Need help deciding what case I should get for my new PC

[Nerion]

Ive been putting together my first PC for a long time. Although everything looks in place, I still need a good case that can do the job of protecting my PC. Although this is my first PC build, I do have an extensive knowledge on PC's and the requirements they need in order to perform at their full potential.

 

Heres my build:

 

Case: Go figure

 

Cpu: AMD FX-8350 Black Edition ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113284 )

 

Cpu Cooler: Corsair H100i ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181032&cm_re=corsair_h100_i-_-35-181-032-_-Product )

 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514&cm_re=gigabyte-_-13-128-514-_-Product )

 

Memory: G. Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8) ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231528&cm_re=g_skill_ripjaw_16gb-_-20-231-528-_-Product )

 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 2.5" 250GB SSD ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147248&cm_re=samsung_840_evo-_-20-147-248-_-Product )

 

Gpu: ASUS Radeon R9 270X 4GB ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121866&cm_re=asus_r9_270x-_-14-121-866-_-Product )

 

Power Supply: Rosewill Fortress 750W Plus Platinum ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182084&cm_re=rosewill_platinum_fortress-_-17-182-084-_-Product )

 

Optical Drive: ASUS Black DVD/Blu-Ray ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135247&cm_re=asus_bc-_-27-135-247-_-Product )

 

I have been looking at some cases over these last few weeks. It seems that one of the brands that does a really good job is Corsair. They also have really pleasing models, specially when it comes to the Obsidian series. Anyway these are the cases I am debating on:

 

Corsair Obsidian 250D ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139033 )

 

Corsair Carbide Series ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139044 )

 

Corsair Obsidian 350D ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139021&cm_re=corsair_350d-_-11-139-021-_-Product )

 

Corsair Obsidian 750D ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139024&cm_re=750d-_-11-139-024-_-Product )

 

For the first 2 cases I would have to use a smaller motherboard, I'd be using a Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128565 )

 

Any suggestions ?

[Vacsol]

neither of those motherboards is going to fit in the 250D, it's an mITX case.

I'd go with the 350D or a 450D (not listed)

[ZacDaMan72]

450D and the 750D is the only Corsair Obsidians that'll fit your motherboard.

[coen113]

i would go intel and get a cheaper cooler. like the 212 evo

[Nerion]

i would go intel and get a cheaper cooler. like the 212 evo

 

Im on a budget, thats the reason why im going AMD. Besides the new AMD processors are pretty solid.

[cliodude1]

Im on a budget, thats the reason why im going AMD. Besides the new AMD processors are pretty solid.

The FX8350 is not a new CPU. 

 

Anyway, if you're on a budget, you shouldn't be looking at the Obsidian series, because they are the more premium range in the Corsair lineup. Take a look at something like a Carbide 200/300/400R. They won't be as nice to look at, but they are affordable and have the Corsair functions and similar quality.

[coen113]

Im on a budget, thats the reason why im going AMD. Besides the new AMD processors are pretty solid.

it was just my opinion, the step up to an i5 isnt too much, but it will give better performance

[SecretImbecile]

You've overspecced quite a few things for a "budget" build, here are a few suggestions.

 

• MOBO - The motherboard you picked was on the expensive end, especially for this build. I'd go down to a Micro-ATX board, which will allow you to pick one of the smaller cases. Here would be a suggestion for a lower end and higher end option.
• CPU - You don't save a considerable amount of money from buying older CPUs, so I'd opt for something more recent. This one is actually $40 cheaper
  • As for the cooler, a H100i is might be overkill for your purposes, but AMD CPUs do have a considerably higher TDP than the intel counterparts. I'll leave you to decide that one.
• MEM - Don't bother paying the extra for high speed memory if you have a dedicated GPU, as it's only a huge concern for APU systems. The one you picked was absurdly high priced, and these ones are $80 less  :wacko:
• CASE - Your old mobo couldn't fit in the 350D or below, but the smaller one I suggested will fit in the 350D. It's a nice case, not a bad choice.
• PSU - You're a little high on wattage, so drop down to this and save yourself $30

I've saved you about $125 by my calculations. So...

• GPU - You can now comfortably fit a 280x into your budget. But better than that, for a mere $5 over your original budget you can help yourself to a 290.
  • Edit: Just because it falls between the price of the 280x and 290, you might want to look at the GTX770
• OPTICAL - Are you quite sure, sir? 

That seems to be it. I hope you find that useful, and I hope you enjoy your better graphics card.  :rolleyes:

Edited August 4, 2014 by SecretImbecile