• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.
  • The forums have been upgraded with support for dark mode. By default it will follow the setting on your system/browser. You may override it by scrolling to the end of the page and clicking the gears icon.

Looking for a case...

Kuroneko

Kuroneko

Joined
May 2, 2014
Messages
40 (0.01/day)
System Specs
System Name The Veil of Yamineko (Upcoming Build)
Processor Intel Core "Devil's Canyon" i7-4790k @ 4.0 Ghz (4 CPUs, 8 Threads)
Motherboard ASRock Z97 Extreme4
Cooling 1 x Noctua NH D14 CPU Cooler, 2 x Noctua Case Fans (140mm)
Memory 16 GB DDR3 SDRAM @ 1600 MHz
Video Card(s) EVGA GTX 780 Ti Dual Classified 3GB GDDR5 384-bit
Storage 1 x 2TB SATA Drive @ 7200RPM, 1 x 256 GB SSD
Display(s) AOC 21.5" LED @ 1080p 16:9
Case Corsair 500R (White)
Power Supply Corsair 850W
Software Windows 7 Professional
Hello!

Having plans on upgrading my GPU this year, I am looking for a good ATX Mid Tower that'll be able to fix a Noctua nh-d14, ya know, this mother-lugger:

cb3f7f33d4.jpg

I need a new case cause I am unable to use the front and side panels for fear of overheating my GPU (I have a super hot room and a ACX cooler inside) and would like something a bit more air-cooling friendly. I was an idiot getting a case made for water-cooling. NZXT H440 if you haven't figured it out yet.

There are some things I desire out of the case:
-USB, speakers, power-button, etc, on the top, my chair is exactly one inch away from it and I refuse to break another USB cable*
-Simplistic. No super bright colors/LEDS/edges. I don't really show it to anyone.
-Plenty of room for a GPU, for ones that a tiny bit larger than 300-305mm. I couldn't be bothered to remove the HDD cage and this bugger is only 279.4mm but I could barely fit that in without putting it in diagonally and situating it after (case clearance is 294).
-Good airflow.

I'm willing to spend up to around $100-150, so price isn't TOO much of a factor, but I don't plan to spend anymore than that cause I need to buy a new GPU as well.

Thanks for reading.

~Kuroneko

*When I had a pre-built computer somewhere in 2009-2010, my parents had gotten me a pair of USB headsets that had a fairly long connector. Long story short, my leg hit the poor thing and it broke.
 
Last edited:
Gotta agree with @Jetster. As you listed your requirements, I thought a Fractal Design Define R5 would be perfect!

It's very solid, cools well, very big inside, lots of GPU room for length, quiet, well-made craftsmanship, and one of the HDD cages can be removed. Even with coolers like ACX 2.0 and Twin Frozr, airflow is so good that there is no heating up of the GPU or other components.
 
My first custom build was a 486 DXII 66MHz....the case I chose had a front door panel on it....and I've been a sucker for that style of case ever since. I'll vote with the others, the R5 seems like a solid choice.

Best of luck with whatever case you choose.....:)

Liquid Cool
 
Aerocool Xpredator X3 or X1 or a Coolermaster HAF series, Xpredator 2 by Aerocool is still full ATX
 
Thank you everyone for your replies. I have basically narrowed it down to the Fractal or the MasterCase. It's about the size of my current case but it definitely has a lot more airflow. I still welcome suggestions!
 
Since you had narrowed it down to the Fractal R5 and MasterCase, let me throw another great option in there. The Fractal Define R4, which was only replaced last year by the R5. It's actually even more sturdy than the R5 (slightly thicker steel, more soundproofing up top). Other than a few other minor features, it is virtually the same as the R5.

As they move old stock, you can find it 33% off on Newegg for $79!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...52021&cm_re=Fractal_R4-_-11-352-021-_-Product

it's running about $10 higher on the Amazon Marketplace.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008HD3E6Y/?tag=tec06d-20

I just figured I'd throw the R4 out there. I love mine and will likely be using it for many years.
 
rtwjunkie said:
I just figured I'd throw the R4 out there. I love mine and will likely be using it for many years.
Click to expand...
I'll second the R4- build quality is outstanding and one of the best cases I've ever owned! :)
 
rtwjunkie said:
I missed that somewhere! I've bookmarked it to look at further for possible future builds. I like what I saw so far. :)
Click to expand...

Was first looking at the Silent Base 800, but it was a bit too large for me I thought so I went with the Silent Base 600.
It's a good quality case. I don't use any watercooling but you could.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top