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mATX case choice; narrowed down to 3

post #1 of 25
Thread Starter 
Been doing research for a week now on different mATX cases. Originally wanted one of the Lian Li PC-V600F series, but reviews claim that the top fan blocks an 8-pin power and it has a high price tag.

What I want in a case (I am a bit picky): All black exterior (including rear), mostly black interior (at least the walls of the case), Full/mid tower cooling setup (intake bottom/front exhaust top/rear) would be preferred, fits a 160mm heatsink (getting a Noctua NH-D14, willing to swap with the C14 if it works better with the case), decent sleek look, low case weight (not a huge deal, but I would like to be able to carry it with one hand), finally I would like a price under $150

After too much research, I have narrowed my list of choices to 3:
Fractal Design Arc Mini
Pros:
+ Sleek
+ Mostly black
+ Neutral color fans
+ Lots of vents for fan additions
+ Removable hard drive bay to fit larger graphics cards
+ Fits up to 165mm heatsinks
+ Hard drive bay and expansions slots are actually painted white, not just bare metal
Cons:
- Weight
- Price

In Win Dragon Slater
Pros:
+ Tools free
+ Cable routing
+ Price
+ Full black interior
+ Fits full size graphics cards
+ Tons of fans
Cons:
- Does not fit a 160mm heatsink, would use the C14 with the side panel design anyway
- Not on their website
- Fans are nasty colors
- Design is a bit outlandish, but not terrible
- Too many protrusions leaving it lumpy to carry

Silverstone TJ08-e
Pros:
+ Heatsink fans act as exhaust
+ Wider than the other mATX cases
+ Weight
+ All black
+ Sleek design
+ Due to lack of vents, only 1 way for dust to get in which is the filter in the front
+ Fits 160mm heatsinks
Cons:
- Even though the front fan is an AP181, I fear that there would not be enough airflow, especially since there are no vents other than the PSU hole on the top (physics)
- RUMOR: I heard that top mount PSU's make cable management a pain
- Screws for side panel, can't tell if they are thumb screws or not
- Price
- Heard that graphics cards are choked for air with the single fan design
-/+ upside down design, still don't know if that is good or bad

Looking for opinions and experiences people have had with these cases. I will take other recommendations at this point if they fit my outline.
Edited by Chunkylad - 7/31/11 at 10:23am
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post #2 of 25
Arc Mini is a great case. Im very happy with mine. The only thing to complain about is the tiny gap to route cables. And by the way. Screws for the side panels is actually thumb screws
 
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post #3 of 25
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DoctorNick View Post
Arc Mini is a great case. Im very happy with mine. The only thing to complain about is the tiny gap to route cables. And by the way. Screws for the side panels is actually thumb screws
It looked like normal screws from the pics, thanks for the correction!
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post #4 of 25
Thread Starter 
Bump as people are going to be useless and I need to get my new rig started.
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post #5 of 25
Have you looked at the NZXT Vulcan?

I would reccomend it simply on the premise that it has a handle (It's incredible, dont doubt the usefulness of being able to carry around a computer like a breifcase)

It's fairly priced and has a unique apperance, not to mention decent cable management, plenty of fan slots, water cooling holes and all the goodies a case should have.
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post #6 of 25
The dragon slayer doesn't look as micro to me. Looks more like a mid tower.
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post #7 of 25
In the Arc Min.
If dumping one of the HDD bay is an easy no brainier , that case seems to be one of the best designs overall in that size I've ever seen!

Multiple precut holes for cable routing
And I'm partial to the bottom PS config.


Simply a sweet looking and well laid out design IMHO.
Edited by The Duke - 7/31/11 at 11:32am
    
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post #8 of 25
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThirtySixNights View Post
Have you looked at the NZXT Vulcan?

I would reccomend it simply on the premise that it has a handle (It's incredible, dont doubt the usefulness of being able to carry around a computer like a breifcase)

It's fairly priced and has a unique apperance, not to mention decent cable management, plenty of fan slots, water cooling holes and all the goodies a case should have.
I have indeed looked at the Vulcan and heard that it is a marvelous case for the price, but the design is just a bit clunky for me. A handle would be nice, but I feel that any case with a handle just looks a bit unprofessional. I love my 800D just because it is 100% black and it is so smooth. I am not big on my friend's Haf 932 since it has all the dips and juts and designs. I am making a trip to microcenter soon for my processor and they have a Vulcan so maybe I will check it out then to see if it looks different in person than it does in pictures.

Quote:
Originally Posted by daydream99 View Post
The dragon slayer doesn't look as micro to me. Looks more like a mid tower.
It is large for a micro tower. It has an so many options with the face plate.
Quote:
Dragon Slayer supports up to three external 5.25” drive bays, one external 3.5” drive bay and one internal 2.5” drive bay or convert two 5.25” drive bays into three 3.5” drive bays via HDD bracket.
I am only using 1 hard drive so removing a bay is highly likely. Modular is good
Edited by Chunkylad - 7/31/11 at 11:35am
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post #9 of 25
I would go for the ARC mini in that case then.

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post #10 of 25
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThirtySixNights View Post
I would go for the ARC mini in that case then.




I had never heard of Fractal until I started researching cases, seems like they are more popular than I previously though. Although everyone does recommend the Vulcan first.
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