My Shortlist

[Saltire35]

I currently have a Fractal Design Define R3 (Black) but I intend to buy another case at the end of the month.

I've read hundreds of reviews (including the vids that TTL has done).

I love the inside of my R3 but just bored with the way it looks and no window option.

To comment on TTL case vids and other reviews I've read, there is always something that puts me off.. 1 niggle here or there, for example:

Corsair 650D - perfect but that top grill looks unfinished, looks fugly imo because of that.

Corsair 600T White Edition - will this colour distort after many months of use (i.e. go yellow ?) (I smoke next to my PC)

Silverstone RV-02 White Edition - Same as above ? (Slightly over my budget, but would go the extra ££'s - just wish the fans at the bottom were white too - and I've not seen any white 180mm air penetrators)... and even if there was, the cost of another 3 fans would definately put it out of reach cost wise.

Coolermaster CM690II - I had this before my current Fractal Design R3, but was a dust magnet with that front mesh... the window panel was nice, but would've preferred it without the 120mm fan mount (takes away the clean look).

Coolermaster CM690II White - No window.

Fractal Design R3 White Edition - Same as the Corsair 600T White... worried about the colour, plus no window option. If there was a window option, I'd buy it NOW (If the window panel had no fan mounts and was clean and cut to approx size of where my motherboard would sit. (I don't want to see my hard drives or PSU).

Coolermaster Enforcer - I looked at this, - nice sized window, nice internals, but overall still looks a bit meh !

Coolermaster HAF series - Nice, but the looks... I'm 39, and want something that looks a bit classy. (My desk is in the living room)

Lian Li - Looked at most (I'm old school and had a ton of Lian Li cases over the years - but their latest range seem over-priced and tbh, competitors are offering far more these days for your money.

Factal Design Arc - I've been waiting on this for ages, ever since I seen a preview on another site, but they keep putting the release date back... They say they are offering a window panel as an optional extra, but yet to see what it looks like.

Now the basic reason for this post, is what case would you buy - or even wait for ? Budget is around £100 (I will go to around £140 (max) if it included the window panel and all the fans I needed).

Thanks in advance for any response and listening to my inane drivel

 

[Karlos_the_n00b]

Out the ones you listed then I would go for the [font=Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans]Silverstone RV-02[/font] for its epic air cooling.

 

[Saltire35]

Out the ones you listed then I would go for the [font=Verdana, sans-serif, FreeSans]Silverstone RV-02[/font] for its epic air cooling.

Yeah, but the black fans look out of place in there, and that case is really at the top end of my budget. Replacing the fans would affect the cooling as there no 180mm air penetrator fans available in white

Other than that, the case is nice. Very nice. Replacing the fans, if there were white ones available would place it out of my budget.

It's still my favourite though... and the white thing as I said, will it discolour over time ? (I smoke next to my PC)

 

[sheroo]

I love cases. Probably my favourite thing about a PC. I watch tons of reviews, buy something, get bored and then buy something else. I can live with the same hardware for ages, but get bored of the case quite easily.

You've got a pretty comprehensive list there of just about every case that I've ever considered. Have you looked at the RV03? It still has the stack effect, but the window is on the right side and its not as deep as the RV02. I think it looks the most finished of the Raven series to date.

 

[Saltire35]

I love cases. Probably my favourite thing about a PC. I watch tons of reviews, buy something, get bored and then buy something else. I can live with the same hardware for ages, but get bored of the case quite easily.

You've got a pretty comprehensive list there of just about every case that I've ever considered. Have you looked at the RV03? It still has the stack effect, but the window is on the right side and its not as deep as the RV02. I think it looks the most finished of the Raven series to date.

Yes, looked at the RV03 m8... it just looks ugly imo... not even considering it tbh.

 

[sheroo]

So what case ticks a majority of the boxes for you atm?

 

[Saltire35]

So what case ticks a majority of the boxes for you atm?

Just as I said in my original post... the best from them all is either the 600T white or the Raven RV02 white.

However, if Fractal Design done a R3 in white, with a window panel for around £100, I'd buy it NOW !

For example (pic from some german modding site):