what do you seek from a case? i'm just wondering....
please say your preferred :
motherboard form factor
size
compatibility for rads or fans
noise canceling or not
+ extras!
i would like to know what kinda case people like.
personally,these are the thing that i seek
the cheaper, the better ( i think that applies to everyone); MITX with at lest 240mm rad compatible
and the smaller the better
Simplicity.
and.. Cable management. (By far the most important to me.)
Along with good sturdy structure. I hate working in cheap cases.
And Hard drive bays that allow easy access to the drive. I had a Antec900 and it could turn into quite a pain if you needed to remove or add a HDD.
I had one of those chassis and it was hell to work in.
ATX, Clean sharp lines, Silence, Room for large coolers, Cable management options, Thought out structure for users (no sharp edges, flared edges to help slide the side panel off), Decent air flow, Colour options.
I have a H440 coming tomorrow and this is just about the perfect case in my mind.
I really don't like over done, steroid bound cases like the Cooler Master HAF.
Dust filters, quality fans, and cable management.
I also like mounts for SSDs to be located on the backside of the motherboard tray. Something like Fractal's Define R4...
E-ATX
Full tower
360 rad support
Don't really care for quiet
Window
Fan hub (preferably)
mATX as I'm never going to realistically have the money to have any more than 2 way SLI.
Decent airflow, especially for the graphics card which is running at maximum for long periods my GPU raytracing
Window side panel
Decent cable management.
Clean simple styling.
My n200 manages these pretty well, though with three CM Jetflo fans and what amounts to little more than a sheet of mesh on the front panel it isn't exactly whisper quiet but headphones solve this. Cable management is good except for the return at the bottom of the motherboard tray which can cause problems with the 24pin cable.
This thread I made ages ago might help you out https://teksyndicate.com/forum/cases-chasis/case-design/144005 Just to say to anyone that's interested, I never posted the final prototype because it was a shit pile of aluminium and acrylic.
Space, cable managment, compatabilty, something that looks good without being flashy, dust filters
Cable management, modular interior, dust filters on every intake, minimalist exterior (Fractal Designs R4? *shudders*), no windows. The smallest MITX that will allow a full size graphics card, ATX power supply*, and still have great airflow. I personally don't have any use for water cooling; I'm not really into overclocking and tinkering with stuff—I still use the stock CPU heatsink that Intel ships their processors with.
I actually have been working on a case design, and as soon as I find the time, I'm gonna learn some basic CAD stuff and draw it up.
*I really like what EVGA did with the Hadron. My biggest gripe: the power supply is Gold (okay, not a huge gripe; that's pretty good, but why can't they take it a step further and bring it up to Platinum?), and that it is non-modular. I'm not a seasoned PC builder, so I'm reluctant to dive into such a small case and having to deal with all those damn cables. Seeing as how the MITX form factor seems to be catching on, why aren't we seeing MITX power supplies that can handle high performance loads, while also being 80 Plus Gold/Platinum?
I want a case that is sleek, has good airflow and is easy to cable-manage. Basically, the H440.
Noise dampening first and foremost. Then a clean outside and some smart features within. I've had plenty of huge cases in the past but lately I've begun developing a taste for cases that makes clever use of the internal volume; fitting "enough" components while keeping the size down whenever possible.
With most systems no longer needing any 5,25" drive bays and really only a couple of 3,5" internal drives (space for several 2,5" drives can always be made) there is great opportunity to downsize the typical ATX/mATX case without making the motherboard area cramped.
I don't mind cable managing so much. Some simple routing paths and a number of hooks for cable ties, and I'm fine.
And yeah, I want steel or sturdy plastics everywhere, no aluminium fluff.
Yeah, I'm surprised at how many cases are still being made with 5.25" and 3.5" bays, especially the ones that aren't removable! One of the best things about SSDs is that you can put them virtually anywhere inside the case (if you're not concerned about mounting them with screws). I get that they're still expensive, but dang, at least make drive bays an option or something.
I'm still waiting for the "boutique" custom PC case building industry to pop up. All you'd need is one expert CAD guy/gal to send your ideas to, and have them draw something up, and then tweak it to perfection. Like tattoos.
My Preference is mITX but I Use mATX. also not a big fan of water cooling but if i needed I'd get it.
For my Case Preference, i Already have What i would call my "Ideal Case" and that's my Silverstone FT03.( i do wish Silverstone Brings back this Design in the future)
Why you may ask? Well for multiple reasons.
- It's Aesthetically Pleasing
- Has a Small Footprint
- Airflow is Really Nice (Positive Pressure Airflow Only)
- I can fit any Length GPU inside
- It's Minimal
For me...?
It must be of awesome build quality... i am very, very picky with build quality because i hate when things break. It must have a window. It must be big... but not too big. Anything between 550mm and 600mm in hight is the sweet spot for me... a case to me is like a sculpture. So therefore, the case first and foremost must look sexy. I have the thing sitting on my desk, not under it like most people do, so in regards to that... the case MUST look saxy. Im into the more minimalist yet stylistic, professional looking cases; things like the bitfenix shinobi xl, fractal design arc xl, corsair obsidian series, the more expensive silverstone cases, or any of lian li's cases that are big but again not ginormous.
I dont have a specific need/demand for internals like hdd mounting, bays or anything like that because i dont pack much hardware into my case. As long as it has good cable management, looks elegant and is easy to work with... it will pass.