New case needed, opinions please. :)

[FlyBoyGeo]

Going to get rid of the phase change cooling, going i7 cooled by air or h2o, with the possibility of crossfire or sli. Not looking for something crazy looking. Can have a window, but not necessary. Plenty of cooling and space for 1 ssd, 4 hds, & 1 dvd drive.

Looking at a couple of cases for my project, what are your opinions?

Coolermaster HAF X
Corsair 700D
Coolermaster 690 II Advanced

I have been concentrating on the above. Thanks.

[Church]

Wasn't HafX with window? Covered with mesh but nevetheless with one?

[FlyBoyGeo]

Wasn't HafX with window? Covered with mesh but nevetheless with one?

It does, yes. Thx. I edited my post, just want plenty of room and case cooling.

[Johnny87au]

It does, yes. Thx. I edited my post, just want plenty of room and case cooling.

Tj07 or the Corsair 800D, both great cases and have lots of modding options if you ever went down that route..;)

[Gamekiller]

I freaking LOVE my Coolermaster 690 II Advanced! Awesome airflow, wonderful construction, and it's very good looking. Mine is used for air cooling but it has the space for a little water cooling.

I believe it can hold two 120x2 rads: One at the top and one on the bottom. The bottom one requires you to remove most of the hdd mounts though which would still leave you enough space for what you named. 2 hdd slots remain when you remove the bottom few for the rad. and there's 4 5.25 inch bays you can mount hdds in.

it also has 2 holes with grommets for watercooling tube in the back in case you want to mount a rad or something outside.

Just do your research and you'll find what you want. :D

[DaddyD302]

I got the HAF-X and it has alot of airflow and plenty of room. You can barely see any cables as most of it is covered up.

Here's a few pictures on it.

http://www.evga.com/ModsRigs/detail.aspx?BuildID=4676

[FlyBoyGeo]

I freaking LOVE my Coolermaster 690 II Advanced! Awesome airflow, wonderful construction, and it's very good looking. Mine is used for air cooling but it has the space for a little water cooling.

Just do your research and you'll find what you want. :D


Do you think there is room for a Noctua NH-14 in there?



I got the HAF-X and it has alot of airflow and plenty of room. You can barely see any cables as most of it is covered up.
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Looks great, plenty of airflow.

Thanks for some input!

[Andrea deluxe]

700d

[Frag Maniac]

Among those cases, it is VERY important you try and decide whether you'll be using mostly air or water cooling and even how hot of parts you plan to run and whether in SLI/Crossfire. The Corsair is one of the best for WC, but so so for AC. The HAF X is one of the most effective at AC, but is overly large for anything but fairly extreme systems and it's odd shaped bottom vent is unfiltered, affecting both AC and WC use. Add $8 USD to the price if you want to order the DEMCiFlex custom made filter for that vent, which has a magnetic frame that holds it in place. The 680 II is great for WC, but a bit cramped for an extreme system and negative air pressure with AC if used stock.

Here's how I would prioritize each:

HAF X for AC and/or extreme build
700D for WC extreme build
690 II for moderate WC or AC build

Considerations:

HAF X as mentioned has no bottom filter, but there's a fairly cheap solution.

700D would need filters added to top vents if you want to run a 240 rad up there with cool air intake.

690 II is best used with one 120mm side fan in the bottom position, and one 120mm bottom fan in the rear most position added for AC to achieve a slight positive air pressure. Side vents are not vented. Bottom 240mm filter could be cut in half and one half placed on the lower side vent. This would also allow the front half of the bottom vent to more readily allow the slight build up of air pressure to escape.

All are good cases really. You may also want to consider the new Antec DF-85 if you don't mind it's fairly radical look. It can be had for $147 at Provantage. On the DF-85 I would add a 120mm side fan and filter. It's not as nice looking as the others, but the DF-85 gets my nod for best value considering it's size, features, and number of fans included.

[Gamekiller]

Do you think there is room for a Noctua NH-14 in there?






Not sure, have a TRUE in there atm (horizontally) with a good bit of room to spare. Only issue is top 140mm fan on the case side had to be mounted on the outside.