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I'm in the market for a new case right now.

I'll admit, I am not able to resist the temptation of these fancy tempered-glass side panels and their general design once you go past the "definitely budget" area. They just look too good to my eyes that I want it.

I also want a case that will be easy to work on inside once I get around to upgrading my CPU, which will neccesiate a motherboard swap. Ah, heck, even transplanting my parts right now would also need quite a lot of help as is. Big hands, tight spaces don't mix well.

If cleaning up the filters were an easy affair, all the better.

Here's a shortlist of what I'm considering at the moment.

Corsair Crystal 460X is the most spendy, but the case appears to be most thought-out of the lot. It also funnily, doesn't look aggressive, at least while turned off.

Corsair Carbide Spec-Omega is definitely angry-looking, and it does appear to be a bit smaller. Slightly cheaper, though.

For something that isn't a Corsair, the Bitfenix Aurora seems pretty fine - and in terms of styling, I'd myself put it between the above two. It's the cheapest option, too, and comes with an extra two USB 2.0 ports (heh, so for once my motherboard's USB 2 headers won't go useless.) These feet, though... and apparently it uses quite a lot of integrated dust filters, so that will be painful if it isn't easily cleaned.

I think I'll just accept that these cases will render my internal DVD burner obsolete. I probably should get around to buying a Blu-ray external, but that can wait.

As an aside, since all of these cases have a lot more freedom in radiator mounting, should I move my current rear-mounted CPU radiator to either the top or the front? Am also wondering what to deal with the existing old fans if I went with Corsairs. Thanks in advance.

Have you looked at Fractal Design stuff? IMO it's much better looking (understated), great construction, and they still have the "show off" options like tempered glass windows you seem to like.

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv or Evolv X. Hands down my favorite.

DancinJack wrote:

Have you looked at Fractal Design stuff? IMO it's much better looking (understated), great construction, and they still have the "show off" options like tempered glass windows you seem to like.

I have an R5 in white, with side window, that fits all of the posted requirements: side panel, easy to work in, filters simple to clean. It's the best and nicest case I've ever had, and I would definitely recommend it to others.

Phanteks. Hinged panels, magnetic latches - opening up for a quick SSD addition and cable-routing adventure could not be easier. Glass is a good sound dampener, apparently. Here is an example.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6811854058

DPete27 wrote:

Phanteks Enthoo Evolv or Evolv X. Hands down my favorite.

This. Just finished building my 8700K system in an Enthoo Evolv ATX. My old 4790K build was in an Enthoo Evolv mATX. They're great cases with great airflow, very easy cable management and great accessibility. The build quality on them is very good (although I had a couple of minor paint defects in my white Evolv mATX), and Phanteks has a very well written user manual (unlike some others... I'm looking at you, Silverstone) and packages all the screws in separate compartments with a legend telling you how many there are and what each of them is for.

EDIT: PS if you decide to save a few bucks by going with the Eclipse (which also looks very nice), be aware that although it has 2x120mm fan mounts on the top panel, there is not enough space to fit a 240mm AIO rad there without running into your motherboard. You can fit 240/280s in the front intake, though.

The R5 is a great case for a new build but it's not an 'upgrade' case. It's affordable, inoffensive, easy to work in, and is of adequate quality - but it's still basically a cheap steel econobox.

If you want a premium case, Fractal fall short. In Win, Phanteks, and Lian-Li make cases that are oozing with class, solid-feeling alloys and don't suffer from the typical injection-moulded plastic and thin sheet metal that moves when you touch it. NZXT are fractionally sturdier than Corsair and Fractal when it comes to build quality, and I really like their styling at the moment, but they're still in the plastic and thin metal league.

Chrispy_ wrote:

The R5 is a great case for a new build but it's not an 'upgrade' case. It's affordable, inoffensive, easy to work in, and is of adequate quality - but it's still basically a cheap steel econobox.

If you want a premium case, Fractal fall short. In Win, Phanteks, and Lian-Li make cases that are oozing with class, solid-feeling alloys and don't suffer from the typical injection-moulded plastic and thin sheet metal that moves when you touch it. NZXT are fractionally sturdier than Corsair and Fractal when it comes to build quality, and I really like their styling at the moment, but they're still in the plastic and thin metal league.

Oh man, I love the designs of InWin cases, but wouldn't personally want to build in or live with one. They're the sort of cases Elon Musk would make if he got forced out of Tesla and kept microdosing with LSD.

Seems like I've neglected to mention my location once again. I live in Malaysia. East Malaysia, so pretty much anything that I order online will incur shipping - and shipping a large computer case becomes spendy quickly due to air shipping being basically forced on you.

Phanteks and Fractal Design look like solid choices. I'll see if I can find a good deal on them - since I don't live in places Newegg serves, ordering via Newegg won't be a (viable) option. I am able to find listings either way, but I'll likely be bearing significant shipping costs.

Mind you, for some reason, Phanteks and Fractal Design ATX cases with tempered glass cost a bit more than the Corsair stuff without factoring shipping.

The cases I've listed myself are the ones that I can immediately return home with. Such is the life of living somewhere where Phanteks and Fractal Design appear to have little presence, in comparison to Corsair hardware which is basically everywhere.

There is a spot on your TR profile to enter your geographical location. That may help steer recommendations in the proper direction in the future, especially if you're not in the USA (which I think is the default assumption if location is not given). I know I always check to see if an OP displays a profile location before I make recommendations. Country is usually enough.