Which case would you choose?

[V4nger]

I'm stuck in my choice between these 5 cases;

Silverstone FT01

Silverstone FT02

Silverstone RV02

Lian-Li PC-B25FB

CoolerMaster ATCS 840

so which one would you go for for air cooling? I like them all because of the minimalist looks.

[vicar]

Lian-Li PC-B25FB

[V4nger]

great, what made you choose that one?

[shufty84]

They're all variations on the midtower theme, only one that stands out is the CoolerMaster ATCS 840 because it has a motherboard tray. Looks a bit cramped inside but the tray makes up for that.

I got the RV01 (ick) sitting here ready for the bin, awful case and in all honesty it has put me off silverstone cases altogether.

The lian-li is extremely clean though, looks to be the best engineered of the cases and even without the mobo tray there's lots of room to work, huge cpu backplate access. the top piece ruins it for me, dont' like it but then nothing compares to the v2000 they did about 5 years ago.

<3 800D, though i had to sell a kidney for it *rubs flank, sadly*

[Skulltrail]

None of these are bad cases, although the RV02 is probably below the others.

The Coolermaster will likely have the best thermal performance, largely on account of its size advantage, whereas the Lian-Li is probably the best engineered. Both the FT-01 and FT-02 are nicely made and ascetically pleasing, although I seem to remember some reviews picking up on uneven cooling performance. However, this will only become a problem if you’re putting a lot of very hot hardware in there.

Ultimately, you can't go far wrong with any of them, but the FT-02 is expensive compared to the others, so I would go for either the Lian-Li or the Coolermaster.

Hope this helps!

[Infinite]

Probably the Coolermaster or the Lian Li.

Not too fond of the exterior design of either case though. Lian Li looks like someone took a sledge hammer to the top front and the Coolermaster looks like a cheap lazy way of hiding the front fan by sticking a piece of metal to cover it up.

[Pob255]

They're all variations on the midtower theme, only one that stands out is the CoolerMaster ATCS 840 because it has a motherboard tray. Looks a bit cramped inside but the tray makes up for that.

I got the RV01 (ick) sitting here ready for the bin, awful case and in all honesty it has put me off silverstone cases altogether.

The lian-li is extremely clean though, looks to be the best engineered of the cases and even without the mobo tray there's lots of room to work, huge cpu backplate access. the top piece ruins it for me, dont' like it but then nothing compares to the v2000 they did about 5 years ago.

<3 800D, though i had to sell a kidney for it *rubs flank, sadly*

Umm what are you on about?

CoolerMaster ATCS 840 Dimensions = 243(W) x 580(H) x 630(D) mm
Corsair Obsidian 800D Dimension = 229(W) x 609(H) x 609(D) mm
yes it's 30mm shorter than the 800d however it's both deeper and wider, which actually makes it larger in total than the 800d
Both the top fans and the front fan are 230mm fans

The only case on that list that could be called a mid tower is the Silverstone FT01 and probably the Lian-Li PC-B25FB

Also for flat out air cooling the 800d is not that good, there's restricted air flow into the main motherboard chamber and issues with trapped air around the graphics cards.
The 800d is a great case for water cooling, not so much for air cooling.

IMO:
For flat out looks the FT01 still has a place in my heart.
For layout and features the PC-B25FB wins it for me.
For air cooling the ATCS 840
The Raven 02 is a good blend of all three to me, I love the bottom to top air flow concept and it's been very well designed for it. what I don't like is the way it's short but very long. Steel and plastic not aluminium, but I can live with that.
Personally speaking the fortress 02 is the ugly duckling that never turned into a swan, I love the look of the original but this new one just doesn't do it for me and the odd proportions while working for the raven just look wrong on the fortress02.

If I could be given an one of these cases for free, on the grounds that I wasn't allowed to mod it or sell it on, just have to use it as is the FT02 would be the only one of this bunch I'd actually turn down.

[V4nger]

Thanks guys. I've crossed the Raven off my list because I've decided that I don't really like the blue bar at the top and there's a bit too much plastic on it. I'm not sure about the FT01 because it looks quite small and the cooling doesn't seem all its cracked up to be. The Lian Li I'm not sure of because I don't personally like the aluminium interior and actually the exterior isn't that nice IMO.

So that leaves the FT02 and the Coolermaster. I like the looks of both but I've read many reviews on the FT02 and they all praise it as being a top notch case. The cooling looks very good too.
And so do the features.

Ok I'm pretty much decided on the FT02 as, personally, I love the looks. Please give me good reasons why I should not choose this case and maybe even suggest a different one? I would say that the FT02 is the highest price i will go for a case.

Thanks again guys!

Jake

[ed^chigliak]

I'm glad you crossed the Raven RV02 off your list. It's probably the worst case I've ever bought. Flawed hard drive cage needs to be removed to secure hard drives yet clashes with the motherboard when you try to pull it out. Flawed dimensions such that PCIe cards are not pushing fully into the slots. Faulty fan speed switch or fan does not spin on slow setting. Harder to access cables on the top because there isn't much space between the top of the case and the underside of your average desk. Pulling the PC forwards does not improve access like a normal case. You still have to feed cables from the rear through a plastic hoop/handle then immediately try bend the PSU cable 90 degrees.

[shufty84]

I was merely commenting on the fact that the coolermaster looked cramped and that was mainly due to the 2 structural bars; the vertical one at the back and the horizontal one across the top. kind of makes manoeuvring inside the case a bit more restricted. I didn't compare it to the 800D as it wasn't on the list but it does not suffer these 2 restrictions. despite this, the coolermaster has the motherboard tray which for the most part negates most of the aforementioned, at least in my experince.
Sorry for the confusion.

[GheeTsar]

Have you considered the Fractal Design R2 by the way?

Very minimalist design and with up to seven fan slots.

http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&prod=32

[Phage]

Have you considered the Fractal Design R2 by the way?

Very minimalist design and with up to seven fan slots.

http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&prod=32

Ooooh Shiney ! Like that one. Hmmmm reasonably priced...

[GheeTsar]

Ooooh Shiney ! Like that one. Hmmmm reasonably priced...

Agreed - it's likely to be my next case. Or the new Corsair 600T if it turns out any good:

http://www.corsair.com/products/600t/default.aspx

[Phage]

Agreed - it's likely to be my next case. Or the new Corsair 600T if it turns out any good:

http://www.corsair.com/products/600t/default.aspx

Indeed, but at $270 it looks to be substantially pricier.

[Pob255]

I'm glad you crossed the Raven RV02 off your list. It's probably the worst case I've ever bought. Flawed hard drive cage needs to be removed to secure hard drives yet clashes with the motherboard when you try to pull it out. Flawed dimensions such that PCIe cards are not pushing fully into the slots. Faulty fan speed switch or fan does not spin on slow setting.

Slight derail here, but I know the answer to the hard drive cage issue, you're supposed to remove the cage from the front not from inside.
Seems a bit odd but there you go, it came up when I was talking with someone on another forum, who's been water cooling his raven02

See here http://www.silverstonetek.com/downlo..._QA_090901.pdf

As to the other bits that sounds like a build quality issue, I'd of got onto sliverstone or the original place you bought it from.

Harder to access cables on the top because there isn't much space between the top of the case and the underside of your average desk. Pulling the PC forwards does not improve access like a normal case. You still have to feed cables from the rear through a plastic hoop/handle then immediately try bend the PSU cable 90 degrees.

only if you have the case under the desk and this problem will also effect the fortress02 as it's the same layout (although the hard drive cage is different, each drive is in a seperate tray that does come out sideways)

EDIT: PCI slot problems are address here http://www.silverstonetek.com/raven/...=RV02&area=usa

[Shiva]

I've heard a lot of good things about the Coolermaster ATCS 840 case. I've not used one personally though. I have a much older Coolermaster case and it is exceptionally build quality.

Or the new Corsair 600T if it turns out any good:
--url to 600t site--

I'm so glad Corsair decided to stick with the all black look and awesome cable management. I'm using the 800D for my next build (its on order). I wish they added a removable motherboard tray though.

The only bad thing about the 800D (no idea bout the 600t) is that it has some airflow issues for air cooling - that is what I read about anyway. The stock fans on it are also apparently not too good.