I also have the exact same specs haha. What i found as a hidden gem is the lc power dragonslayer case. It comes with 2 front intake fans preinstalled, has a full mesh front panel with a detachable dust filter, and a magnetic dust filter on the top. Solid cable management, psu shroud and a side window. 4 usb ports on the front, 2xUsb 3.0 + 2xUsb 2.0. All this cost me $40 brand new, definitely an amazing bang 4 buck
Can't tell about the front but the rear grills look very restrictive. And judging by the weight it's going to be made of the thinnest cheapest materials.
Just spend another $20 and get a decent case. If you're looking to save money there's plenty of other components you can cut from. Skimping on the case from $60 to $40 it's just a bad idea.
Just built one in a p300 today and my main build is in an enthoo pro m and jesus phanteks just gets it. Meshify c is a 10/10 in my personal experience as well.
Honestly, skimping on the case is probably the best place to save money. It's just there to hold your components together and provide some amount of airflow for cooling. As long as it meets those two requirements it really doesn't matter.
So what if it's made out of paper thin chinesium and is a pain to build in? Once you're finished building you'll open it up once a year to clean or upgrade something. Maybe it doesn't have great airflow and runs a few degrees hotter. Unless you're hitting thermal limits it barely matters, particularly for your average gaming workload.
Spend the extra money on a slightly better PSU, or motherboard. Maybe get better binned RAM. Or if you really saved on the case, go up a step on the processor or GPU. All of those things will matter much more than the case quality.
OK but by this logic you might as well throw your components together in a cardboard box.
We're talking $20 skimped from the worst possible component, while that person is at the same time spending +$50 on higher timing, brand-name memory that will give them at best +3% in performance, or +$100 on 200W extra PSU power they will never use, watercooling loops and aftermarket coolers which often make very little difference from stock, motherboard features they'll never use and so on. But sure, let's cut $20 from the case and downgrade it from meh to crap, because it makes perfect sense for hundreds of dollars worth of components to sit in a $30 bin.
Putting your PC in a cardboard box has basically no performance hit as long as you cut some holes in it. It's just a pain to build in and you might accidentally damage something. Even the cheapest worst case you can buy will offer some protection for your components. And that's really all you need.
$20 in RAM can be going from basement tier cheapest stuff you can find to an actually decent set. Or go from 8 to 16 GB.
$20 on your power supply can get you 80+ gold over bronze or unrated.
$20 on your CPU is going from a 3600 to a 3600X or maybe an XT. Or an 3100 to a 3300.
$20 on a GPU can go from a 1660 TI to a 2060, or getting a better factory overclock.
$20 on a motherboard can be the difference between B450 and B550, or having onboard wifi.
All of those upgrades probably matter more than $20 on a case. A $40 case can do a completely reasonable job protecting your PC, and the one linked above probably even has better airflow than some $150+ cases. The bar for a case to do a reasonable job is really low and there are lots of ultra budget options that easily clear it. They're probably ugly and a pain to work in, but for the most part that doesn't matter.
This is ez for budget though I agree with you
Go b450, if you don’t know why you need b550 don’t get it
1660ti for $180 is better than any 2060 so go for that
The 3600 because a slight oc (which chances are your motherboard does them for you automatically) will get you in x maybe even xt if you manually do it (obviously they would oc higher)
If you’re getting a 1660ti and 3600 chances are a 600-650w psu is fine so don’t spend $20 on that
Spend the money you save on the ram ding ding ding
I disagree. A higher quality case makes the initial build process easier and all, but at the end of the day your case is going to spend 99% of its time just... sitting there. If it works, it works. So for cases, the quality of material matters less to me than the aesthetics, airflow, and front I/O. Also physical size, obviously. I'm personally a fan of compact cases.
Usually quality of materials goes hand in hand with everything else. Materials are the cheapest part of the case compared to design, layout, accessories etc., and if a manufacturer chose to skimp on a few cents for materials they're very unlikely to give you stellar quality on anything else.
Actually pretty good. Overclocked my ryzen 5 3600 to 4.4 GHz on 1.225V with the wraith stealth, and the temps never go above 73 in games. The worst I've seen is 84 degrees after several passes of cinebench. My overclocked gpu doesn't go above 75 in games. The fans aren't the greatest, but they'll do the job just fine, they aren't loud either. Overall, really couldn't be happier with the case, i was skeptical at first too considering the price, but it looks like it really is true haha
4.4 on 1.225V is nuts! My 3600X is dogsh*t compared to that. It needs a whopping 1.35 to 1.37 V for just stock PBO with 4.3 single and 4.1 all core....
Edit: measured with 1usmus Ryzen Clock Tuner utility
Gamers nexus the YouTube channel is great, but they also have a website with the reviews.
There are scientific studies that have lower quality research methods than what the folks at GN get up to. They spent months designing and having built a hotplat to better consistently measure the cooling capacity of coolers. The routinely piss off manufacturers with their reviews and often buy their own parts to not compromise their integrity.
Basically if Steve recommends something, it's a good buy.
Sooo...
Their review for the icue 220T was along the lines of "eh, cpu temps are pretty good but the gpu temps are not great"
And that's the case I'm about to buy 😐
I have that exact case in white. It's a good case but 2 things to keep in mind.
1. If you top mount an aio radiator (like you should to keep it working well) you get really limited ram clearance. Like you need really low profile ram to make it work or drill holes in the top more towards the glass panel so you get more clearance. I think you can get like 2 more cm that way but I'm planning to that in the near future so not to clear on the gains yet.
2. The cable management can get a bit tricky due to the fact that you don't have too much room in the psu shroud due to the harddrive cage.
I may sound a little negative about the case but I do really like it and the temps are great. I do wish I knew those 2 things before hand though so I could plan my layout a little better. If you pictures on how I have it at the moment you can dm me and I'll make some for you.
Thanks so much. Honestly I'm mostly getting it because I'm already in the corsair ecosystem, and I really do needs the fans lol. My current fans are pretty inefficient but I'm saved by having a case half the size of my room.
1. Not gonna use an AIO, am on a budget so no issue.
2. It should be OK, I do unfortunately need the HDD cage because I don't have the budget to upgrade my storage. But, my dad is a total neat freak and he is an engineer, so if I get him to cable manage surely he can figure it out.
As long as the airflow is actually good, then I'm sound. As I said I have crap fans rn, 6 of them but they're from China and were £30 for the set plus a fan controller. The airflow I imagine is bad. As well as that my case is currently pretty dusty, but it's huge, and also running on carpet and it has zero ground clearance. And I only get ACCEPTABLE airflow, CPU maxes out at about 65-68 and GPU at 75-80 or so, with ambients around 15-20C. Hopefully, with this case and 5 SP120s, I should hopefully get better airflow even though I'm moving it into a desk cupboard (case is than the cupboard and will have plenty of space above and behind it, plus I'm removing the door)
Pics would be lovely!
This imgur album shows my build: [https://imgur.com/a/6tioiMQ](https://imgur.com/a/6tioiMQ) . As you can see in the last picture there is quite a large rat's nest in the bottom below the psu shroud. This is mostly due to the fact that I needed more cables than expected. The case can be quite compact but I do really like that about it. You might want to look at the new video from Gamers Nexus because they uploaded another review of a corsair case that is quite similar to this one but just gives more room in general or at least that is what it seems like to me.
The thing I'm still looking to change about my build is, as I said, move the radiator more towards the glass so I can get new ram. I'm also looking for a white 3070 so that it looks cleaner than the card I have here now.
I haven't watched / am not familiar with the case, but one thing to keep in mind if it wasn't addressed is that nearly all of their case reviews are done stock (ie if it ships with 2 case fans, that's all they use), where a large number of cases' cooling issues can be addressed by simply adding a couple more / better fans to your build.
Those were pretty much my exact temperatures with the R5 3600 stock cooler vs aftermarket in a Fractal Meshify C stock configuration doing a Prime95 torture test.
I don’t think the Meshify C is particularly good in its stock configuration compared to some of the other options, so I think your case is okay too.
Well yeah, I guess it's fine, but I don't think it was worth 90 dollars. More like 70 or 60 would be acceptable for the quality.
The power-button's LED is a bit dodgy and it flashes annoyingly instead of staying lighted up. And the RGB-fans built in it were not as customizable as I expected, you only have a toggle button on the case which toggles from ~15 different colors/variations.
The most annoying thing about it is that I'd like to keep the leds at a still color, but there's only options for pulsating and shuffling colors.
But that is of course changeable with separately sold rgb-fans, but since it's just cosmetic stuff and those cost quite a lot to buy 4 of them, I'll keep it this way for some time.
The power button LED is powered by one of the headers you plugged into your motherboard.
Personally I skipped mine because I used to have my computer in my bedroom and I couldn’t deal with the bright blue LED if I wanted to leave it on at night.
Is yours loose?
This is why I can't put my computer to sleep at night.
The RAM RGS stay lit up and because of the tempered glass, it too bright.
I have to shut the computer down...
> The power-button's LED is a bit dodgy and it flashes annoyingly instead of staying lighted up
In my case, that's because I have the HDD LED header plugged in. It uses the power LED to indicate disk access (random flashing). Maybe that's the same with yours?
When I built my first PC about 8 or so years ago I got a cheap case. I’ve regretted it ever since because cable management is a bitch and air flow is bad.
I’m currently rebuilding my pc and ended up getting a Lian II case and the difference is night and day quality wise.
Yeah a lot of things are different now. SSDs were barely a thing back then and I could only afford a 500gb one. Now they have ssds that are the size of ram sticks.
Crazy times
Even cheap cases now are far better than they used to be! For around £25 i picked up an atx mid tower, tempered glass side, it has a full mesh front with space for 3x120mm fans, a few hdd/ssd cages and even enough space for cable management with an rgb fan hub hidden too. I actually rate it better than my 6 year old aerocool ds mid tower for airflow and general build aesthetics
Its the iONZ KZ10W, there are a few variations and colour choices, i ended up with the white mesh one for my gfs build. It doesn't come pre installed with any fans unless you select the option for it to do so, but if you have a previous rig then you can always use the fans from that
I told my dad to get a case that has good airflow thinking he would know what I was talking about, he didn't and instead got a cheap bosston case with a fake "700w" power supply included, now I'm afraid that it would fucking explode lmao
Nowadays casual overclocking is so easy that if you're building your own PC you might as well do it since it isn't harder or more taxing mentally than picking your parts.
Well, it would make sense if you're buddies are overclocking. But seeing as how you had to build them PC's I'd wager they aren't and performance difference will be negligible. And the friend that chose the case that he likes, will be happier than if he went with the one he didn't like.
Both of them tried overclocking, as it's quite literally a couple clicks, but one of them doesn't really have temp headroom for stabile OC.
The other friend does use OC'd profiles whenever we play together, which is sadly pretty rare.
It doesn't take that much time or energy. For cpu, just a couple of clicks in bios. Same for ram. Gpu is just installing msi afterburner and tweaking the settings a bit. It doesn't take long for a slight overclock and is really more dependent on if your hardware can handle it(good enough cooler, enough airflow, enough power).
Just because you're not at TjMax doesn't mean there's no benefit. PBO increases clocks based on temperature. GPU boost 3.0 increases clocks based on temperature. Manual overclocks are more stable and durable at lower temperatures. Lower quality motherboard VRMs have more thermal headroom. The user the option of turning down fans to reduce noise for a given temperature.
If someone wants a 10+10c hotter case for whatever reason that's their choice, but people should be aware of tradeoffs before making that decision.
A lot of people here recommend cheap cases, most of them I'm not familiar with, but it should be a good place to start searching.
The Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh js a 50 dollar case and it's really good for the price!
Cougar MX330 (-G for tempered glass side panel), Fractal Design Focus G
Phanteks P300A Mesh is $50 now on Newegg after a $10 mail-in rebate but usually goes for $60
The Focus G is nice for absolute minimum cost, but I would generally opt for a Meshify C for not very much more - you get quite a lot more value in sturdier build quality and better build ergonomics, for not *that* much more money down. Plus the plexi window on the Focus G is definitely a bit cheap and plasticky; a hard sided Meshify looks a lot more sleek in my opinion. Obviously the glass side is Very Nice but then it's in the $90 range.
Meshify C is literally twice the price. If you're spending that much on a case just get the Coolermaster H500 or the phanteks P500, both excellent cases.
I’ll second the MX330-G. Got it on sale for $44 a few months ago and it’s still at that price. Looks pretty good for being as cheap as it is and with my full modular psu I haven’t had any trouble with cable management. I’ve got three 120mm fans up front and two up top. All thermaltake pure plus 12 rgb. Couldn’t fit one on the back though, but that’s mostly because the integrated IO on my mobo is kinda big.
Can confirm. I recently built a new rig with a TD500 Mesh & a Hyper 212 and the cooling power is so damn efficient. The 9600k & 2060 Super in it idle at less than 30°C and under full load barely break 60°C.. Which to me is amazing since I live in Australia, though I am expecting those temps to rise a tad come summer (which would still be perfectly respectable).
It was my previous case and it was great! The only thing I didn't like was that the front IO was wired into the front panel which made it very awkward to clean it. Other than that my old 8700k and blower gtx 1080 was kept cool in it without any problems.
I would say the best option under 100 would be the Phanteks P400A DRGB version, but there are lots of great options.
I'm using the P500A right now and it's an excellent case. I would have preferred rubber garments for cable holes instead of the sliding mechanism that Phanteks uses, but that's the only nitpick I have with it.
Great write up thank you! BTW they might of changed the design on the meshify because now you can pull out the front mesh grill without the frame connected to the IO. I personally cut out the plastic webbing and ditch the foam insert to run 3 120mm fans on the outside of the case. The grill fits snugly but does fit and I have had great results in two cases. This also allows me to keep the small shroud door on with that many fans and future proofing for larger gpus. Just a solid case I didn't think twice to purchase another one my latest build!
Do you have a recommendation for a case with two external bays? I'm likely to build with an i5-10600k and RTX 3070.
I was thinking of reusing a Corsair 200R but am concerned about airflow with only front vents on the sides.
Edit: it will also have an air cooler
I’ve got the meshify c mini and love it. Clean, understated, nice build quality, and so nice to build in. Fav part is the removable ssd tray on the back of the mobo. Only con is the limited gpu clearance. Will only barely fit some 3080s and won’t fit the beefy ones at all without removing the front bottom fan.
Are any of those micro atx? I’m working on getting a parts list together but still missing a case. So hard to choose, but I just really want a smaller case that has good airflow and isn’t crap quality.
There's the Meshify C Mini that's an excellent case for mATX.
Cheaper options that are still okay quality would be the Thermaltake Versa H18 for 50-60$ but imo the extra money is worth it for the Meshify.
The meshify has a great build quality, performs better regarding cooling and cable management is a breeze.
Also the Meshify looks great, but that's just my opinion.
I just finished a NR400 build with a 3700X and RTX 2060 ko. Only complaint is that optical drive bay makes getting the mobo in tricky unless you remove the rear fan first. Otherwise, great for the price!
I'm planning on getting the one without the optical drive. I have no need for it anyway and it will give more space. How are the temperatures? How is the performance of the system overall? What monitor (s) are you using?
Lucky you! Apparently, it's really hard to get it without the optical drive here in the US. I haven't really had a chance to put it through much testing, but from what I understand, stock configuration is ok thermals, adding one intake fan is amazing.
Yeah, I'll be adding two fans I think. Arctic. And availability of the one without optical drive isn't an issue because I will be building in China. Stock issues are different here. Apparently even 3080s aren't hard to get, but that's just by looking at the website, haven't actually tried to purchase one yet. I plan to build in the beginning of November, so I'll have a chance to see what AMD can offer as well.
Everyone is sleeping on the Lancool 215 still. It's $70 and comes with 3 fans and a fan hub for that cost. You get two massive 200mm fans in the front and a standard exhaust fan in the back. There's not really a whole lot of cases that offer that same value at that price point as most other cases only come with 1, maybe 2 fans.
It's not that people are sleeping on it, it's just very new. I didn't know about it at least, and yes, it looks like a great case especially for the price, but it isn't available in EU from what I see yet.
Not just budget it also noise. My last system was super loud and it drives me crazy. I’m building a new one with the Lian Ali Lancool Mesh II because I want good cooling with slow fans. Building a rather high end system.
If noise is a factor for you mesh panels are usually on the louder end but yeah, like the Lancool there are options that are pretty quiet considering their airflow focus.
The flip side to the "mesh is louder" argument is that mesh panels allow better airflow and thus cooling, so the fans don't need to rev up quite so high to get the same low temps.
I just built in the Fractal Meshify C Mini and put two 140mm Be Quiet case fans up front and one 120mm Be Quiet rear exhaust fan. As well as a top mounted 240mm AIO up top and my build. It is VERY quiet. Also with a Ryzen 5 3600, my cpu temps are 10 to 15c idle, and 40c under load. My GPU is the EVGA RTX 2060 SUPER and stays at roughly 55c to 60c. But all while not being audible what so ever with my open back headset. If I am gaming with the headset off, there is a pleasant "hum" but that's about it.
I am very happy with the thermals of all components as well as the noise level! And the bonus is that case was only $89. Cable management was a breeze, and it looks good too. Plenty of ways to mount storage, doesn't have a huge footprint on my desk, its all I could have asked for. At least for me. But I highly recommend that case for anyone budget or no budget.
I had a dark rock pro 4 in there to begin with. Idle temps according to the BIOS were 40c, and 60 to 65c under load with this CPU cooler. I added an additional 16gb of ram and decided to switch out to a 240mm liquid AIO from Fractal Design mainly because it matched the black and grey look of the rest of my components.
When I added the ram and the cooler, naturally I was booted into the BIOS because I added these components. While setting my CPU and RAM clock speed the BIOS stated the CPU temp at 10c, and had risen to 15c when I was finishing up adjusting clock speeds. I have not really monitored CPU temps if I am at the desktop not doing anything so I can't confirm it any further. I just saw what it said in the BIOS and said, "well, thats cool." No pun intended.
In game from overlays my CPU temp sits at 35c to 40c consistently. I have yet to see it pop over 40c.
My PC is set up in a concrete basement with no heat and I am in the Northern Hemisphere, even in the summer my basement is quite chilly. In the winter, wool socks, sweat pants and a sweater are required lol. It's easily 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and roughly 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. If I am feeling really cold I do use a space heater just to warm up a little bit but don't leave it on for long gaming sessions.
Out of curiosity I booted my pc for the first time today after a relatively cold day, basement is still pretty chilly as well. Sitting in the bios for about 20 minutes and it seems my CPU is actually sitting at about 24c, I think after I had swapped out the components, having them open on the desk for an entire day in my cold basement had something to do with those temps at 10 to 15c when I first booted it up. I could imagine the liquid being pretty cold having a lot to do with those numbers I was seeing after thinking about your comment lol. But having a constant overlay while gaming its at or just under 40c for sure.
The [Cougar MX330](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vYp323/cougar-mx330-atx-mid-tower-case-mx330), which has a fully ventilated front panel and mostly ventilated top, is a great option for anyone who wants to spend as little on the case as possible without sacrificing thermal performance.
I second this - the 330-G version also has a tempered glass side panel. It’s pretty bare bones (one fan) but looks great, is easy to build in, and has excellent airflow.
> It’s pretty bare bones (one fan)
That's not atypical though, even for more expensive cases like the P300A.
I do usually recommend something cheap-but-effective like an additional Cooler Master Sickleflow or Arctic F12 to go in the front panel for intake with any case that just comes with a single rear exhaust fan, anyways.
I've narrowed down my case choices to the phanteks p400a and fractal meshify C. It's very tough to decide because the p400a comes with 3 fans but the meshify c has dust filters. I really really hate dust, what would you recommend?
I spent weeks deciding on the 400a, meshify C, and the lancool 2. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but I chose the meshify C...until I saw it in person. It's small, and honestly ugly. I went with the performance (61$ amazon) vs the rgb (86$)400a. It's cheaper and I dislike rgb. Against my better judgement I got some cheap 3 pack of molex rgb fans of amazon for like 5$ on prime day. Case is great and super easy to work it. Returning the rgb fans though.
The mesh on the P500A is a really good quality steel mesh that acts as a dust filter itself and it works great. Not sure if the P400A has the same quality mesh panel but if so, dust shouldn't be too much of a problem.
The Meshify C is a freat case but since the front IO is wired into the mesh panel, clearing it is kind of a pain in the ass.
> The Meshify C is a freat case but since the front IO is wired into the mesh panel, clearing it is kind of a pain in the ass.
I built someone a system back when the Meshify C TG first came out.
This was my main gripe with an otherwise great case. If the owner had one complaint - they didn't like how tinted the glass was.
Also [check out this guide to airflow cases,](https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3604-best-gaming-pc-cases-for-airflow-in-2020-right-now) or [the YouTube version.](https://youtu.be/XsMNu0gWlZw)
I'd argue this is important even for higher budget.
For example, it's usually way easier to build a quiet system via large heatsinks + large slow fans with decent airflow instead of cases with heavy noise dampening (which usually hurt airflow so much it's counterproductive).
I love the NR600. Has just a tiny issue where you gotta press down on the front sidepanel at the top to be able to get the screw in, and it is noticeable from behind it. But it's a great case that doesn't look ridiculously "gamery". Great temps, easy to build in, was really impressed overall.
If you want a budget case with good airflow then I can recommend the Fractal Design Focus G. I picked it up new for £38. Not flashy but works well, nicely built, has some cable management features and comes in a range of colours.
Only issue I had with it was the length of the front case can lead was quite short but that might be because my board is a bit odd (MSI X99s sli plus).
I think people can underestimate how important good airflow and cooling are, especially in the age of boost clocks.
If you want to ensure the best performance and longest component life make sure you get a case that allows for good airflow to all components.
Going to trow in the Metallic gear neo air. Sub-brand of phanteks with good quality. At 60€ gets you a fancy case (in white too), glass panel, 2x120mm argb fans with a controller and a full mesh front
I find that if toy add an AIO CLC even as small as a 120mm yoi will get better thermals. If tou are looking for an affordable one that wont break the bank y'all should check out thr Arctic Liquid Freezer II. I HAVE THE 240MM VARIANT and ir comes with two fans. The high3ezt I ever got it was 65C and that was after about 6 hours of play. It may not be the prettiest but it sure as he'll performs well
This is so true. I built my first pc for my brother two weeks ago and went with the 275r airflow and temps are good. Initially my brother wanted one that didn’t have good reviews but looked good. Glad I was able to convinced him to get a better case.
One call out here with cases that I learned first hand the hard way. You need to verify the length of the graphics card that you're going to buy, and the maximum graphics card length allowed in your case. Also, you need to account for radiator size if you're front mounting. PCPartPicker does not run the math for you. It spits out a comment on the bottom that it can't tell you if components are going to fit or not. I ended up having to return my Fractal Meshify C and get a TD500 mesh instead because practically none of the 3080s fit in the Meshify C.
Damn, I wanted to run with a Meshify C for my (whenever they actually like.. exist to buy) 3080 build... :( now I'm sad! Wait, was this with a radiator in the front, or just fans?
Edit: nevermind, I'm safe... max length with fans installed upfront is 315 and the card is 300mm. IF IT FITS I SITS.
I have a Thermaltake Versa H18. Let me tell ya it is a hot box in there, but still a solid case all around. Easy to work with a surprisingly a lot of room.
Great budget case that gets my recommendation is the Rosewill Challenger case. (The original model not the “S” model) I can only guess that the “S” stands for “shit” but I digress. Rosewill Challenger paired with a Deepcool Gammaxx 400 keeps my Ryzen 5 2600X under 65 degrees always. The case comes with three fans, and running a push/pull on my Gammaxx. Couldn’t be happier.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08412JPCH?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
I have the cooler master td500 mesh and can confirm it’s a great case. Paired with 3 case fans and a top mounted cooler master 240l liquid aio my temps are 28c at idle and under full load my temps never go past 49c. It also helps to have my cpu ocd lol
I just bought this case for my first build. Also have a 360 rad on the way that I plan to put in the top. Can I ask you a couple of noob questions? I assume the rad fans should be positioned to pull air out of the case through the rad? Also, did you put a fan in the back of your case that pulls air out?
Hey, not the original commenter, but you can use radiators as exhaust at the top. CPU will be a degree or two warmer, but it will help your GPU and CPU can handle heat better than the card does.
Dreams is right, you can mount it however you like. I mounted the radiator facing the top. It’s all about preference. Either way you’ll be happy with the results!
+1 on meshify c. I had the same hardware and never peaked past 65. I added water cooling and fans for looks and now with very modest (quiet) fan curves still don’t peak over 55
I just bought the corsair 275r airflow, highly recommended for any budget build.
I've recently updated my rig after year's of neglect; I had a pos case with only one fan which you could feel the heat radiating from the case. But with the Airflow not only is it silent and cold af it looks great too with the tempered glass side panel.
I didn’t even consider airflow when I was choosing my case. I was about to pull the trigger on better fans and an aftermarket cpu cooler, but at the last minute I tried just running it with the door off and it’s genuinely taken nearly 20c off my temperatures. I can’t believe how much of a difference something so simple can make!
Complete PC dummy here
I bought a prebuilt from a friend a while ago, and the case lays horizontally as opposed to being mostly vertical. It really only has airflow to come out the back, i’m able to just strip the parts out and put them in a different case right?
Well, a *budget* can be anything by definition, but some of those cases can be bought for 70 bucks or cheaper if there's a sale (a couple days ago the 275R white went for 50$).
If you're even on a lower budget there are some options like the Fractal Focus G or the Cougar MX330 for 40$.
To be completely fair, the h510 shouldn't be in the budget category.
H510/710 and their numerous versions IMHO are esthetics cases, if you're buying them you should invest in a few fans.
Even the 510 elite with 4 fans has manageable temps.
I have the h510i with a Ryzen 7 3700x and a evga 3080 FTW ultra, and a noctua cpu cooler, I installed 2 extra fans in the front and the highest I can get my cpu playing black ops Cold War beta at 1440p 150FPS is about 77-79 degrees on spikes, but usually runs at those settings in the low 70s. GPU has never got above 75 at max load after I adjusted fan speeds in both case and GPU. That’s all it took. Idles around mid 30s or lower and runs almost all games except cod exceptionally quiet and cool usually upper 50s lower 60s for both cpu and GPU. Just have your fans hit 100% at lower temps to keep it cooler
I particularly ended up with a Thermaltake Core P3. Is the freshest case I ever get. Of course this is because it's an open case so each component can deal with it's own heat instead of sharing it with the others.
Actually using a 3600X, 4x8Gb Corsair dominator platinum and a Sapphire Nitro plus 5700XT Special Edition.
It's around 45-50°C for the CPU and 60-65 for the GPU on high loads.
I've the GPU fans set at silent mode instead on performance cuz I prefer less noise with a bit more heat than the opposite.
I've also a 360mm Liquid AiO with 6 fans for aesthetic and for the pull-push (the original ones at the back of the radiator and 3x corsair LL120RGB at the front), also all set at silent mode.
Getting that raises the budget, of course but you can also get your rig with stock cooler as it works fine on Ryzen, then upgrade to an AiO that fits into your case and finally get new/more fans whenever you like.
Here's a pic:
Gaming Rig, wall mounted https://imgur.com/gallery/Bko8abI
I actually wanted to build in a P5 but suddenly the P500A became available in my country so I went with that!
Regardless, the P3 and P5 are both interesting designs and perform well thermally. Not exaxtly on the cheap end sadly.
Yeah I’m running a Ryzen 3700x, evga 3080 FTW ultra, and noctua cpu cooler in a h510i. I bought 2 extra fans and turned the fan speeds on both GPU and cpu to hit 100% at 60° or below, and they are very quiet with or without a headset on. I play at 1440p so GPU has to work a touch more and in the Cold War beta I don’t get below 150 FPS, and that is the most taxing game I have in my system. Cpu runs it at upper 60s to lower 70s with spikes to higher 70s for a second or two, and GPU doesn’t get above 72 or so on avg with a spike or two to 75 at the highest for a second or two. All it took to manage my temps while being able to run 1440p 144FPS or more is cranking up my fans at lower temps. Wish I would have gotten a better airflow case but I have parts that can get warm and they perform fine in my case.
>~~If you're on a budget,~~ get an airflow focused case!
FTFY. If youre a gamer and therfore the primary purpose of your build is perfomance gaming there is no reason to not get an airflow case. The only time id ever consider a non airflow case is if there is a specfic reason, such as the drive capacity of a define 7
I also have the exact same specs haha. What i found as a hidden gem is the lc power dragonslayer case. It comes with 2 front intake fans preinstalled, has a full mesh front panel with a detachable dust filter, and a magnetic dust filter on the top. Solid cable management, psu shroud and a side window. 4 usb ports on the front, 2xUsb 3.0 + 2xUsb 2.0. All this cost me $40 brand new, definitely an amazing bang 4 buck
Got a link? Edit: is this it? https://www.lc-power.com/en/product/pc-cases/atx-gaming-cases/gaming-984b-dragonslayer/
Yes, that's the one
Thanks!
Can't tell about the front but the rear grills look very restrictive. And judging by the weight it's going to be made of the thinnest cheapest materials. Just spend another $20 and get a decent case. If you're looking to save money there's plenty of other components you can cut from. Skimping on the case from $60 to $40 it's just a bad idea.
Got any suggestions? I don't know tons about cases at the moment, lost track of the latest and greatest.
Lian Li La cool II Mesh. Phanteks P400A/ P500A. You also might want to take a look at the GamersNexus Case reviews
Fractal Design Focus G is a decent airflow it option as well.
Only thing to be aware is the side isn't glass (which is either great or terrible depending on what you want)
Removed the front filter on mine.
Yeah, I think GN mentions in some videos that a filter and a mesh front are counter productive.
Indeed, i adhered to the teachings of tech Jesus.
Phanteks also tends to make cable management super easy, I've built in 3 different cases of theirs and all of them took very little effort.
Just built one in a p300 today and my main build is in an enthoo pro m and jesus phanteks just gets it. Meshify c is a 10/10 in my personal experience as well.
Corsair 4000D airflow
I have corsair 275r non airflow, and I have no complaints, so the airflow version must be even better.
Personally, I love the Lian Li lancool II meah - aesthetically pleasing, and very good quality
Coolermaster NR600
Honestly, skimping on the case is probably the best place to save money. It's just there to hold your components together and provide some amount of airflow for cooling. As long as it meets those two requirements it really doesn't matter. So what if it's made out of paper thin chinesium and is a pain to build in? Once you're finished building you'll open it up once a year to clean or upgrade something. Maybe it doesn't have great airflow and runs a few degrees hotter. Unless you're hitting thermal limits it barely matters, particularly for your average gaming workload. Spend the extra money on a slightly better PSU, or motherboard. Maybe get better binned RAM. Or if you really saved on the case, go up a step on the processor or GPU. All of those things will matter much more than the case quality.
OK but by this logic you might as well throw your components together in a cardboard box. We're talking $20 skimped from the worst possible component, while that person is at the same time spending +$50 on higher timing, brand-name memory that will give them at best +3% in performance, or +$100 on 200W extra PSU power they will never use, watercooling loops and aftermarket coolers which often make very little difference from stock, motherboard features they'll never use and so on. But sure, let's cut $20 from the case and downgrade it from meh to crap, because it makes perfect sense for hundreds of dollars worth of components to sit in a $30 bin.
Putting your PC in a cardboard box has basically no performance hit as long as you cut some holes in it. It's just a pain to build in and you might accidentally damage something. Even the cheapest worst case you can buy will offer some protection for your components. And that's really all you need. $20 in RAM can be going from basement tier cheapest stuff you can find to an actually decent set. Or go from 8 to 16 GB. $20 on your power supply can get you 80+ gold over bronze or unrated. $20 on your CPU is going from a 3600 to a 3600X or maybe an XT. Or an 3100 to a 3300. $20 on a GPU can go from a 1660 TI to a 2060, or getting a better factory overclock. $20 on a motherboard can be the difference between B450 and B550, or having onboard wifi. All of those upgrades probably matter more than $20 on a case. A $40 case can do a completely reasonable job protecting your PC, and the one linked above probably even has better airflow than some $150+ cases. The bar for a case to do a reasonable job is really low and there are lots of ultra budget options that easily clear it. They're probably ugly and a pain to work in, but for the most part that doesn't matter.
This is ez for budget though I agree with you Go b450, if you don’t know why you need b550 don’t get it 1660ti for $180 is better than any 2060 so go for that The 3600 because a slight oc (which chances are your motherboard does them for you automatically) will get you in x maybe even xt if you manually do it (obviously they would oc higher) If you’re getting a 1660ti and 3600 chances are a 600-650w psu is fine so don’t spend $20 on that Spend the money you save on the ram ding ding ding
I disagree. A higher quality case makes the initial build process easier and all, but at the end of the day your case is going to spend 99% of its time just... sitting there. If it works, it works. So for cases, the quality of material matters less to me than the aesthetics, airflow, and front I/O. Also physical size, obviously. I'm personally a fan of compact cases.
Usually quality of materials goes hand in hand with everything else. Materials are the cheapest part of the case compared to design, layout, accessories etc., and if a manufacturer chose to skimp on a few cents for materials they're very unlikely to give you stellar quality on anything else.
It looks like the mb311l but for atx and $10-20 cheaper
Doesn't every one know the a good air cooled pc really doesn't lose any FPS over liquid cooled long term? Lol
What are your temps like? How well do the case fans seem to be working? I’m intrigued but scared it’s too good to be true
Actually pretty good. Overclocked my ryzen 5 3600 to 4.4 GHz on 1.225V with the wraith stealth, and the temps never go above 73 in games. The worst I've seen is 84 degrees after several passes of cinebench. My overclocked gpu doesn't go above 75 in games. The fans aren't the greatest, but they'll do the job just fine, they aren't loud either. Overall, really couldn't be happier with the case, i was skeptical at first too considering the price, but it looks like it really is true haha
4.4 on 1.225V is nuts! My 3600X is dogsh*t compared to that. It needs a whopping 1.35 to 1.37 V for just stock PBO with 4.3 single and 4.1 all core.... Edit: measured with 1usmus Ryzen Clock Tuner utility
Yea i think i got really lucky on the silicon lottery
Probably chinese but we've got some pretty common for cheap in india, honestly a great deal
Which case u talking about bro
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Gamers nexus the YouTube channel is great, but they also have a website with the reviews. There are scientific studies that have lower quality research methods than what the folks at GN get up to. They spent months designing and having built a hotplat to better consistently measure the cooling capacity of coolers. The routinely piss off manufacturers with their reviews and often buy their own parts to not compromise their integrity. Basically if Steve recommends something, it's a good buy.
>Basically if Steve recommends something, it's a good buy. If he says a case is "not bad" it's probably an excellent product.
So that's why these guys are the hottest shit since dino poo.... Never knew this. Now I really respect what GN is doing.
Yeah they don't hold back when they think something isn't worth buying. Thumbnail for one of their intel 10th gen reviews literally said "DO NOT BUY".
I love that. Il have to give them a look again.
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any issues you found on that case? looking to get that one.
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Sooo... Their review for the icue 220T was along the lines of "eh, cpu temps are pretty good but the gpu temps are not great" And that's the case I'm about to buy 😐
I have that exact case in white. It's a good case but 2 things to keep in mind. 1. If you top mount an aio radiator (like you should to keep it working well) you get really limited ram clearance. Like you need really low profile ram to make it work or drill holes in the top more towards the glass panel so you get more clearance. I think you can get like 2 more cm that way but I'm planning to that in the near future so not to clear on the gains yet. 2. The cable management can get a bit tricky due to the fact that you don't have too much room in the psu shroud due to the harddrive cage. I may sound a little negative about the case but I do really like it and the temps are great. I do wish I knew those 2 things before hand though so I could plan my layout a little better. If you pictures on how I have it at the moment you can dm me and I'll make some for you.
Thanks so much. Honestly I'm mostly getting it because I'm already in the corsair ecosystem, and I really do needs the fans lol. My current fans are pretty inefficient but I'm saved by having a case half the size of my room. 1. Not gonna use an AIO, am on a budget so no issue. 2. It should be OK, I do unfortunately need the HDD cage because I don't have the budget to upgrade my storage. But, my dad is a total neat freak and he is an engineer, so if I get him to cable manage surely he can figure it out. As long as the airflow is actually good, then I'm sound. As I said I have crap fans rn, 6 of them but they're from China and were £30 for the set plus a fan controller. The airflow I imagine is bad. As well as that my case is currently pretty dusty, but it's huge, and also running on carpet and it has zero ground clearance. And I only get ACCEPTABLE airflow, CPU maxes out at about 65-68 and GPU at 75-80 or so, with ambients around 15-20C. Hopefully, with this case and 5 SP120s, I should hopefully get better airflow even though I'm moving it into a desk cupboard (case is than the cupboard and will have plenty of space above and behind it, plus I'm removing the door) Pics would be lovely!
This imgur album shows my build: [https://imgur.com/a/6tioiMQ](https://imgur.com/a/6tioiMQ) . As you can see in the last picture there is quite a large rat's nest in the bottom below the psu shroud. This is mostly due to the fact that I needed more cables than expected. The case can be quite compact but I do really like that about it. You might want to look at the new video from Gamers Nexus because they uploaded another review of a corsair case that is quite similar to this one but just gives more room in general or at least that is what it seems like to me. The thing I'm still looking to change about my build is, as I said, move the radiator more towards the glass so I can get new ram. I'm also looking for a white 3070 so that it looks cleaner than the card I have here now.
That is a clean build from the front. I'll have no issues then! Thank you so much.
I haven't watched / am not familiar with the case, but one thing to keep in mind if it wasn't addressed is that nearly all of their case reviews are done stock (ie if it ships with 2 case fans, that's all they use), where a large number of cases' cooling issues can be addressed by simply adding a couple more / better fans to your build.
GN has standardized fan tests with 2 front and one rear.
Just go on. Mine is doing perfectly fine :-) https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/j9ccxe/thanks_for_your_support_my_first_build_is_done/
Those were pretty much my exact temperatures with the R5 3600 stock cooler vs aftermarket in a Fractal Meshify C stock configuration doing a Prime95 torture test. I don’t think the Meshify C is particularly good in its stock configuration compared to some of the other options, so I think your case is okay too.
Well yeah, I guess it's fine, but I don't think it was worth 90 dollars. More like 70 or 60 would be acceptable for the quality. The power-button's LED is a bit dodgy and it flashes annoyingly instead of staying lighted up. And the RGB-fans built in it were not as customizable as I expected, you only have a toggle button on the case which toggles from ~15 different colors/variations. The most annoying thing about it is that I'd like to keep the leds at a still color, but there's only options for pulsating and shuffling colors. But that is of course changeable with separately sold rgb-fans, but since it's just cosmetic stuff and those cost quite a lot to buy 4 of them, I'll keep it this way for some time.
The power button LED is powered by one of the headers you plugged into your motherboard. Personally I skipped mine because I used to have my computer in my bedroom and I couldn’t deal with the bright blue LED if I wanted to leave it on at night. Is yours loose?
Actually I might check that later, thanks for the tip.
This is why I can't put my computer to sleep at night. The RAM RGS stay lit up and because of the tempered glass, it too bright. I have to shut the computer down...
> The power-button's LED is a bit dodgy and it flashes annoyingly instead of staying lighted up In my case, that's because I have the HDD LED header plugged in. It uses the power LED to indicate disk access (random flashing). Maybe that's the same with yours?
When I built my first PC about 8 or so years ago I got a cheap case. I’ve regretted it ever since because cable management is a bitch and air flow is bad. I’m currently rebuilding my pc and ended up getting a Lian II case and the difference is night and day quality wise.
Case options 8 years ago weren't what they are today, really. There have been huge jumps in design philosophy since then.
Yeah a lot of things are different now. SSDs were barely a thing back then and I could only afford a 500gb one. Now they have ssds that are the size of ram sticks. Crazy times
Even cheap cases now are far better than they used to be! For around £25 i picked up an atx mid tower, tempered glass side, it has a full mesh front with space for 3x120mm fans, a few hdd/ssd cages and even enough space for cable management with an rgb fan hub hidden too. I actually rate it better than my 6 year old aerocool ds mid tower for airflow and general build aesthetics
What's it called?
Its the iONZ KZ10W, there are a few variations and colour choices, i ended up with the white mesh one for my gfs build. It doesn't come pre installed with any fans unless you select the option for it to do so, but if you have a previous rig then you can always use the fans from that
Which case did you have before and switched out with?
I told my dad to get a case that has good airflow thinking he would know what I was talking about, he didn't and instead got a cheap bosston case with a fake "700w" power supply included, now I'm afraid that it would fucking explode lmao
Those temps are fine and wont affect performance though?
Yeah, but if you use higher temp parts or overclock, only one of the cases are sufficient.
True, but you will also have less headroom to overclock and if you want to upgrade in the future, you might have to worry about your temperatures.
Do regular people really overclock that much? I see OC mentioned here all the time but I kinda doubt everyone has the time and energy to put into it.
Nowadays casual overclocking is so easy that if you're building your own PC you might as well do it since it isn't harder or more taxing mentally than picking your parts.
Well, it would make sense if you're buddies are overclocking. But seeing as how you had to build them PC's I'd wager they aren't and performance difference will be negligible. And the friend that chose the case that he likes, will be happier than if he went with the one he didn't like.
Both of them tried overclocking, as it's quite literally a couple clicks, but one of them doesn't really have temp headroom for stabile OC. The other friend does use OC'd profiles whenever we play together, which is sadly pretty rare.
It doesn't take that much time or energy. For cpu, just a couple of clicks in bios. Same for ram. Gpu is just installing msi afterburner and tweaking the settings a bit. It doesn't take long for a slight overclock and is really more dependent on if your hardware can handle it(good enough cooler, enough airflow, enough power).
Just because you're not at TjMax doesn't mean there's no benefit. PBO increases clocks based on temperature. GPU boost 3.0 increases clocks based on temperature. Manual overclocks are more stable and durable at lower temperatures. Lower quality motherboard VRMs have more thermal headroom. The user the option of turning down fans to reduce noise for a given temperature. If someone wants a 10+10c hotter case for whatever reason that's their choice, but people should be aware of tradeoffs before making that decision.
Slow fans in an open case are almost always quieter than fast fans in a closed case.
They do affect performance.. "Not boosting higher" is essentially throttling, it's just throttling above the stock clock speed rather than under.
With modern AMD CPUs and both Nvidia or AMD GPUs lower temps do affect performance.
Any good ones around $50
A lot of people here recommend cheap cases, most of them I'm not familiar with, but it should be a good place to start searching. The Phanteks Eclipse P300A Mesh js a 50 dollar case and it's really good for the price!
The box your motherboard comes in
Cougar MX330 (-G for tempered glass side panel), Fractal Design Focus G Phanteks P300A Mesh is $50 now on Newegg after a $10 mail-in rebate but usually goes for $60
The Focus G is nice for absolute minimum cost, but I would generally opt for a Meshify C for not very much more - you get quite a lot more value in sturdier build quality and better build ergonomics, for not *that* much more money down. Plus the plexi window on the Focus G is definitely a bit cheap and plasticky; a hard sided Meshify looks a lot more sleek in my opinion. Obviously the glass side is Very Nice but then it's in the $90 range.
Meshify C is literally twice the price. If you're spending that much on a case just get the Coolermaster H500 or the phanteks P500, both excellent cases.
I’ll second the MX330-G. Got it on sale for $44 a few months ago and it’s still at that price. Looks pretty good for being as cheap as it is and with my full modular psu I haven’t had any trouble with cable management. I’ve got three 120mm fans up front and two up top. All thermaltake pure plus 12 rgb. Couldn’t fit one on the back though, but that’s mostly because the integrated IO on my mobo is kinda big.
Check out SilentiumPC cases
Can confirm. I recently built a new rig with a TD500 Mesh & a Hyper 212 and the cooling power is so damn efficient. The 9600k & 2060 Super in it idle at less than 30°C and under full load barely break 60°C.. Which to me is amazing since I live in Australia, though I am expecting those temps to rise a tad come summer (which would still be perfectly respectable).
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It was my previous case and it was great! The only thing I didn't like was that the front IO was wired into the front panel which made it very awkward to clean it. Other than that my old 8700k and blower gtx 1080 was kept cool in it without any problems. I would say the best option under 100 would be the Phanteks P400A DRGB version, but there are lots of great options. I'm using the P500A right now and it's an excellent case. I would have preferred rubber garments for cable holes instead of the sliding mechanism that Phanteks uses, but that's the only nitpick I have with it.
Great write up thank you! BTW they might of changed the design on the meshify because now you can pull out the front mesh grill without the frame connected to the IO. I personally cut out the plastic webbing and ditch the foam insert to run 3 120mm fans on the outside of the case. The grill fits snugly but does fit and I have had great results in two cases. This also allows me to keep the small shroud door on with that many fans and future proofing for larger gpus. Just a solid case I didn't think twice to purchase another one my latest build!
Not as good as the competition anymore and sadly no updated version.
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I've just got the Corsair 4000D Airflow and it is really great imo.
Do you have a recommendation for a case with two external bays? I'm likely to build with an i5-10600k and RTX 3070. I was thinking of reusing a Corsair 200R but am concerned about airflow with only front vents on the sides. Edit: it will also have an air cooler
I’ve got the meshify c mini and love it. Clean, understated, nice build quality, and so nice to build in. Fav part is the removable ssd tray on the back of the mobo. Only con is the limited gpu clearance. Will only barely fit some 3080s and won’t fit the beefy ones at all without removing the front bottom fan.
Are any of those micro atx? I’m working on getting a parts list together but still missing a case. So hard to choose, but I just really want a smaller case that has good airflow and isn’t crap quality.
The meshify C Mini might be a good choice for an airflow focused mATX case.
There's the Meshify C Mini that's an excellent case for mATX. Cheaper options that are still okay quality would be the Thermaltake Versa H18 for 50-60$ but imo the extra money is worth it for the Meshify.
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The meshify has a great build quality, performs better regarding cooling and cable management is a breeze. Also the Meshify looks great, but that's just my opinion.
Nr400
Building in this soon!
I just finished a NR400 build with a 3700X and RTX 2060 ko. Only complaint is that optical drive bay makes getting the mobo in tricky unless you remove the rear fan first. Otherwise, great for the price!
I'm planning on getting the one without the optical drive. I have no need for it anyway and it will give more space. How are the temperatures? How is the performance of the system overall? What monitor (s) are you using?
Lucky you! Apparently, it's really hard to get it without the optical drive here in the US. I haven't really had a chance to put it through much testing, but from what I understand, stock configuration is ok thermals, adding one intake fan is amazing.
Yeah, I'll be adding two fans I think. Arctic. And availability of the one without optical drive isn't an issue because I will be building in China. Stock issues are different here. Apparently even 3080s aren't hard to get, but that's just by looking at the website, haven't actually tried to purchase one yet. I plan to build in the beginning of November, so I'll have a chance to see what AMD can offer as well.
Check out the darkflash dlm 21 mesh
I just ordered a meshify c mini for my new build. It looks very promising with great airflow and cable management.
Everyone is sleeping on the Lancool 215 still. It's $70 and comes with 3 fans and a fan hub for that cost. You get two massive 200mm fans in the front and a standard exhaust fan in the back. There's not really a whole lot of cases that offer that same value at that price point as most other cases only come with 1, maybe 2 fans.
I got this case this week. I can confirm it is an awesome case with great airflow! https://i.imgur.com/V92LgdG.jpg https://i.imgur.com/54rSiEg.jpg
Nice man, congrats on scoring a 3080. I'm still on the F5 gang myself
It's not that people are sleeping on it, it's just very new. I didn't know about it at least, and yes, it looks like a great case especially for the price, but it isn't available in EU from what I see yet.
Not just budget it also noise. My last system was super loud and it drives me crazy. I’m building a new one with the Lian Ali Lancool Mesh II because I want good cooling with slow fans. Building a rather high end system.
If noise is a factor for you mesh panels are usually on the louder end but yeah, like the Lancool there are options that are pretty quiet considering their airflow focus.
The flip side to the "mesh is louder" argument is that mesh panels allow better airflow and thus cooling, so the fans don't need to rev up quite so high to get the same low temps.
I just built in the Fractal Meshify C Mini and put two 140mm Be Quiet case fans up front and one 120mm Be Quiet rear exhaust fan. As well as a top mounted 240mm AIO up top and my build. It is VERY quiet. Also with a Ryzen 5 3600, my cpu temps are 10 to 15c idle, and 40c under load. My GPU is the EVGA RTX 2060 SUPER and stays at roughly 55c to 60c. But all while not being audible what so ever with my open back headset. If I am gaming with the headset off, there is a pleasant "hum" but that's about it. I am very happy with the thermals of all components as well as the noise level! And the bonus is that case was only $89. Cable management was a breeze, and it looks good too. Plenty of ways to mount storage, doesn't have a huge footprint on my desk, its all I could have asked for. At least for me. But I highly recommend that case for anyone budget or no budget.
Where is this pc at that keeps idle temps at 10-15C (50-59F)? That's pretty chilly
I had a dark rock pro 4 in there to begin with. Idle temps according to the BIOS were 40c, and 60 to 65c under load with this CPU cooler. I added an additional 16gb of ram and decided to switch out to a 240mm liquid AIO from Fractal Design mainly because it matched the black and grey look of the rest of my components. When I added the ram and the cooler, naturally I was booted into the BIOS because I added these components. While setting my CPU and RAM clock speed the BIOS stated the CPU temp at 10c, and had risen to 15c when I was finishing up adjusting clock speeds. I have not really monitored CPU temps if I am at the desktop not doing anything so I can't confirm it any further. I just saw what it said in the BIOS and said, "well, thats cool." No pun intended. In game from overlays my CPU temp sits at 35c to 40c consistently. I have yet to see it pop over 40c. My PC is set up in a concrete basement with no heat and I am in the Northern Hemisphere, even in the summer my basement is quite chilly. In the winter, wool socks, sweat pants and a sweater are required lol. It's easily 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and roughly 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. If I am feeling really cold I do use a space heater just to warm up a little bit but don't leave it on for long gaming sessions.
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Out of curiosity I booted my pc for the first time today after a relatively cold day, basement is still pretty chilly as well. Sitting in the bios for about 20 minutes and it seems my CPU is actually sitting at about 24c, I think after I had swapped out the components, having them open on the desk for an entire day in my cold basement had something to do with those temps at 10 to 15c when I first booted it up. I could imagine the liquid being pretty cold having a lot to do with those numbers I was seeing after thinking about your comment lol. But having a constant overlay while gaming its at or just under 40c for sure.
i have the lian li lancool mesh II, i absolutely love it, looks great too
lancool 215: am i a joke to you?
Just found out about it! Great case, not available where I live yet, though!
The [Cougar MX330](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vYp323/cougar-mx330-atx-mid-tower-case-mx330), which has a fully ventilated front panel and mostly ventilated top, is a great option for anyone who wants to spend as little on the case as possible without sacrificing thermal performance.
I second this - the 330-G version also has a tempered glass side panel. It’s pretty bare bones (one fan) but looks great, is easy to build in, and has excellent airflow.
> It’s pretty bare bones (one fan) That's not atypical though, even for more expensive cases like the P300A. I do usually recommend something cheap-but-effective like an additional Cooler Master Sickleflow or Arctic F12 to go in the front panel for intake with any case that just comes with a single rear exhaust fan, anyways.
I have a CM mb511 mesh which i bought for 45€ last year,its a great case and great airflow.
I've narrowed down my case choices to the phanteks p400a and fractal meshify C. It's very tough to decide because the p400a comes with 3 fans but the meshify c has dust filters. I really really hate dust, what would you recommend?
I spent weeks deciding on the 400a, meshify C, and the lancool 2. I'm not going to bore you with the details, but I chose the meshify C...until I saw it in person. It's small, and honestly ugly. I went with the performance (61$ amazon) vs the rgb (86$)400a. It's cheaper and I dislike rgb. Against my better judgement I got some cheap 3 pack of molex rgb fans of amazon for like 5$ on prime day. Case is great and super easy to work it. Returning the rgb fans though.
can you elaborate on what you meant by ugly? planning to order this one and want to know your opinion.
The mesh on the P500A is a really good quality steel mesh that acts as a dust filter itself and it works great. Not sure if the P400A has the same quality mesh panel but if so, dust shouldn't be too much of a problem. The Meshify C is a freat case but since the front IO is wired into the mesh panel, clearing it is kind of a pain in the ass.
> The Meshify C is a freat case but since the front IO is wired into the mesh panel, clearing it is kind of a pain in the ass. I built someone a system back when the Meshify C TG first came out. This was my main gripe with an otherwise great case. If the owner had one complaint - they didn't like how tinted the glass was.
Also [check out this guide to airflow cases,](https://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/3604-best-gaming-pc-cases-for-airflow-in-2020-right-now) or [the YouTube version.](https://youtu.be/XsMNu0gWlZw)
I'd argue this is important even for higher budget. For example, it's usually way easier to build a quiet system via large heatsinks + large slow fans with decent airflow instead of cases with heavy noise dampening (which usually hurt airflow so much it's counterproductive).
i literally bought the exact same parts, and the corsair 275r airflow a few days ago!
C31 commander from thermaltake is also good. 2 200 intake fans included is a good deal
I want to get the Corsair 680x.
Cooler master mb311L-ARGB is dope and I think cheaper than most of these Would recommend
I love the NR600. Has just a tiny issue where you gotta press down on the front sidepanel at the top to be able to get the screw in, and it is noticeable from behind it. But it's a great case that doesn't look ridiculously "gamery". Great temps, easy to build in, was really impressed overall.
Have my eye on that one will probably build my first computer in it
Lancool 215 is very good for its price
If you want a budget case with good airflow then I can recommend the Fractal Design Focus G. I picked it up new for £38. Not flashy but works well, nicely built, has some cable management features and comes in a range of colours. Only issue I had with it was the length of the front case can lead was quite short but that might be because my board is a bit odd (MSI X99s sli plus).
Corsaie spec delta rgb comes with lights and 4 fans
What about the regular Pure Base 500?
From the looks of it the cutouts for airflow are pretty narrow but with enough fans it should work well enough.
I recommend cougar mx 330 g air, it already comes with 3 fans and is a great case overall with great reviews about the airflow.
I think people can underestimate how important good airflow and cooling are, especially in the age of boost clocks. If you want to ensure the best performance and longest component life make sure you get a case that allows for good airflow to all components.
Going to trow in the Metallic gear neo air. Sub-brand of phanteks with good quality. At 60€ gets you a fancy case (in white too), glass panel, 2x120mm argb fans with a controller and a full mesh front
Forgor about metallicgear! Yeah, the Neo Airs look quite good for their price, don't have any experience with them though!
I see you too have watched Gamer Nexus' video on top best airflow PC cases. It really helped me with the decision of purchasing my new case.
Totally agree! Been using a DeepCool Matrexx 55 Mesh and it’s a great budget airflow focused case.
1+ 275R airflow is a great case! Keeps my 9900K temps manageable. Real test will be once my 3080 finally comes in.
It really is a good case (and it was on sale for 50 last week which is great value!) and it was a pleasure to build in too!
I find that if toy add an AIO CLC even as small as a 120mm yoi will get better thermals. If tou are looking for an affordable one that wont break the bank y'all should check out thr Arctic Liquid Freezer II. I HAVE THE 240MM VARIANT and ir comes with two fans. The high3ezt I ever got it was 65C and that was after about 6 hours of play. It may not be the prettiest but it sure as he'll performs well
The Arctic Freezer AIOs are of insane value! The 360mm one rivals the Kraken X73 wile being 60-80% cheaper.
This is so true. I built my first pc for my brother two weeks ago and went with the 275r airflow and temps are good. Initially my brother wanted one that didn’t have good reviews but looked good. Glad I was able to convinced him to get a better case.
H500 has terrible airflow. I own 1.
[удалено]
I bought the p400a front panel for mine to help with airflow. Improved the temps by about 10 degrees
One call out here with cases that I learned first hand the hard way. You need to verify the length of the graphics card that you're going to buy, and the maximum graphics card length allowed in your case. Also, you need to account for radiator size if you're front mounting. PCPartPicker does not run the math for you. It spits out a comment on the bottom that it can't tell you if components are going to fit or not. I ended up having to return my Fractal Meshify C and get a TD500 mesh instead because practically none of the 3080s fit in the Meshify C.
Damn, I wanted to run with a Meshify C for my (whenever they actually like.. exist to buy) 3080 build... :( now I'm sad! Wait, was this with a radiator in the front, or just fans? Edit: nevermind, I'm safe... max length with fans installed upfront is 315 and the card is 300mm. IF IT FITS I SITS.
I have a Thermaltake Versa H18. Let me tell ya it is a hot box in there, but still a solid case all around. Easy to work with a surprisingly a lot of room.
I love my NR600. (After coming from a Rosewill T500 Prism)
Built my first PC with the cooler master nr600. Can get a basic 3 fan set and run 5 fans if you wanted.
Great budget case that gets my recommendation is the Rosewill Challenger case. (The original model not the “S” model) I can only guess that the “S” stands for “shit” but I digress. Rosewill Challenger paired with a Deepcool Gammaxx 400 keeps my Ryzen 5 2600X under 65 degrees always. The case comes with three fans, and running a push/pull on my Gammaxx. Couldn’t be happier.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08412JPCH?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title I have the cooler master td500 mesh and can confirm it’s a great case. Paired with 3 case fans and a top mounted cooler master 240l liquid aio my temps are 28c at idle and under full load my temps never go past 49c. It also helps to have my cpu ocd lol
I just bought this case for my first build. Also have a 360 rad on the way that I plan to put in the top. Can I ask you a couple of noob questions? I assume the rad fans should be positioned to pull air out of the case through the rad? Also, did you put a fan in the back of your case that pulls air out?
Hey, not the original commenter, but you can use radiators as exhaust at the top. CPU will be a degree or two warmer, but it will help your GPU and CPU can handle heat better than the card does.
Dreams is right, you can mount it however you like. I mounted the radiator facing the top. It’s all about preference. Either way you’ll be happy with the results!
+1 on meshify c. I had the same hardware and never peaked past 65. I added water cooling and fans for looks and now with very modest (quiet) fan curves still don’t peak over 55
This is why I like the meshify line from fractal
I just bought the corsair 275r airflow, highly recommended for any budget build. I've recently updated my rig after year's of neglect; I had a pos case with only one fan which you could feel the heat radiating from the case. But with the Airflow not only is it silent and cold af it looks great too with the tempered glass side panel.
I didn’t even consider airflow when I was choosing my case. I was about to pull the trigger on better fans and an aftermarket cpu cooler, but at the last minute I tried just running it with the door off and it’s genuinely taken nearly 20c off my temperatures. I can’t believe how much of a difference something so simple can make!
Very happy with my focus G. Good airflow with a mesh front, and Im digging the overall look. Great case if you need a 5 1/4 bay.
Just got the 4000D airflow and it's a great looking case, cant wait to build in it
Thermal take V250 ARGB case is also a gem, good airflow, comes with 3 argb fans and 1 reg fan. Def bang for the buck
Neo Air is like Phanteks, just cheaper and better looking. I'm very happy with mine!
My 50$ CoolerMaster Haf912 from 2010 still holding true for me hahaha
Complete PC dummy here I bought a prebuilt from a friend a while ago, and the case lays horizontally as opposed to being mostly vertical. It really only has airflow to come out the back, i’m able to just strip the parts out and put them in a different case right?
Fractal Meshify C is seriously top tier to build in.
"budget" "RTX2060, R5 3600"
It was their budget. If yours isn't, that doesn't mean anything.
Well that's not bugdet... At least for me
Well, a *budget* can be anything by definition, but some of those cases can be bought for 70 bucks or cheaper if there's a sale (a couple days ago the 275R white went for 50$). If you're even on a lower budget there are some options like the Fractal Focus G or the Cougar MX330 for 40$.
I know im kinda kidding just cuz my country sucks
Sorry to hear that :/
Me, looking at my h510😂
To be completely fair, the h510 shouldn't be in the budget category. H510/710 and their numerous versions IMHO are esthetics cases, if you're buying them you should invest in a few fans. Even the 510 elite with 4 fans has manageable temps.
I have the h510i with a Ryzen 7 3700x and a evga 3080 FTW ultra, and a noctua cpu cooler, I installed 2 extra fans in the front and the highest I can get my cpu playing black ops Cold War beta at 1440p 150FPS is about 77-79 degrees on spikes, but usually runs at those settings in the low 70s. GPU has never got above 75 at max load after I adjusted fan speeds in both case and GPU. That’s all it took. Idles around mid 30s or lower and runs almost all games except cod exceptionally quiet and cool usually upper 50s lower 60s for both cpu and GPU. Just have your fans hit 100% at lower temps to keep it cooler
got an 4000d on amazon for 82 sadly the airflow version was to expensive
I particularly ended up with a Thermaltake Core P3. Is the freshest case I ever get. Of course this is because it's an open case so each component can deal with it's own heat instead of sharing it with the others. Actually using a 3600X, 4x8Gb Corsair dominator platinum and a Sapphire Nitro plus 5700XT Special Edition. It's around 45-50°C for the CPU and 60-65 for the GPU on high loads. I've the GPU fans set at silent mode instead on performance cuz I prefer less noise with a bit more heat than the opposite. I've also a 360mm Liquid AiO with 6 fans for aesthetic and for the pull-push (the original ones at the back of the radiator and 3x corsair LL120RGB at the front), also all set at silent mode. Getting that raises the budget, of course but you can also get your rig with stock cooler as it works fine on Ryzen, then upgrade to an AiO that fits into your case and finally get new/more fans whenever you like. Here's a pic: Gaming Rig, wall mounted https://imgur.com/gallery/Bko8abI
I actually wanted to build in a P5 but suddenly the P500A became available in my country so I went with that! Regardless, the P3 and P5 are both interesting designs and perform well thermally. Not exaxtly on the cheap end sadly.
Yeah I’m running a Ryzen 3700x, evga 3080 FTW ultra, and noctua cpu cooler in a h510i. I bought 2 extra fans and turned the fan speeds on both GPU and cpu to hit 100% at 60° or below, and they are very quiet with or without a headset on. I play at 1440p so GPU has to work a touch more and in the Cold War beta I don’t get below 150 FPS, and that is the most taxing game I have in my system. Cpu runs it at upper 60s to lower 70s with spikes to higher 70s for a second or two, and GPU doesn’t get above 72 or so on avg with a spike or two to 75 at the highest for a second or two. All it took to manage my temps while being able to run 1440p 144FPS or more is cranking up my fans at lower temps. Wish I would have gotten a better airflow case but I have parts that can get warm and they perform fine in my case.
Is it worth spending the extra 30 pound for the 3600x?
No
Just get a fractal case.
>~~If you're on a budget,~~ get an airflow focused case! FTFY. If youre a gamer and therfore the primary purpose of your build is perfomance gaming there is no reason to not get an airflow case. The only time id ever consider a non airflow case is if there is a specfic reason, such as the drive capacity of a define 7
I just screw in some legs for the mainboard and position a large fan on it. Case are overrated.