Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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cmkrnl
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Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by cmkrnl » Thu Jun 16, 2016 7:26 pm

First, I'd like to thank everyone who helped me in my quest to build a quiet PC, let's see, whoa, it must have been about 7 years ago. It's getting old and somewhat worn out, but it's what I'm using to post this. It has an Antec Solo case, ASUS motherboard, the processor is an AMD Phenom II X4 955 with Noctura heat sink and fans, Corsair power supply, 8GB RAM, uses onboard graphics, driving a single 22" monitor. I have a mix of HDs and SSDs inside. I'll replace the HDs with SSDs, so I won't have to worry about HD noise anymore! It's used for light graphics design, software development, and the usual web browsing. It's not used for gaming. Some of the buttons on the case are no longer functional, the motherboard bios can't be upgraded for Windows 10, and I'm getting random freezes and failures to boot. So, it's time to come back to SPCR and build a new PC.

My use cases are the same as above and I'm looking for an ATX case similar in size to the Solo, preferably not bigger. Haven't made many other hardware decisions other than I am going get a graphics card that will support 3 or 4 monitors. I'm tired of doing software development on a single monitor. I still haven't decided whether I want an Intel i-5 series processor or one of the newest AMD processors. Yes, I realize my choice of processor will affect my choice of motherboard. I'm not planning on doing any OC, and if possible, I'd like to get something smaller and lighter than my current Noctura heat sink and fan set up that barely fit in my Solo case.

I've been through the SPCR recommended case topic and it doesn't seem to have been updated for a while. Whether it's a matter of no cash to do testing on newer models or whether mid tower case design has stagnated, I don't know.

I'm looking to complete my build before the end of July so I can do the free upgrade of my retail boxed Windows 8.1 Pro. I'm not worried about Windows 10, I don't have any problems with it on my Surface Pro 3.

I'd appreciate some case brand recommendations and / or models that I can go check out and then come back with specific questions. If more info is needed, I'll be glad to answer. Thanks!

Abula
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by Abula » Thu Jun 16, 2016 8:33 pm

My use cases are the same as above and I'm looking for an ATX case similar in size to the Solo, preferably not bigger.
Well if you liked the Solo, 17.5"(H) x 8.1"(W) x 18.5"(D), maybe look into the SOLO II, 17.3" x 8.1" x 18.5", it has hdd suspension, top opening / mounting PSU, and pretty solid frame. Another option would be Corsair Carbide Quiet 400Q Compact Mid-Tower Case 16.74 x 8.46 x 18.26 inches.
I still haven't decided whether I want an Intel i-5 series processor or one of the newest AMD processors. Yes, I realize my choice of processor will affect my choice of motherboard. I'm not planning on doing any OC, and if possible, I'd like to get something smaller and lighter than my current Noctura heat sink and fan set up that barely fit in my Solo case.
On the CPU cooler, i would recommend if you can to get a tower, even though you want smaller, you will be able to spin down the fan more, i like a lot Scythe Ninja 4: A Legend Reborn but you might find it too big, so look into Scythe Kotetsu CPU Cooler: A Compact King.

Other recommendations, i like a lot what ASUS H170 PRO GAMING offers, has fanXpert3 / decent bios fan control, good layout overall, also comes with it comes with 4 different video outputs, so you might be able, depending on the monitors into going with your mutiple seutp with intel igpu 530. PSU i just did a build with the Corsair RM550x, very quiet and good pricing atm.

quest_for_silence
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by quest_for_silence » Fri Jun 17, 2016 1:07 am

Abula wrote:i like a lot what ASUS H170 PRO GAMING offers
Not the ASRock?

Abula
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by Abula » Fri Jun 17, 2016 5:38 am

quest_for_silence wrote:
Abula wrote:i like a lot what ASUS H170 PRO GAMING offers
Not the ASRock?
Well for me yes, for others, it will depend if they would plan more. Asus has more flexibility, all their fan headers can be PWM or DC controlled, making it easier to use the included fans or whatever anyone has in hand, while with AsRock requieres more planning, specially understanding how the fan headers work, for an Antec Solo II or Corsair Q400, with Asus i would try the included fans, with AsRock i would swap toward PWM because of the headers and the amount you have in hand. That said, for me AsRock is a better buy for what i wish to accomplish, and probably will only going to use AsRock on my builds, but to me to recomend AsRock more widely, it will require them to make all their fan headers AutoDetect, this will put them on par with what asus can do with their switchable headers.

In this case in particualar, he wants to do a multimonitor setup, the Asus H170 Pro gaming has all the video connections, DP, HDMI, DVI and VGA, while my H170 Pro4 only has DVI and HDMI, so by default he will need a dedicated GPU, while with the asus he could try the intel igpu. Probably at the end is better to go with dedicated GPU, as for example with new nvidia card you will have 3x display ports so you can buy 3x of the same monitor and be done.

cmkrnl
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by cmkrnl » Fri Jun 17, 2016 6:49 pm

Thanks for the replies.
I've read some of the Amazon comments on the Corsair case and cable routing behind the motherboard panel is a pain. I intend to mount 2 or 3 SSDs back there.

Is it too early to expect cases with the new USB C connects on them?

I'm headed out of town for the next two days, so my lack of replies during that time is not a lack of interest.

Abula
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by Abula » Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:18 pm

cmkrnl wrote:I've read some of the Amazon comments on the Corsair case and cable routing behind the motherboard panel is a pain. I intend to mount 2 or 3 SSDs back there.

1) if you think the corsair is a pain, the SOLO II doesn't have any spacing, you have to route behind the hdd cage, behind the motherboard tray there is no space, aside from cables like Reset/power/hdd led.

2) The Q400 probably not the best in space for cable routing, but from what i can tell on this video is not that bad either. Corsair 400C Case Review, same case just different doors, from what i can tell.

3) If you can accept a bigger size, look into Fractal Design Define S or R5, those do have a fair space on the back to route cables. Most of the sites review the S for watercooling, if you wish to see a more normail air build with a ton of drives mounted, check Jennifer's Build Update - Fractal Define S

4) If you were to accept Micro ATX for your motherboard, you could go into something more compact like Silverstone KL06, can mount a ton of 2.5 drives. SilverStone Kublai KL06 Micro ATX Review
cmkrnl wrote:Is it too early to expect cases with the new USB C connects on them?
I haven't seen cases with them yet, but either the solo II or Q400 has 5.25, i bet you can get an addon for it.

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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by CA_Steve » Sat Jun 18, 2016 7:02 am

cmkrnl wrote:Is it too early to expect cases with the new USB C connects on them?.
It's a chicken and egg problem. Until Intel and AMD mobo's have USB 3.1 support on the chipsets rather than by using a third party controller chip that only seems to go to rear connectors, there probably won't be USB 3.1 C connectors on cases. Perhaps the 2016 mobo releases will spur 2017 cases with USB 3.1 Gen 2 front connectors.

cmkrnl
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by cmkrnl » Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:39 am

Abula wrote:
quest_for_silence wrote:
Abula wrote:i like a lot what ASUS H170 PRO GAMING offers
Not the ASRock?
Well for me yes, for others, it will depend if they would plan more. Asus has more flexibility, all their fan headers can be PWM or DC controlled, making it easier to use the included fans or whatever anyone has in hand, while with AsRock requieres more planning, specially understanding how the fan headers work, for an Antec Solo II or Corsair Q400, with Asus i would try the included fans, with AsRock i would swap toward PWM because of the headers and the amount you have in hand. That said, for me AsRock is a better buy for what i wish to accomplish, and probably will only going to use AsRock on my builds, but to me to recomend AsRock more widely, it will require them to make all their fan headers AutoDetect, this will put them on par with what asus can do with their switchable headers.

In this case in particualar, he wants to do a multimonitor setup, the Asus H170 Pro gaming has all the video connections, DP, HDMI, DVI and VGA, while my H170 Pro4 only has DVI and HDMI, so by default he will need a dedicated GPU, while with the asus he could try the intel igpu. Probably at the end is better to go with dedicated GPU, as for example with new nvidia card you will have 3x display ports so you can buy 3x of the same monitor and be done.
You are correct that I'm going to use a dedicated GPU. A friend recommended the Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 because it supports multiple monitors. When I get to that point, I'll check out the appropriate forum.

cmkrnl
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by cmkrnl » Mon Jun 20, 2016 10:02 am

Abula wrote:
cmkrnl wrote:I've read some of the Amazon comments on the Corsair case and cable routing behind the motherboard panel is a pain. I intend to mount 2 or 3 SSDs back there.

1) if you think the corsair is a pain, the SOLO II doesn't have any spacing, you have to route behind the hdd cage, behind the motherboard tray there is no space, aside from cables like Reset/power/hdd led.

2) The Q400 probably not the best in space for cable routing, but from what i can tell on this video is not that bad either. Corsair 400C Case Review, same case just different doors, from what i can tell.

3) If you can accept a bigger size, look into Fractal Design Define S or R5, those do have a fair space on the back to route cables. Most of the sites review the S for watercooling, if you wish to see a more normail air build with a ton of drives mounted, check Jennifer's Build Update - Fractal Define S

4) If you were to accept Micro ATX for your motherboard, you could go into something more compact like Silverstone KL06, can mount a ton of 2.5 drives. SilverStone Kublai KL06 Micro ATX Review
cmkrnl wrote:Is it too early to expect cases with the new USB C connects on them?
I haven't seen cases with them yet, but either the solo II or Q400 has 5.25, i bet you can get an addon for it.
I'm not planning on going with any internal hard drives. I will probably get something to have the ability to have an external hard drive if needed, but right now I'm going with 2 or 3 SSDs.

USB C on the case is only a nice-to-have on my list. Hopefully I'll be able to find a motherboard with it on the rear and I'll be able to find a USB hub that supports it, but it looks like it will be a while before I have an actual need for it.

quest_for_silence
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by quest_for_silence » Mon Jun 20, 2016 12:53 pm

cmkrnl wrote:A friend recommended the Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 because it supports multiple monitors.

The Gigabyte is not recommended because of the aggressive power and fan control (likely noisier than ASUS Strix or MSI Gaming), the GTX 960 is not recommended because it's EOL.

Unless you need some serious gaming horsepower, my advice is to hold on IGP till to fall when new lineups and relevant pricing will be better defined.

cmkrnl
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by cmkrnl » Mon Jun 20, 2016 1:35 pm

quest_for_silence wrote:
cmkrnl wrote:A friend recommended the Gigabyte GTX 960 G1 because it supports multiple monitors.

The Gigabyte is not recommended because of the aggressive power and fan control (likely noisier than ASUS Strix or MSI Gaming), the GTX 960 is not recommended because it's EOL.

Unless you need some serious gaming horsepower, my advice is to hold on IGP till to fall when new lineups and relevant pricing will be better defined.
Luca,

No need for serious gaming power, just the ability to drive 3 or 4 monitors for software development and light graphics design, so I can use the IGP on whatever processor I decide to use until then.

Via my wife, "Grazie! Apprezzo il suo aiuto."

Abula
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by Abula » Mon Jun 20, 2016 2:07 pm

cmkrnl wrote:I'm not planning on going with any internal hard drives. I will probably get something to have the ability to have an external hard drive if needed, but right now I'm going with 2 or 3 SSDs.
When i mention drives, never meant hard drives, if you see examples are more toward 2.5 even if they are hdds, its the more common size of ssds.

cmkrnl
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NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (Matte Black no Window)

Post by cmkrnl » Mon Jun 20, 2016 5:58 pm

What are people's thoughts on the NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (Matte Black no Window)?

Abula
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Re: NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (Matte Black no Window)

Post by Abula » Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:01 pm

cmkrnl wrote:What are people's thoughts on the NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (Matte Black no Window)?
Never built on it, but SPCR did review it NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case
The H440's most glaring problem is its lack of ventilation. The front bezel has a nicely sized intake vent along its right edge but none on the opposite side. The top cover is similarly affected only with the sides reversed. This design choice seems to be a stylistic one, a prime example of form unfortunately winning over function. Vents on both sides would improve performance considerably and it's sad to see such a squandered opportunity.

cmkrnl
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Re: NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (Matte Black no Window)

Post by cmkrnl » Mon Jun 20, 2016 6:58 pm

Abula wrote:
cmkrnl wrote:What are people's thoughts on the NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (Matte Black no Window)?
Never built on it, but SPCR did review it NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case
The H440's most glaring problem is its lack of ventilation. The front bezel has a nicely sized intake vent along its right edge but none on the opposite side. The top cover is similarly affected only with the sides reversed. This design choice seems to be a stylistic one, a prime example of form unfortunately winning over function. Vents on both sides would improve performance considerably and it's sad to see such a squandered opportunity.
Thanks! I don't care about looks. That's why I was looking at the version with no window. I'm pretty much willing to let function dictate form as long as it stays in the mid tower size.

Abula
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Re: NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (Matte Black no Window)

Post by Abula » Mon Jun 20, 2016 9:15 pm

cmkrnl wrote:
Abula wrote:
cmkrnl wrote:What are people's thoughts on the NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case (Matte Black no Window)?
Never built on it, but SPCR did review it NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case
The H440's most glaring problem is its lack of ventilation. The front bezel has a nicely sized intake vent along its right edge but none on the opposite side. The top cover is similarly affected only with the sides reversed. This design choice seems to be a stylistic one, a prime example of form unfortunately winning over function. Vents on both sides would improve performance considerably and it's sad to see such a squandered opportunity.
Thanks! I don't care about looks. That's why I was looking at the version with no window. I'm pretty much willing to let function dictate form as long as it stays in the mid tower size.
Well i copy the hole thing, but the important was not the looks, but that it starves on air, meaning you will need to ramp them up more aka more noise, the case didnt even get recommended list, its not good, the SoloII or Q400 would be my pick over it any day.

cmkrnl
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A first time for everything - train wreck

Post by cmkrnl » Fri Jul 01, 2016 6:10 pm

Monday I decided to order the Corsair Carbide Quiet 400Q case for my build. NewEgg was out of stock. Amazon only had one vendor that was selling it for $11 OVER list price. So, since Corsair had it in stock, I ordered it from them at list price. Tuesday I received confirmation it had shipped and UPS said it would arrive today, Friday, no later than 2000 local time. That was fine and I didn't think much more about it until today when when 2000 came and went and I didn't receive a delivery. I went to the UPS tracking site and entered my tracking number. There was an entry from yesterday stating that my shipment was delayed by a train wreck and was in Fort Worth, Texas. Then an entry for today stating that there was a trailer delay and that my shipment would be delivered by July 5th no later than 2000. Note that July 4th is a national holiday in the U.S. to celebrate our country's independence, so there would be no deliveries on the 4th.

Re-reading my tracking history I think I know what happened. The case was shipped from Oakland, California. For those of you not familiar with the U.S. west coast, most of all the container traffic from Asia to the U.S. comes via ship to a port in California. There the containers are loaded onto railroad train cars and move East across the country. I suspect that my case was put into a container with other stuff bound for South Texas and onto a train to go to Fort Worth, Texas where the container would be unloaded from the rail car and a tractor would haul it to South Texas. However, on Wednesday, in the Texas Panhandle, near the appropriately named town of Panhandle, Texas, there was a head-on collision between two freight trains. Whether my case was on the east-bound train that was involved in the collision, or whether it was on another train that got delayed because of the collision, I don't know but it's been delayed by the train wreck. Fortunately, I was not planning on doing my build over the holiday weekend.

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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by CA_Steve » Fri Jul 01, 2016 8:24 pm

Dude - you are just one step away from looking for spy satellite photos to see if your case can be spotted in the wreckage :)

That said, I know I spend a fair bit of time pondering component selection. But, when I've place the order, I want the parts to arrive! dammit!

cmkrnl
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Re: Mid Tower ATX Case - looking for brand recommendations

Post by cmkrnl » Sat Jul 02, 2016 6:24 pm

CA_Steve wrote:Dude - you are just one step away from looking for spy satellite photos to see if your case can be spotted in the wreckage :)
If I had any contacts in the intelligence community, I would have already done that :-)
CA_Steve wrote:That said, I know I spend a fair bit of time pondering component selection. But, when I've place the order, I want the parts to arrive! dammit!
I haven't nailed down my motherboard and memory choice yet, so if it had been delivered on time, I'd only be able to mount the power supply in the case. I ordered the case when I did because I wasn't going to be able to get it via Prime 2-day shipping.

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