I will probably be building myself a whole new PC based on the R7 1700X (I was just going to upgrade my existing rig, but I think a new rig is probably a better idea). I've got most of the components picked out (1700X, Gigabyte X370 Gaming 5, 16GB of ram, thermalright le grand macho rt). The only thing holding me back is the choice of case. I need something decently big (like a mid tower), that fits an atx mainboard and power supply and has a clean, but not boring design. It should also be somewhat quiet. Right now I'm using a Fractal R4. The cases I've been looking at are:
The Fractal Define S (Although thats a bit too similar to the R4)
be quiet! Pure Base 600 (I like the silent base 600 even more but thats more than Id like to spend on a case. I'd prefer not to spend more than 80€ on a case) Unfortunately the beautiful orange variant is about as much as the silent base, at least where I live
Corsair Carbide 100R (pretty nice, but a bit plain and boring)
Phanteks Eclipse P400S (Quite a nice case, but it costs as much as the silent base)
NZXT S340
Cooler Master MasterBox 5 - I quite like this case
Xigmatek Talon (I've been eyeing this case for quite some time now)
Bitfenix Nova (stupid cheap; amazing value for the money, but a bit boring)
All of these cases are pretty nice, though nothing strikes me the way the Define R4 did, when I first built my current pc. Something that would be good to have would be a bay for an optical drive (though I could live without it, I still have an external one). Any case recommendations would be appreciated...
I like the looks of the Define C. it's like a Define S, but it is much shorter lengthways, making it much more out of the way imo. If you need 5.25in bays though, it's not the case for you. It's just about long enough to accommodate the width of a rather wide ATX motherboard (Like a P9X79-E WS), but that's it.
Deepcool's Tesseract is a nice budget alternative to the Fractal Design cases, I set one up for the local town library and it looks very good. It makes up for not a lot of cable routing space by having a bulge on the side panels.
The Fractal Arc cases are nice as well.
Honestly, cases are one of the hardest things to recommend on because apart from some bells and whistles, it's completely subjective as to what you want your machine to look like versus what you're willing to spend. Hell, I custom-made my case out of cardboard so that I could keep a full-ATX system smaller than many ITX systems and that works for my needs. It's very hard to find a case that is really, objectively bad at being a case.
I bought my orange SB-800 because it looks cool. I am amazed by the quality construction. My best case ever. German engineers don't mess around. It was expensive and gigantic but I love it. I would have preferred the SB-600 or PB-600, but they didn't exist at the time I bought the 800.
I have an S340 and I think it's a nice case. Fits an ATX motherboard, AIO, and moderately sized GPU with room to spare. Be wary of the acrylic window though, it scratches easily.
The Phanteks P400S is probably one of my favourite cases right now. Seems feature-rich for the money and the tempered glass variant is going for close to the same price as the normal version recently.
Oh yeah, I had that on my fractal as well, quite a bummer. I probably wont be going with the phanteks anyway, as the price is a bit too high for my liking. If I went that high, I would get the silent base 600 (I love that case). I'll probably go with the PB-600 or the masterbox 5, I really like both of them
I took a hard look at alternatives when building my Ryzen 1700 machine, but eventually gave up and picked the Define R4 for its versatility and solid practical features. It also doesn't hur that it's often on sale, though I opted for the white one which is typically not.
Pure Base 600 appears to have a possibly significant weakness when it comes to the front intakes. There's place for three fans up there but the size of the intakes could never make such a setup meaningful. MasterBox 5 has an open front mesh. Kiss any chance of quiet running goodbye.
I love my R4 as well, but if it feels kind of retarded to build a new pc and buy the same case again. Thats also the first time that I've heard anthing about intake issues on the PB-600 and it seems kind of offputting. As for the masterbox 5, I dont need it to bee super quiet, just not super loud. Any other good case for my needs?
The NZXT S340 Elite was stayed on my list up to the final decision. Their choice to limit the rear exhaust to a 120 mm was a strike against them for me, but then again they do have a second top/rear exhaust as well, so if using that there would be plenty of exhaust available for any build. The front intake is at least clearly better than in the Pure Base, and the S340 Elite has a very nice looking glass side to boot. They have some color options too.
I can always recommend my Fractal Arc Midi R2... It's the best case Fractal have EVER made. At least IMHO... I want to test if Define R4 can beat my 19dBa and 51C operation...
