Decent quality mid tower without BS features

[Octopuss]

I currently have Fractal Define R5, which I've seemingly had for seven years or so, much longer than most cases before that, but lately I've been thinking about an upgrade.

There are some features that kind of annoy me and I'd prefer something a little more simple while maintaining good build quality.
There is this builtin disk cage mount or whatever in the front, but who uses spinners these days? I had to take half the case apart to remove this so the current graphic card fit in the case. Annoying!
It also has damn 5,25" bay, WTF?
Due to the above, the case also has front doors. One more thing that can break.
The PSU area is completely separated from the main compartment, which is a pain in the ass when you have to deal with any cabling. I guess this is done for visual reasons, but I much rather do my own cable management and don't waste space and curse my arse off when I try to disconnect something in a space my hand barely fits into.
The integrated FAN control system is something I never used either, and the FANs the case came with remained unusused, because I am a Noctua fanboy (plus I don't need fans in the front anyway).

Lastly, the grille in front of the rear fan is so stupid it amplifies any acoustic noise million-fold, and I am not going to cut it out when I'm considering getting a new case and selling this one

It's things like these why I am thinking about something new.
I like the build quality of Fractal, but I want something with less features I don't need/want.

Can I get any suggestions? The only base requirement is size somewhat comparable to the Define R5, which is mid tower type I guess. Along with the relative simplicity preference. Oh wait, I do want dust filters, plenty of them. This flat is swarming with cats

I've been going through Fractal's current offerings, but nothing really caught my eye. Meshify 2 looked ok at first, but then I noticed it had the dumb internal design as well.
Currently going through Asus, but their website is a mess. Agh!

I don't have a hard price requirement, but I'm not going to waste $200+ equivalent on a case either.

 

[freeagent]

I have a Torrent Compact, good case. I have a PA602 on the way.

 

[Kapone33]

Phanteks P360A. A nice mid tower with room for 2 360 rads. Even has nice QOL features like the one header for the front panel. Power button is on the front and the cavern is big enough for easy install.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Torrent Compact (black solid) here too, quite a nice case, if a bit plasticky in parts.
Not so great if you plan on using 3.5-inch drives, but otherwise a nice, quiet case, while still having good airflow.

 

[Octopuss]

The torrent looks weird to me, but I am a conservative arse.
I would say the zero dust protection is a bigger problem in this household though...

 

[freeagent]

Get a duster, filters just get in the way, and you still have to clean them

Torrent looks good to me, its probably the best air cooled chassis I have ever used.

It is also the shortest period that I have used a case for.. 2 or 3 years.. need some more room, and a change in general as I age gracefully

 

[Octopuss]

You have no idea what a flat with 3-4 cats is like!

 

[freeagent]

You have no idea what a flat with 3-4 cats is like!

Try a house, carpet, 5 humans, 2 cats, and a dog

 

[TheLostSwede]

The torrent looks weird to me, but I am a conservative arse.
I would say the zero dust protection is a bigger problem in this household though...

Zero whatnow? It has a dust filter at the front and one at the bottom, both are really easy to clean and catches a lot of dust. How do I know? Well, I've lived next to multiple construction sites for 2½ years now and it's very obvious that the filters catch the dust, plus we have cats.
Not much dust inside the case, even if some fine dust gets through, but show me a case that has fans where that isn't the case.

Going back to a top mounted PSU was weird, but I don't really have any complaints about the overall design, for my needs.
However, I do understand it's not a case for everyone, as it has several design quirks that might make it unsuitable for some usage scenarios.
It barely fits really large graphics cards though, at least if you want to keep the 180 mm fans in the front.

 

[Vayra86]

Look at Lian Li cases. I've got the A3 after several Defines (R4, R5 & compact TG) and its an absolute masterpiece. Rock solid build quality and smart engineering, pretty no nonsense, styled towards minimalism much like Fractal cases, fits a full size component-system, too (see specs).

Dust filters are also easy to fix. Buy some mesh pvc and magnet tape and stick it where you need it. Did that mod on the A3 yesterday Super easy, cheap.

 

[Octopuss]

Zero whatnow? It has a dust filter at the front and one at the bottom, both are really easy to clean and catches a lot of dust. How do I know? Well, I've lived next to multiple construction sites for 2½ years now and it's very obvious that the filters catch the dust, plus we have cats.
Not much dust inside the case, even if some fine dust gets through, but show me a case that has fans where that isn't the case.

Going back to a top mounted PSU was weird, but I don't really have any complaints about the overall design, for my needs.
However, I do understand it's not a case for everyone, as it has several design quirks that might make it unsuitable for some usage scenarios.

Oh wait, the PSU location. That might be a bit of a problem with the space heater graphic card I acquired last week. That thing really turned my case into an oven. All that hot air would go directly into the PSU. I'm not sure about that.

What design quirks do you have in mind?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Oh wait, the PSU location. That might be a bit of a problem with the space heater graphic card I acquired last week. That thing really turned my case into an oven. All that hot air would go directly into the PSU. I'm not sure about that.

What design quirks do you have in mind?

I just updated the post above with some pics.

The PSU is not an issue as far as the graphics card goes.

The side panels are a bit weird and if you stuff a lot of cables behind the right one, you might have to hold it place with a screw, since they normally close magnetically.

 

[Vayra86]

Oh wait, the PSU location. That might be a bit of a problem with the space heater graphic card I acquired last week. That thing really turned my case into an oven. All that hot air would go directly into the PSU. I'm not sure about that.

What design quirks do you have in mind?

Yes, Define cannot cool over 250W worth of GPU. I've had that issue too, the case just hasn't got enough airflow, you can add fans to the top and side, but then you're also destroying the sound proofing concept, so that's not really a great move either.

This is how I landed at the A3: so far its a huge win, and the GPU temps? Stagnant. As in, you see whatever the load temp is, and since the GPU is the intake for this entire case (!) that's the temp it has. All the time. Irrespective of load. The case just doesn't heat up at all with ~ 400-450W system power going through. Funniest thing of all... I'm not even bothered by the slightly higher noise level either. Easy to get used to, and not a huge difference either way with the GPU at full tilt.

 

[freeagent]

Oh wait, the PSU location. That might be a bit of a problem with the space heater graphic card I acquired last week. That thing really turned my case into an oven. All that hot air would go directly into the PSU. I'm not sure about that.

What design quirks do you have in mind?

Yeah it isnt a problem at all, even with just the 2 stock Fractal fans running the show. I could run my 5800X3D semi passively with that setup.

And yes.. freakishly quiet comes to mind.

PSU can breathe no problem

 

[TheLostSwede]

Yes, Define cannot cool over 250W worth of GPU. I've had that issue too, the case just hasn't got enough airflow, you can add fans to the top and side, but then you're also destroying the sound proofing concept, so that's not really a great move either.

Wut? I have had zero issues with my RTX 4080.

 

[docnorth]

Did you look at define 7 compact? It’s shorter due to lack of OD tray and a bit narrower, but still wide enough for your cooler.

 

[Octopuss]

Look at Lian Li cases. I've got the A3 after several Defines (R4, R5 & compact TG) and its an absolute masterpiece. Rock solid build quality and smart engineering, pretty no nonsense, styled towards minimalism much like Fractal cases, fits a full size component-system, too (see specs).

Dust filters are also easy to fix. Buy some mesh pvc and magnet tape and stick it where you need it. Did that mod on the A3 yesterday Super easy, cheap.

Isn't the A3 Micro-ATX only?

 

[Vayra86]

Isn't the A3 Micro-ATX only?

Yeah its just an example, look at their offerings

 

[Octopuss]

Did you look at define 7 compact? It’s shorter due to lack of OD tray and a bit narrower, but still wide enough for your cooler.

Only 120mm rear fan, I don't think that would work for my silent case preference.

Aha! Another requirement has shown up!

 

[Sithhy™]

I mean, what counts as "BS features"? One of my recommendations is the Montech AIR 903 Base/Max. Really good airflow & has space for 2x 360mm radiators even on the midtower model which I find cool

 

[Onasi]

Only 120mm rear fan, I don't think that would work for my silent case preference.

…why? All it needs to do is exhaust the hot air from the CPU area. Any decent 120mm fan will do that without issue while running modest RPMs.

You won't find any cases that has anything larger than a 120 mm fan at the back. There simply isn't space for it.

I mean, my full-tower Torrent supports 140 at the back, but that IS a full-tower. In mid-tower segment… yeah, unlikely. Actually, wait, no, so did my previous Define S.

 

[freeagent]

I mean, what counts as "BS features"?

My new case that will be here tomorrow

PA602

I am running a 140mm as my exhaust in my Torrent Compact right now. TL-D14X fits, and so does TY-143. This case is an airflow monster if you want it to be.

 

[Octopuss]

…why? All it needs to do is exhaust the hot air from the CPU area. Any decent 120mm fan will do that without issue while running modest RPMs.


I mean, my full-tower Torrent supports 140 at the back, but that IS a full-tower. In mid-tower segment… yeah, unlikely. Actually, wait, no, so did my previous Define S.

The smaller the fan the bigger the noise.
The current case has 140mm in the rear. I think this has been the norm in mid tower cases for quite some time now.

I mean, what counts as "BS features"? One of my recommendations is the Montech AIR 903 Base/Max. Really good airflow & has space for 2x 360mm radiators even on the midtower model which I find cool

BS features was meant very subjectively of course.
Drive bays, separate PSU compartment, fan control, doors, that sort of stuff I basically remove right away because it annoys me or flat out prevents me from doing whatever (like installing long card).

 

[freeagent]

The smaller the fan the bigger the noise.

I have big fans that will show you what time it is

iPPC3K are probably the most obnoxious fans that I own.

 

[Octopuss]

I've been using Noctua for ages, and while there most likely are better ones out there, I've been very happy with the brand. Even if there is a certain price premium.

That reminds me I might look into replacing the Corsair that is in the case right now, because it's been there for several years and maybe it's lived its life! On the other hand I don't think there's any need to unless it's noisy due to bearings giving up. I don't even remember where I got it from and why. I guess I was looking to try something different at some point.

I mean, what counts as "BS features"? One of my recommendations is the Montech AIR 903 Base/Max. Really good airflow & has space for 2x 360mm radiators even on the midtower model which I find cool

Ok I am interested. Those are nice looking cases.

My new case that will be here tomorrow

PA602

I am running a 140mm as my exhaust in my Torrent Compact right now. TL-D14X fits, and so does TY-143. This case is an airflow monster if you want it to be.

I love the aesthetics.
I'm sure I wouldn't love the price