# I need some case recommendations.



## Lazzer408 (Jul 26, 2011)

I've done some looking around but haven't decided on a new case yet. I'm going with an m-atx case with my 2600k build and wouldn't mind some opinions and suggestions. I like designs that are more elegant then they are eye candy.

I need it to hold...

ATX power supply
mATX mobo of course
4x 3.5" drives
1x 5.25" optical drive
2x 2.5" SSD (I can just about velcro those anywhere but an unused 3.5 or 5.25" bay would work good)
Full size gfx card (HD6870)

It would be great if the 3.5" drives were mounted sideways on the bottom front of the case behind a 120mm fan. A 120mm rear fan would also be a plus.

I found a case that had sideways drives and had a door in the side cover but I can't find it now. Has anyone seen a case like that?

Broadway Com Corp 1244MA-BLACK Glossy black Steel ... This one is close but it doesnt have a drive bay behind the front fan. Plus it's ugly and cheap but it's close.

Fractal Design Arc Series Arc Mini (FD-CA-ARC-MINI... This is almost exactly what I'm looking for. Anyone have one of these? Everything looks ok but I'm not sure about the gfx length. I'm not thrilled about the looks of the two top fans but I could cover them I guess. EDIT - nvm. I see there is already cover for them. -doh-


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## micropage7 (Jul 26, 2011)

Lazzer408 said:


> I've done some looking around but haven't decided on a new case yet. I'm going with an m-atx case with my 2600k build and wouldn't mind some opinions and suggestions. I like designs that are more elegant then they are eye candy.
> 
> I need it to hold...
> 
> ...



umm  what about this LanCool First Knight PC-K63


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## Lazzer408 (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks but that's over 5" taller then the Arc Mini. Holds more drives then I'd need it to. I'm really liking that Arc Mini. I found specs on Fractal's website and it looks like everything would fit fine. It has loads of fan locations in it and they claim it'll hold a 2x120mm radiator inside. o.o

Check it out.
http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=59


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## micropage7 (Jul 26, 2011)

Lazzer408 said:


> Thanks but that's over 5" taller then the Arc Mini. Holds more drives then I'd need it to. I'm really liking that Arc Mini. I found specs on Fractal's website and it looks like everything would fit fine. It has loads of fan locations in it and they claim it'll hold a 2x120mm radiator inside. o.o
> 
> Check it out.
> http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=59







the internal lay out is nice too. i guess now it returns to your choice 
if you looking for simple case Fractal Design would match it


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## Widjaja (Jul 26, 2011)

Lian Li PC-A04


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## micropage7 (Jul 26, 2011)

Widjaja said:


> Lian Li PC-A04







it looks like fractal design but minus cable management


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## sneekypeet (Jul 26, 2011)

Ft03?


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## Lazzer408 (Jul 26, 2011)

Nice but look at the screw hole noted in red. On my DX58SO, the gfx card hangs over the edge of the mobo about 0.5". The edge of the mobo is about .250" from the screw hole. That means the edge of the card is past the screw hole about ~.750". There won't be enough room or it'll be really close. =( In one of the photos http://i55.tinypic.com/2zpp6qp.jpg it looks like they removed the 4-bay rack and left the 3-bay. Can the 4-bay mount on the bottom?


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## Lazzer408 (Jul 26, 2011)

sneekypeet said:


> Ft03?



I do like that design. How many and what size drive bays are in it?


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## hat1324 (Jul 26, 2011)

This?


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## Widjaja (Jul 26, 2011)

Lazzer408 said:


> Nice but look at the screw hole noted in red. On my DX58SO, the gfx card hangs over the edge of the mobo about 0.5". The edge of the mobo is about .250" from the screw hole. That means the edge of the card is past the screw hole about ~.750". There won't be enough room or it'll be really close. =(



On the Lian Li PC-A04 you can switch the HDD bays around so you can have the four HDDs in the bay and place one SSD in the 5.25" DVD drive bay.
There may even be a mounting system out there so you can install the second SSD into the 5.25" bay since you are able to mount the first SSD on the base of the 5.25" bay.

There is an option of placing an SSD on top of the 4 slot HDD bay but maybe too close to the back of the GPU.


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## MRCL (Jul 26, 2011)

If you like Fractal Design, the Define R2 is also great and holds everything you have nicely. 
The dual radiator story well... it _does_ fit, but its a royal pain in the ass to install everything, let alone route the tubing in a decent way. Its not really for water cooling setups that go beyond a H50 or something like that.


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## Lazzer408 (Jul 26, 2011)

Widjaja said:


> On the Lian Li PC-A04 you can switch the HDD bays around so you can have the four HDDs in the bay and place one SSD in the 5.25" DVD drive bay.
> There may even be a mounting system out there so you can install the second SSD into the 5.25" bay since you are able to mount the first SSD on the base of the 5.25" bay.
> 
> There is an option of placing an SSD on top of the 4 slot HDD bay but maybe too close to the back of the GPU.



In that case (pun intended) it would work. I was considering a 4x2.5" mobile rack for the 5.25" bay for my SSDs but I read there can be SATA signal problems with SSD's in mobile racks. I'm leaning towards the Arc over the Lian Li. I like the larger rear fan and the two top fans with a cover to hide them. The Lian Li is a bit boxy for my liking as well.


hat1324 - too big. Need m-ATX

mrcl - I'm not much into water cooling anyways. With the 2600k it seems like I wont need it. I have a Silenx Extreme that will fit the Arc Mini. I just thought it was nice to be able to cram a radiator in if I decided to. The H50 sucks anyways. I have one sitting here in a box. lol The Define R2 is off the list due to the door. My current case has a door and it's anoying.


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## xenocide (Jul 26, 2011)

Honestly, that Fractal Design case is probably the best you're going to find.  Most cases that fit your other requirements are Mid or Full Towers.


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## Lazzer408 (Jul 26, 2011)

xenocide said:


> Honestly, that Fractal Design case is probably the best you're going to find.  Most cases that fit your other requirements are Mid or Full Towers.



Except for the front being plastic I like it. Price is fair enough at $99. I'll throw a couple blue fans in front.

I'm looking at matx 1155 boards as well. I always have a hard time finding a board I like. I'll find something with the features I want but it'll end up being a cheap Bilestar or lack overclocking ability. Far as I can tell I need a P67 based board. What's the deal with ddr3 and only 2 slots? Wasn't that part of the point of DDR3 was tripple channel?


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## xenocide (Jul 26, 2011)

Lazzer408 said:


> I'm looking at matx 1155 boards as well. I always have a hard time finding a board I like. I'll find something with the features I want but it'll end up being a cheap Bilestar or lack overclocking ability. Far as I can tell I need a P67 based board. What's the deal with ddr3 and only 2 slots? Wasn't that part of the point of DDR3 was tripple channel?



Triple-Channel was kind of a flop that was only really used on the X58 platform to my knowledge.  Why are you so insistant on a Micro-ATX board btw?  Wouldn't a Mid-Tower with a regular ATX board be acceptable for most situations?


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## brandonwh64 (Jul 26, 2011)

hands down... the NZXT Vulcan!! Its one of the best gaming mATX cases out there and perfect for water due to the raised 120MM fan slots in the top and also.... IT HAS A FUCKING CARRYING HANDLE!

*Edit*
Also notice that this case has space next the hole you pointed out in the above pictures so it can handle any full size card! even in crossfire/SLI


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## micropage7 (Jul 26, 2011)

brandonwh64 said:


> hands down... the NZXT Vulcan!! Its one of the best gaming mATX cases out there and perfect for water due to the raised 120MM fan slots in the top and also.... IT HAS A FUCKING CARRYING HANDLE!
> 
> *Edit*
> Also notice that this case has space next the hole you pointed out in the above pictures so it can handle any full size card! even in crossfire/SLI
> ...



umm personally i dont like its apperance
its a nice case but i prefer normal looks


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## Lazzer408 (Jul 26, 2011)

xenocide said:


> Triple-Channel was kind of a flop that was only really used on the X58 platform to my knowledge.  Why are you so insistant on a Micro-ATX board btw?  Wouldn't a Mid-Tower with a regular ATX board be acceptable for most situations?



I've built full size rigs for years trying to squeeze the most out of it. Now I'd like something smaller, quieter, and more efficient. When I was younger I was all about show and go and benchmark numbers. Now I'm older and more realistic just a kid at heart. I enjoy simplicity and as long as it runs the handfull of apps I need it to, I'm happy. Friends are actually more impressed with my 12"x12"x3" quad-core gamer then my full size tower.


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## Lazzer408 (Aug 1, 2011)

The Arc Mini arived on my doorstep today. I'll have some pictures up in a few minutes.

*My first impression:*  I got what I paid for. The steel is about "mid-grade" as far as cases go. It's not as thick as my ZaserII (which I can stand on) but it's not thin like a cheap $30 case would be. It feels ridged and I wouldn't be afraid to lean on it. It came with 2 120mm fans (1 in front and 1 in rear) and 1 140mm in the top. The hard drive rails have rubber bushings for noise dampening and the rails positively snap into the chassis. They will not work themselfs loose. The bottom filter screen is easily removed but the front screen is part of the front cover. The front fans clip to the front cover with plastic clips. To clean the screen, the fans have to be removed. Over time I can see those clips breaking. I'm going to see if there's an easy way to mount the front fans to the chassis rather then the cover.

*Other positive notes:*  The provided fans have 20" sheathed 3-pin leads on them. It also came with a small fan controller. It's single small transistor should be capable of only 1 or 2 fans but at least it's something. The fans are not _totally _silent but are VERY quiet. I doubt you will hear them a few feet away.

*Other negitive notes:* They didn't provide any black fan screws. The psu mount has a pad on the back to help reduce noise BUT that's a mute attempt because all 6 case fans are hard mounted. It would have been nice if they tossed in a handfull of rubber fan mounts. If your going to do it do it right. I noticed Fractal stripped the screw holes on the rear fan.

*Mods:* 1 140mm blue LED fan in the side. 2 120mm blue LED fans in front. This left me with a 120mm fan. I mounted it to the bottom of the chassis with a black grill inside to prevent the psu wiring from finding it's way into the fan. It blows outward. That may seem backwards but when a fan is mounted against the chassis on it's inlet side, it will tend to whine like a propeller.

I'll update more along the way.

Update - Power LED doesn't work (checked polarity), rear case fan has stripped threads, cpu cutout on the mobo tray is too high (plan on cutting it larger). Fractal is also wrong about the max height of cpu coolers being 165mm. My cooler is 153mm and hits the side fan. It will fit if the side fan isn't used or you use a 10mm thick side fan (they didn't mention that). The bottom opening for the power intake is too small for supplies that use 120mm fans (plan on it being partially blocked). And one of my new 3-pin fan splitters doesn't work on one of the connectors. And channel-5 died on my fan controller. 









*Photo updates.*


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## PopcornMachine (Aug 1, 2011)

Lazzer408 said:


> The Arc Mini arived on my doorstep today.



Looks very nice.


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## Lazzer408 (Aug 4, 2011)

Now I need some ram recomendations. I need low profile memory to clear the CPU fan. I like the white and black Corsairs because they match my case. Good timings, bad voltage.

4gb 1600 7-8-7-20 @ 1.65v
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desk...

Or 4 of these. 2gb 1600 7-8-7-24-2N 1.35v
G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRA...

EDIT - nvm I bought the XMS3. If I could have found the gskill in 4gb sticks I'd have bought it.


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## Lazzer408 (Aug 9, 2011)

I just noticed that a 120mm thin fan would easilly fit in the right side panel and blow on the underside of the motherboard. I might have to order one of those and parallel it with the CPU fan if they sell them in PWM. I'm still kinda pissed that Fractal mis-quoted CPU cooler height. >.<


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## Widjaja (Aug 9, 2011)

Very tidy almost OCD like cable management you have going there.

Besides Lian Li, Fractal are another company I like due to minimalistic design.
I also used to be all bells and whistles but now go for something which doesn't make the statement.
Good to hear your review on the quality of their case.

BTW how close is the CPU cooler to the PCB of your GPU?
Touching or a couple of mm away?


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## de.das.dude (Aug 9, 2011)

i have a chenbro PC311
http://www.chenbro.com/corporatesite/products_detail.php?sku=161

it would do you good if you can get it.
it can fit large video cards.
plenty of modding potential.
has a CPU intake funnel, rear exhaust, front intake and some holes on side panel where gfx is to be.

but its got a top mounted PSU, so no fans at the top.

its under $90


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## Lazzer408 (Aug 9, 2011)

Weeeeeeee!


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## Lazzer408 (Aug 18, 2011)

Quick update:

 I wanted to comment on Fractal's customer support. I think I mentioned the rear fan's threads were stripped out. I emailed Fractal and let them know about it. They were quick to respond to my email apologizing for the flaw and requested my Newegg invoice number to verify purchace and also my address to send the replacement. The next week my replacement arrived. It has a slightly different blade design then the ones provided with the case but that's an issue for me. It's just as quiet as the original.

A+ for Fractal's customer service.


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