Corsair Carbide Air 540R or... ?

[mizifih]

 
Hey guys! I'm about to buy the Corsair Carbide Air 540R, the white one. But I'm open to suggestions.
 
Below is what's I'm putting inside it, that's relevant to the case, and I already own it:

• Motherboard: ASUS Z87M-PLUS
• CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K
• Cooling: Corsair Hydro H100i
• GPU: Gigabyte AMD Radeon HD 7970
• Storage:
  • 4x SSD
  • 2x HDD
  • 1x DVD-RW
• PSU: Corsair TX-650W

I want one with two compartments. Since I'm using a water cooling system, I don't know if I need that much airflow, but I want two separate compartments as the 540R provides.
 
If you think this is the best option, just go ahead and say I'll also take that into consideration.
 
The price for the 540R pretty much top my budget, so I can only go lower then that. But anything on this price range that provides what the 540R does, I'm up.
 
And it must not be white, I can settle for black, or silver, or red, or yellow, LOL...
 
Thank you guys for your time, even if you did just read and didn't reply
 
[uPDATE: October 18th]
 
The Cooler Master HAF XB Evo was a strong contestant, but I'm coming from a HAF 922 and they have the same design details, even though they are different. Since they are both big enough for my needs, 540 and XB Evo, I ended up deciding based on their design, and the 540 won easily. And I had only those two options here in Brazil, at least honestly priced, there were other options, but imported and extortionist, so I didn't even considered'em for obvious reasons. So yeah, I was pretty much between those two, sadly.
 
After looking for similar two-sides cases, I ended up choosing the Corsair Carbide Air 540 Arctic White, for four (three, depending on how you see things) reasons only, to be honest.

• The first one was the space, it's big, a lot of room if you're planing on placing two or more VGAs, even if you are not, that is my case, I have only one, today, but who knows what the future holds, right?
• The second one was how easy it is to manage cables inside it, giving that most of your stuff that need cables are on the other side and when you need to place cables on your motherboard, there's a passage that take the cable right there, without you needing to pass through all over inside the case to get it there. Pretty awesome.
• The third was the color, the white, that matches all the furniture in my room, my desk is white, the cabinet is white, so it looks pretty damn cool there, white as it is.
• The forth one (and you may consider the above in the same category as this one), is the design. Oh boy, this thing looks awesome! The white led on the frontal fans are not that bright, I'm a led hater, I hate leds, specially on fans, and this thing doesn't bother me at all, even if the room is completely dark. Also, the white light/led on the Corsair logo at the H100i through the side window looks badass 

That's it ladies and gents, I'm really happy with this case. Very happy. It's an AAA case, good looks and work pretty damn well. It delivers!

I'm thinking about taking out those big sticker from the HDDs. What do you guys think? Is it easy, must I use special products? Not the barcodes, those with specs and branding, the big white ones 

Also, can you guys see how strangely the VGA sits there? It's like it's not well placed at the PCIe port, but it is, it's just the size and weight of the damn thing that is too much ;(

 

TOP GRILL NOT PLACED, YOU CAN SEE THE
RADIATOR AND PART OF THE MOTHERBOARD

I WISH I DID'T HAVE TO USE A RAID PCIe CARD

(I just don't trust motherboards to do that)

I have some other pictures and videos that I took/shot while I was changing the stuff between cases, they are at my Dropbox account, you guys can check it out, if you want. They're not a big deal and I didn't take it like was documenting the whole thing, but, anyways, some folks may like it, I don't know. They are there for me and I can share'em
 
But it's not all flowers, the only con I can think about is that if one want to use a Bluray/DVD/CD drive, it must be a white one, not just white, Arctic White! The black one will take away the good looks. Or mabe pass a sata power cable to the outside, from the back, and use one of those eSATA ports on the back, so you don't need to buy a new external Bluray/DVD/CD drive. And there are other alternatives instead of passing cables to the outside or buying a new USB or a white optical drive.
 
In my case, I don't use drives that much, pretty much when I'm installing an OS and nowadays you don't need one for that, you can use a USB stick, in fact, a USB3 thumb drive get the job done faster, so, yeah... Anyways, I'm thinking about buying a new one, white, IF and only IF I find one with a clean front that perfectly matches the case's white.

[TrickyWitcher]

I'd really like this case, the only thing that is turning me off is that people say it is very cheaply made, and vibration caused by the HDD is very loud...

[heavygrounds]

Yes, the case is beautiful yet very functional; and that white version is so pretty. Just keep in mind that this case isn't very dust proof in the power supply and bottom drive bay area; other than that, it's an amazing case and airflow is fantastic (as the name suggests).

 

When doing my recent build I considered this case until NZXT launched the H440, the only reason for me not going for this case is silence; as this case has no sound proofing material and is overall not designed with silence in mind (that doesn't mean it will be loud, but I'm a bit of a silence freak). 

[Rheinwasser]

wait till the air 240 comes out.

[mizifih]

wait till the air 240 comes out.

But it'll probably have a higher price, right? Does it have two compartments? I'm on the phone. I'll Google it later

[TheSLSAMG]

I'd really like this case, the only thing that is turning me off is that people say it is very cheaply made, and vibration caused by the HDD is very loud...

I have heard everyhthing you said on the contrary from actual owners of the case.

 

But it'll probably have a higher price, right? Does it have two compartments? I'm on the phone. I'll Google it later

It's a MicroATX model, expected to slot in at around $90-$100

[Accursed Entity]

But it'll probably have a higher price, right? Does it have two compartments? I'm on the phone. I'll Google it later

 

It's smaller and cheaper, less than $99 USD.

[TymmVonD]

I have heard everyhthing you said on the contrary from actual owners of the case.

 

It's a MicroATX model, expected to slot in at around $90-$100

It's super quiet. I have a loud PSU in it and I never hear it. As for the HDD noise...

 

I'd really like this case, the only thing that is turning me off is that people say it is very cheaply made, and vibration caused by the HDD is very loud...

I do have a storage HDD for pics and music. I rarely use it, but I never have heard it when I do.

[mizifih]

wait till the air 240 comes out.

I have heard everyhthing you said on the contrary from actual owners of the case.

It's a MicroATX model, expected to slot in at around $90-$100

It's smaller and cheaper, less than $99 USD.

I really want a big one, two compartments, even though I have a small motherboard.

[Accursed Entity]

I really want a big one, two compartments, even though I have a small motherboard.

 

Oh no, I was just answering about the Air 240, not recommending it hehe

 

If you want the Air 540 get it, it has a lot of good reviews.

[Rheinwasser]

But it'll probably have a higher price, right? Does it have two compartments? I'm on the phone. I'll Google it later

it wont. it will have two compartments as well.

node 804?

[mizifih]

I'm watching Linus unboxing and review right now. I'm really digging this two compartments thing.

Update: Cable management looks easier on these big things, that's a big plus.

[mizifih]

it wont. it will have two compartments as well.

node 804?

I was looking at pictures, at Amazon. They look the same inside, except the 240 looks smaller.

node 804 looks cool. I'll have a look and check for prices. Since I live in Brazil, some companies can't compete with Corsair's and Thermaltake's distribution, so their price is usually higher.

[mizifih]

it wont. it will have two compartments as well.

node 804?

The node 804 is even smaller, not only that, it doesn't have slots for DVD, not quite two compartments, and only two ports for pcie cards, it's not as "future ready" as the Carbide 540R.

I'm currently using a HAF 922, and it's awesome, to be honest, but mine os the old one, without the USB 3. That's not overkill, but I can honestly say I'm tired of it and I can use this two compartments layout. I want to OC and I believe it'll benefit me. But that's me, a not so tech savvy guy as most of you are.

So far I'm with the 540R. I couldn't find a NZXT to sell here in my country and it's way to expensive to import.

The 240 is smaller indeed, but those SSDs slots on the back, oh mama! Even though I don't have any use for it. It's size is actually not a problem, though the number of ports on the back worries me a little bit, but I'm not a sli/crossfire guy, I can't predict my future.

OK, two choices and I'm already confused. Lol.

[Trik'Stari]

I'd really like this case, the only thing that is turning me off is that people say it is very cheaply made, and vibration caused by the HDD is very loud...

Where in the hell did you hear that from? I have one with a 7200rpm wd black and I almost never hear it, mainly because it isn't my OS drive but still, no vibrations

 

 

I'm watching Linus unboxing and review right now. I'm really digging this two compartments thing. Update: Cable management looks easier on these big things, that's a big plus.

It's retarded easy. Although I prefer the black one, which I own. One thing I will advise though, you will likely have motherboard heatsink clearance issues if you plan on putting the h100 in the top of it, unless you aren't going with push/pull.

 

Just for looks, I moved my SSD to the window side of the case, it's sitting where the little tray for one of the HDD's should be (lost the thing that slides in and out). It's literally just "floating" there, being held up by the sata and power connectors lol.

[Rheinwasser]

The node 804 is even smaller, not only that, it doesn't have slots for DVD, not quite two compartments, and only two ports for pcie cards, it's not as "future ready" as the Carbide 540R.

I'm currently using a HAF 922, and it's awesome, to be honest, but mine os the old one, without the USB 3. That's not overkill, but I can honestly say I'm tired of it and I can use this two compartments layout. I want to OC and I believe it'll benefit me. But that's me, a not so tech savvy guy as most of you are.

So far I'm with the 540R. I couldn't find a NZXT to sell here in my country and it's way to expensive to import.

The 240 is smaller indeed, but those SSDs slots on the back, oh mama! Even though I don't have any use for it. It's size is actually not a problem, though the number of ports on the back worries me a little bit, but I'm not a sli/crossfire guy, I can't predict my future.

OK, two choices and I'm already confused. Lol.

what ports on the back?

[mizifih]

what ports on the back?

 

For PCIe devices, like VGAs, PCIe SATA ports. Or even stuff that's not actually PCIe but uses those ports/windows on the back. I'm sorry, I don't know stuff's name ;(

 

 One thing I will advise though, you will likely have motherboard heatsink clearance issues if you plan on putting the h100 in the top of it, unless you aren't going with push/pull.

 

Just for looks, I moved my SSD to the window side of the case, it's sitting where the little tray for one of the HDD's should be (lost the thing that slides in and out). It's literally just "floating" there, being held up by the sata and power connectors lol.

 

You saying I should make the H100i throw air outside the case? I can do that I'm thinking about OC the hell out of this i7, so yeah, I will definitely consider your suggestion if I end up with the 540R.

 

I'll place two HDDs on the window side, and leave the SSD on the other side, since I'll not have enough slots for everything on the other side. And it'll probably generate a lot of heat along with the PSU, right? Or wrong? I have 6 drives total, and I bet I can let a SSD hanging somewhere on the closed side, so I would end up with zero drives inside the window side, I would actually like that

[Rheinwasser]

For PCIe devices, like VGAs, PCIe SATA ports. Or even stuff that's not actually PCIe but uses those ports/windows on the back. I'm sorry, I don't know stuff's name ;(

 

 

-snip-

they are called pcie slots.

you cant use more slots with your matx board anyways.

[Trik'Stari]

For PCIe devices, like VGAs, PCIe SATA ports. Or even stuff that's not actually PCIe but uses those ports/windows on the back. I'm sorry, I don't know stuff's name ;(

 

 

You saying I should make the H100i throw air outside the case? I can do that I'm thinking about OC the hell out of this i7, so yeah, I will definitely consider your suggestion if I end up with the 540R.

 

I'll place two HDDs on the window side, and leave the SSD on the other side, since I'll not have enough slots for everything on the other side. And it'll probably generate a lot of heat along with the PSU, right? Or wrong? I have 6 drives total, and I bet I can let a SSD hanging somewhere on the closed side, so I would end up with zero drives inside the window side, I would actually like that

SSD's make almost no heat. And the top fans on any case should ALWAYS be exhaust. I wouldn't put the AIO on the front either because you'll get more airflow with three 120mm fans instead. Funny, I have an Matx board in mine as well, the LED's on my gigabyte make a nice little underglow effect that bounces off some of the folds on the mobo tray, looks quite nice.

[mizifih]

they are called pcie slots.

you cant use more slots with your matx board anyways.

 

With this one, yeah. I had three different "computers" inside my current HAF 922, so I'm at it's third build. I actually used SLI once, not saying I'll ever use it again, I don't know. That's why I want something that could hold different future builds, that's what I meant by "future ready". I'm looking for something that can last, a long time, like the one I have now, that actually works pretty good, I'm just tired of it, also It doesn't have USB 3 but that's not something that I care a lot and just add a little on my will to change. But of course, the new one must have USB ports on the front side, since I'm getting a new one and it's pretty much standard these days.

[Rheinwasser]

With this one, yeah. I had three different "computers" inside my current HAF 922, so I'm at it's third build. I actually used SLI once, not saying I'll ever use it again, I don't know. That's why I want something that could hold different future builds, that's what I meant by "future ready". I'm looking for something that can last, a long time, like the one I have now, that actually works pretty good, I'm just tired of it, also It doesn't have USB 3 but that's not something that I care a lot and just add a little on my will to change. But of course, the new one must have USB ports on the front side, since I'm getting a new one and it's pretty much standard these days.

these cases support sli.

[MrTiC]

Good case very easy kablemanagment, just clean it out on a monthly base

[mizifih]

SSD's make almost no heat. And the top fans on any case should ALWAYS be exhaust. I wouldn't put the AIO on the front either because you'll get more airflow with three 120mm fans instead. Funny, I have an Matx board in mine as well, the LED's on my gigabyte make a nice little underglow effect that bounces off some of the folds on the mobo tray, looks quite nice.

I can't wait to see the corsair logo on mine, through the window. I'm really excited to show off a little I also have two 2x Noctua NF-F12 PWM that I can add to the case, since they are very quiet, even though it's probably unnecessary, I would use'em. They are two slow to use on my H100i and I mistakenly bought'em just for it, so I put the stock ones back as they are more effective, I think, at least looks like that way.

[Trik'Stari]

I can't wait to see the corsair logo on mine, through the window. I'm really excited to show off a little I also have two 2x Noctua NF-F12 PWM that I can add to the case, since they are very quiet, even though it's probably unnecessary, I would use'em. They are two slow to use on my H100i and I mistakenly bought'em just for it, so I put the stock ones back as they are more effective, I think, at least looks like that way.

the NF-F12's are made for cpu heatsinks and radiators, not for case ventilation, at least according to NEWEGG and the reviews on newegg

[mizifih]

these cases support sli.

 

Yeah, both 240 and 540. The other one, H440 doesn't.

 

the NF-F12's are made for cpu heatsinks and radiators, not for case ventilation, at least according to NEWEGG and the reviews on newegg

 

To be honest, I can't see they air cooling off a CPU properly, they get the job done on the H100i, though I'm not OCing it. I don't think they can handle it OCed. BUT, maybe I'm doing something very wrong and I just can't make'em spin faster.