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Hexagon_777

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#1  Edited By Hexagon_777
Member since 2007 • 20348 Posts

I have narrowed it down to:

  • Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 High Airflow Cube Case
  • Aerocool X-Predator Evil Blue Full Tower Gaming Case

The only downside for the Corsair case for me is that it only has space for 2 HDDs. I currently have 2, so if I ever decide to get more, I'll have to rid myself of one. Plenty of space for SSDs, however, so if those see HDD level pricing in my time, it's fine. Some of the front panel cables are a bit on the short side as well apparently.

The only downside to the Aerocool case is that the side panel window just isn't that nice to look at in my opinion.

Both are said to have excellent airflow, although the Aerocool case lacks reviews for me to make a better call.

I was also looking at:

  • Cooler Master Cosmos SE Black Large Tower Case
  • Aerocool Strike-X USB3 Air Open Frame PC Case

The only downside to the Cooler Master case is a poor design choice pertaining to how one of the fans is mostly blocked. I do like the handles, though, as I tend to move a lot and also like having access to the ports on the back.

I decided to not look further into this Aerocool case as it seemed a bit too funky in its design, plus a review mentioned issues with cables being too short and the bottom panel bending too much.

Would you guys kindly provide further input on the matter? Perhaps you have cases you'd like to recommend? I am leaning towards the Corsair case, but alas, being limited to 2 HDDs does make me feel uneasy.

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gp19

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#2  Edited By gp19
Member since 2005 • 4252 Posts

This is the one I currently have and I love it CoolerMaster Storm Scout 2 Advanced

Plenty of space for HDDs and cool design.

I also helped a friend build a pc using this case, and it was very good too Rosewill Blackhawk Ultra

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metacritical

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#3 metacritical
Member since 2008 • 2537 Posts

my old case was the Cosmos (currently it's the Cosmos 2). the handles make it easier to drag but it is pretty heavy so not especially portable, not an ideal choice if you need to move it around a lot. when you drag it it can and does mark the carpet if you're not really careful.

a case like the 540 that costs over £100 should have more than two hard drive bays so avoid that one. also, one SSD will use one HDD bay so you will only be able to install two SSDs in that one. they are thin so you can probably slide them into a gap but they will be loose and the SATA cables do not grip onto the SSD like SATA 2 cables do on HDDS so if you do have them loose they can become easily disconnected.

I'll let others critique the others

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kraken2109

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#4 kraken2109
Member since 2009 • 13271 Posts

Why the 540 in particular? Why not another corsair case like the 650d, 600t or even 750d?

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mastershake575

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#5  Edited By mastershake575
Member since 2007 • 8574 Posts

@kraken2109 said:

Why the 540 in particular? Why not another corsair case like the 650d, 600t or even 750d?

Agreed with this (600/700 series are beast)

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leon2365

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#6 leon2365
Member since 2006 • 13096 Posts

I currently have an antec 900 case. plenty of airflow, and lots of space for HDDs. although, this is a minimal "gaming" PC of mine. when I actually build a real gaming PC, im thinking of using an antec 1200 case instead. more room for HDDs and more airflow as well.

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GummiRaccoon

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#7 GummiRaccoon
Member since 2003 • 13799 Posts


I have a corsair vengeance C70, it's pretty dope.

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kraken2109

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#8 kraken2109
Member since 2009 • 13271 Posts

@leon2365 said:

I currently have an antec 900 case. plenty of airflow, and lots of space for HDDs. although, this is a minimal "gaming" PC of mine. when I actually build a real gaming PC, im thinking of using an antec 1200 case instead. more room for HDDs and more airflow as well.

I have the 900, it lacks a lot of features that modern cases have so I wouldn't recommend it these days. In it's day it was a great case though.

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leon2365

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#9 leon2365
Member since 2006 • 13096 Posts

@kraken2109 said:

@leon2365 said:

I currently have an antec 900 case. plenty of airflow, and lots of space for HDDs. although, this is a minimal "gaming" PC of mine. when I actually build a real gaming PC, im thinking of using an antec 1200 case instead. more room for HDDs and more airflow as well.

I have the 900, it lacks a lot of features that modern cases have so I wouldn't recommend it these days. In it's day it was a great case though.

do you have the newer 900 case or an older one? I have one of the first 900 cases, and I agree it lacks many features of newer gaming cases. the newer 900 models have more accessories than previous models.

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Hexagon_777

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#10 Hexagon_777
Member since 2007 • 20348 Posts

Thank you for all the responses, guys. Turns out that what I am looking for is a completely toolless case with plenty of rubber washers, rubber sliders, and whatever other nonsense people like me who go OCD over this stuff need. Do cases like this one even exist anymore? I mean, come on, a toolless and screwless PSU holder with anti vibration rubber on the inside, plus everything else I mentioned, and it's affordable! Do cases with such brilliant thinking still exist?

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leon2365

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#11 leon2365
Member since 2006 • 13096 Posts

I remember seeing some like that. "toolless" cases. somewhere out there, someone still sells them.

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GummiRaccoon

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#12 GummiRaccoon
Member since 2003 • 13799 Posts

@Hexagon_777: I don't need any tools for my c70

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Hexagon_777

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#13 Hexagon_777
Member since 2007 • 20348 Posts
@GummiRaccoon said:

@Hexagon_777: I don't need any tools for my c70

That does look like a good case. Do the case fans use screws or do they use rubber sliders or anti vibration plugs? Does the case come with screws or thumb screws for the motherboard? The Corsair Carbide Air 540 looked good to me as well judging from the several video reviews I watched, but the toolless power supply holder ended up being tedious and the motherboard didn't use thumb screws, but screws, as did the fans, so it certainly wasn't toolless. The lack of any rubber made the fans constantly emit a buzzing/humming noise which I definitely wasn't used to.

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kraken2109

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#14 kraken2109
Member since 2009 • 13271 Posts

@leon2365 said:

@kraken2109 said:

@leon2365 said:

I currently have an antec 900 case. plenty of airflow, and lots of space for HDDs. although, this is a minimal "gaming" PC of mine. when I actually build a real gaming PC, im thinking of using an antec 1200 case instead. more room for HDDs and more airflow as well.

I have the 900, it lacks a lot of features that modern cases have so I wouldn't recommend it these days. In it's day it was a great case though.

do you have the newer 900 case or an older one? I have one of the first 900 cases, and I agree it lacks many features of newer gaming cases. the newer 900 models have more accessories than previous models.

To be honest I'm not sure, I know it's not the very first because of a couple of holes in the motherboard tray. Cable management still sucks though.

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leon2365

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#15 leon2365
Member since 2006 • 13096 Posts

I can agree with that. it definitely does.

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GummiRaccoon

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#16 GummiRaccoon
Member since 2003 • 13799 Posts

@Hexagon_777: i think I used normal screws for the motherboard. I have my own thumbscrews, so I can't tell you if the thumbscrews I used were mine or came with the case. I also have a lian-li q25b which is mostly entirely toolless. Since I mess around with computers a lot, one thing I really look for is ease of use in dismantling. the case fans are very quiet.

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Hexagon_777

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#17  Edited By Hexagon_777
Member since 2007 • 20348 Posts
@GummiRaccoon said:

@Hexagon_777: i think I used normal screws for the motherboard. I have my own thumbscrews, so I can't tell you if the thumbscrews I used were mine or came with the case. I also have a lian-li q25b which is mostly entirely toolless. Since I mess around with computers a lot, one thing I really look for is ease of use in dismantling. the case fans are very quiet.

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll just stick with Lian Li after looking at some other cases the company produces. The folks at Lian Li pay attention to the small details which I as a self declared OCD person seek.

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GummiRaccoon

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#18 GummiRaccoon
Member since 2003 • 13799 Posts

@Hexagon_777 said:
@GummiRaccoon said:

@Hexagon_777: i think I used normal screws for the motherboard. I have my own thumbscrews, so I can't tell you if the thumbscrews I used were mine or came with the case. I also have a lian-li q25b which is mostly entirely toolless. Since I mess around with computers a lot, one thing I really look for is ease of use in dismantling. the case fans are very quiet.

Thanks for the info. I guess I'll just stick with Lian Li after looking at some other cases the company produces. The folks at Lian Li pay attention to the small details which I as a self declared OCD person seek.

Yeah, these 2 cases I have are the first 2 I really really liked. Overall I'd say the Lian-Li is superior, it just serves a different purpose. And actually my server rebuild is going to go into another lian-li case (replacing a coolermaster), which is even smaller than the q25b. the corsair c70 has a look that I really want for my desktop computer and has plenty of room for future water cooling. Lian-Li seems to be the kings of the clean look too.