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I feel like a case can really make or break a build. Or at least your enjoyment of it. My specs are below, but I sort of picked a case at random. I'm looking for suggestions.
My current build has served me since 2010 and it's time to upgrade the CPU, Motherboard, and case. Everything that can be replaced easily has been and it's really showing it's age. I mention this because it's likely the case I pick will be used for the next ten years of my life!
Stuff I care about
- Ease of opening for cleaning/assembling. Part of why I don't clean my current on as much as I should is how annoying it is to open.
- Ease of moving. I'm more interested in handles than weight, but I still don't want something stupidly heavy.
- Size. I'd prefer something a little too big rather than something a little too small. I don't necessarily want a full tower though. As long as I can get in easily and there is some extra room for the next GPU I'll inevitably buy in the next 10 years I'm good.
Stuff I don't care about
- Water cooling. I have zero interest in getting custom water cooling. Too much effort for me.
- Looks. I don't really want some crazy RBG thing, but I also don't specifically need some super minimalist thing either.
- Price. So, obviously I don't want to waste money, but if I need to splurge a little I'm willing to. Within reason.
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor | $162.00 @ Amazon |
| CPU Cooler | Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler | $64.98 @ Amazon |
| Motherboard | MSI MPG B550 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard | Purchased For $0.00 |
| Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory | $54.99 @ Amazon |
| Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory | $54.99 @ Amazon |
| Storage | Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive | $159.99 @ Amazon |
| Storage | Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive | $64.98 @ Amazon |
| Video Card | Zotac GAMING Trinity GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB Video Card | Purchased For $0.00 |
| Case | Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case | $104.97 @ Amazon |
| Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G6 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $133.99 @ Amazon |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $800.89 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-06-14 14:57 EDT-0400 |
I don’t have a specific case to recommend, but I’d suggest browsing case reviews at Gamers’ Nexus. They specifically test air flow and temps, which should matter to you since you’re not interested in water cooling (I’m the same way, btw).
Let us know what you decide on.
Finally getting around to this lol. Thank you so much for the recommendation of Gamers' Nexus. This "Best of 2024" video is very helpful. Also, so as to not bury the lede, they make it clear that it's not cases made in 2024, just ones available in 2024, so they consider past years as well.
I haven't made a decision yet, but it seems like many of the big brands from ~15 years ago when I did this aren't as relevant now, so this has been informative.