Best case for temp and silence (6x hdd, 1x 5.25)

[MiChAeLoKGB]

Hi,

 

I have ordered a Fractal Define R6 Blackout Tempered Glass already, but the e-shop kinda screwed me over and just cancelled my order, so instead of ordering it again, I am here to ask for advice.

 

Right now I have my old Corsair Obsidian 800D (the really early ones, which had SATA2 hdd connection boards), which still works ok, but the cooling in that case just sucks IMO (single intake fan at the bottom... the airflow is "amazing"), so I am now looking for a new case to replace it.

 

I do like the NZXT H700 and similar cases, but as the title says, I do have 5x 3.5" HDD's, 2x 2.5" SSD's and 1x M.2 SSD, so I need a case that can easily take them all and ideally have a place for one more 3.5" HDD (no I do not want a NAS, my PC is a NAS, there isn't anything else that access those files, except me when I am not home, but I also access multiple servers running on my PC).

I want ideally a simple black (and red maybe) case, with tempered glass side panel that is really good at cooling, but is also quiet (at least quieter than Obsidian 800D) and that isn't bonkers all out flashing lights, as my PC is running 24/7/365.25, I do not want it to unnecessarily glow in the night.

I have Corsair H100i V2, which I planned to put at the front of Define R6, that's cooling my old 4690K and a GPU is VaporX R9 290, which I peg hard during casual gaming, because I use 200% display scaling while playing at almost max settings, so I would need a case that can get that hot air out of there.

I don't really care if its a big case like my Obsidian 800D or a bit smaller, but I don't really want anything bigger than that (that shit is quite heavy).

I am from EU, so cases that cannot be easily bought here are sadly a no-go. I don't "need" a new case, I just kinda want an upgrade after all the years, so I am not going to try super hard to get that one unicorn case.

 

TL;DR bullet points of case I want

• simple, black, not the ultra hype glow in your face that you can't even turn off stuff
• good at cooling, but also silent (i prefer cooling, but basically, cooler and quieter than my Obsidian 800D = win)
• can take at least 5x 3.5" drives (ideally 6) and at least 2x 2.5" drives
• not bigger than my Obsidian 800D
• price, max about 200€ (the R6 Blackout Tempered Glass is 150€ where I live)

 

Thanks for any help. If anything needs clarification, just ask, I will try to respond ASAP.

 

Ps.: I also decided to upgrade my PSU if I buy a new case. I want to go from my old Cougar G800 to Corsair HX850. Are there any better options?

[Firewrath9]

i think the corsair 750D fits all your specs: 3 5.25 inch bays, 4 2.5 inch ssd, 6 3.5 and 2.5 inch combo pays. AX860 for psu?

or TX850m for budget. i love corsair products

[EarthWormJM2]

So, I use a cooler master HAF 912. It's not the flashiest case, nor does it have a glass side panel. It does however keep my system cooler then any previous setup I have ever had. It is very expandable for HDDs and a slightly oversized mid-tower, but I think that helps with its cooling. I have a 6600k with a hyper 212 evo overclocked to 4.5ghz and under full load, never gets above 65-68c. I also have a gtx 1080 in my case overclocked quite a bit and it never gets above 70c and that's with its fans only at about 60-70%. I h2 120mm fans pulling in from the front bottom and 1 120mm exhuast out the back and a 200mm fan exhuast on top, I couldn't be happier with the temps. At idle there is almost no sound, and at full load it is still very minimal.

[TVwazhere]

Thermaltake View 71

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/pHkwrH/thermaltake-view-71-tg-atx-full-tower-case-ca-1i7-00f1wn-00

Phanteks Enthoo Pro TG

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/product/BfPKHx/phanteks-enthoo-pro-tg-rgb-atx-full-tower-case-ph-es614ptg_bk

 

[EarthWormJM2]

Actually the cooler master HAF X has a side panel and may be more what you are looking for. 

[MiChAeLoKGB]

Thanks, I don't think the 750D has tempered glass side panel and I am not sure how is it compared to other cases in cooling/silence.

 

 

The Dark Base 900 gen 2 costs 225€ in my country and I originally chose the Define R6, because its cheaper (75 € where I love) and has almost same performance as Dark base 900, according to GamersNexus: 

 

 

Thanks @EarthWormJM2, but HAF cases are for me a bit too over the top. I like my cases a bit more sleek, the style id go for is like NZXT H700i black & red, or anything more simple. The DBP 900 is also quite OK, for me, but IDK, HAF was just never my style. But again, thank you  

 

 

Thank you @TVwazhere, the View 71 (I still can't unhear ThermalFake anytime I hear their name) is a bit too much tempered glass and light for me. I have a PC right in front of my bed on the table, so I want to limit the light on the front, mainly during the night. It's one of the reasons I didn't go for CM H500M Mesh.

[TVwazhere]

45 minutes ago, MiChAeLoKGB said:

Thank you @TVwazhere, the View 71 (I still can't unhear ThermalFake anytime I hear their name) is a bit too much tempered glass and light for me. I have a PC right in front of my bed on the table, so I want to limit the light on the front, mainly during the night. It's one of the reasons I didn't go for CM H500M Mesh.

It definitely has a lot of glass, I just thought I'd mention it because it was one of the few cases on PCPer that was worth the $$$ IMO. (Ironically considering Thermaltakes past reputations, their recent cases have been somewhat decent in terms of features. Build quality is still less than ideal especially on the sub $100 cases)

 

Did the Pro TG not meet expectations either?

[MiChAeLoKGB]

The Enthoo Pro would probably meet the criteria, but I can't find the TG version anywhere in my country for me to buy (only the Pro M TG version is available here). Also, the front mesh looks kinda weird, but I can get past that.

I will still have to take a look at how well it performs, but IDK where exactly to find all the cases compared, because you can't really compare temps across different sites.

[TVwazhere]

22 minutes ago, MiChAeLoKGB said:

The Enthoo Pro would probably meet the criteria, but I can't find the TG version anywhere in my country for me to buy (only the Pro M TG version is available here). Also, the front mesh looks kinda weird, but I can get past that.

I will still have to take a look at how well it performs, but IDK where exactly to find all the cases compared, because you can't really compare temps across different sites.

Gamers Nexus is the only place that REALLY compares temps, but because of the nature of how they do it, they can only do so many at a time and as such, theres only a few of them and usually only the really popular ones are on there (Neither the Pro or Pro M are tested)

[MiChAeLoKGB]

Yeah I know that, but I also hope for some ... common sense designed cases? Or how else i'd call it. Because I am not sure if there is a case with worse air-flow (and IMO temps) than the 800D. Maybe if you really tried with the fan orientation, but still...

 

What I would ideally like to know, is how bad the 800D would be in GamersNexus case test. That would simplify the choice so damn much  

[andrewmp6]

The define r6 could hold a lot of drives if you buy extra drive caddies for it.

[MiChAeLoKGB]

Yes, I know about that, I mention that case in the first post. It comes with 6 HDD caddies out of the box, which is enough for me and by the looks of it, it can hold 10 3.5" drives, or if you remove the 5.25" bay, it can go up to 11 3.5" drives, which is more than I need.

 

I just dont want to buy a case that would perform worse than my current one.

[andrewmp6]

3 hours ago, MiChAeLoKGB said:

Yes, I know about that, I mention that case in the first post. It comes with 6 HDD caddies out of the box, which is enough for me and by the looks of it, it can hold 10 3.5" drives, or if you remove the 5.25" bay, it can go up to 11 3.5" drives, which is more than I need.

 

I just dont want to buy a case that would perform worse than my current one.

How would it preform worse ?

[MiChAeLoKGB]

Yes, I don't think almos anything for 50€ + would perform worse than Obsidian 800D, but what I wanted to say is:

 

The reason I didnt just buy the Define R6 again, after they screwed up and cancelled my order is, that I want to buy the best case I can for my needs. Thats why I came here, to ask people to help me choose such case, because there might be something better than Define R6 and I just dont know about it.

[TVwazhere]

1 hour ago, MiChAeLoKGB said:

there might be something better than Define R6 and I just dont know about it.

IMO, there's not much better than the R6 for your needs. Better silence than the 750D and better airflow than the be quiet!. It's kinda the best of both worlds, not as good as either case but strikes a good balance. Plus it's the smallest of all the cases listed in this entire thread. (Maybe not the HAF 912)

[MiChAeLoKGB]

Good to know, thank you for the info. I guess I will be getting the Define R6 then  

 

I don't really care about the size, as almost everything was smaller or same size as 800D (L x W x H - 609 x 228 x 609 mm - 16.2kg).

Even the DBP 900 is a bit smaller (577 x 243 x 586 mm - 14.39 kg)  That case is just nuts and I still remember how I wanted to upgrade to 900D, "just because"