So currently i have about £90 and i want to upgrade.
Here are my specs: https://teksyndicate.com/users/awesomeusername
Obviously i need a new case and i am looking at the NZXT Phantom 630
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-caph630g1
However i want some more opinions.
I am also looking at the NZXT H440
http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/143-h440-performance-mid-tower.html
MY two issues with this case however are that it doesn't have an optical drive bay (anyway around it other than an external drive because i already have an internal one) and also its not a full tower which is ultimately what i am looking for as i am considering water cooling soon.
I am open to any other suggestions as well.
Thanks for your time ;)
You can water cool in a mid-tower case... I'd give a serious look at these three cases... of the three I think the Nanoxia is the best value... the Fractal Design and Nanoxia both have sound dampening (which you'll be glad you have after installing a radiator... all support the Corsair H100i... the 300R even supports the Kraken x60, and all would support the Kraken x40... a lot of people aren't crazy for the fans on those radiators (both the Corsair and NZXT) but they can easily be replaced if you choose to go without a sound dampening case...
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-300rwindowed
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/nanoxia-case-nxds2b
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4tiw
... personally, however, I'd look into a 120GB SSD (Samsung EVO, Kingston HyperX, any Intel or Crucial)
Who wants a full tower these days? They are just obnoxiously big... I mean you can water cool a mini ITX system, you just have a much smaller selection of radiators to choose from...
Thanks for the input, tbf i agree that the nanoxia is the best of the three however there is just something about the nzxt aesthetics the i really like and i think it will have to be a case and a half to persuade me off the nzxt line.
I will probably use the fans i already have as well and try and get a decent fan controller ( any suggestions) and plug them in and slow them down because the case will practically be loaded with fans.
Also im thinking of doing a custom loop instead of a closed loop as the water cooling aspect really grabs my attention and looks like a cool thing to do so would all mid towers support all the parts (Pump, Reservoir and rads)
Thanks again
You do realize for the cost of a custom loop you could buy a really nice GPU, right? Like a R9 280 or even 290 depending on your custom loop components...
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9280atdbd
It looks awesome, yes... but you'll never actually use it for the 6300... Don't get me wrong, I mean I'm all about tricking out a rig, but a custom loop on a FX6300 / Radeon 7770?
Yes, pretty much any mid-size case will support watercooling... I'd certainly upgrade the GPU way before I considered watercooling, however... you can get a CM Hyper 212 EVO for cheap if you want to overclock...
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2
Noctua, Enermax, and Phanteks are the three air coolers I would recommend if you want a nice one...
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/enermax-cpu-cooler-etst40bk
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/phanteks-cpu-cooler-phtc12dxbk
but watercooling a 6300 is really JUST for aesthetics, I would personally rather have performance over looking good... but hey, to each his own...
I'm not even sure if there are waterblocks for the low end cards.
The build OP has right now is not worth investing in. Hardware upgrades would be much, much better.
I'd pick up a Hyper 212, maybe a SSD, and save up for a GPU like a GTX 760/R9 270
ok i will probably do that then but im still stuck on the case
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/vGzpHx
This would be the mid-sized version of the NZXT case you liked and the Hyper 212 EVO for 11 over budget... if you want a pretty, better quality cooler, check out the Enermax one I posted earlier for a few pounds more...
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/mZ99t6
This is what I would work towards (XFX PSU, Crucial 120GB SSD, and a R9 280), ... which is 277.12 worth of upgrades after the case and CPU cooler... I looked up the Storm 800w PSU and it's extremely suspect... one review on Amazon had an electrician that dropped a screw in the PSU, had to open it up to get it out, and found "soldering that looked like a monkey did it" and "hot glue holding it together"... not something I'd want 800w of power flowing through...
once you get there... THEN you can start considering watercooling...
ok thanks for all the help been great
im still stuck on the case though :(
What are you stuck on? I showed you three extremely solid options AND a midsized version of the NZXT you liked... personally I think the Nanoxia is the best buy, as it's a german engineered clone of a Define R4 (which is basically the best case ever considering build construction and cable management) and cheaper... but if you don't like the "boxy" look, then the NZXT is a nice case
but is there any other options at that price that is better than the Phantom.
Also i like some boxy cases but most of them are boring.
One more thing should i consider the nzxt 820 or the h440 and use an external drive
The NZXT Phantom 820 is very expensive for your budget, and your particular computer doesn't need the room that a full tower ATX case provides.
The Phantom 410 looks good. I also like the Define R4 and H440, but if you need an ODD, it would be a lot nicer to have a 5.25" bay so that you don't have a external ODD just laying around.
sorry i meant the switch 810 not the p 820 that would be extreme.
Also would the 410 be big enough to hold future upgrades such as a custom water loop and generally big stuff
If you want to do custom watercooling, especially with a lot of tubing, a full tower case is ideal. However, full tower cases are pretty damn big as well.
thanks would you recommend any other cases at that price point that are full towers ?
Fractal Design Define R4 XL, NZXT Phantom 810
There isnt a phantom 810 you mean the switch or the 820 and i might consider the define
mb, Phantom 820. However I haven't checked the price until now and it is indeed a bit pricy.
so could you recommend another case probably from this list https://teksyndicate.com/forum/build-pc/upgrading-need-opinions/179672