Need help to decide on a case

Hey guys,

 

I am looking for a new case as this is the last part I need for my new system. As I am a satisfied customer of yours since the late 90's I like to have a case from you. However, after looking different reviews of different cases there are some questions coming to my mind. In particular about the actual build quality and about the possibilites of installing the h115i aio cooling.

 

I love the look of the Carbide Series Quiet 400Q, but no solution for an optical drive isn't good for me. The Carbide Quiet 600Q on the other hand is inverse atx, also nothing I would want. However, would the H115i fit in the 400Q espacially with Asus X99 Deluxe II and Dominator Platinum quad channel?

 

However, then I thought the Air 540 would be the perfect case for me. But the kinda poor build quality (side panel thickness) and missing of dust filters is really bad. I thought about modding, buying dust filters, but then I would spent more money on third party components than on the actual case.

 

So my favourite is the 450D now, but it also has it flaws. Beginning with the front dust filter which isn't fine enough, the side panels are way to thin. Optical drive mounting isn't perfect. Does a H115i fits in here? I saw a picture where a guy had one installed, but it seemed very tight.

 

The 750D is to big.

 

So, where should I look for a case? Why don't you make a really premium case for a higher price? I mean one really premium because this is what I associate with the brand Corsair.

 

I mean really, I am spending like 3000$ on components but the thing that I actually will be looking at the most will only have decent quality where I would like to have top quality? I don't mind spending 100 bucks more for a really premium case and I think many other people think the same.

 

It's fine to have mid range and even low range products, but why not have a really premium line?

 

This is just a honest suggestion, I love your products, already had your first xms ram with a heat spreader, numerous of your power supplies, two generations of dominator ram, cpu coolers and so on. I am really satisfied, just a bit clueless which case to take.

You might want to also consider which GPU you will be installing, as some of the cases are too small to take the larger gpu's comfortably.

Hey,

 

thanks for the answere, for now I have a reference GTX 980 Ti so it will fit in all of these cases.

 

I am just having a hard time one the H115i.

With a GTX 980 Ti you mayl need to be careful about the choice of case. There have been a number of threads on here about high cpu temps, where the 980 Ti has been involved. Apparently it sometimes runs a bit warm.

I'm afraid that I can't help with the case choice, my last 3 Corsair cases hve been a 730T, a 750D and a 900D, I like plenty of space.

I don't have any heatproblems with the 980 Ti. Didn't see the card above 73°C. My old 470 GTX was always at 90°C at load.

 

Edit:

So about the 750D, this is also a case I considered. What is about the front cover which sits before the front dust filter and fans? Is it enough space for the fans to get fresh air in? It seems to be such a small gap that the fans would have a hard time getting air in.

The 750D is a very good case, if youare worried about the air flow you can get the Airflow edition:

http://www.corsair.com/en-gb/obsidian-series-750d-airflow-edition-full-tower-atx-case

 

Personally, I prefer the look of the original version, I ran mine with th front panel off for a while and I found very little difference in temperature, 2-3 degrees.

I'm now using the 900D, which is a lot like the 750D but a bit bigger. Ok, a lot bigger.

Thank you snapper. About the original 750D, what about the front fan noise? 2-3 degrees wouldn't really bother me, but aren't the fans houling because it's hard to get fresh air?

 

One thing I wanted to ask... Is there actually someone from Corsair here who could give me a definitive answere if the H115i fits in the mentioned cases? Espacially the 450D. And if so, could you also anwere why the cases have such a crappy material quality (thin, sidepanels are moving like pudding). Sry if I sound harsh, but from what I've seen it's just the truth. A sad truth, because everything I know from your company is just quality. Well, maybe not my HX520w, which couldn't handle 4 years of ~8 hours work a day. But everything else? Great.

 

So, give me a proper case please ;)

Both the 750D + 450D have space for either an Asetek H115i or CoolIT H110i. I would get a H110i as cooling wise it's much the same and has far more functional firmware than the H115i. See http://forum.corsair.com/forums/showthread.php?p=795986

I didn't find the front fans too noisy. I see that you have an Asus motherboard, I use the Asus fan software to control my case fans so that they don't spin at all below 40 degrees, I also replaced the stock fans with brown fans, which are quieter anyway.

 

To be honest, I replaced the 750D with the 730T because I wasn't big fan of side windows, but now I'm using the 900D which has a side window. Go figure.

Thank you both.

 

about h110i vs h115i - i'll reconsider it. But after some research I am now tending to the h110i. Thank you. How ever, I decided on a totally different chassi from an other manufacturer. Thanks for your help guys.

However, would the H115i fit in the 400Q espacially with Asus X99 Deluxe II and Dominator Platinum quad channel?

 

Yes, but 280mm radiators must be front mounted on the 400Q/C. An external drive would the only solution for the lack of bay space. No issue with the motherboard with a front mount radiator. The extra power plug on the top of the board can be a hindrance on cases with low overhead clearance, but that is not an option anyway on with the H110i/H115i.

 

However, then I thought the Air 540 would be the perfect case for me. But the kinda poor build quality (side panel thickness) and missing of dust filters is really bad. I thought about modding, buying dust filters, but then I would spent more money on third party components than on the actual case.

 

I understand your hesitation. My prior case before the 540 Air was a 45lbs steel monster and mostly sealed. However, I love the 540 quite a bit. It makes things very easy and temperatures exceedingly low for a X99 2xGPU build. It is a $140 case and build quality is fair for that price. If you want the $400 version, there is an obvious place to look. There are several outlets that offer custom dust filters for the 540. However, if you are going to cover it all anyway, you might as well stick to more closed designs with less mesh. 280mm radiator can be top or front mounted.

 

So, where should I look for a case? Why don't you make a really premium case for a higher price? I mean one really premium because this is what I associate with the brand Corsair.

 

The website is a bit muddled in organization these days, but the cases in the Obsidian line will have the most metal and solid materials, with the price to match. Beyond that, you will need to look at niche manufacturers.

Which case did you go for in the end? In the middle of the Corsair cases I bought a Thermaltake Level 10 GT, I liked the look, it was innovative and not too badly priced, but the build quality wasnt brilliant, so I bought my 900D, which I'm very happy with (as long as I don't have to move it)

Better get a dolly for it ;)

I always build my systems by lying the case on it's right side with the base towards me, the 900D was the first case that I had to rotate 90 degrees to reach the top motherboard screws, the base was hanging off the end of my desk. Now it's built I have to have it along my desk rather than across it.

It is a big case after all ;)

Better get a bigger desk.

First I'd need a bigger room and that isn't going to happen any time soon. Actually, I don't mind having it along the desk, if I push it towards the corner (I have an L shaped desk), it hides most of the rats nest, sorry, wiring, but still allows me to reach the back, without moving the case.

Which case did you go for in the end? In the middle of the Corsair cases I bought a Thermaltake Level 10 GT, I liked the look, it was innovative and not too badly priced, but the build quality wasnt brilliant, so I bought my 900D, which I'm very happy with (as long as I don't have to move it)

 

To be honest I decided to go with the new be quiet dark base pro 900 which should arrive tomorrow. It seems like the best deal for me overall. It was all the things I already stated that kept me from buying a corsair case. The 540 Air looks a bit poor in build quality for that price especially. I like the overall concept, but there were also some little things that bothered me. Buying the missing dust filters would have upped the price to over $200 (I got the be quiet for $215). Also the vertical ODD drive mount was a matter to me.

 

The 450D on the other hand I like a lot and it was hard to choose. It were also the little things that mattered here like the not so good dust filter in the front, the look of an intalled ODD drive and less room for radiators in the top. But I really like the 450D and I think I will buy it for my older rig and replace my old coolermaster case.

 

However the be quiet is not perfect though, I will have to take a closer look when it arrives but it definitly has some flaws (which in the end aren't a problem with my rig, so it's ok for me).

 

I am really excited on Corsairs answere to the new be quiet case. I love the competition and hope for a good new corsair case in the future.

A nice, clean looking case, it should look good. Good luck with the build.