I gotta post this quick because I need to go to bed. I have to get up in a few hours and should have been in bed 3 hours ago. I'm building a new PC and have everything except a case picked out. I was hoping to place the order tonight, but I'm still undecided on the case. I've narrowed it down to these three cases:

I like simple designs. I don't care for lights or windows and actually prefer not to have them. If you have any other suggestions post below. I'd list my pro's and cons for each, but like I said, I'm posting this quick so I can go to bed. Sorry, no GA (yet), I really have to go to bed,

OK, I've got a little time to add more detail. I should have also mentioned that I do not want a case with a full length front door either. I found one that had a top opening door, but I marked it off my list for some reason. The case will be sitting on my desk. I thought about moving it to under the desk, but then when I need to open it up to clean it or upgrade it, I will ether have to unplug everything and set it on the desk or work on it bent over on the floor. I've decided to keep it on the desk for easier access, and it will probably stay cleaner up on the desk too.

Another requirement I should mention is that it needs to have a 3.5" external drive bay because I have a card reader that mounts in a 3.5" drive bay. It also has a USB3 pass through which will give me an extra front USB port.

My current case is a Lian Li PC-8N. I like the all aluminum case as it acts as a giant heat sink for the system. It's very sturdy, light and my system runs cool. I have an H50 liquid cooler with a 120mm fan in the rear and a 120mm fan in the front. They're controlled by the system and when the system is idle or doing light tasks, the fans stay at a low RPM and are barely audible. Those two fans keep the system temps in normal range even overclocked from 2.66GHZ to 3.8GHz. It only has two front USB2 ports plus the USB3 port on my card reader. I've never needed to use more than two ports before.

The Cooler Master N300 and N400 cases are identical inside, the only difference is the front panel and the N300 has a window. I don't mind a window, but I'd rather not have it because then I get picky about making the cables look nice. I do take my time to route them so they're functional and not blocking air flow, but adding a window makes me feel the need to put extra effort into making them look nice too. The thought did occur to me that with these two cases having a full mesh front that they may be louder.

Here are the my pros and cons for each case.

The N400:

  • (+) More USB ports and better placement

The N300:

  • (+) I like the look of it better than the N400.
  • (-) I don't like that the USB, and audio ports are at the top of the case.
  • (=) It does have less front panel USB ports, although that's not really a problem because I've never needed to use more than two at a time before.

The Lian Li:

  • (+) Smaller, lighter, sleeker looking. IMO, it's the best looking of the three.
  • (-) Less fans, though it's probably not going to be a problem.
  • (=) Less USB ports, but like I said above I've never needed more than two before.
  • (-) My current PSU will not fit. The front mount PSU in this case makes it more compact, but limits the length of the PSU to 160mm and my current PSU is 170mm.

I am going with another liquid cooling system, but I was thinking of getting one with a 240mm radiator. If I want to go with a 240mm radiator, that rules out the Lian Li case since it doesn't have room. For some reason, although I have more cons marked on the Lian Li case, I am kind of leaning toward it more than the other two. I like the looks and it should be quieter since it's a more closed case.

8 years ago*

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Which case do you like?

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Cooler Master N300
Cooler Master N400
Lian Li PC-A05FN
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Thanks for the replies. I edited the OP and added more information.

8 years ago
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