Alternatives to the Corsair Graphite 600T with proper USB3 header support

[fusioned]

I'm looking to upgrade my 8-year old case to a new build, and this includes finding a new case for the next 5+ years!

The corsair 600T looks like it meets my needs, with roomy space and good looks to go with it.

However, the USB3 connectivity bugs me. They've not made any indication of what they are planning to do with having proper USB3 sockets on the front I/O panel, so I am forced to consider other cases.

The new cause is going sit under a desk, in my room, so I do not need the side windows nor bright lights. It is going to be a workhorse, gaming second, so I plan to fit a mid-end ~£200 gfx card with a core i5 and 16gb of ram, along with 2 existing hard drives.

I hear the Silverstone Ravens have very good cooling performance with it's unorthodox 90 degree setup, but I'm not a fan of the look.

Any suggestions?

[rheyworth07]

I have a friend who owns a Corsair 650D case and uses a Noctua NH-D14 cooler. He swears by it and from what I seen it's sturdy, similarly priced and offers great performance. I also think it has quite charming, Terminator style looks. I think most prefer the 650D over the 600T so bear it in mind

[fusioned]

Are there two versions of the 650D? I see it being advertised with having 1x USB3 in some places, and 2x USB3 in others, so I'm not sure what to think!

[ehhhhhhh]

My 600T has one port at the top (+4USB 2.0). I'm not sure what do you mean by a "proper" usb3 port?

[joshil92]

Have you looked at the Fractal Design R4? Is that even the kind of look you want?

[fusioned]

I'm looking for at least 3x external 5.25" drive bays (I'll certainly fill 2, with an option for at least another one), and I've considered the Fractal Design R4 which looks very good indeed (I have the Antec P193 for the home server which has been fantastic), but with only 2 bays, it unfortunately fails that criteria.

Re: 'proper' USB3 socket -
I would like direct connections to the motherboard headers, so that the front panel has at least 2x USB3 sockets. The 1x USB3 I see on various cases look like they use pass-through cables and are thus discounted. I would like to be as future-proof and as flexible as possible, and the more USB3 sockets there are, the better (I am aware more than 2x front USB3 sockets are rare though).

One thing I would sllightly prefer is to have the front panel sockets to be located on the top of the case rather than front, but it's good enough if it was just at the top of the front. The size of the case isn't an issue as long as it's not more than 60cm high; wide tower cases are fine. This means full tower cases are out.

I'm interested in good thermal and acoustic performance as the case will be positioned under the desk with a wall to the left and the back, so airflow is not quite optimal here. My Antec Sonata, 8 years and counting, is currently struggling with an old CPU around 50-60 degrees whilst at 0-20% usage. Considering this scenario, the Raven intrigues me by forcing airflow upwards instead out towards the wall.

Currently on the 'interest' list are:

Silverstone FT02B Fortress (rather large though!)
Silverstone TJ04B-E

The Raven 1 would have been on this list if it is updated with USB3 support (but it's too big anyway); Raven 2-E is a look I'm mixed about - but it did look better in person than in pictures when I saw it in a shop.
Also, the CM Storm Enforcer looked like it could have been a candidate, but I've heard it compromises on acoustic performance - or at least, it is not as effective, though it is relatively cheap.

The 650D would be ok if this is an updated version with USB3 from the motherboard headers.

[joshil92]

I would go with the Corsair 650D as long as you can find it on a site that says it has 2 USB3 ports. Scan says it doesn't but you might want to e-mail them about that. I think it will also be the easiest to build and cable manage. The FT02B on the other hand has quite an unusual layout which could get tricky.

Any of the three should be good thermally and acoustically especially since it'll be under your desk.

[fusioned]

Thanks for the suggestion. Dabs have the version with USB3 sockets in stock, however the interwebs seem to suggest that those are passthrough cables too.
Saying that, I should have posted this in the hardware forum! (possible topic move?)

I found a forum posting from a Corsair representative who stated that cases with pass through cables will not be updated
http://forum.corsair.com/v2/showpost...99&postcount=8

That puts a spanner in the works of ever waiting for the 600T to be updated. The alternatives for a Corsair case now with motherboard USB3 support would be the 500R or 550D.
I am tempted by the FT0B as the orientation might suit sitting on the floor better, but it is rather slightly too large.