excellent case for airflow.

[Bramm17]

Cooler Master HAF series something? As HAF stands for High Air Flow and thats what it seams u are looking for ? !

[Sonefiler]

Hey everyone,

In planning for a build that will eventually house dual GPUs on air (probably a pair of 290 tri-x's) I was wanting to know of some good cases for airflow that are budget friendly (no more than ~£90) and which have a sleek/minimalist design?

I've factored in for a Define R4 right now, which is on sale for £65, but supposedly it's not great for airflow?

If not, would it be fine for airflow if I added a few extra case fans in?

Cheers

PCS+

PCS+

Anyways, how about that Enthoo Pro, eh?

If you get the 450D, don't get it directly from corsair. Expensive shipping costs, and it breaks. My front audio and the clicky removable fan filter arrived partially broken (bad wire soldering and broken clips respectively).

[Epitome]

@Tacitus I'd have a look at the enthoo pro, I think it costs about £87 at scan

[Tacitus]

If you're on a budget, the haf 912 is an excellent case for airflow.

 

 

Cooler Master HAF series something? As HAF stands for High Air Flow and thats what it seams u are looking for ? !

 

 

PCS+

PCS+

Anyways, how about that Enthoo Pro, eh?

If you get the 450D, don't get it directly from corsair. Expensive shipping costs, and it breaks. My front audio and the clicky removable fan filter arrived partially broken (bad wire soldering and broken clips respectively).

I know they're (PCS+), they'd be my second choice, but they're about £20 more expensive each and I worry the thickness might lead to poorer airflow for the top card. I guess I'll see what's cheaper on the day, but there have been some horror stories about PowerColour's UK customer service/RMA stuff.

 

@Tacitus I'd have a look at the enthoo pro, I think it costs about £87 at scan

 

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I'll take a look at them all

[Tacitus]

Just had a quick glance at them all, I like the sound of the Enthoo but it's a full tower, that'll be huge surely? 

[Epitome]

Just had a quick glance at them all, I like the sound of the Enthoo but it's a full tower, that'll be huge surely? 

I think its 536mm high, I think although you may have to check.

[RayBalls]

The 450D Has The Best Design(For Me)

In the Obsidian Series

But UnFreakin Fortunately It Has Poor Build Quality

I'd Go For The Air 540

For The Top Of The Line Air flow delivery

And The Best Bang For The Buck Goes To The Phanteks Enthoo Pro

[Tacitus]

The 450D Has The Best Design(For Me)

In the Obsidian Series

But UnFreakin Fortunately It Has Poor Build Quality

I'd Go For The Air 540

For The Top Of The Line Air flow delivery

And The Best Bang For The Buck Goes To The Phanteks Enthoo Pro

 

 

I think of the cases I've looked at today the Enthoo Pro is my favourite, but cheers for your thoughts

[RayBalls]

I think of the cases I've looked at today the Enthoo Pro is my favourite, but cheers for your thoughts

Cheers, The Enthoo Pro really Takes the Cake with flexibility