Features - QOTW: Which PC chassis do you use?

[3s-gtech]

Now ancient Antec Sonata II. Came with one of the notorious batch of squealing 350W Antec PSUs they fitted into these cases as a package - it got worse over time so I returned it and Antec sent me a lovely 550W unit which has lasted well.

Great case. Quiet, flexible, good looking, not overpriced. No intention of changing it at all, especially as my mobo only has USB 2.0.

[ed^chigliak]

Round of applause for the Antec Solo II

It is just so perfectly suited to my typical build. It's an ATX case that has everything I need and nothing more.

It's not trying to be all things to all people like more recent cases.
It has the best captive thumb screws known to man and the side panel is removed and replaced with zero frustration.
It's heavy with a solid build quality.
3x 120mm case fans. Two intake and one exhaust.
Accommodates long GPUs no problem
Motherboard tray cutout for CPU heatsink installation
Filtered intakes
True mid size tower
HDD suspension - zero transmitted HDD vibration

When PC world cleared stock I almost bought 4. Stopped at 3 and now I wish I had bought more.

[[DW]Cougho]

Corsair 650D. It's average.

My situation and thoughts exactly. Those thinking about buying one in future, there are much better cases nowadays.

[Noxvayl]

Which PC chassis do you use? Multiple answers are welcome if you have more than one rig, but more importantly, we want to know what you love or hate about the case. Was it easy to build into? Are you still happy with it? Did you make any modifications? And would you recommend it to others? Sound off using the comments facility below.

My main rig is built inside a Corsair Obsidian 550D. I originally purchased it because I wanted something silent that also has options for good airflow so if I bought some silent fans I could get both. It has worked out very well for me and has managed to handle the water cooling setup that I forced upon it; I decided that water cooling was the next area of my rig I wanted to experiment with but wasn't going to buy myself a new case that could fit the radiators I wanted in it; I have some more upgrade plans for the loop, the intention is to put the thickest 240mm radiator that Alphacool make into my 550D which is likely to require more work with my Dremel; I intend to put the current UT60 240mm radiator into my LC17 case... if it is possible.

My second case is my HTPC case that I got from Scan, it is a Silverstone Lascala Series LC17. I originally got the case for my parents but have since swapped it for an Enermax case I won on Hexus so I can use it as my HTPC computer case. The reasons for buying it were: it needed to fit on top of a filing cabinet which was where it was destined to sit, it was also meant to be able to house full ATX motherboards so that I could easily swap my old computer parts out of my gaming rig and into that case. We'll see how well that choice ends up being but I have a few plans that could turn it into a really nice HTPC case for me; it requires lots of labour on my part, and a few cuts and scrapes I'm sure, but I should be happy with the result if I get some time to do it.

Those are the two cases that I own in a nutshell. I really like them both for different reasons. The HTPC case from Silverstone is very well designed but I feel that it tried to make room for too much stuff and in the process of doing that made the case too cramped to be useful with ATX motherboards inside, only 2cm extra on each side would of made the world of difference for usability when working with the case. I guess to get that you have to pay the premium for it and I couldn't afford that in the end. The Corsair case is very well thought out. Airflow coming through the front is actually bad despite them making some interesting design choices. The design is geared mainly for silence with a touch performance sprinkled here and there. It was exactly what I was looking for at the time and when I built into my case it was perfect. Unfortunately I changed my thinking with regards to my computer and decided to go for water cooling which the case isn't designed for. I've had to mod it to get it to work, which took lots of trial and error because it was my first mod, but it worked and I'm loving it at the moment. It does weigh 26kg the last time I checked, so it is almost impossible to move without straining muscles, but I love it and plan on keeping it for a few more years yet.

[gstrange42]

[QUOTE=CGurrell;1167265]I am using the Zalman Z11 Plus for my PC atm (First build), chosen because of it's good looks, it's high number of fans, and good (but not great) cable management options. /QUOTE]

Yeah the Z11 is tricky to take to bits and work with, but I do like the fan options and it's good for air flow management so with a few fans you can keep everything nice and cool. I think my only issue after it has been set up is the power button placement, as I have cats they use it as a launch platform and shut my system down while using it. I might be nice to have something you can flip open to access the power button.

[Tomsk]

Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl

[nacasatu]

CoolerMaster ATCS 840 - Had it a good few years now at this stage, still going strong, maybe just needs the fans replacing as they get a bit noisy at random times.

[Wanyal]

Corsair Carbide 300R - The drive bays are really flimsy, and the cable management system isnt great, but otherwise its a nice case and well worth what I paid for it.

[edzieba]

Corsair 550D, but moving to an Ncase M1 once the second batch ship.

[Jowsey]

Bitfenix Survivor. The handle is pretty handy (pun intended) but apart from that I only got it as I liked the aesthetic and it was quite cheap at the time. Thinking corsair for my next case though. Probably 350D

[MusicMonkey]

Fractal Design Define R4. Nice clean build and fans so much quieter than my old Antec Sonata case.

[wateva76]

I use a Fractal Design Define R4 for my personal PC, and a Corsair Obsidian 550D for my Home Server.

[aidanjt]

I got an EVGA Hadron earlier in the year for my first ITX desktop machine. There's enough room for it for a high end ITX system. But not so nice design lapses include a lack of rubber footing on the front, so if I plug in a USB device, or the headphones on the side, the whole system slides from the front, and the negative pressure fan arrangement and open unfiltered perforations means dust build-up is already showing up.

I don't think I'd mind sacrificing compactness for a more traditional silent ATX tower design, only without drive bay cages, SSDs can be slapped wherever, no need for bulky cages getting in the way of air flow.

[welyndowd]

Just bought and installed a Cooler Master Haf X. Finally a case I can get my big mits in without scraping the skin off my knuckles. Cooling is awesome, came with 2 x 200mm, 1 x 230mm and 1 x 140mm fan. Going to add another 200mm fan soon but already my rig is running about 10 degrees cooler than in my old Cooler Master K series.
Been looking for a big case because I want to run 2 Sapphire Tri-X OC R9 290 in crossfire and they are big cards.
I especially love how the HDD bays point backward and have trays that you slide in and out for ease of fitting.
Really great case.

[Bagnaj97]

Main PC
Xigmatek Midgard White Knight. It's a close relative of the Fractal Define R3 case, the internal differences being a slightly different drive bay layout (Fractal has more 3.5", fewer 5.25" bays) and it lacks the sound-dampening foam of the Fractals. It was also <£30, so far cheaper than its relative!


Wife's PC (and several builds for colleagues)
Bitfenix Merc Alpha. Cheap, solidly built, decent airflow and plenty of room for cable management. Certainly among the best cases in its price range. The downside is that it lacks USB 3.0


HTPC and server
Coolermaster Elite 120. Not a bad ITX case, but would have gone for the Elite 110 if it was available at the time. The 120 isn't as compact as I'd have liked.

[Pob255]

Still Rocking the CoolerMaster HAF 912+, it's such a nice mid tower, it's the extra width that make me love it so, so easy to work in and cable manage and great for air cooling.
The only down side is the front mesh/filter, the front filter isn't very good and I was having resonance issues (a loud humming noise that I originally blamed the hard drive cage and weak vibration damping on)
I've replaced the front mesh and filter with a bit of very fine wire mesh, it doesn't look as good with a large silvery section but it's far better for the dust and the resonance has gone.
Now I just need to dust filter the side panel vent.
Currently running a 200mm fan on the front and top, a 140mm fan on the side and a 120mm fan on the rear (all red led)