Mid size cases vs Tower

[melon]

Another Nooby question .

It seems in general bigger cases are better idea if your using your pc for gaming and other media related things, are there any exceptions i.e . better fans in smaller cases , that water cooled thing - or does the cost outweigh the use in general ?

I dont really like big pc cases that much you see ( id prefer mid-size ) but if it means it runs better , doesnt overheart etc etc Im not really sure going mid-size is a wise choice.

Do mid-size gaming pcs even exist anymore ?

m

[kalniel]

I've never used anything bigger than mid-sized for gaming - cooling can be just as good with the right airflow, without the need for expensive equipment.

The main benefit of towers appears to me to be ease of building - the smaller the case the fiddlier it becomes.

[Pob255]

As kalniel said, My current rig is in a Casecom 6788 which is a fairly small mid tower case.
Cabling is a bit tricky in it esp with the 4 hard drives I have in here currently.
While I've currently got a single gtx260 in it I did have a pair of 9800gtx in sli before.

Water cooling is the main issue in a midtower it would be very hard to squeeze radiators inside this case.
However for air cooling a mid size tower is not really an issue, heck there's even a few good mATX and miniITX cases that can be used for good gaming systems (NZXT Vulcan and Silverstone SG07 are good examples)

For a real high end gaming system, size is more important mainly because of the issues of trying to keep a pair of high end graphics cards cool often requires water cooling which in turn generally needs more space.

Currently I'd look at the HAF 912+ and Storm Enforcer as probably the best midtower cases for gaming systems and great air flow in a mid tower.
Both are based on the same internal frame, they have to advantage over most mid towers of extra width, that width allows for more room behind the motherboard tray for better cable management, 200mm fans front and top and can fit the largest cpu coolers.
Also while there's plenty of length for graphics cards (270mm) the hard drive cages are removable so gives you the possibility of using the full length of the case (390mm)
Coolermaster really has hit a great sweet spot with this frame, the only real issue is cost and looks, nether are massively expensive but a elite style case based on this frame would be nice.

[melon]

I've never used anything bigger than mid-sized for gaming - cooling can be just as good with the right airflow, without the need for expensive equipment.

The main benefit of towers appears to me to be ease of building - the smaller the case the fiddlier it becomes.

Well, it seems the pc im interested in wouldnt be difficult to rehouse in midcase , but i'll see if I can win it first at decent enough price before getting too excited.

Hoepfully with this fighting stick i can at least have some fun button bashing like the ol days.

What are the aspects that = good airflow IYO ?

m

[melon]

As kalniel said, My current rig is in a Casecom 6788 which is a fairly small mid tower case.
Cabling is a bit tricky in it esp with the 4 hard drives I have in here currently.
While I've currently got a single gtx260 in it I did have a pair of 9800gtx in sli before.

Water cooling is the main issue in a midtower it would be very hard to squeeze radiators inside this case.
However for air cooling a mid size tower is not really an issue, heck there's even a few good mATX and miniITX cases that can be used for good gaming systems (NZXT Vulcan and Silverstone SG07 are good examples)

For a real high end gaming system, size is more important mainly because of the issues of trying to keep a pair of high end graphics cards cool often requires water cooling which in turn generally needs more space.

Currently I'd look at the HAF 912+ and Storm Enforcer as probably the best midtower cases for gaming systems and great air flow in a mid tower.
Both are based on the same internal frame, they have to advantage over most mid towers of extra width, that width allows for more room behind the motherboard tray for better cable management, 200mm fans front and top and can fit the largest cpu coolers.
Also while there's plenty of length for graphics cards (270mm) the hard drive cages are removable so gives you the possibility of using the full length of the case (390mm)
Coolermaster really has hit a great sweet spot with this frame, the only real issue is cost and looks, nether are massively expensive but a elite style case based on this frame would be nice.

Ok - " the haf " looks alright, but I really dont like that colour of neon at all, I know its pet peeve but i really dont want a nasty blue neon colour whirling around.

I much prefer the Cooler Master Elite Mid Tower Case, RC-310-BWN1-GP (Blue)

The case the pc im interseted in actually looks nicer ( cooler master fortress. ) so maybe i'll just leave it .

m

[Pob255]

Ummm I think you mean the silverstone fortress, the original FT01 is really nice looking and a really nice case.

The elite 310 is not bad as a standard case with top mounted psu, I much prefer bottom mounted psu layout though esp in a gaming pc as it allows for better cooling.

The HAF 912+ glowyness is just from the led 200mm front fan (which is red btw) replace it and get a 2nd top fan and no glowness http://www.scan.co.uk/products/200mm...8fdb%29-700rpm

Or how about the BitFenix Survivor, two version the basic core http://www.scan.co.uk/products/bitfe...handle-w-o-psu and the full version with additional whistles and bells http://www.scan.co.uk/products/bitfe...handle-w-o-psu
You'll want a rear 120mm fan for it though and does have the issue that you have to remove two sections before you can get the side panels off.
But a much cleaner look, no nasty glowyness (the full version comes with led fans but also a button to turn the led's off, I've actually got on of the bitfenix 200mm led fans, there's a separate 2pin plug to for the led's with a wire loop, just remove the loop if you don't want the led's on)

[melon]

Ummm I think you mean the silverstone fortress, the original FT01 is really nice looking and a really nice case.

The elite 310 is not bad as a standard case with top mounted psu, I much prefer bottom mounted psu layout though esp in a gaming pc as it allows for better cooling.

The HAF 912+ glowyness is just from the led 200mm front fan (which is red btw) replace it and get a 2nd top fan and no glowness http://www.scan.co.uk/products/200mm...8fdb%29-700rpm

Or how about the BitFenix Survivor, two version the basic core http://www.scan.co.uk/products/bitfe...handle-w-o-psu and the full version with additional whistles and bells http://www.scan.co.uk/products/bitfe...handle-w-o-psu
You'll want a rear 120mm fan for it though and does have the issue that you have to remove two sections before you can get the side panels off.
But a much cleaner look, no nasty glowyness (the full version comes with led fans but also a button to turn the led's off, I've actually got on of the bitfenix 200mm led fans, there's a separate 2pin plug to for the led's with a wire loop, just remove the loop if you don't want the led's on)

Why is it when i look at these dark monsters with their symbols i get chills ?

my one looks like Ive just signed up with The Empire ( Isnt it the same symbol ?? )
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...iw=843&bih=545

And the other with red wings looks like ive joined a Fred Perry Satanic Cult

m

[melon]

Ummm I think you mean the silverstone fortress, the original FT01 is really nice looking and a really nice case.

The elite 310 is not bad as a standard case with top mounted psu, I much prefer bottom mounted psu layout though esp in a gaming pc as it allows for better cooling.

The HAF 912+ glowyness is just from the led 200mm front fan (which is red btw) replace it and get a 2nd top fan and no glowness http://www.scan.co.uk/products/200mm...8fdb%29-700rpm

Or how about the BitFenix Survivor, two version the basic core http://www.scan.co.uk/products/bitfe...handle-w-o-psu and the full version with additional whistles and bells http://www.scan.co.uk/products/bitfe...handle-w-o-psu
You'll want a rear 120mm fan for it though and does have the issue that you have to remove two sections before you can get the side panels off.
But a much cleaner look, no nasty glowyness (the full version comes with led fans but also a button to turn the led's off, I've actually got on of the bitfenix 200mm led fans, there's a separate 2pin plug to for the led's with a wire loop, just remove the loop if you don't want the led's on)

Is there no greens or pinks leds , electric blue even ?

Why is gods name blood red and azure blue ( the very two red and blue colours i despise )

Is there any purpose to the leds other than just cosmetics , or to scare intruders away ?

m

[Pob255]

BitFenix fans come in Red, white, green, blue and orange, also black or white non-led versions
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/pr...s/spectre-led/

lol the silverstone symbol is supposed to be a snowflake but I know what you mean

You could have a nice imperial mid-tower to match your imperial postbox http://www.silverstonetek.com/produc...pno=PS02&area=
I love the look of that one. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...r-case-w-o-psu

Or the good old Antec 300 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/antec...g-case-w-o-psu
Or the rather ugly antec 600 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/antec...window-w-o-psu

You could also look at the Corsair Graphite 600t ok a bit chunky for a mid-tower but it's not a full tower
Heck even the coolermaster 690 and 692 are not "full" tower just large mid-towers

[Behemoth]

I like the red glow from my HAF 912, that said am finding it a bit cramped and am considering getting a full tower case soon.

[melon]

BitFenix fans come in Red, white, green, blue and orange, also black or white non-led versions
http://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/pr...s/spectre-led/

lol the silverstone symbol is supposed to be a snowflake but I know what you mean

You could have a nice imperial mid-tower to match your imperial postbox http://www.silverstonetek.com/produc...pno=PS02&area=
I love the look of that one. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...r-case-w-o-psu

Or the good old Antec 300 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/antec...g-case-w-o-psu
Or the rather ugly antec 600 http://www.scan.co.uk/products/antec...window-w-o-psu

You could also look at the Corsair Graphite 600t ok a bit chunky for a mid-tower but it's not a full tower
Heck even the coolermaster 690 and 692 are not "full" tower just large mid-towers

Imperial post box heh

The one thing that i hate about all the better towers i.e. ones with the mesh ./ grid is it pratically turns the whole pc into amplifier like the sort you get with electric guitars ,I'd rather it was more skeleton or ribbed, but the small mesh look they have down the front (esp all the whole way down with no break ) just bugs me - it looks cheap.

I almsot wanna plug a guitar jack in that 2nd last one .

Green leds or even white might be ok, anything but blue or red..

m