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CaseLabs vs alternatives

8K views 23 replies 14 participants last post by  DefenderCast 
#1 ·
Hi All,

Been a good long while since I was an active member of a forum--but with a new job, a full quarterly bonus and a 30% raise all in my first few months--I'm finding it may actually be achievable to build the rig of my childhood dreams over this holiday season, complete with a premium case, custom loop, the works and not tank my financials completely.
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Before jumping in--I'd love to get whatever resources you pros may have to offer that may help guide my design & layout of my first WC and all-out build!

The meat and potatoes of my post comes in here: I've found CaseLabs to be a leading candidate (specifically I've been look at the SMA8) for one of the best cases all-around and I'm looking for some feedback on actual user experience and basically get the layman user's "pitch" on the good/bad, why I should get a CaseLabs case, what are the true benefits of the 200-300%+ premium, and on the other side--who the leading competitors are in terms of 1. Quality, and separately and additionally, 2. Cost. Ultimately, throwing down $500+ for a case was not something I thought was even possible and it maybe that my use-case doesn't really require spending this much if I can find something functional and as equally aesthetically pleasing (good luck to me?). I'd also love to know, if any, the niche things there are to know about owning one of these cases that wouldn't be made known via CaseLab's product videos or descriptions (I've never seen so many menu options for buying a case! That's a lot of research just to click buy
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) or just general warnings/concerns I should have before I select my options and hit go if I go this route.

My other concern is what type of planning I need to be thinking of as far as design when working with this case and with WC in general? It will be my first loop. My current plan is to build a Threadripper home-workstation and try to pump it @ 4ghz with a dedicated custom loop on the CPU as my first WC build. I was thinking of getting a 480mm Rad but I'm seeing 420mm solutions pop up and am thinking radiator selection maybe one of the most relevant factors. I was also thinking to have the res places somewhere inside (next to Mobo with verticle placement with room to add a 2nd res next to it? Shot in the dark here...) I was thinking to get an entire XSPC loop setup (Res: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074G45WMR/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3S8O4JJJM8JXA&colid=1XI6Z0RWR01PS , Rad: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074G45WMR/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3S8O4JJJM8JXA&colid=1XI6Z0RWR01PS)

Most of it would be for professional work and down the line, I'm thinking I'll probably either upgrade my loop or add a 2nd loop for my current 1080 ROG Strix (or something else down the line) to juice the rig further because imanabsolutemadman. Initially at least, it will be a single GPU build as I highly doubt with Threadripper single-threaded limitations and AFAIK, poor support of SLI, a dual-card setup will be necessary or even add any recognizable performance value (I don't want to completely throw my money away). I'm also SO done with teching random **** at the driver/hardware level that I feel like SLI is just asking for bad news. Plus I just don't really game anymore as I enjoy dedicating time to learning programming applications for my job and working in general, but I'd love to build something pretty on my desk that gets me pumped for excel spreadsheets and will make the ladies drop their panties
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As a last point, if there is a better place for me to be placing this question as while it is product specific, I really am also looking for general advice for a new build I'm looking for--so sorry if this comes as "yet another build advice thread." Just a prospective user looking for advice
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I'VE GOT THE PC BUILD ITCH AGAIN BOYS!

TLDR: Is CaseLabs worth it?
 
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#3 ·
Welcome to the forum.

This is a good place for you to start your research and ask away questions that might help you to decide whether Caselabs case is for you and if spending the extra $ will be worth it.

I won't be able to answer all of your questions but as a owner of few of Caselabs cases and my personal experience I can pitch some Pros and Cons that might help.

Caselabs cases are not for everyone. Obviously if you don't have the means to dish out the extra $, but also if you don't really care about the quality and you just want to stuff your components to a case and be done with it, then why not getting something chipper, there are so many brands that you can chose from for much lower cost.

If you what to have case and to keep it for a long time, even life time, Caselabs is for you, if you care about quality, there is nothing on the market that can compare, starting from the main parts and the quality aluminum they are made from to a screw and threads, they are unmatched and they are made to last.

Also, if you ever decide to do any customizing and worry about wrecking any part of your case, you can purchase just the part you need, the portability is great, many say it's the best part of Caselabs cases, the ability to cut and drill all you want, yet you want to go back to original state of your case..you can.

Aside from all that, you get exceptional support, Caselabs guys will stand behind their product and you not left wondering about what now or next like many manufactures do this days.

Few years ago before I even knew about Caselabs someone told me " Once you get Caselabs case, you won't see anything else the same way", so true, don't matter where you look, manufacturers always looking at cutting corners one way or another
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#4 ·
I think CaseLabs is a good value for what you get. There really is no comparison between them and the flimsy mainstream stuff you see out there. Whether or not one cares is up to the person. I wouldn't buy anything but a CaseLabs case at this point. I own 2.

SMA8 is the Cadillac; it's a beautiful case. The reason I don't own one is it's gigantic. For almost everyone a single processor and single gpu is the way to go, and that case has a lot of room. CaseLabs clearly wanted to streamline their offerings, but this resulted in some conspicuous holes in their line-up.

XSPC soft tubing compression fittings are outstanding. Push the tubing on and then try and remove it. It's tight as hell.

Finally, none of my business. Up to you. Just a pet peeve. If you get the SMA8 and you put a rad in the basement, get the 560.
 
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#5 ·
Great advice so far, thank you guys. I'm liking what I hear.

Warning: Already a lot of great leads for me to research, but I'm going to throw absolutely everything I can think of out there here and see what sticks, any feedback at all on anything is appreciated.

I know I've come to a, perhaps, biased place--but is the consensus really that there are 0 alternatives at the same quality level as CaseLabs? 0 Competitors with pre-fab cases in this quality range? It actually worries me when there isn't at least an alternative I can weight a product against in the same class.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dubldwn View Post

SMA8 is the Cadillac; it's a beautiful case. The reason I don't own one is it's gigantic. For almost everyone a single processor and single gpu is the way to go, and that case has a lot of room. CaseLabs clearly wanted to streamline their offerings, but this resulted in some conspicuous holes in their line-up.
I have a question about how these radiators get oriented in the bottom with these separated bottom compartments--how do you setup the air flow? Out of the bottom? In one side, out the other? How is the radiator actually mounted? I also (I think?) see there is an option to include cutout holes between the bottom chamber and main chamber, is this what will be needed or can I keep the heat from the bottom radiator and PSU partitioned off? Does that even make a difference with these setups or can focus be pointed at aesthetics at this level? So many questions!
Quote:
Originally Posted by dubldwn View Post

Finally, none of my business. Up to you. Just a pet peeve. If you get the SMA8 and you put a rad in the basement, get the 560.
Thanks for your feedback and this is some of the nitty gritty I was hoping to get into. I am totally fine with you making this your business. The more experienced users are willing to make my build decisions personal the better it will turn out: I'm so down to share the build process through here if CaseLabs is where I go and I actually drop buckets to do this if anyone is interested
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(Forgive me if outside reference isn't OK, LMK I'll remove) I was closely following Kyle Bennet's HardOCP articles on TR overclocking as a point of reference for hitting that 4ghz milestone, he used the 480 xspc I linked in my OP--is there a wider consensus on the optimal radiator setups?

Ultimately, I think the radiator selection will be based on a performance/weight ratio that makes sense--if going 560 means only a small % improvement but vastly larger % gain in weight and build rigidity, I think the answer will probably be not to go that route--buuuuuuut depends what new milestones can be hit
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Tying this back in, I think the weight and size concerns expand to the actual case I end up getting. I am NOT used to anything besides my mid-size Lian-Li case of 10-15 years. It is also all-aluminum and I love it besides being old-hat and perhaps a bit out of style. Might there be another alternative that allows 'good' flexibility for WC setups, versatility, and aesthetics that is smaller?
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevriety View Post

I know I've come to a, perhaps, biased place--but is the consensus really that there are 0 alternatives at the same quality level as CaseLabs? 0 Competitors with pre-fab cases in this quality range? It actually worries me when there isn't at least an alternative I can weight a product against in the same class.
Sorry, there are zero alternatives.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevriety View Post

I have a question about how these radiators get oriented in the bottom with these separated bottom compartments--how do you setup the air flow? Out of the bottom? In one side, out the other? How is the radiator actually mounted? I also (I think?) see there is an option to include cutout holes between the bottom chamber and main chamber, is this what will be needed or can I keep the heat from the bottom radiator and PSU partitioned off? Does that even make a difference with these setups or can focus be pointed at aesthetics at this level?
You set up the airflow as you wish on the bottom. Push,pull, or push-pull. You need to get a 480 or 560 bracket to hold the rad. The cutouts are to route tubing to the bottom chamber. SMA8 gives the opportunity to hide the PSU if that's important to you. Using the SMA8 presupposes you want *a lot* or rad space, otherwise you could use the SM8, although then you can't hide the PSU without some work. Aesthetics is the reason I would go with the 560 - it fills the chamber.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevriety View Post

Might there be another alternative that allows 'good' flexibility for WC setups, versatility, and aesthetics that is smaller?
Well, that's the trick. I ended up with the S8 for that reason, plus the horizontal orientation. I'd like to see a 4/5 scale SMA8.
 
#8 ·
I don't own one yet (I've listed after one for a few years now) but I love the look, the finish, and the approach to the design CaseLabs takes with their cases.

I'm also still regretting having gone with an NZXT Phantom 820 back in the day instead of the CaseLabs M8A.

Oh, and there's now a revision to the SMA8 that takes care of several of the issues some people had with the original design that they just unveiled today ~_^
 
#9 ·
very interesting thread, also curious to know from people who owned several high end cases including CaseLabs, since i'm debating this at the moment.

How does the following compare:

Lian Li? is their aluminium construction as good as CaseLabs's? ease of build?

Phanteks Elite?

Parvum cases? They seem to be quite loved, are they comparable to CaseLabs? does the acrylic feel cheaper than the aluminium construction?

In Win?
 
#10 ·
Quote:
very interesting thread, also curious to know from people who owned several high end cases including CaseLabs, since i'm debating this at the moment.

How does the following compare:

Lian Li? is their aluminium construction as good as CaseLabs's? ease of build?

Phanteks Elite?

Parvum cases? They seem to be quite loved, are they comparable to CaseLabs? does the acrylic feel cheaper than the aluminium construction?

In Win?
I still have V3000WX, it's my sons full tower and even thou it's not as big as SMA8 and definitely smaller than STH10 it feels flimsier, their aluminum is thinner and is softer, it's not as rigid.

If you want to compare Caslabs construction and quality to any other top dog brands , sorry but not even close, Caselabs really did their homework before deciding making their cases
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#11 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewUser16 View Post

If you want to compare Caslabs construction and quality to any other top dog brands , sorry but not even close, Caselabs really did their homework before deciding making their cases
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There is one, Abee, but they're far behind in features, and if you don't live in Japan you'll be spending a fortune (and a lot of effort) trying to get one of their cases shipped to you, and that's after spending Case Labs-tier money on just the case. That said, Abee is the only case maker I know of that still exists that comes anywhere near Case Labs in terms of build quality. For the price, though, you're better off just going with CL.
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by NewUser16 View Post

I still have V3000WX, its my sons full tower and even thou its not as big as SMA8 and definitely smaller than STH10 their aluminum is thinner and is softer, its not as rigid.
If you want to compare Caslabs construction and quality to any other top dog brands , sorry but not even close, Caselabs really did their homework before deciding making their cases
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I'll throw this out there as a modder, and not a CaseLabs rep.

The only cases I know of with close to the same structural integrity of a CaseLabs, is an InWin Signature series. Those are an entirely different price point and
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chunky_Chimp View Post

There is one, Abee, but they're far behind in features, and if you don't live in Japan you'll be spending a fortune (and a lot of effort) trying to get one of their cases shipped to you, and that's after spending Case Labs-tier money on just the case. That said, Abee is the only case maker I know of that still exists that comes anywhere near Case Labs in terms of build quality. For the price, though, you're better off just going with CL.
They have fidget spinners, though. And let's be honest, that's about the most important feature you can have.

 
#14 ·
I've never worked in a case labs, but then again, after building out my dream system years ago in a Lian Li PC-V2000B plus, my itch for mega towers was satiated. With the the death of multi-card GPU set-ups (3+) except for alt-coin miners and getting the top score on 3DMark, I think mid-towers are the way to go. I've been building out of the new Lian Li tempered glass series and they're designed for multi radiator configuration. Yea, you'll never fit a quad, but you can fit 3 360's pretty easily in the PC-09 - PC-014, which is plenty for an OC'd CPU and 2 OC'd GPU's.
 
#15 ·
A huge part of my dilemma at the time I was trying to select a Caselabs case is that I'm not a water-cooling enthusiast. This isn't relevant for you since you're doing water-cooling, but for me it was difficult.

For me it was deciding between the BH7, the S8, and the SM8. They seemed, at the time, like the best full ATX options for air cooling. I wound up going with the S8 and I love it, but had the BH8 been around then or the S8S been available, I probably would have gone with one of them instead. That's maybe the only real downside aside from cost and lead times I have with Caselabs. If you're not a water-cooling enthusiast, most the cases are going to be basically the wrong "class."

That said, I think the S8 is probably the best of both worlds, and offers the most flexibility of the Caselabs cases, since it's small enough not to make air-cooling impractical, but not too small for even the most high-end of water-cooling options. This means I can completely revamp my build without having to do any real modifications to the case itself outside maybe changing a couple parts.
 
#16 ·
Going forward, I think one of our design goals is to come out with smaller designs that are more friendly to air/AIO cooling. The Bullet series was the first step in that direction, but I'd like to push into that space more. I think there are a lot of you that want the build quality, but not the bulk of a full-on watercooling case.

BEFORE anyone reads too much into that
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we're not going anywhere with our "big bad boys" as evidenced by the new SMA8-A
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#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim-CL View Post

Going forward, I think one of our design goals is to come out with smaller designs that are more friendly to air/AIO cooling. The Bullet series was the first step in that direction, but I'd like to push into that space more. I think there are a lot of you that want the build quality, but not the bulk of a full-on watercooling case.

BEFORE anyone reads too much into that
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we're not going anywhere with our "big bad boys" as evidenced by the new SMA8-A
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I've been considering cutting the basement off of a BH2 and seeing how well it makes a HTPC case.

I'll throw my vote out of something like THW3. An ITX, true dual bay case. Add in the fancy new tempered glass and a bottom RGB plate, and I'd love it
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#18 ·
So, after your guys feedback and a bit more time digging around...I ended up plunging for the SMA8--two hours before the new revision was announced. I reached out to case-labs via email the next day (yesterday). I'm really hoping you guys pull through somehow. It would be a huge bummer if $800 meant to go towards the latest and greatest possible case for my dream build were locked into an older generation because of a two-hour window of mis-timing...
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevriety View Post

So, after your guys feedback and a bit more time digging around...I ended up plunging for the SMA8--two hours before the new revision was announced. I reached out to case-labs via email the next day (yesterday). I'm really hoping you guys pull through somehow. It would be a huge bummer if $800 meant to go towards the latest and greatest possible case for my dream build were locked into an older generation because of a two-hour window of mis-timing...
dont fret, man. their customer service will take care of you. congrats on your purchase and welcome to the caselabs family
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#21 ·
I wouldn't worry at all
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the fulfillment time is so long that before they will get to your order it will take a while. Caselabs are great company with guys that care and their customer service is exceptional, so sit tight and after the weekend I'm sure they will take care of that
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#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevriety View Post

So, after your guys feedback and a bit more time digging around...I ended up plunging for the SMA8--two hours before the new revision was announced. I reached out to case-labs via email the next day (yesterday). I'm really hoping you guys pull through somehow. It would be a huge bummer if $800 meant to go towards the latest and greatest possible case for my dream build were locked into an older generation because of a two-hour window of mis-timing...
This absolutely won't be an issue. If you don't hear back by tomorrow afternoon, send me a PM on here and I'll make sure it gets seen and taken care of. The new version isn't available for order yet, so what's likely to happen is an order cancellation and then you'll be able to just replace the order when the SMA8-A Revision becomes available around the beginning of December. As long as you don't mind the longer wait, you're not forced into the older model
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#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by sevriety View Post

Thanks man... I really hope so. Until I can hear back from them I'm actually going to be going through an $800 emotional rollercoaster :|
You don't have anything to worry about. I ordered mine during probably the worst possible time for them. It took a long time to get it, months.

Zero regrets. Worth every penny and day of waiting.
 
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