Define R5 cable management is a breeze right out of the box. This was achieved with basically zero effort - the MB has 2 power plugs, 4 SSDs, 3 fans and 4 front panel headers connected, but you would be hard pressed to tell from looking:
Indeed, same for the R4. Granted I'm benefiting from a very simple build--one video card, no liquid cooling, bunch of hard drives, optical drive, etc.--but I'm really happy with how clean the inside is (I doubt I've had a setup with as good cable management). Credit goes to NCIX--and no video card sag!
Ick! That is a horrid case. Definitely prefer my Raven 3 full tower (seriously, the interior layout is almost absurdly spacious). However, for smaller form factors, I am eyeballing their newer RVX line (and solving the lack of a 5.25" expansion bay by using an external optical drive).
| Origin/R*SC: Ein7919 | Battle.net: Erlkonig#1448 | XBL: Lexicanum | Steam: Der Erlkönig (the umlaut is important) |
If we're doing cases mine is an Armor Evolution, which Rosewill doesn't sell anymore I guess but for a while people were able to find them for as cheap as $50 (compared to the $100+ it released at). If you can find one cheap it might not be a bad choice if you need something with a lot of space/airflow that also looks a little bit different from the standard "black box" case everyone has. It'll do E-ATX as well if that's your jam.
It has bumpouts at the top and side for mounting a 200mm radiator without interfering with the top of your mobo (especially nice if you're doing push/pull and need the extra fan clearance) and for mounting a 230mm fan respectively.
I have a shitty camera and haven't dusted in a while and reaallly need to get some sort of cable ties so please excuse the quality but here is how mine is setup:
Yes that is both an LED strip and an old CCFL because I had a set lying around and I have a bit of a problem with case lighting (those are actually red, but the color looks off in the images).
Also, for the people who are worried about GPU sag, you could always invest in a GPU stabilizer:
Ordered all the parts of the my new PC last night (not pictured: the GTX 970, Corsair PSU, and optical drive drive I'm going to salvage from my current computer).
I may have gone a bit overboard on some parts. For example, do I really need 32 gigs of RAM?
I spent a lot of time trying to settle on a case. I wanted:
1) Multiple spots for fans (probably unnecessary because I don't bother overclocking, and I don't do anything more intensive than play games; I just get paranoid about airflow).
2) Filters over every grate.
3) More than 2 USB ports on the front panel.
3.1) Ideally, a USB-C port on the front panel.
4) A 5.25" bay for that one-per-year occasion when I want to stick a CD/DVD in my computer.
I really, really liked the interior layout of the Define R5 Blackout, as well as the fact that the filter on the bottom of the case spans the entire length of the case, and is removable from the front. I didn't like the external look of the case, though (and I'm super-shallow and all about appearances. Form over function!).
On the flip side, I like the look of the NZXT H-series cases (especially the orange one!), but something about the interior seems weird to me. Also, I'm still anachronistically hung up on having an optical disk bay, and most of the H-series doesn't allow for them (the H630 has the space, but it also has the front-panel I/O ports on the right side rather than on top or front of the case, which will be very inconvenient for me to reach based on where my PC sits). Maybe for my next PC, I'll feel comfortable enough to break away from tradition and eschew the optical drive.
I like the Corsair Graphite 760T for having a simple latch to make opening the side panel easier (why isn't this standard across all cases everywhere?), but some of profile lines of the case look weird, and a YouTube review suggested that the case walls/motherboard tray are a bit more flexible than I'd have liked.
Ultimately, I just went with the Cooler Master MasterCase Maker 5 because of misguided Cooler Master brand loyalty; because it has a USB-C port on the front; and because it was really late at night, I'd been agonizing over picking a case for days, and any decision was better than no decision at this point. Whatever, man. Maybe I'll do better next time.
Looking over all these cases made me think, though: The things that used to take up a lot of space in cases were optical drives (sometimes you'd have two!) and platter hard drives. Most sensible people don't use optical drives anymore, and HDDs are being replaces with SSDs, which are a fraction of the size; some of the mobos I looked at even have two M.2 ports, so pretty soon you'll probably be able to satisfy your storage needs largely through these things hanging directly off the mobo.
What I'm saying is: In another five years, will there be any reason to pick a mid/full tower case anymore? As long as your PSU, mobo, and graphics card can fit, you don't really need much else, right?
(I guess heat can be a factor; cramped components would heat each other up on the one hand, and block air circulation on the other.)
Looking over all these cases made me think, though: The things that used to take up a lot of space in cases were optical drives (sometimes you'd have two!) and platter hard drives. Most sensible people don't use optical drives anymore, and HDDs are being replaces with SSDs, which are a fraction of the size; some of the mobos I looked at even have two M.2 ports, so pretty soon you'll probably be able to satisfy your storage needs largely through these things hanging directly off the mobo.
What I'm saying is: In another five years, will there be any reason to pick a mid/full tower case anymore? As long as your PSU, mobo, and graphics card can fit, you don't really need much else, right?
(I guess heat can be a factor; cramped components would heat each other up on the one hand, and block air circulation on the other.)
The "standard case design" hasn't really changed much in decades, other than going from horizontal to vertical and moving the PSU from the top to the bottom (the PSU being on the top was a throwback to when cases were horizontal and the PSU was at the rear right of the case. You'd have to reach allllll the way back on the side of the case to flip a giant switch to turn your PC on, and they put them on the right side because most people were right handed).
Basically, components got more powerful but they didn't really change on a fundamental level. You still had a mobo with expansion cards in it, you still had a PSU, and you still various drives. It's all just a derivative of the AT/ATX design with small changes over the years.
As time goes on and stuff like m.2 becomes more prevalent and humanity finally shakes away the chains of optical media I think we'll be due for some sort of PC case paradigm shift where a new formfactor is released that slowly gains traction until 15 years from now we'll all be sitting around laughing at the fact that we used to have giant towers the size of suitcases stuffed full of hardware.
0
Zxerolfor the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't doso i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered Userregular
edited July 2016
I have mad hard drives for mad storage bro, gimme all the space.
Zxerol on
+5
minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
I don't think I would ever buy a case again that had 5.25" bays. And I'd rather not buy one that had more than one or two 3.5" bays. Just give me like four 2.5" SSD mounts, and plenty of M.2 and PCIe slots.
Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
+1
minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
edited July 2016
And for me, my favorite trends with cases lately are shrouded/covered PSU basements, and a totally open interior with no 5.25"/3.5" bays taking up the right half of the interior of the chassis. Better airflow, less weight, more room for liquid cooling, and more cause for great big case windows.
Which is why I love my Phanteks Evolv ATX Tempered Glass (except mine is the silver version, rather than dark grey):
minor incident on
Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
Just an FYI: today is Amazon Prime Day 2.0, and while the store deals are as hit-or-miss as last year, this year retains the "20% off anything sold via Amazon Warehouse." A year ago I picked up a "like new" GTX980 for $390 and it has served me very well. I noticed at least one 980ti which would adjust down to ~$360, which seems to be a good price in comparison to eBay.
Man, I still remember when manufacturers were trying to push BTX for better cooling and the "flipped" orientation. They tried, but it never got very far. I think part of it is because a fair amount of cooling issues were fixed by more efficient components, instead of fixing orientations and airflows.
I have mad hard drives for mad storage bro, gimme all the space.
I'm starting to feel like it's better to have a separate NAS with a bunch of HDDs in a RAID sitting off in the corner than to clutter up your PC with disks.
Looking over all these cases made me think, though: The things that used to take up a lot of space in cases were optical drives (sometimes you'd have two!) and platter hard drives. Most sensible people don't use optical drives anymore, and HDDs are being replaces with SSDs, which are a fraction of the size; some of the mobos I looked at even have two M.2 ports, so pretty soon you'll probably be able to satisfy your storage needs largely through these things hanging directly off the mobo.
What I'm saying is: In another five years, will there be any reason to pick a mid/full tower case anymore? As long as your PSU, mobo, and graphics card can fit, you don't really need much else, right?
(I guess heat can be a factor; cramped components would heat each other up on the one hand, and block air circulation on the other.)
The "standard case design" hasn't really changed much in decades, other than going from horizontal to vertical and moving the PSU from the top to the bottom (the PSU being on the top was a throwback to when cases were horizontal and the PSU was at the rear right of the case. You'd have to reach allllll the way back on the side of the case to flip a giant switch to turn your PC on, and they put them on the right side because most people were right handed).
Basically, components got more powerful but they didn't really change on a fundamental level. You still had a mobo with expansion cards in it, you still had a PSU, and you still various drives. It's all just a derivative of the AT/ATX design with small changes over the years.
As time goes on and stuff like m.2 becomes more prevalent and humanity finally shakes away the chains of optical media I think we'll be due for some sort of PC case paradigm shift where a new formfactor is released that slowly gains traction until 15 years from now we'll all be sitting around laughing at the fact that we used to have giant towers the size of suitcases stuffed full of hardware.
It's called Mini-ITX.
+2
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
Define R5 cable management is a breeze right out of the box. This was achieved with basically zero effort - the MB has 2 power plugs, 4 SSDs, 3 fans and 4 front panel headers connected, but you would be hard pressed to tell from looking:
Indeed, same for the R4. Granted I'm benefiting from a very simple build--one video card, no liquid cooling, bunch of hard drives, optical drive, etc.--but I'm really happy with how clean the inside is (I doubt I've had a setup with as good cable management). Credit goes to NCIX--and no video card sag!
I have the same case, and it looks very similar. There's some ugliness with a cable running from a wifi card over the video card to the motherboard, and I think my DVD burner had a cable running to the SATA port, but otherwise looks the same. Oh, and I unscrewed and removed the two large, unused drive bays since I read that doing so could improve airflow -- I moved the SSD to the back of the motherboard plate.
Define R5 cable management is a breeze right out of the box. This was achieved with basically zero effort - the MB has 2 power plugs, 4 SSDs, 3 fans and 4 front panel headers connected, but you would be hard pressed to tell from looking:
Indeed, same for the R4. Granted I'm benefiting from a very simple build--one video card, no liquid cooling, bunch of hard drives, optical drive, etc.--but I'm really happy with how clean the inside is (I doubt I've had a setup with as good cable management). Credit goes to NCIX--and no video card sag!
I have the same case, and it looks very similar. There's some ugliness with a cable running from a wifi card over the video card to the motherboard, and I think my DVD burner had a cable running to the SATA port, but otherwise looks the same. Oh, and I unscrewed and removed the two large, unused drive bays since I read that doing so could improve airflow -- I moved the SSD to the back of the motherboard plate.
Sensible. I'm not going to move my SSDs just because I've owned enough SSDs to know that, sometimes, you have to unplug and replug them, having them accessible is a good thing--if I was short on space though, I would consider doing as much, but I've got space to spare.
I'm very annoyed with myself for missing the Amazon Prime day deal on a $300 Samsung 28" 4K monitor by a matter of minutes--so much so that I'm seriously entertaining the thought of buying one of these somewhat mediocre things and mounting on the wall behind my desk. All for the sake of my future GTX 1080.
Fortunately I'm not insane enough to buy a low-quality 43" 4K television as a monitor out of spite. I guess I'll fall back on my original plan of a high-quality 1440p, possibly with G-sync (it's amazing how pricey G-Sync monitors still are) during some other sale, since they won't be coming today.
Define R5 cable management is a breeze right out of the box. This was achieved with basically zero effort - the MB has 2 power plugs, 4 SSDs, 3 fans and 4 front panel headers connected, but you would be hard pressed to tell from looking:
Indeed, same for the R4. Granted I'm benefiting from a very simple build--one video card, no liquid cooling, bunch of hard drives, optical drive, etc.--but I'm really happy with how clean the inside is (I doubt I've had a setup with as good cable management). Credit goes to NCIX--and no video card sag!
I have the same case, and it looks very similar. There's some ugliness with a cable running from a wifi card over the video card to the motherboard, and I think my DVD burner had a cable running to the SATA port, but otherwise looks the same. Oh, and I unscrewed and removed the two large, unused drive bays since I read that doing so could improve airflow -- I moved the SSD to the back of the motherboard plate.
Define R4 is such a pretty case. This pic is from initial build, so there's been some updates since (770 -> Strix 980), but it's still pretty much the same look.
Pretty slick though the LED power light is BRIGHT!
Hah - the Power LED on the new small case I bought for my old hardware (Bitfenix Nova) is so bright that it shines a blue circle on my ceiling when its dark. I accidentally looked into it once.
Define R5 cable management is a breeze right out of the box. This was achieved with basically zero effort - the MB has 2 power plugs, 4 SSDs, 3 fans and 4 front panel headers connected, but you would be hard pressed to tell from looking:
Indeed, same for the R4. Granted I'm benefiting from a very simple build--one video card, no liquid cooling, bunch of hard drives, optical drive, etc.--but I'm really happy with how clean the inside is (I doubt I've had a setup with as good cable management). Credit goes to NCIX--and no video card sag!
I have the same case, and it looks very similar. There's some ugliness with a cable running from a wifi card over the video card to the motherboard, and I think my DVD burner had a cable running to the SATA port, but otherwise looks the same. Oh, and I unscrewed and removed the two large, unused drive bays since I read that doing so could improve airflow -- I moved the SSD to the back of the motherboard plate.
Sensible. I'm not going to move my SSDs just because I've owned enough SSDs to know that, sometimes, you have to unplug and replug them, having them accessible is a good thing--if I was short on space though, I would consider doing as much, but I've got space to spare.
You'd just take the panel off of the opposite side, wouldn't you? This was my first build so I don't know a ton about the ins and outs, but it seems easily accessible.
I use a CoolerMaster N400. And I would absolutely NOT recommend it. The case has next to no cable management to speak of, and is a bit cramped. The worst part is that I originally bought the Fractal R4, but returned it when I discovered it didn't come with a 2.5" bay, and the N400 did. The N400's is just a plastic bay that clasps to the other side of the 3.5" bays. MAJOR rookie mistake on my part.
That said, I think I did a decent job with the cabling all things considered, and it should work until I upgrade my CPU and motherboard down the road. I'll definitely upgrade to something more sophisticated then.
KadokenGiving Ends to my Friends and it Feels StupendousRegistered Userregular
Got all my components coming Wednesday to Monday. Except for 2 fans I'm buying where apparently they're stuck on order verification according to Newegg.
This has been worrying me for a while. How does one install fans? Everything else I've got a grip on, though I'm a little worried about doing the CPU correctly.
Got all my components coming Wednesday to Monday. Except for 2 fans I'm buying where apparently they're stuck on order verification according to Newegg.
This has been worrying me for a while. How does one install fans? Everything else I've got a grip on, though I'm a little worried about doing the CPU correctly.
Screw into fan spots (standard screws/sizing) - connect to 4 pin molex from PS or 3-4 pin on motherboard.
Additionally - you may need an adapter to use 4 pin molex (they're cheap, or you can build your own pretty easily)
Additionally 2 - if you have a big honkin 120mm, look at the amp requirements vs. the spec on the motherboard - you can burn out headers with too powerful a fan.
But I don't like the looks of the black case internally (not a fan of black and red everywhere)
That was the last case I built in before I moved on to the Phanteks Evolv ATX. I had the H440 in white also, it does look really sharp and you could totally color coordinate with a ASUS board and make it a nice stormtrooper build.
" I am a warrior, so that my son may be a merchant, so that his son may be a poet.”
― John Quincy Adams
Define R5 cable management is a breeze right out of the box. This was achieved with basically zero effort - the MB has 2 power plugs, 4 SSDs, 3 fans and 4 front panel headers connected, but you would be hard pressed to tell from looking:
Indeed, same for the R4. Granted I'm benefiting from a very simple build--one video card, no liquid cooling, bunch of hard drives, optical drive, etc.--but I'm really happy with how clean the inside is (I doubt I've had a setup with as good cable management). Credit goes to NCIX--and no video card sag!
I have the same case, and it looks very similar. There's some ugliness with a cable running from a wifi card over the video card to the motherboard, and I think my DVD burner had a cable running to the SATA port, but otherwise looks the same. Oh, and I unscrewed and removed the two large, unused drive bays since I read that doing so could improve airflow -- I moved the SSD to the back of the motherboard plate.
Sensible. I'm not going to move my SSDs just because I've owned enough SSDs to know that, sometimes, you have to unplug and replug them, having them accessible is a good thing--if I was short on space though, I would consider doing as much, but I've got space to spare.
You'd just take the panel off of the opposite side, wouldn't you? This was my first build so I don't know a ton about the ins and outs, but it seems easily accessible.
You could, but this way I can just reach in through the other way (I have long fingers) easily. I very seldom remove the other panel.
I so infrequently have to do it that it's practically a nonissue--there just isn't any benefit to mounting my SSDs on the motherboard panel with twist ties at the moment, and my airflow is more than adequate.
0
minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
But I don't like the looks of the black case internally (not a fan of black and red everywhere)
That was the last case I built in before I moved on to the Phanteks Evolv ATX. I had the H440 in white also, it does look really sharp and you could totally color coordinate with a ASUS board and make it a nice stormtrooper build.
I also moved from an NZXT (S340) to a Phanteks Evolv ATX (TG). Both great cases, but the Phanteks just blows away everything else on the market in terms of cable management, and a well thought interior that's super versatile, even for water cooling. That slide out fan/radiator bracket at the top if my favorite thing ever.
Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
@SmokeStacks where do you purchase one of those GPU holders? What are they referred to as?
They used to be available on Amazon, but it looks like they're no longer available. I'd check the company website.
I mean I don't need one because my GPU is totally stiff, but if yours is always sagging than there is no shame in buying something that'll help you keep it up.
@SmokeStacks where do you purchase one of those GPU holders? What are they referred to as?
They used to be available on Amazon, but it looks like they're no longer available. I'd check the company website.
I mean I don't need one because my GPU is totally stiff, but if yours is always sagging than there is no shame in buying something that'll help you keep it up.
Looking over all these cases made me think, though: The things that used to take up a lot of space in cases were optical drives (sometimes you'd have two!) and platter hard drives. Most sensible people don't use optical drives anymore, and HDDs are being replaces with SSDs, which are a fraction of the size; some of the mobos I looked at even have two M.2 ports, so pretty soon you'll probably be able to satisfy your storage needs largely through these things hanging directly off the mobo.
What I'm saying is: In another five years, will there be any reason to pick a mid/full tower case anymore? As long as your PSU, mobo, and graphics card can fit, you don't really need much else, right?
(I guess heat can be a factor; cramped components would heat each other up on the one hand, and block air circulation on the other.)
The "standard case design" hasn't really changed much in decades, other than going from horizontal to vertical and moving the PSU from the top to the bottom (the PSU being on the top was a throwback to when cases were horizontal and the PSU was at the rear right of the case. You'd have to reach allllll the way back on the side of the case to flip a giant switch to turn your PC on, and they put them on the right side because most people were right handed).
Basically, components got more powerful but they didn't really change on a fundamental level. You still had a mobo with expansion cards in it, you still had a PSU, and you still various drives. It's all just a derivative of the AT/ATX design with small changes over the years.
As time goes on and stuff like m.2 becomes more prevalent and humanity finally shakes away the chains of optical media I think we'll be due for some sort of PC case paradigm shift where a new formfactor is released that slowly gains traction until 15 years from now we'll all be sitting around laughing at the fact that we used to have giant towers the size of suitcases stuffed full of hardware.
Remember when Intel tried to push BTX a while back? Good times. It wasn't all that radical, though, except that it was mounted backwards compared to ATX and PCI components were attached "right"-side up, with the PCB facing down.
ATX is probably going to stick around for a while yet.
Looking over all these cases made me think, though: The things that used to take up a lot of space in cases were optical drives (sometimes you'd have two!) and platter hard drives. Most sensible people don't use optical drives anymore, and HDDs are being replaces with SSDs, which are a fraction of the size; some of the mobos I looked at even have two M.2 ports, so pretty soon you'll probably be able to satisfy your storage needs largely through these things hanging directly off the mobo.
What I'm saying is: In another five years, will there be any reason to pick a mid/full tower case anymore? As long as your PSU, mobo, and graphics card can fit, you don't really need much else, right?
(I guess heat can be a factor; cramped components would heat each other up on the one hand, and block air circulation on the other.)
The "standard case design" hasn't really changed much in decades, other than going from horizontal to vertical and moving the PSU from the top to the bottom (the PSU being on the top was a throwback to when cases were horizontal and the PSU was at the rear right of the case. You'd have to reach allllll the way back on the side of the case to flip a giant switch to turn your PC on, and they put them on the right side because most people were right handed).
Basically, components got more powerful but they didn't really change on a fundamental level. You still had a mobo with expansion cards in it, you still had a PSU, and you still various drives. It's all just a derivative of the AT/ATX design with small changes over the years.
As time goes on and stuff like m.2 becomes more prevalent and humanity finally shakes away the chains of optical media I think we'll be due for some sort of PC case paradigm shift where a new formfactor is released that slowly gains traction until 15 years from now we'll all be sitting around laughing at the fact that we used to have giant towers the size of suitcases stuffed full of hardware.
Remember when Intel tried to push BTX a while back? Good times. It wasn't all that radical, though, except that it was mounted backwards compared to ATX and PCI components were attached "right"-side up, with the PCB facing down.
ATX is probably going to stick around for a while yet.
So long as video cards remain huge, there's not much reason not to offer a spot to jam in a big optical drive. Until people decide they're okay with sloped cases, you aren't getting that space back.
@SmokeStacks where do you purchase one of those GPU holders? What are they referred to as?
They used to be available on Amazon, but it looks like they're no longer available. I'd check the company website.
I mean I don't need one because my GPU is totally stiff, but if yours is always sagging than there is no shame in buying something that'll help you keep it up.
Oh no, I don't have any trouble with mine, but I figure treatment before symptoms is best, y'know?
Posts
Indeed, same for the R4. Granted I'm benefiting from a very simple build--one video card, no liquid cooling, bunch of hard drives, optical drive, etc.--but I'm really happy with how clean the inside is (I doubt I've had a setup with as good cable management). Credit goes to NCIX--and no video card sag!
Ick! That is a horrid case. Definitely prefer my Raven 3 full tower (seriously, the interior layout is almost absurdly spacious). However, for smaller form factors, I am eyeballing their newer RVX line (and solving the lack of a 5.25" expansion bay by using an external optical drive).
It has bumpouts at the top and side for mounting a 200mm radiator without interfering with the top of your mobo (especially nice if you're doing push/pull and need the extra fan clearance) and for mounting a 230mm fan respectively.
I have a shitty camera and haven't dusted in a while and reaallly need to get some sort of cable ties so please excuse the quality but here is how mine is setup:
Yes that is both an LED strip and an old CCFL because I had a set lying around and I have a bit of a problem with case lighting (those are actually red, but the color looks off in the images).
Also, for the people who are worried about GPU sag, you could always invest in a GPU stabilizer:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Z97-PRO-Gamer-S1150-Gaming-Motherboard/dp/B00OK6Q1D0/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1468314150&sr=1-3&keywords=i5+1150+motherboard
iis that mobo going to be good for an i5 3570k?
edit: NOPE. I need a socket 1155 board which costs £TEXAS so I guess I'm all in on the consoles! YAY?
And I love it to death. It's soft to the touch! And it's got sound-dampening installed!
Unreal Engine 4 Developers Community.
I'm working on a cute little video game! Here's a link for you.
Pretty slick though the LED power light is BRIGHT!
I may have gone a bit overboard on some parts. For example, do I really need 32 gigs of RAM?
I spent a lot of time trying to settle on a case. I wanted:
1) Multiple spots for fans (probably unnecessary because I don't bother overclocking, and I don't do anything more intensive than play games; I just get paranoid about airflow).
2) Filters over every grate.
3) More than 2 USB ports on the front panel.
3.1) Ideally, a USB-C port on the front panel.
4) A 5.25" bay for that one-per-year occasion when I want to stick a CD/DVD in my computer.
I really, really liked the interior layout of the Define R5 Blackout, as well as the fact that the filter on the bottom of the case spans the entire length of the case, and is removable from the front. I didn't like the external look of the case, though (and I'm super-shallow and all about appearances. Form over function!).
On the flip side, I like the look of the NZXT H-series cases (especially the orange one!), but something about the interior seems weird to me. Also, I'm still anachronistically hung up on having an optical disk bay, and most of the H-series doesn't allow for them (the H630 has the space, but it also has the front-panel I/O ports on the right side rather than on top or front of the case, which will be very inconvenient for me to reach based on where my PC sits). Maybe for my next PC, I'll feel comfortable enough to break away from tradition and eschew the optical drive.
I like the Corsair Graphite 760T for having a simple latch to make opening the side panel easier (why isn't this standard across all cases everywhere?), but some of profile lines of the case look weird, and a YouTube review suggested that the case walls/motherboard tray are a bit more flexible than I'd have liked.
Ultimately, I just went with the Cooler Master MasterCase Maker 5 because of misguided Cooler Master brand loyalty; because it has a USB-C port on the front; and because it was really late at night, I'd been agonizing over picking a case for days, and any decision was better than no decision at this point. Whatever, man. Maybe I'll do better next time.
What I'm saying is: In another five years, will there be any reason to pick a mid/full tower case anymore? As long as your PSU, mobo, and graphics card can fit, you don't really need much else, right?
(I guess heat can be a factor; cramped components would heat each other up on the one hand, and block air circulation on the other.)
The "standard case design" hasn't really changed much in decades, other than going from horizontal to vertical and moving the PSU from the top to the bottom (the PSU being on the top was a throwback to when cases were horizontal and the PSU was at the rear right of the case. You'd have to reach allllll the way back on the side of the case to flip a giant switch to turn your PC on, and they put them on the right side because most people were right handed).
Basically, components got more powerful but they didn't really change on a fundamental level. You still had a mobo with expansion cards in it, you still had a PSU, and you still various drives. It's all just a derivative of the AT/ATX design with small changes over the years.
As time goes on and stuff like m.2 becomes more prevalent and humanity finally shakes away the chains of optical media I think we'll be due for some sort of PC case paradigm shift where a new formfactor is released that slowly gains traction until 15 years from now we'll all be sitting around laughing at the fact that we used to have giant towers the size of suitcases stuffed full of hardware.
Which is why I love my Phanteks Evolv ATX Tempered Glass (except mine is the silver version, rather than dark grey):
Inquisitor77: Rius, you are Sisyphus and melee Wizard is your boulder
Tube: This must be what it felt like to be an Iraqi when Saddam was killed
Bookish Stickers - Mrs. Rius' Etsy shop with bumper stickers and vinyl decals.
I'm starting to feel like it's better to have a separate NAS with a bunch of HDDs in a RAID sitting off in the corner than to clutter up your PC with disks.
Acronyms.
It's called Mini-ITX.
I have this.
It's rul good.
Also, I'm rocking a Coolermaster HAF, which is roomy and has some p good cable management, as well as not being lit up like a whore house.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16811146218
I'm a little weary on the white case.
But I don't like the looks of the black case internally (not a fan of black and red everywhere)
I have the same case, and it looks very similar. There's some ugliness with a cable running from a wifi card over the video card to the motherboard, and I think my DVD burner had a cable running to the SATA port, but otherwise looks the same. Oh, and I unscrewed and removed the two large, unused drive bays since I read that doing so could improve airflow -- I moved the SSD to the back of the motherboard plate.
Sensible. I'm not going to move my SSDs just because I've owned enough SSDs to know that, sometimes, you have to unplug and replug them, having them accessible is a good thing--if I was short on space though, I would consider doing as much, but I've got space to spare.
I'm very annoyed with myself for missing the Amazon Prime day deal on a $300 Samsung 28" 4K monitor by a matter of minutes--so much so that I'm seriously entertaining the thought of buying one of these somewhat mediocre things and mounting on the wall behind my desk. All for the sake of my future GTX 1080.
Fortunately I'm not insane enough to buy a low-quality 43" 4K television as a monitor out of spite. I guess I'll fall back on my original plan of a high-quality 1440p, possibly with G-sync (it's amazing how pricey G-Sync monitors still are) during some other sale, since they won't be coming today.
Define R4 is such a pretty case. This pic is from initial build, so there's been some updates since (770 -> Strix 980), but it's still pretty much the same look.
Inquisitor77: Rius, you are Sisyphus and melee Wizard is your boulder
Tube: This must be what it felt like to be an Iraqi when Saddam was killed
Bookish Stickers - Mrs. Rius' Etsy shop with bumper stickers and vinyl decals.
join ussssss the white case is great. the white/black color scheme looks really nice. It also hides fingerprints!
I'll take a picture of mine when I get home since I finally get my 1070 today hopefully.
Hah - the Power LED on the new small case I bought for my old hardware (Bitfenix Nova) is so bright that it shines a blue circle on my ceiling when its dark. I accidentally looked into it once.
Unreal Engine 4 Developers Community.
I'm working on a cute little video game! Here's a link for you.
You'd just take the panel off of the opposite side, wouldn't you? This was my first build so I don't know a ton about the ins and outs, but it seems easily accessible.
That said, I think I did a decent job with the cabling all things considered, and it should work until I upgrade my CPU and motherboard down the road. I'll definitely upgrade to something more sophisticated then.
Steam: pazython
This has been worrying me for a while. How does one install fans? Everything else I've got a grip on, though I'm a little worried about doing the CPU correctly.
Screw into fan spots (standard screws/sizing) - connect to 4 pin molex from PS or 3-4 pin on motherboard.
Additionally - you may need an adapter to use 4 pin molex (they're cheap, or you can build your own pretty easily)
Additionally 2 - if you have a big honkin 120mm, look at the amp requirements vs. the spec on the motherboard - you can burn out headers with too powerful a fan.
Gamertag: PrimusD | Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
That was the last case I built in before I moved on to the Phanteks Evolv ATX. I had the H440 in white also, it does look really sharp and you could totally color coordinate with a ASUS board and make it a nice stormtrooper build.
― John Quincy Adams
You could, but this way I can just reach in through the other way (I have long fingers) easily. I very seldom remove the other panel.
I so infrequently have to do it that it's practically a nonissue--there just isn't any benefit to mounting my SSDs on the motherboard panel with twist ties at the moment, and my airflow is more than adequate.
I also moved from an NZXT (S340) to a Phanteks Evolv ATX (TG). Both great cases, but the Phanteks just blows away everything else on the market in terms of cable management, and a well thought interior that's super versatile, even for water cooling. That slide out fan/radiator bracket at the top if my favorite thing ever.
They used to be available on Amazon, but it looks like they're no longer available. I'd check the company website.
I mean I don't need one because my GPU is totally stiff, but if yours is always sagging than there is no shame in buying something that'll help you keep it up.
I'm sure you had to choke that one out.
Remember when Intel tried to push BTX a while back? Good times. It wasn't all that radical, though, except that it was mounted backwards compared to ATX and PCI components were attached "right"-side up, with the PCB facing down.
ATX is probably going to stick around for a while yet.
So long as video cards remain huge, there's not much reason not to offer a spot to jam in a big optical drive. Until people decide they're okay with sloped cases, you aren't getting that space back.
Oh no, I don't have any trouble with mine, but I figure treatment before symptoms is best, y'know?
Gamertag: PrimusD | Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
This is still taking a while...
How bad would it be to build the machine on monday without the fans?
Because I might just cancel this order and go to Amazon for the fans instead