Need help in choosing a new case

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by jerf, Jul 14, 2013.

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  1. jerf

    jerf Guest

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    Hi all,

    Could you help me in choosing a new case? I tried to find one that satisfies my needs, but failed. Maybe someone here would suggest me something?

    So, I'm building a new rig, with 2xGTX780 SLI. I plan to retire my old ASUS DirectCU II GTX 580 to serve as a dedicated PhysX card. I need a new case for this setup. So
    1) The case should be large enough to accomodate graphics cards up to 32cm in length (since my old GTX580 is ~30cm long, and I'd like to have some spare room)
    2) The case should be be large enough to accomodate 2x dual-slot GTX780 + 1 triple-slot GTX 580, i.e. it should support at least 7 PciE slots.
    3) The case should have sufficient cooling/air flow capabilities to cool all this stuff.
    4) It should have dust filters everywhere where the air can pass.
    5) I don't like the fancy gamer cases looks, so, preferably, it should have plain design. If the fancy look is unavaoidable, then fine...
    6) The cost should be less than $250.

    I like Antec Eleven Hundred rather much, and it satisfies almost all of the requirements, but it doesn't have dust filters... And dust filters are very important for me.

    I'll be very grateful if someone could recommend some case that satisfies all these requirements.

    Thanks!
     
  2. scoter man1

    scoter man1 Ancient Guru

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    If you like the 1100, the 1200 is sort of similar. I can confirm that it has dust filters. I would imagine that Corsair has a few higher end cases with the kind of things you are looking for. I don't know their lineup very well though.
     
  3. The Goose

    The Goose Ancient Guru

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    Do you plan on using water cooling, also most cases have some sort of dust filters at the front and bottom but lack at the side, maybe a Corsair Graphite Series 600T might suit you or the 800/900d from corsair, then again the Cooler Master 690 II Advanced is a good case and it ticks all the boxes for your requirements, but don't avoid the Coolermaster Silencio 650 Midi Tower Silenced Case.

    Personally if i wasnt building a custom pc case from mdf i'd go for the 800/900d from corsair.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2013
  4. Loophole35

    Loophole35 Guest

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    Check out the NZXT Switch 810 or Phantom 820 couple different colors available and very roomy.
     

  5. automaticman

    automaticman Master Guru

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    The first thing we need to know is what motherboard you will be installing these GPUs on as it will affect how many expansions slots you will require. I expect you will need closer to 9 slots if it is a standard crossfire board layout, ie:

    x1
    x16
    x1
    x1/pci
    x16
    x1/pci
    x16
    2nd slot for 560 cooler
    3rd slot for 560 cooler
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2013
  6. jerf

    jerf Guest

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    Thanks for the suggestions! I will check them out.
    I don't plan to have water cooling.
    Yes, I believe that I'll get an 8-9 slot motherboard, though I haven't yet decided which one in particular.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2013
  7. ESlik

    ESlik Guest

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  8. automaticman

    automaticman Master Guru

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    Not gonna work if he needs 8 or 9 expansion slots. It's gonna have to be a full tower.

    This one might be a good way to go and still in your budget:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119257

    The Antec Eleven Hundred you mentioned earlier loos pretty solid as well.

    here's all the 9 slot cases on newegg:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...eactivatedMark=False&Order=PRICED&PageSize=20


    If you're looking for the 'cleanest' design:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811345005

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352030
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2013
  9. automaticman

    automaticman Master Guru

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    Also, for your motherboard, I'd recommend getting one that is configured as x8 + x8 through the cpu, with the third slot x4 through the chipset.

    You don't want a x8,x4,x4 all through the cpu like you would get for a trifire. The physx card will work just fine on x4, but you want as much bandwidth as possible for the GPUs
     
  10. jerf

    jerf Guest

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    Thanks, I will check these out. Antec Eleven Hundred is very good, but, unfortunately, it doesn't have dust filters, which are very important for me.
     

  11. jerf

    jerf Guest

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    I think that I'm going to settle on Cooler Master HAF X, with a couple of additional BitFenix Spectre Pro 200mm fans. Any thoughts on that?
     
  12. Loophole35

    Loophole35 Guest

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    I don't think the HAF X has a PSU dust filter I know my HAF 922 don't. And if the rest of the dust filters are like the ones on the 922 they are not removable (at least not easily). Just some food for thought.
     
  13. jerf

    jerf Guest

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    I see, nonremovable dust filters are suboptimal.

    Any thoughts on Fractal Design Define XL R2 or Antec Twelve Hundred V3 then?
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2013
  14. War child

    War child Master Guru

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    Splash out and get a 900D dust filters, unlimited cooling options, great fan placement.
     
  15. jerf

    jerf Guest

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    900D is cool, but it's too costly. I think that it'd be an overkill for me.


    Did anyone have any experience with Fractal Design Define XL R2?
     

  16. Pill Monster

    Pill Monster Banned

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    I have the HAF-XM and yes it comes with removable dust filters.
    They aren't all that effective though, but it's not a big deal since you can make them or buy some for dirt cheap.

    The HAF XM btw is exactly the same as HAF-X just slightly smaller. It's also a lot cheaper.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119257

    Biggest annoyance is my cat keeps standing on the case power button. lol
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2013
  17. jerf

    jerf Guest

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    Thanks for all the suggestions and help!
    I think I'm going to buy Fractal Design Define XL R2. It allows for 9-slot MBs, it's cheaper than HAF X and has more favorable reviews, and it's larger than HAF XM, allowing for more cooling capacity for graphics cards.
    Any final thoughts on this?
     
    Last edited: Jul 20, 2013
  18. automaticman

    automaticman Master Guru

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    I've heard good things about fractal, never had a chance to use any of their cases though. Looks like a pretty good choice given what you were looking for. Let us know how you like it.
     

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