Finding the perfect PC Case...

[KoshNaranek]

Good morning all,

I'm after the collective knowledge of this vast user forum in helping me get a new PC case. Currently I have a Thermaltake Core X9 and whilst it is a beautiful case, its just too darn big so I need to scale it down. However I'm finding it difficult to find a replacement case that has certain requirements. I thought I found the perfect case, Phanteks Enthoo Primo SE - Black / Orange (as for colour, as you can see from the one I thought I could get, an outside colour of black with an orange interior would be cool, but I would settle for for an all black case (not keen on the all white that is available) or a black outer and white inner at a push) but everywhere I look its not in stock! Yeah its a full/super tower but it takes up less space than the cube form of the X9. I thought I struck gold when I saw it on Amazon but though it states in stock I got a call from the seller (ADMI Limited (AWD-IT)) to advise they don't have any nor know when it will be available (badly still says 6 are available).

So, what are my requirements? Needs to house an ATX motherboard with a graphics card that is approx. 280mm in length, the radiator / AIO I have is a Deepcool Captain 360X in black which is actually at the 402mm length, this can be mounted either top, front or bottom. Obviously the footprint needs to be smaller than the Core X9 which is (HxWxD) 502mm x 380mm x 640mm. But here is the kicker, its needs to have at least 1 ODD (5.25") drive bay that can't be blocked by the AIO. This is the part I tend to fall down on, I can get all the other boxes ticked but it usually then fails on having no ODD drive.

Can the collective masses let me know of any cases they would recommend?

Thanks, Kosh

[Phage]

I'm in the same boat. Best I can find is the Fractal define 7.

[Ttaskmaster]

My Phanteks Enthoo Luxe is about L550 x W230 x H560.

It will take an EATX, and I have one right now, so ATX not a problem.
I have a 280 980Ti.
I have a 360 rad up top, but it will fit anything 440mm.
I have three 5.25" bays and there's still room to mount a 60mm reservoir between the bays and the GPU.

It also has mounts for four SSDs, six HDD in the removable cages, and mounts for 240 rads on both the front and the floor.

[Helios451]

Have a look at the be Quiet! cases. I have a Pure Base 500 in white (I know not your thing) and am very happy with its build, flexibility, size and ease of use.

[rob4001]

As a SFF builder its harder my ideal case is an Ncase m1 but they are $200 so I use my dusty old SG13

[DemonAndrew]

Have you considered modding a case that meets the rest of your requirements to add a 5.25" bay? It's not too hard of a thing to do.

[DemonAndrew]

Have you considered modding a case that meets all your other requirements to add a 5.25" bay? Often there is space on the back next to/above where the PCIe brackets are. Front can work fine too.

[Ttaskmaster]

Have you considered modding a case that meets all your other requirements to add a 5.25" bay? Often there is space on the back next to/above where the PCIe brackets are. Front can work fine too.

Most cases I've seen don't have the panel footprint for that, but even if they do you run the risk of hitting the graphics card as you only have about 105mm, while a full size bay device is usually closer to 170mm.
A similar problem exists for the front of smaller cases that aren't built for " bays, where you risk fouling the 24-pin ATX and other incoming cables, or the reservoir mount/fan points.

[Ivanhoe123]

I'd second Helios's advice for a be Quiet! case. From the reviews I've read they make very good quality cases, which have good soundproofing.
I'm not restricted by size so I'm planning on getting a Fractal Design 7 for my new build, but it might be too big for your requirements (although it is smaller than your Core X9).

[KoshNaranek]

Hi all,

I want to thank the feedback that you have all given. I tried reaching out the Phanteks to see if they could help but it was an end of line product int he colour I wanted (the black/orange). So I decided to take the plunge and get a case without a ODD and instead get an external bay to house the drive instead.

I ended up going for the Phanteks Evolv X Glass in Anthracite Grey. It is a thing of beauty, there was a slight downside when I first put it together as the top lid where the mesh join up was not flushed so I ended up slicing my finger, I told Phanteks about this and asked if they knew of a way to fix the mesh, instead they sent me out a whole new top for the case - excellent customer service!