Best case for my build? Recommendations needed!

I figured I’d jump in here and ask a question of my own.

I'm currently putting together a custom build using an ATX form factor and an AIO liquid cooling setup. My motherboard comes equipped with AURA LED controllers.

I'm looking for a chassis that hits these specific marks:
- effective air filters
- dedicated mounting space for an AIO radiator
- large fans to cool the rest of the motherboard (ideally 160 mm)
- room for two large HDDs, and ideally some space for a DVD drive
- nothing with that "insectoid" Asian gamer aesthetic
- a clear tempered glass side panel
- a reasonable footprint—nothing oversized
- some visible LED strips for flair
- an elegant design with easy-to-install components
- no cheap, recycled plastic parts that crack under pressure (I've dealt with enough of those already)
- preferably a front panel with USB audio access, or at least enough room to mount one
- something available at a local US retailer (since I want to see it in person before buying; I can find things online myself)
- "money is no object," but I refuse to pay a premium for tacky gamer gimmicks just because they're overpriced and ugly.

I’m running a be quiet! 500DX and it’s solid. My only gripe is my motherboard lacks a USB-C header for the front panel and an RGB header controlled via software, but if you step up to a high-end board, yours will probably handle it just fine.

I’d definitely recommend it.
If the RGB gets annoying, you can just kill it—either through the motherboard software or a physical button.

Check the reviews and see if it actually meets your specs.


https://www.amazon.com/s?k=500dx

Not entirely sure what you mean by "fans for the rest of the motherboard."
The case comes with 3x140mm fans: one rear, one top, one front.
You could swap the top one to the front and put an AIO at the top instead. I think it supports up to a 360mm radiator.

Some cases come with those massive 2x200mm fans in the front, but looking at the reviews, the thermal and acoustic performance isn't any better than just using decent 140mm fans.

wiredotter14 said:I’m running a be quiet! 500DX and it’s solid. My only gripe is my motherboard lacks a USB-C header for the front panel and an RGB header controlled via software, but if you step up to a high-end board, yours will probably handle it just fine.

I’d definitely recommend it.
If the RGB gets annoying, you can just kill it—either through the motherboard software or a physical button.

Check the reviews and see if it actually meets your specs.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=500dx

Not entirely sure what you mean by "fans for the rest of the motherboard."
The case comes with 3x140mm fans: one rear, one top, one front.
You could swap the top one to the front and put an AIO at the top instead. I think it supports up to a 360mm radiator.

Some cases come with those massive 2x200mm fans in the front, but looking at the reviews, the thermal and acoustic performance isn't any better than just using decent 140mm fans.

I actually really like be quiet! products. I'm just having trouble finding where to pick one up locally; according to the link, I'd have to order it online.
By "remaining fans," I meant that liquid cooling mostly focuses on the CPU (I don't plan on building a custom loop for every single component myself). Everything else needs to be cooled by the front and rear fans. I am definitely going with an AIO because my goal is to have a machine that runs 24/7.

If you're planning on running a machine 24/7, I’d suggest sticking with air cooling for the sake of reliability. A high-end air cooler like a Noctua NH-D14 or NH-D15 performs roughly the same as a decent 240mm AIO, but without the constant threat of leaks or a pump dying on you. It's rare for a pump to survive years of non-stop operation, whereas an air cooler basically lasts forever.
Water cooling—specifically an AIO, since a custom loop is a whole different beast—is mostly about aesthetics and having a "cleaner" look inside the case.

The be quiet! 500DX is pretty overpriced here in the States, but check out the Corsair 5000D Airflow. That's what I was looking at when I bought mine.

If you can't track down what you need locally here in the States, why not just order from somewhere like Amazon or eBay? It’s much easier.

For instance, you could look into a Corsair Air 540, which gives you the option to add a DVD drive, or perhaps the Corsair 780T. Then there's the Cougar Panzer Max G, which also allows for a DVD installation if that's what you're after.

Now, if you're looking for something a bit more budget-friendly that still accommodates a DVD drive, I'd suggest checking out the Fractal Design Focus G.

wiredotter14 said:If you're planning on running a machine 24/7, I’d suggest sticking with air cooling for the sake of reliability. A high-end air cooler like a Noctua NH-D14 or NH-D15 performs roughly the same as a decent 240mm AIO, but without the constant threat of leaks or a pump dying on you. It's rare for a pump to survive years of non-stop operation, whereas an air cooler basically lasts forever.
Water cooling—specifically an AIO, since a custom loop is a whole different beast—is mostly about aesthetics and having a "cleaner" look inside the case.

The be quiet! 500DX is pretty overpriced here in the States, but check out the Corsair 5000D Airflow. That's what I was looking at when I bought mine.

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely take that into consideration. Honestly, I always assumed liquid cooling was the reliable way to go, but that point about the pump is a game changer. Plus, I still have to rely on fans to move the air anyway.
As far as price goes, I don't really care if the case costs $267 or $180. My main priority is making sure I don't open the chassis one day to swap out a hard drive only to have some cheap plastic bracket snap in my hands. The case I'm using now was a decent unit from a shop called Ve-Mil that doesn't even exist anymore, but even then, the design was flawed because they used such low-grade materials. I've dealt with cutting myself on sharp edges and snapping brittle, aged plastic before... I am absolutely not doing that again.
So, if going with be quiet! means spending a few extra bucks, I'm totally fine with that.

bluesurfer66 said:If you can't track down what you need locally here in the States, why not just order from somewhere like Amazon or eBay? It’s much easier.

For instance, you could look into a Corsair Air 540, which gives you the option to add a DVD drive, or perhaps the Corsair 780T. Then there's the Cougar Panzer Max G, which also allows for a DVD installation if that's what you're after.

Now, if you're looking for something a bit more budget-friendly that still accommodates a DVD drive, I'd suggest checking out the Fractal Design Focus G.

Well, there are cases on Amazon and eBay too. But if I can't get a really good, detailed look at the components in the photos—which happens quite often—then it just doesn't appeal to me. That said, I'll go ahead and check out that Corsair case, as well as the Noctua NH-D15 setup.

https://www.amazon.com/fractal-design-cases/b01m2v8y6n
Budget-friendly, but the airflow is top-tier.

granitecrane2 said:Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely take that into consideration. Honestly, I always assumed liquid cooling was the reliable way to go, but that point about the pump is a game changer. Plus, I still have to rely on fans to move the air anyway.
As far as price goes, I don't really care if the case costs $267 or $180. My main priority is making sure I don't open the chassis one day to swap out a hard drive only to have some cheap plastic bracket snap in my hands. The case I'm using now was a decent unit from a shop called Ve-Mil that doesn't even exist anymore, but even then, the design was flawed because they used such low-grade materials. I've dealt with cutting myself on sharp edges and snapping brittle, aged plastic before... I am absolutely not doing that again.
So, if going with be quiet! means spending a few extra bucks, I'm totally fine with that.

Liquid cooling is mostly about aesthetics and saving space, unless you're moving into extreme high-end territory or custom loops that actually outperform air. But you only really *need* that if you're running a scorching hot CPU that you plan to overclock (like an Intel Core i9-10900K or something similar).
If you want a reliable rig that runs 24/7 for years, you aren't going to be overclocking much, if at all.
With an air cooler, you're set. There's zero chance of the cooling system itself causing damage, whereas with liquid, you always have that nagging risk of a leak or a dead pump.
Air is actually quieter most of the time. I can barely hear the fans on my Noctua NH-D14, while with an AIO, that pump has to hum constantly.
The worst-case scenario is a fan dying, which you can swap out for maybe 50-$33. With high-quality coolers (like Noctua or be quiet!), the fans are so quiet and well-built they'll run for years without a hitch.

Modern cases have way more room nowadays since everyone stopped obsessing over HDD bays and DVD drives.
Basically, almost any case will have space for at least one HDD that you can screw directly into place without needing a tray.
If you need more than one, you just have to check the specs, but it shouldn't be hard to find.
As for DVDs, your options are pretty limited now, especially if you're looking at those modern glass-panel cases. Those are built for looks and rarely have room for optical drives, unlike the older office-style cases.
Personally, I'd just grab a $100-$67 external USB-C DVD drive and tuck it away. You probably won't use it often, and it lets you pick a much cleaner-looking case.

Case design has come a long way and is probably plateauing now.
But honestly, almost any modern case costing over $50 will be a massive upgrade over the old stuff.

Alexander Moore67 said:https://www.amazon.com/fractal-design-cases/b01m2v8y6n
Budget-friendly, but the airflow is top-tier.

Does the ATX version work the same way?

wiredotter14 said:Liquid cooling is mostly about aesthetics and saving space, unless you're moving into extreme high-end territory or custom loops that actually outperform air. But you only really *need* that if you're running a scorching hot CPU that you plan to overclock (like an Intel Core i9-10900K or something similar).
If you want a reliable rig that runs 24/7 for years, you aren't going to be overclocking much, if at all.
With an air cooler, you're set. There's zero chance of the cooling system itself causing damage, whereas with liquid, you always have that nagging risk of a leak or a dead pump.
Air is actually quieter most of the time. I can barely hear the fans on my Noctua NH-D14, while with an AIO, that pump has to hum constantly.
The worst-case scenario is a fan dying, which you can swap out for maybe 50-$33. With high-quality coolers (like Noctua or be quiet!), the fans are so quiet and well-built they'll run for years without a hitch.

Modern cases have way more room nowadays since everyone stopped obsessing over HDD bays and DVD drives.
Basically, almost any case will have space for at least one HDD that you can screw directly into place without needing a tray.
If you need more than one, you just have to check the specs, but it shouldn't be hard to find.
As for DVDs, your options are pretty limited now, especially if you're looking at those modern glass-panel cases. Those are built for looks and rarely have room for optical drives, unlike the older office-style cases.
Personally, I'd just grab a $100-$67 external USB-C DVD drive and tuck it away. You probably won't use it often, and it lets you pick a much cleaner-looking case.

Case design has come a long way and is probably plateauing now.
But honestly, almost any modern case costing over $50 will be a massive upgrade over the old stuff.

As for the DVD situation, I actually have an external Blu-ray burner, so that isn't an issue for me. I'm a bit sentimental about my old gear, though—if giving up the old drive is just the price I pay for a modern build, I'll probably just pass it on to someone who actually needs it.
I've got one hard drive that I definitely need to keep using. My motherboard supports two NVMe drives, so I'll be running Windows and Linux (dual booting since I need both environments, and I really don't want them sharing the same physical disk). All in all, I won't be hamstrung by storage space because even my single drive is a 12TB beast, which is plenty for my needs. It would only be a headache if I were trying to set up something like a RAID array, but I've never done that, so I'm not planning to start now.

When it comes to cooling, I prefer larger fans. I'm not a hardcore gamer, so I won't be stuffing a monster GPU into this rig (besides, I can't imagine dropping $1,700$0.00 on those things with how crazy prices are these days). Since the GPU itself won't take up much room, I'll have more clearance for a beefy CPU cooler.

This time around, I'm actually going to focus on proper cable management. I want to route everything neatly so I don't end up with a mess of wires like last time—thankfully, most cables are much thinner nowadays, except for the power supply leads.

Alexander Moore67 said:https://www.amazon.com/fractal-design-cases/b01m2v8y6n
Budget-friendly, but the airflow is top-tier.

It looks a bit "old school." And here's my issue... it looks great in the product photos, but I really need to feel the build quality for myself. That's why I'm planning to head down to the HG spot to check out what kind of materials they actually used, especially those bottom clips holding the hard drives. If it's just cheap recycled plastic, then I'll pass.

granitecrane2 said:As for the DVD situation, I actually have an external Blu-ray burner, so that isn't an issue for me. I'm a bit sentimental about my old gear, though—if giving up the old drive is just the price I pay for a modern build, I'll probably just pass it on to someone who actually needs it.
I've got one hard drive that I definitely need to keep using. My motherboard supports two NVMe drives, so I'll be running Windows and Linux (dual booting since I need both environments, and I really don't want them sharing the same physical disk). All in all, I won't be hamstrung by storage space because even my single drive is a 12TB beast, which is plenty for my needs. It would only be a headache if I were trying to set up something like a RAID array, but I've never done that, so I'm not planning to start now.

When it comes to cooling, I prefer larger fans. I'm not a hardcore gamer, so I won't be stuffing a monster GPU into this rig (besides, I can't imagine dropping $1,700$0.00 on those things with how crazy prices are these days). Since the GPU itself won't take up much room, I'll have more clearance for a beefy CPU cooler.

This time around, I'm actually going to focus on proper cable management. I want to route everything neatly so I don't end up with a mess of wires like last time—thankfully, most cables are much thinner nowadays, except for the power supply leads.

One HDD fits anywhere, and finding a case that holds two isn't hard. Most cases have plenty of room for 2.5" drives anyway, if you're looking at smaller hard drives or SATA SSDs.
I assume a Blu-ray drive works for DVDs too. I also felt bad tossing a DVD burner from 2009, but hey, times change.

I think investing in a massive air cooler pays off because they basically last forever. Plus, when a cooler is oversized, the fans spin at minimum speeds and you barely hear them.
I'd recommend Noctua for the quality, ease of installation, and the fact that they provide free mounting kits if you buy a motherboard with a newer socket they don't support yet.
I had an old Intel LGA1366 board, switched to AM4, and Noctua sent me a new mounting kit for free.
I have an NH-D14 that's still available in the US, and it's cheaper than the newer NH-D15 model.
It comes with an ultra low noise adapter (a small cable you plug in before the cooler to cap the RPM at 900RPM) if you really want silence.
https://www.amazon.com/cooling-solutions/index

I'm just not sure if the NH-D14 is old stock and doesn't include the AM4 mounting kit, forcing you to ask Noctua to send it, or if it actually comes with it (if you go with AMD).

The NH-D15 is pretty pricey—maybe a bit too much, since you can get almost any other air cooler in that price range.
But if cash isn't an issue, the NH-D15 is arguably the best cooler out there; you can't go wrong. I think it goes as low as 300RPM. It uses 2x140mm fans, whereas the NH-D14 is 120mm + 140mm.
They have a black version too.
https://www.amazon.com/cooling/noctua-black-edition
https://www.amazon.com/cpu-coolers-lga-sockets

Of course, there are other brands with good coolers too.

Just for visualization, here's a photo of my current setup. Even with the massive cooler, everything fits. The GPU and CPU cooler don't interfere with each other, especially on a full ATX motherboard.



The PSU is a semi-modular Corsair TX650M. It uses those flat PCIe cables, which helps a little. Being modular is nice, I guess, but honestly, it doesn't matter much anymore since most modern cases have a basement to hide all the extra cable clutter.
Here’s my post from a few days ago with the lighting turned on

wiredotter14 said:I’m running a be quiet! 500DX and it’s solid. My only gripe is my motherboard lacks a USB-C header for the front panel and an RGB header controlled via software, but if you step up to a high-end board, yours will probably handle it just fine.

I’d definitely recommend it.
If the RGB gets annoying, you can just kill it—either through the motherboard software or a physical button.

Check the reviews and see if it actually meets your specs.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=500dx

Not entirely sure what you mean by "fans for the rest of the motherboard."
The case comes with 3x140mm fans: one rear, one top, one front.
You could swap the top one to the front and put an AIO at the top instead. I think it supports up to a 360mm radiator.

Some cases come with those massive 2x200mm fans in the front, but looking at the reviews, the thermal and acoustic performance isn't any better than just using decent 140mm fans.

Heh, I ended up picking one up as well, though I haven't actually gotten around to putting it all together yet! 🙂 Which motherboard are you running?

wiredotter14 As requested by:
The be quiet! 500DX feels a bit overpriced here in the States, but have you taken a look at the Corsair 5000D Airflow? Is airflow really that important? When you're building a high-performance PC, it’s easy to get caught up in the specs of the CPU or the speed of the RAM, but we can't overlook the basics of thermal management. After all, what good is top-tier hardware if it's constantly throttling because it's choking on its own heat? It makes you wonder: are we prioritizing aesthetics over actual cooling efficiency too often these days? I've found that getting the case airflow right from the start saves so much headache down the road. It's all about finding that perfect balance between silent operation and keeping those temperatures in check. What do you all think—is a mesh front panel a must-have for every modern build, or can a solid panel still cut it if your fans are powerful enough?I actually went through that exact same process when I was shopping around for my own setup.

What’s the situation over in the States right now? I'm actually out of town at the moment, so I couldn't care less about what's happening there anyway. $217

electrictrucker82 said:Heh, I ended up picking one up as well, though I haven't actually gotten around to putting it all together yet! 🙂 Which motherboard are you running?

wiredotter14 As requested by:
The be quiet! 500DX feels a bit overpriced here in the States, but have you taken a look at the Corsair 5000D Airflow? Is airflow really that important? When you're building a high-performance PC, it’s easy to get caught up in the specs of the CPU or the speed of the RAM, but we can't overlook the basics of thermal management. After all, what good is top-tier hardware if it's constantly throttling because it's choking on its own heat? It makes you wonder: are we prioritizing aesthetics over actual cooling efficiency too often these days? I've found that getting the case airflow right from the start saves so much headache down the road. It's all about finding that perfect balance between silent operation and keeping those temperatures in check. What do you all think—is a mesh front panel a must-have for every modern build, or can a solid panel still cut it if your fans are powerful enough?I actually went through that exact same process when I was shopping around for my own setup.

What’s the situation over in the States right now? I'm actually out of town at the moment, so I couldn't care less about what's happening there anyway. $217

I've got an MSI B450 Tomahawk Max II, standard ATX.

Snagged it on Newegg for exactly $80. From what I can tell, prices in America are way higher, so it’s questionable if it’s actually worth it—there might be better options for that kind of cash.

The only downside with the board is that it doesn't support the case's RGB header, so I have to change the LEDs via a button (different standard, some weird workaround). It's fine that it remembers the last setting, though, so when you reboot, it stays the same. Other than that, my board lacks a USB-C header, so the front USB-C port is dead weight, but it's not like I'd use it for anything important anyway.

wiredotter14 said:I've got an MSI B450 Tomahawk Max II, standard ATX.

Snagged it on Newegg for exactly $80. From what I can tell, prices in America are way higher, so it’s questionable if it’s actually worth it—there might be better options for that kind of cash.

The only downside with the board is that it doesn't support the case's RGB header, so I have to change the LEDs via a button (different standard, some weird workaround). It's fine that it remembers the last setting, though, so when you reboot, it stays the same. Other than that, my board lacks a USB-C header, so the front USB-C port is dead weight, but it's not like I'd use it for anything important anyway.

In my case, the RGB control doesn't work when I plug something like a Wraith Spire into the RGB header; it only works through the USB connection, which is the only way I can actually control it... could it be a similar situation with the case? Perhaps the RGB header is essentially just for show.

wanderingbison9 said:In my case, the RGB control doesn't work when I plug something like a Wraith Spire into the RGB header; it only works through the USB connection, which is the only way I can actually control it... could it be a similar situation with the case? Perhaps the RGB header is essentially just for show.

Look, the issue is there are two different RGB standards. It’s not just a software thing; it’s hardware. I think my motherboard has a 12V RGB header while the case uses 5V aRGB, so they’re fundamentally incompatible.

My brother has a Wraith Prism that came with his 2700X. He’s using the exact same motherboard model as me, but plugging it into the RGB header does nothing. When he switches to USB, the MSI software starts acting up again.

By the way, MSI's motherboard software (not the BIOS, the BIOS is fine) is a total disaster. You install it through MSI Center, which then tries to install a bunch of individual components. I couldn't get Mystic Light to work at all—the installer literally fails, and the version from the Microsoft Store doesn't work either... 😵😵😵

Eventually, my brother found some tiny utility someone wrote for manual tweaking. I needed it because the motherboard has this single RGB LED on the back of the board that you have to disable via software, otherwise, you're stuck with the motherboard glowing red all night. 🙏

wiredotter14 said:I've got an MSI B450 Tomahawk Max II, standard ATX.

Snagged it on Newegg for exactly $80. From what I can tell, prices in America are way higher, so it’s questionable if it’s actually worth it—there might be better options for that kind of cash.

The only downside with the board is that it doesn't support the case's RGB header, so I have to change the LEDs via a button (different standard, some weird workaround). It's fine that it remembers the last setting, though, so when you reboot, it stays the same. Other than that, my board lacks a USB-C header, so the front USB-C port is dead weight, but it's not like I'd use it for anything important anyway.

Maybe there's some weird adapter on AliExpress? Those guys always make some strange little fix for stuff like this.😁