Other parts (already ordered or have):
- i7-2600K - will be overclocked fairly high, until I run into too much heat for comfort
- Gigabyte ATX mobo - based on Tomshardware testing, they seem to have good power consumption while OC'ed (and also when not) and can OC fairly well
- Prolimatech Megahalems heatsink
- A couple SSD's (no HDD's)
- 5.25" bay adapter for slim optical drive + the two SSD's
- HD 5870 video card for now, but will upgrade to something more powerful later this year / early next year (when new generation of cards comes out)... May get something as powerful/hot as a GTX 580 and strap on an aftermarket heatsink. No plans for SLI/Crossfire
- (Already have a bunch of vinyl and melamine, if needed for internal damping)
For cases, my top choices are currently the Solo II and Fractal Define R3. Other than low noise, my highest priority is probably good airflow in the CPU area (what with overclocking). The Solo's design is probably best suited for that, with a clear airflow path between the front fan and the CPU heatsink. However, I prefer the R3's aesthetic design, and I do like the extra fan options (top for CPU, bottom for GPU), if I decide that I can live with an extra decibel of noise or two for better cooling performance. Are there any other candidates I should consider in the ATX mid-tower category - something not too big and ideally with a front fan lined up nicely with the CPU area? I'd love to have USB 3.0 and eSATA, but I guess those aren't completely necessary (and neither of the top 2 choices have eSATA), especially if I can put in a 3.5" or 5.25" bay device with those ports.
Thanks for your recommendations!