Hi all,

Looking for some guidance on a new case.

Like every other person at the moment, I'm in the middle of selecting components for a build. Looking at something built around a IB 3570k with a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler and a Redeon HD 7850 or a GTX560ti gpu. The rig will be stock or perhaps mildly overclocked.

The intention is as a casual gaming machine. It sits in the family room and runs 24/7. The idea is that it is pretty much silent when idle, but less concerned about the noise under load.

Currently have a P180, which will become a file server, consequently the new machine will only be running an SSD and 1 hard drive, so do not need a large case to hold hard drives etc.

I was looking at mini towers with an matx board to keep the size down, but there seems there is very little the size difference between mini towers and mid towers. So I am thinking it is not worth losing some connections and futureproofing by going to matx to save a few cm/inches, would love someone to change my mind.

So primary looking for mid towers with USB3 recommendations up to the $150 mark. Liking the Fractal Design range, but looking for other options I may not have thought of.

Thanks in advance.

This is what i would go,

Case: SilverStone SST-PS07B Black Steel / Plastic with Aluminum Accent MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
PSU: Seasonic SS-560KM Active PFC F3, 560W ATX12V V2.3/EPS 12V V2.91, 80Plus Gold Certified, Modular Power Supply
Mobo: ASUS Maximus V Gene LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-02 Macho
Case fans: Scythe Slip Stream 120mm x 25mm PWM Mid Speed Fan - (SY1225SL12LM-P)

Agreed, or if you want to fancy it up a bit go for a lian li A04 (looks nicer imo then PS07 but with a few less conveniences internally) or the TJ08-E (front fan cant get "silent" but quite quiet) there are some really nice builds here with them. Both are under $100 so spend the cash on quieter components. As always components will dictate how quiet your case is, not the case itself. Get a 5400 Hard drive and make sure the cooler on your graphics card is quiet (or buy a cheap one replace it with an arctic cooling aftermarket heatsink if you are confident). Also you could go with the ASUS P8Z77-M PRO instead and save $40, in my usage there would not be much of a point getting the ROG.

Here's the SPCR top 4 mid towers with a similar heat load (scroll down a bit to the chart). See which one has the feature set you like the most.

Fractal Design Define R3 or mini springs to mind. They are good all around cases with no major flaws. Also the Fractal Arc midi or Arc Mini.

Would you prefer a case with much airflow or do you prefer a case such as the Fractal Design R3 with door and covers for the unused fan positions?

I would be cautious about TR Macho on Asus Maximus V gene, since the Macho with fan is 16 cm wide,
and the first PCIE slot is closest to the CPU socket. It might be not possible to put a gfx card in the top slot.
I'm not saying it won't work, just buyer beware.