Hey guys I have been looking around online for a long time for a case for my new build and I have decided my two favorites are the H440 and the Air 540. I plan on water cooling in the future with a custom loop but for now I'm just going to be using a H105. But basically I just need some other opinions as a tiebreaker because I flip flop between them every day. The lack of hard drive space in the Air 540 isnt a problem and the supposed lack of airflow in the H440 isn't something I'm worried about (I think). Basically which one would everyone recommend ignoring price and the previously stated "issues".
H440, hands down. For the size its a watercoolers dream case. It really is. Yeah the 540 is damn good in its own right but Im not a fan of the size of it. Its a lot of desk real estate that it takes up.
Watch this review of the H440, I reckon you wont have to flip a coin afterwards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP85Zo-E55I
I find the Air 540 to be a better case IMO. My reason is that with compartmentalizing you will have better airflow. If you're watercooling it will have better space for bigger rads without compromising with size and better tubing solution if you're going for a heavy rad build. IMO i find it better looking with the side window. Both cases are great but i tend to lean towards more special looking cases and cases that look a bit more different. Cable management is not a problem at all. The drive hot swap bays are great as well.
Now with the h440, i gotta say NZXT is top tier on quality along with bitfenix and fractal design. Corsair has been slacking on quality control lately but non the less they still make great products. It's really hard to say which is better because they both accomplish the same thing so i would really go for which you think looks best.
This is so tough! I like them both so much but I can't really see anything that put either of them over the top. I feel like the Air 540 leaves a lot of room for some really interesting cooling solutions and looks really sexy with that massive window but the styling and features of the H440 seem just as interesting. UGH!
I am going to say H440, but I have a an interest in someone telling me if it can be taken apart completely and reassembled. I want to re-paint one, so if you get one let me know what you think.
The 540 would get more points from me if it didnt have that ugly hdd bracket panel on the floor, thats valuable rad space its taking up.
H440 definitely, the feature set on it is really nice and is better than 540 which tries too hard on the looks and forgets about features IMO. Plus having the support for 2 360mm rads is really nice touch.
I would also recommend taking a look at the Phanteks Enthoo Pro as well, it is a nice water cooling case as well.
I have the Air 540 and enjoyed building in it and upgrades I have done have been EZ. Nice look to it and very clean looking. Just don't expect to put it on your desk. It has a much wider base than your standard mid case. Cases aside from airflow and drive space are more a personal choice than anything. So I would recommend that you choose the case that you feel comfortable looking at every time you sit down at your desk.
The only place that it looks like its actually for sale in the US is on Amazon and they say it can take 1-3 months to ship so i basically crossed it off my list. I was really interested in it after I saw the HardwareCanucks review but I cant find it for sale anywhere where I don't have to wait until August to get it shipped to me...
I'm also considering ditching the AIO idea entirely and just going for pure silence with a Define R4 Blackout and a BeQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 3...
I use the 540, and it is amazing. It has tons of Rad space. You can have a 360, 240, or 280mm rad in the front, a 240 or 280 in the top, and a 120 or 140 in the back, all at the same time.
The power supply and main ssds are in the back, and it has a good 4 inches for cable management, which is all sealed off for a very good, clean look.
Here is what I did with mine.
As you can see, plenty of cable management room. Haha.
Those are older pictures, though. i vavent taken new ones because my tubing is a mess. But here is how it looked after I painted it, but before I added my GPU block, and a 360mm rad to the front.
I'll probably take more pictures of it soon.
It really does seem to be the ultimate water cooling case in its price range and its probably what I'll end up getting. The only cases that seem to totally outclass it are massive full towers like the 900D, Ethoo Primo, Case Labs, and the like at double the price... I would love to see some more pictures of that thing after its all finished up I'm really liking the matte grey and the navy rads. Are you going to put any LED strips in it or just leave it stealthy?
I used to have LEDs, but my mother-in-law accidentally threw them away. Hah. Just have to get more.
