Computer Cases - Your Opinions Please

[Gordon_4]

Well, never let it be said a new case can’t make all the difference. My old case would nearly cook my 3080 with game operating temps of 90+ in its correct and sealed configuration. The Corsair 5000D Airflow I just replaced it with lets it hover between 50 and 60. Basically the sweet spot.

For reference, the game I stress tested with was Modern Warfare 2019 with the settings set to stupidly indulgent.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Well, never let it be said a new case can’t make all the difference. My old case would nearly cook my 3080 with game operating temps of 90+ in its correct and sealed configuration. The Corsair 5000D Airflow I just replaced it with lets it hover between 50 and 60. Basically the sweet spot.

For reference, the game I stress tested with was Modern Warfare 2019 with the settings set to stupidly indulgent.

Sealed cases are just a bad idea these days with how much heat modern CPUs and graphics cards put out. It's honestly shocking to me how the vast majority of pre-built PCs are still being built without mesh cases. It's like the companies WANT the internal components to cook and thermal throttle.

 

[Gordon_4]

Sealed cases are just a bad idea these days with how much heat modern CPUs and graphics cards put out. It's honestly shocking to me how the vast majority of pre-built PCs are still being built without mesh cases. It's like the companies WANT the internal components to cook and thermal throttle.

The vast majority of OEM(?) prebuilt machines in existence are corporate workstations which run very low spec and generate sod all heat. The pre-built gaming boutique space is occupied by groups that run the gamut from basically okay to dumpster fire so that's a dice roll. I mean hell, my old case only had three fans and it successfully cooled everything I ever put in it that wasn't the RTX 3080

Of course the plain fact is, cases cannot be entirely mesh because that invites the OTHER vile foe of PCs: dust. So its the constant battle to keep the unit relatively sealed against dust but allowing for enough airflow to cool the components. What worries me is that eventually manufacturers are going to hit 'requires liquid cooling' level and never go back. I simply cannot reconcile putting fluid inside a PC case.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

The vast majority of OEM(?) prebuilt machines in existence are corporate workstations which run very low spec and generate sod all heat. The pre-built gaming boutique space is occupied by groups that run the gamut from basically okay to dumpster fire so that's a dice roll. I mean hell, my old case only had three fans and it successfully cooled everything I ever put in it that wasn't the RTX 3080

Of course the plain fact is, cases cannot be entirely mesh because that invites the OTHER vile foe of PCs: dust. So its the constant battle to keep the unit relatively sealed against dust but allowing for enough airflow to cool the components. What worries me is that eventually manufacturers are going to hit 'requires liquid cooling' level and never go back. I simply cannot reconcile putting fluid inside a PC case.

A case can absolutely be all mesh. If you have decent dust filters and have your airflow set up for positive pressure not much dust gets in. Then you just have to clean it once every 6ish months and you're good. Hell, you can have a completely open case and it would still be fine in terms of dust. In fact it would probably be better because dust would have a harder time settling and building up in places and a fully open case would probably get cleaned more often (it's less of a chore to clean if you don't even have to open it to hit it with a bit of compressed air once in a while.

 

[Gordon_4]

A case can absolutely be all mesh. If you have decent dust filters and have your airflow set up for positive pressure not much dust gets in. Then you just have to clean it once every 6ish months and you're good. Hell, you can have a completely open case and it would still be fine in terms of dust. In fact it would probably be better because dust would have a harder time settling and building up in places and a fully open case would probably get cleaned more often (it's less of a chore to clean if you don't even have to open it to hit it with a bit of compressed air once in a while.

As a boutique case maybe, but across the board it would be a fucking disaster because it would turn every single spill into a potential box frying hazard, and fully open? No way do I want the upward of three thousand dollars worth of fragile electronics I made my unit out of exposed to the sticky stupid fingers of people who are not me, to say nothing of pets. The case serves as both a protective cover against external damage AND keeps the noise made by the components down.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

As a boutique case maybe, but across the board it would be a fucking disaster because it would turn every single spill into a potential box frying hazard, and fully open? No way do I want the upward of three thousand dollars worth of fragile electronics I made my unit out of exposed to the sticky stupid fingers of people who are not me, to say nothing of pets. The case serves as both a protective cover against external damage AND keeps the noise made by the components down.

Spill? Why do you have liquids anywhere near your electronics? I wouldn't want to spill anything even with a fully sealed case (they have cracks and panel gaps).

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

What worries me is that eventually manufacturers are going to hit 'requires liquid cooling' level and never go back.

Doubt CPU manus will push that anytime soon but GPU manus? Price they're charging they should already be including closed loop water cooling... and free blowjobs.

 

[Gordon_4]

Spill? Why do you have liquids anywhere near your electronics? I wouldn't want to spill anything even with a fully sealed case (they have cracks and panel gaps).

Because I’m a normal person who drinks at their desk? I would have thought that was obvious.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Because I’m a normal person who drinks at their desk?

Look, I'll take the drinking at your desk part on faith but 'normal'? You'll have to sell that a bit harder.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

As a boutique case maybe, but across the board it would be a fucking disaster because it would turn every single spill into a potential box frying hazard, and fully open? No way do I want the upward of three thousand dollars worth of fragile electronics I made my unit out of exposed to the sticky stupid fingers of people who are not me, to say nothing of pets. The case serves as both a protective cover against external damage AND keeps the noise made by the components down.

Then how about those 'wall mount' open cases? Because I can't see how that could ever be inconvenient... you know, except for pretty much everything about them.


Also positive air pressure cases are dumb as dogshit, and I'm fully prepared to be that guy if pressed about why.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Spill? Why do you have liquids anywhere near your electronics? I wouldn't want to spill anything even with a fully sealed case (they have cracks and panel gaps).

Because the fish need something to swim in!

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Also positive air pressure cases are dumb as dogshit, and I'm fully prepared to be that guy if pressed about why.

Be that guy. I'm curious.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Be that guy. I'm curious.

Well the thing about positive air pressure (+AP) setups is that they're not +AP, they're just bad airflow set ups. That +AP they're trying to create pulling in more air than is being pushed out? Runs into a wee problem in that cases aren't airtight so all that 'extra' air just flows out all the gaps and seams and that's dumb as dogshit as you want to all that nice 'cool' air to flow across the cooling devices mounted on the hot spots on your hardware.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Well the thing about positive air pressure (+AP) setups is that they're not +AP, they're just bad airflow set ups. That +AP they're trying to create pulling in more air than is being pushed out? Runs into a wee problem in that cases aren't airtight so all that 'extra' air just flows out all the gaps and seams and that's dumb as dogshit as you want to all that nice 'cool' air to flow across the cooling devices mounted on the hot spots on your hardware.

Neither positive pressure nor negative pressure really matters, because as you already pointed out, PC cases aren't airtight. You'll never really get a high amount of either positive or negative pressure because PCs have so many vents and cracks for the air to get in or escape. Air follows the path of least resistance though, so for the most part it will try to go where the fans are.

If you have a slightly positive air pressure it helps prevent dust from getting into your PC and keeps things cleaner because air is getting pushed out of the cracks rather than pulled in, and all the places where you're pulling air in are probably covered by a filter. On the other hand if you have slightly negative air pressure then you end up with dust getting sucked in through the cracks and vents around the case rather than getting sucked into where the filters are.

In terms of long term performance positive pressure is better because it keeps your computer more dust free and prevents things like the fine stack on your CPU cooler from getting too caked in dust.

Whether the air actually gets to the components it needs to inside the case doesn't have to do with positive or negative pressure, but with the positioning of the fans. You use the fans to create a specific airflow path inside the case that most of the air follows.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

If you have a slightly positive air pressure

no such thing in an unsealed case. trying to increase pressure just increases airflow (air really likes to equalise even without intervention). if the exhaust fan isn't up to the job of keeping up you get turbulence that lowers the efficacy of the cooling set up.

also any leakage isn't going to be equal around the case so any 'dustbusting' will mostly be close to the airflow paths... meaning plenty of places dust can still get in and then there's all that excellent turbulence to use to expensive shit to stick to.

 

[meiam]

Pickibacking on the thread to ask for opinion on this case:

Fractal Design Meshify 2 Lite Black TG Light Tinted Tempered Glass Window ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Fractal Design Meshify 2 Lite Black TG Light Tinted Tempered Glass Window ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

www.canadacomputers.com

I've never had a case with mesh in front so I'm a bit worried about the noise level, I'm not doing any overclocking or even running anything super fancy (6650 xt) so not sure if I'm going overkill.

Oh also, how do you pick the right PSU?

 

[Chimpzy]

Pickibacking on the thread to ask for opinion on this case:

Fractal Design Meshify 2 Lite Black TG Light Tinted Tempered Glass Window ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Fractal Design Meshify 2 Lite Black TG Light Tinted Tempered Glass Window ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

www.canadacomputers.com

I've never had a case with mesh in front so I'm a bit worried about the noise level, I'm not doing any overclocking or even running anything super fancy (6650 xt) so not sure if I'm going overkill.

Will probably be fine. But if you're worried you can look into replacing the pack-in fans with something better. I'd recommend looking into beQuiet fans if you want low noises levels.

Oh also, how do you pick the right PSU?

In general, I'd simply say to never cheap out on a PSU. Get the best you can afford. EVGA and Seasonic make good stuff. Corsairs too if you go higher end. You can use calculators to get yourself an idea of what wattage you need. Tho many tend to lowball a little, so it's good to give yourself some headroom to handle spikes. Also because no power supply is 100% efficient, keep in mind the rating (don't bother with anything under Gold). Higher also tends to be more reliable.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

In general, I'd simply say to never cheap out on a PSU.

Cheaping out on a PSU is like cheaping out on a pacemaker. A bad power supply unit can literally destroy every other component in your system.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Oh also, how do you pick the right PSU?

In general, I'd simply say to never cheap out on a PSU. Get the best you can afford. EVGA and Seasonic make good stuff. Corsairs too if you go higher end. You can use calculators to get yourself an idea of what wattage you need. Tho many tend to lowball a little, so it's good to give yourself some headroom to handle spikes. Also because no power supply is 100% efficient, keep in mind the rating (don't bother with anything under Gold). Higher also tends to be more reliable.

This is solid advice right there.
Honestly, the EVGA SuperNova G3 PSU is probably one of the best on the market you can get and I highly recommend it both by recommendations from others and from personal experience

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

What a coincidence that this video should just happen to drop today:

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