Need A New Case

[Awqa Puriq]

OK so I need a new case. Currently my mid-tower case isn't keeping everything cool like it's supposed to and since instead of buying a couple more fans i wanna buy a new case. I'm currently stuck between choices. So Far my choices are:

-CoolerMaster HAF 932
-CoolerMaster ATCS 840
-Corsair Obsidian 800D

I'm leaning towards one of the two CoolerMaster case since the Obsidian is pretty pricey unfortunately and since i was checking out reviews on all of them I noticed the Airflow on the 800D is HORRIBLE. Right now I'm leaning towards air cooling, the only water cooling would be the CPU (Corsair Hydro H50 CPU Cooler). So which case would you guys recommend? IF there is a better one then please let me know.

[Top-Tier-Tech]

I'm buying the Corsair 800D sometime this year...



SO beautiful

I've never heard of bad airflow... where did you hear that? The case is designed to have 3 separate airflow chambers. The sheer size of the case keeps the components further away from each other meaning the heat buildup should be lesser for that simple reason alone.

Amazon had it for $245 a week ago, if I had the money I would have bought it then. Ah well. You can get it from Amazon cheaper than anywhere else, free shipping goes a long way on a massive case like this.

[Top-Tier-Tech]

Amazon had it for $245 a week ago

Could have sworn I saw it for $240 the other day.

Perhaps you saw it in my post...

[mrmouth]

Perhaps you saw it in my post...

I mean if the H50 let me OC my CPU up to 3.8 no problem i can only imagine how high i could go up with a custom water cooling set up.

Probably not all that much higher depending on the stepping.

I knew I had seen the H50 before though. I really like that thing. Something to seriously consider over a HSF, and those who dont want a full water setup. But I figured that since you do actually have water in your PC, you are not likely to go back to air.

I have serious issues with the idea of water in my PC, but I might grab one of those just for something to do. Any issues with portability of the PC?

[Awqa Puriq]

OMG

Damn It! now I'm even more confused as to which I'm gonna get That looks so sexy. I heard about the bad airflow on a couple of reviews and other forums. You can type "Airflow on Obsidian 800D" and Google and it will show you. I don't really wanna mod the case to add fans or anything so i wanna keep the case stuff simple. I have never installed water cooling (I don't think the H50 counts) so that's why i'm sticking with airflow. I wanna be future proof though. Which would you recommend though?

[mrmouth]

Ive seen it described as having bad airflow properties in a few reviews with respect to fan positioning. Regardless, it is very simply tailored to water, which Corsair has said, and their newer kits specifically, which are top notch as well. Good for water, but not perfect. The same fan limitations that plague an air only config, still hurt the ability to get air on the rads.

Either way, It sure isn't going to beat the HAF or 1200 in terms of air. Nice entry into the game, beautiful case, but nowhere near perfect, and for the price, it should be.

[Roman_Man#3]

The fact that it has 1 intake fan (maybe 2?) gives it less than stellar airflow. It's got negative air pressure, ie. more air leaving than coming in. You want positive if you're doing air cooling. It's not bad by any stretch, but if you are worried about temperatures and air flow per dollar than this isn't really the right case. That said, I'd still take it.

Personally my next case would either be a Lian-Li/Lancool or the 800d. I like the ATCS 840 as well, I prefer the more elegant styling to the gamey styling of the HAF. Might want to check this out: Lancool PC-K58. Very good case, probably my next one.

[mrmouth]

At this point I want a balance between outside aesthetics and inside build quality. Any case I buy is going to have the inside painted and baked, too.

I always wanted a Lian-Li back when I first got into PC's, and was looking mid tower. But everything I see from them now, despite being aluminum, just doesn't wow me, or looks like the Antec 1200. That goes for a few of the top manufacturers. They all tend to be copies of the 1200, minus the ugly top fan.

I dont know. I got the 1200 for $160 shipped, so I'm plenty happy with it. You are not really going to get any better, unless you are simply unhappy with the look. So I have put the rest the idea of upgrading until I go water, which I really am not eager to do.

Although, the ATCS 840 is a strong contender. Love the look. But again, why the hell cant they complete it by painting the inside! I also really dig the Silverstone TJ07, but again, price...

And where has the removable motherboard tray concept gone? I figured it would be a staple now. At least on CM cases...

[Awqa Puriq]

I don't really like the style of the HAF either that's why i was leaning for for the ATCS 840 since it seemes to have good airflow, nice elegant look, and great features that i saw on the 800D but it's less. I was expecting the 800 to have better airflow, especially at that price i was expecting perfection, it's still so sexy though. The Lancool seems nice too, i'll take that one into consideration as well, thanks.

[Roman_Man#3]

You could alternatively check out the PC-K62, it has a black interior, a nice little windows, blue LED fan, just a very well built, well designed, and relatively cheap case. The ATCS is just the HAF932 with a different exterior. You might also want to check out the Antec 1200, as Barnaby mentioned. We both have the case and I think I would be fairly accurate in saying we both like it very very much.

[Freddie]

If airflow is important to you (it should be for any enthusiast) I'll 3rd the Antec 1200 it's simply the best case for keeping everything cool, it's going to be hard for Antec to top this case when the 1200's replacement comes out.

Lancool's are very good cases, there basically Li Lian's made but made from steal rather then aluminium but right now there only available in mid-sized tower unit's, the cases your looking at are massive full tower cases.

[Awqa Puriq]

I've never actually owned an Antec, i was gonna buy an Antec 900 a while ago but i changed my mind. Are they good to work with?

[HansDuet]

Well I have 900 (for 2 years) and no complaints so far. Cools everything very effectively but is rather loud with all fans high...

So yea, Antec is good. 1200 is a bit overkill IMO unless you need full tower.

[irish437]

I love my coolmaster.

[Awqa Puriq]

Hm, so between Antec 1200 and CoolerMaster ATCS 840, which one would be better overall?

[Top-Tier-Tech]

Hm, so between Antec 1200 and CoolerMaster ATCS 840, which one would be better overall?

I have the Antec 1200 right now (bought it since most reviews stated it offers pretty much the best airflow for the price. It's a good case... but it is extremely cramped, I have an E-ATX motherboard so the slots designed for cable routing are covered, also I have a large PSU (corsair 1000watt) and it's cramped as well (no room for the cables). I actually don't get very good airflow with it due to the size of my components so upgrading to the Corsair 800D is a must when I do GTX480's in SLI.

That's just my reason for upgrading, if you have a standard size motherboard you will find the Antec 1200 would suit your needs and be much cheaper than the Corsair case.

The 800D certainly was designed with watercooling in mind, but for E-ATX motherboards and multiple GPU's it is the better case.

[Awqa Puriq]

I understand that the Corsair 800D is better, except for airflow, than most cases out there but would buying the ATCS 840 set me future proof, at least the next 1 or 2, for future upgrades (New Graphic Cards, etc.)? I just don't wanna spend that much money on the case, i don't even have $300 on me right now.

[Freddie]

I understand that the Corsair 800D is better, except for airflow, than most cases out there but would buying the ATCS 840 set me future proof, at least the next 1 or 2, for future upgrades (New Graphic Cards, etc.)? I just don't wanna spend that much money on the case, i don't even have $300 on me right now.

Ok, it might be easier if you could tell us what sort of system you are planning on building or swapping over. ChaobSiroc's rig isn't typical of the average DIY PC builder although as I understand it the 1200 isn't much deeper then the 902 (more on this below) if at all.

If your planning on building a complex water cooling rig with a triple radiator, pump, pipes, blocks and reservoir the case you should be looking at is the Silverstone TJ07. If you planning on a more normal rig with just one video card (but not a 12.3" card like the HD5970) , a large CPU cooler and some hard drives a mid sized tower case like the Lancool Dragon Lord K62 or Antec 902 would be suitable, then again if your planning on a multiple video card setup a 1200 or a high end Lian Li full sized tower cases would be a good move.

[Awqa Puriq]

Well I'm planning on setting up multiple cards in the future, I currently have a GTX 285 in it right now, I'll be upgrading to a large PSU soon (Corsair 1000W), mostly air cooling until i get comfortable enough to try water cooling, although nothing big, probably just the GPU. I'm moving an ATX mother board, 4 sticks of RAM with it's cooler, optical drive (planning to buy another in the future hopefully Blue-ray if they go down in price), right now i have a single HDD, although I will be adding about four more (throw some drives in RAID and another 1TB for all those programs). I currently have a i7 920 OCd to 3.8GHz on the Corsair H50, handles nicely i don't need to go any higher. I would like it to hold long video cards because I will be waiting for future cards, 5970 too pricey and GTX480 didn't deliver my expectations, so i know that they will definitely be huge. The room temperature in my room is fairly cool, and in the summer I'll install an AC on to keep the temps inside down. A full tower is what i thought i needed, i don't mind it being heavy but I do like it to be of a sturdy material (Aluminum or Steel) and it would be nice to have tool-less features, removable motherboard (not necessary), good cable management (cables in my current case are a big mess at the back since there isn't much room), a hole for the CPU heat sink (I would strongly favor the case with it), I do prefer the PSU being at the bottom, so it doesn't squash any of my components, and since I might get into some water cooling more in the future, nothing big though, I would like it to be able to be upgradable to it. I am not looking for anything fancy or crazy (LED fans, etc, but it's no problem if it is like that), it has to have good airflow, not necessarily a tornado inside, just as long as it keeps components nice and cool but i am looking for a nice looking, more elegant case and I am on a budget, High School student, so please unless you feel the case is indeed worth it, try to keep it under $200, that's why i don't think I'll be buying the 800D, it's simply too much.

[mrmouth]

I know very little about water, but Im guessing the H50 isnt all that technical. And having already went water, you are not going back. I think that you have to bite the bullet and go with a water specific case. Which is going to put you over $200, easy. But look at it this way, it should be the last case you'd ever need.

The Antec 1200 is plenty suitable for water, but it will be cramped, and eventually you will need an upgrade.

Looking at prices, I might just go with the 800D. Could have sworn I saw it for $240 the other day. Otherwise, when you get to $300, it is a toss up, and comes down to the little things. But the Silverstone is said to have a really great fan config.