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
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












