Cases Which case for entry level overclocker!?

hey guys, fairly new to this forum so go easy on me

looking to build a new rig in the foreseeable future but am slightly stuck on choosing a case. I was looking at spending around £40 but after putting in some research have decided to spend a bit more, around £60-70.
i am planning on putting in a 3570k, gtx 660 and overclocking slightly so need good cooling but am not interested in water cooling (yet), also looking at a ssd so would prefer a 2.5" bay.
here's what i've currently come up with but can't decide if it's worth spending that bit more.

Corsair carbide 300r ; http://tinyurl.com/cjq4lrm

Corsair carbide 200r ; http://tinyurl.com/cg3xe2k

fractal designs arc midi ; http://tinyurl.com/c6u5tpo

not looking for anything massive and would prefere a window but not too fussed.
any help, suggestions or recommendations would be fantastic.
thanks guys.

 

Are you looking to use a ATX motherboard or a mATX motherboard? Out of the 3 you have listed I would opt for the fractal arc midi or even the fractal design R3

 

I have a carbide 500r and can testify that is a great case. The 300r looks fine to me. Also, consider a 7950amd card... Great bang for buck. Overclockers sell them quite cheap with bundled games.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

ahh yeah should have mentioned i'm going to be going ATX.
i'll have to have a look at the 7970 then thanks for that.

 

If you're overclocking when you want to be looking at the space inside the case and fan placement. Think about the airflow you can create in the case. Where do you want it coming in and leaving? Will there be any dead spots? Is the placement of the dead spots acceptable (e.g Optical drive bays is usually unavoidable but has no negative effect on temps).

If you're only getting an SSD then you can look for a case that has removable hdd bays. My friend just got a case where we could remove all bu two drive bays which freed up a lot of space in the case.

 

who thought buying a case could get so technical
I've had a little look at air flow and i think the best option is to have intake at the front and exhaust on the top/rear of the case.
do the companies, i.e. corsair have air flow diagrams or do i just have to give it some thought? cheers

 

That is the usual people go for. With the introduction of fans on the top of the case people are bringing it in through the lower front hdd bays and exiting it through the rear and top. This is a very good way to go as it ensures the heat from the CPU is removed from the case without heating any other components.

I'm not sure if any manufacturers supply diagrams but I know there are diagrams about and you can even find videos of people putting smoke through their computers to even better visualize the airflow.

Another thing you need to be aware of with regards to airflow is the overall case pressure, positive or negative. This has a large impact on how dusty your case can become. Negative case pressure means that you have more fans blowing out than you do sucking in. This means that air has to be brought in from somewhere else, usually being any cracks or small gaps in the case, also the PCI ports depending on how your case covers them. This increases the dust build up in your case. If you have positive case pressure then you are pushing in more air that taking out so the air inside needs to escape through those small holes in the case. No dust is sucked up through those holes. This has a higher impact if you have your case at ground level on a carpet.

Negative case pressure can yield marginally better cooling performance it must be noted. But it really depends on which you think is a priority.

On a similar dust based note I find it so incredibly useful to have the dust filters that come with my Antec P280. I can remove them and tap the dust out of the window which is so much easier than taking everything out of the case and dusting it down. Just something you might want to consider if you live in a dusty house.

 

ahh thats fantastic news, at least I've got something right.
thanks for that info i've read a little bit about negative and positive pressure but didn't really realise it was that simple, i guess the best option for me would be slightly positive case pressure thinking about it. For the sake of longevity and things not getting plugged with dust.
i may well consider some dust filters on that note, good stocking filler
cheers

 

The cheapest dust filter is a pair of old tights secured over intakes.

 

Maybe think about an Antec 300 or a 300 two and put the extra towards a 660ti, to me that would make a lot more short and long term sense.

 

That's a good idea

 

ANtec low end case are poor and have always been given a better rep than they deserve.
Ugly steel, shite cable tidying options

 

ahh ok interesting thought, but i've actually just purchased the carbide 300r

 

Great choice, good air cooling potential

Nothing wrong with the low end Antec cases, the 300 is a genuinely clean and nice case to build in. Compact size too.

 

The Arc Midi is a very nice case I just finished building one and it is rather easy to work in and there is excellent air flow, and has plenty of room. The drive cages support 3.5 and 2.5 Hard drives also. So it gets a big +1 from me. I can post pictures of any part of the case you would like to see or if you have any questions let me know. I want a full sized case but not sure I can fit my MB and all the video cards in it.

 

I disagree, I paid £32 for my Antec 300 around 3 years ago. Find me better value.

 

Have you tried one before ? I just think Its difficult to say without first hand experience. There's always reviews on the internet which say opposite things. Looks is also a fairly personal thing. Had a look myself and they didn't seem too bad. May have considered it if I hadn't just purchased the 300r.

 

That is a very good price for that case.

I was very close to buying one a few years ago before I went for a silverstone for a little more.

 

my only problem with the three hundred is cable management. Its not the nicest for it (tho at the price you cant really complain).

 

Yeah you can't really get too picky when it's that price.