Quiet stylish micro-atx case

[Icaros]

Hello everyone,

I am building a new pc for general use and some gaming. I'm interested in doing it in the micro atx form factor as I will be taking it with me some times but feel micro-itx is too much compromise.

I will be going for an i5 6600 or 6600k (I might overclock) and I'd like as much thermal headroom as possible.
GPU is going to be a Geforce 960 or 970 but I may be going for something more potent and more power-hungry when I upgrade to a 4k monitor in a few years.

I am thinking about going purely SSD, but I'd like an optical drive.

I'd like to suspend the case under my desk for normal use.

My priorities are elegance (I want something clean and minimalistic in styling), size and thermal headroom.

I have my eye on three cases:

The Lian-Li V360:
This is my favorite as I have always liked Lian-Li designs

It doesn't seem like the most thermally well designed case (I find the placement of the intake and exhaust fans dubious) but I like that it has an opening for dual 120 mm. side fans right over the CPU, which I think will go well with a Noctua NH-C14 - which it [url]seems to fit[/http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product ... 608-020url].

I also like that it has a ventilation opening right underneath the GPU.

Fractal design Define Mini:
The styling is acceptable to me. It seems to have better intake and exhaust arrangement than the Lian-Li (I am guessing the side-went helps the GPU here).

I don't like that it's bigger and almost twice as heavy though.

Rosewil Legacy U3 (without the side window):
The styling is acceptable to me and I like that it doesn't waste space on drive bays in the front. It's also light and has nice small dimensions.

Thermally it has good ventilation from the buttom but lacks a good source of fresh air for the CPU.

And I miss the optical drive bay.

Silverstone Temjin TJ08-E:
I'm guessing this is the most solid bet thermally.

I'm not crazy about the styling though.


Am I missing some alternative? How big will the difference between the Lian-Li and the Temjin be thermally?

Any recommendations on PSUs (another subject I know, but if you'd like to respond here it's great). I'd like something with a good longevity and capacity for a high midrange GPU.

[Abula]

Am I missing some alternative? How big will the difference between the Lian-Li and the Temjin be thermally?

TJ08-E is the best bet if you want the biggest thermal headroom, the AP181 can move tons of air at the expense of noise, but really tons, its impressive what this fan can move at 1300rpms, but its unbearable the noise it produces, still its one of the best cases in terms of thermal dissipation, SCPR reviewed it, SilverStone Temjin TJ08-E: MicroATX Evolved, and its one of the few micro atx that has the Editors Choice. You do need to move the AP181 to low (in the switch) and then undervolt it a lot for it to be come quiet setup, but you can always sacrifice noise for more air circulation, the fan can reach 1300rpms at 12V, i used it, and now i continue with AP182 around 500rpms or so, with good results, its not dead silent, but its quiet.

You should also check OCN Silverstone TJ08-E Owners Club, in there you should be able to see tons of builds, some very impressive with setups, from custom watercooling to pure air and semi passive cooling. One build in there that i still have on my mind is the iamdjango post #5264, where he builds on PS07 with Phantek Twin tower and Prolimatech MK26, this can be built on the TJ08-E or the newer KL06.

You should also check SPCR Journey to a Silent MicroATX Gamer its a nice micro atx guide that should give you some other options.

My priorities are elegance (I want something clean and minimalistic in styling), size and thermal headroom.

The Lian-Li V360:
This is my favorite as I have always liked Lian-Li designs

At the end go with what you like, only you have to live with your choice, even the Lian can be worked out to be quiet build, you just need to chose quiet components and accept higher temps.

Any recommendations on PSUs (another subject I know, but if you'd like to respond here it's great). I'd like something with a good longevity and capacity for a high midrange GPU.

A very nicely priced platinum PSU based on superflower leadex design, are the EVGA SuperNova P2, there are a bunch of options on wattage for you to chose, but at $99 is hard to beat the EVGA SuperNOVA 650 P2 80+ PLATINUM, 650W ECO Mode Fully Modular NVIDIA SLI and Crossfire Ready 10 Year Warranty Power Supply.

[ggumdol]

Hi,

I have been using several Lian Li chassis and SilverStone TJ-08E for a few years. I think you need realize that you can't have all of them and should strike a balance between:

1) sturdiness and longevity: TJ-08E is incomparably sturdy due to its steel-like material while Lian Li chassis are a bit brittle and malleable. I find it slightly tricky to use a screwdriver with appropriate strength on Lian Li chassis and indeed broke some of them. TJ-08E wins?
2) compactness: TJ-08E seems way smaller. You don't think the depth of Lian Li PC-V360, 480mm, is too long? TJ-08E wins?
3) thermal design/headroom: As far as I can gather, PC-V360 seems to superior to TJ-08E. PC-V360 wins?
4) elegance and minimalism: Lian Li chassis with machined aluminium are surely more elegant and quite beautiful but bigger. PC-V360 wins?

However, THE best feature of PC-V360 you didn't mention is the so-called, "Tool-less Side Panel Installation", which you will find incredibly convenient in case you tend to tinker with your computers. To do justice to TJ-08E, it's not hard to open its side panels but PC-V360 is much better in this regard. I would personally go with PC-V360.

[mikeb]

I came across this Jonsbo RM3 case the other day and love that it's compact micro-atx and stylish. Can't say for sure on airflow/silence and unfortunately have been unable to find it available for sale in the US.

http://www.jonsbo.com/en/products_32.html

[Icaros]

Thanks for the input so far. I'm gathering that the Lian-Li is workable, and I'm probably going to go with that because of the design.

A very nicely priced platinum PSU based on superflower leadex design, are the EVGA SuperNova P2, there are a bunch of options on wattage for you to chose, but at $99 is hard to beat the EVGA SuperNOVA 650 P2 80+ PLATINUM, 650W ECO Mode Fully Modular NVIDIA SLI and Crossfire Ready 10 Year Warranty Power Supply.

Here in Denmark where I am PSUs generally seem overpriced compared to international prices. At least I find platinum PSUs to be rather pricey (and much above the quoted price for the SuperNOVA) and I'm wondering how important a platinum or even gold rating is?

Right now I'm looking at the SuperNOVA G2 550W model which is about 100 bucks here in Denmark. I want it to be modular and I'm thinking 500 w is a good minimum (though I guess less could do it) and I like the 7 year warranty.

[mikeb]

I just came across the Raijintek Styx with might also work. Does anyone have any thoughts on it?