Get a mATX case or a Full ATX?

[loloTHUNDAH]

I am now picking between two cases, one is the Fractal Design Core 1000 (an mATX case) and the other is the Antec ONE (the full ATX)

My system specs are (hopefully);
Core i3 ~3220
MSI H77M-G43
8GB G.Skill Sniper
Powercolor HD 7770
Antec Neo ECO 520w

so should I just stick with the mATX or the ATX?

Thanks for the help!

[erocker]

It's more of a personal choice. What are your concerns between the two?

[loloTHUNDAH]

Well the Core 1000 is that it is small, but kinda worried that the Heat from the PSU (since the fan is facing down) could heat up my system. Plus I plan on getting a closed looped watercooler (like the Antec 620) by next year.

With the Antec ONE, It's great and all but I think it might be wasted space since I only have a mATX board and also with the Pics I saw they didn't remove the included removable PCI slot cover...

I can find another (& cheaper case), but here in my country its kinda hard to find a good one :\

EDIT: also dust is one heck of my primary concerns, since dust is hella abundant where I live, and cleaning up the case every week (which I do with my current P4) is kinda tiring

[erocker]

Wasted space is fine as it gives you room to upgrade. A friend of mine has the Antec in a pretty dusty place and the filters works very well. Unless you need to have a smaller case due to space concerns, I would definitely go with the Antec.

[Jetster]

Isn't the Antec One a mid size case

19.90" x 8.10" x 20.25"


Fractal Design Core 1000
16.54" x 6.89" x 13.98

[loloTHUNDAH]

It is a Mid Tower though due to budget reasons I can't get the Antec ONE since once I ad it to my cart I go over my budget... oh well... looks like I'm sticking with the Core 1000

[Hood]

I'm partial to larger cases because I like to tinker with fans and I'm always opening the case for one reason or another. The initial build will be easier with the full ATX case, but once it's done the only concern is temps (will that high-powered video card get enough cool air?) and aesthetics (does it look good and run quiet?), and maybe size (does it fit in my desk's tower compartment?). Beyond that it's a matter of taste. Both the cases you mentioned are decent and well thought out for the price, and both look okay for cooling, so again it's a matter of personal taste. I find that choosing a case is the hardest part of a build, because you're going to have to live with your choice for a long time, possibly through your next few builds (unless you have money to burn and can buy a new case whenever one strikes your fancy). Every time I think I have the perfect case picked out, a new one comes along that I like better! I found that it helps a lot if you can see your case on display in an actual store, pick it up and get the feel of it. You'll find that some of the cheaper cases feel too flimsy and even some of the expensive ones have a cheap feel to them. The good ones are heavy and solid and have lots of fan ports. Corsair, Cooler Master, and Antec all make decent cases. I don't know about Fractal Design, never had hands on one, but I hear good things.

[loloTHUNDAH]

Thanks for the feedback guys! Maybe I should drop my RAM from 8gb G.Skill to 4gb Kingston's / Corsair XMS3?

EDIT: just so I could squeeze in the case... I kinda like it

[Hood]

Originally Posted by loloTHUNDAH

Well the Core 1000 is that it is small, but kinda worried that the Heat from the PSU (since the fan is facing down) could heat up my system. Plus I plan on getting a closed looped watercooler (like the Antec 620) by next year.

With the Antec ONE, It's great and all but I think it might be wasted space since I only have a mATX board and also with the Pics I saw they didn't remove the included removable PCI slot cover...

I can find another (& cheaper case), but here in my country its kinda hard to find a good one :\

EDIT: also dust is one heck of my primary concerns, since dust is hella abundant where I live, and cleaning up the case every week (which I do with my current P4) is kinda tiring

PSU fans are always intake, sucking in at the fan and blowing out through the back mesh, so a top-mounted PSU will remove heat from the case, and a bottom-mounted PSU can usually be turned either way because there's a vent underneath. I wasn't sure about this also until recently when someone cleared it up in one of the forums. They never say which way the fan blows in any documentation, they just assume you know that all are intake.

[loloTHUNDAH]

Thanks for the info! Didn't know that PSU's do that. Anyways I'm taking the Antec so I wouldn't have to get another case for a future upgrade.