New and upcoming case releases

Nauls

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Unfortunately, in looking through those, I have to choose between a 5.25" bay and USB 3.1/USB C on the front panel. You can't have both at once. With a bay, they only offer USB 3.0.
Have you tried PCPartPicker? Their case selector allows you to filter for 5.25" bays, USB-C on front panel, and min/max size of video card (which could help narrow down 360mm rad fitment).

 

malor

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I'll have to check that, thanks.

What I did in the interim, since this was looking difficult and I was wasting peoples' collective time, was to buy a USB DVD drive for $30. That'll work well enough for now. Ultimately, I just want to rip some CDs I bought, and thought I'd fix two problems at once.

edit to add: thanks for the suggestions, by the way. I appreciate the effort.
 
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malor

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Silverstone SETA D1? I think it's a bit overpriced for what you get, but it seems to fit your requirements.
That's another that's only allowing USB 3.0 on the front panel, rather than 3.1. I could probably live with that, but then the Phanteks Enthoo would return to contention, as well.

I really like how Silverstone shows you how things will lay out with a nice graphic and a bunch of different clickable choices. Their website designer did an awesome job with that.

It looks like having a 5.25" drive at the same time as a long GPU is probably out, though. I'll have to contemplate that, I hadn't really thought about it before. Maybe just giving up on that whole idea and sticking with the USB DVD burner is smarter.
 

Paladin

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I've wondered about that IO panel USB 3.0 vs 3.1/3.2 question. Does it really make a difference as long as the controller is 3.2 capable? Is there a difference in wiring or just software and controller? Is there a newer standard front IO connector for 3.2 vs 3.0 and 3.1?

I've seen cables that obviously cover all of the above and some that are labeled as USB 3 but seem to work on a 3.2 port up to 10 gigabit. I know it is supposed to matter and the case specifications should be clear but I keep seeing brand new and upcoming cases that just say front panel IO USB 3, even the USB-C ports are just USB 3 with no more specifics, as if it doesn't make any difference. Are they just being lazy or keeping it simple for marketing?
 

malor

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I've wondered about that IO panel USB 3.0 vs 3.1/3.2 question. Does it really make a difference as long as the controller is 3.2 capable? Is there a difference in wiring or just software and controller? Is there a newer standard front IO connector for 3.2 vs 3.0 and 3.1?
I've been assuming that they say 3.0 for a reason, and that if they could, they'd say 3.1 or 3.2. USB naming in general is just a mess. USB 4 is mostly fixing that particular issue, but that won't show up in cases for awhile yet.

The USB consortium has been super shitty about allowing deceptive naming practices in the past, so I would beware of anything saying just USB 3. If it doesn't make an explicit speed claim, the safest bet is probably assuming that it's no better than 3.0.
 
That one almost works, but it doesn't seem to have a reset switch.
What is the issue with not having a reset switch? Personally I never used a reset button on a PC on purpose in my life, ever, and the few times I hit one on accident were horrible, including data loss. When things go south that require a hard reboot the only safe way is to kill it by holding the power button and then leaving it turned off for some seconds anyway.

That case is fantastic for everything you want (I wasn't aware that there was an ODD slot in there until I checked the manual) and I can vouch for bequiet's build quality and support. I'm on a Silent Base 801 with 802 front mesh and bequiet's general interior design these days is awesome for airflow and cabling.
 
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continuum

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I've wondered about that IO panel USB 3.0 vs 3.1/3.2 question. Does it really make a difference as long as the controller is 3.2 capable?
Nope. Although to be fair you are only guaranteed USB 3.0 at 5Gbps speeds (aka USB 3.2 Gen 1) as opposed to faster (USB 3.2 Gen 1's 10Gbps) if not labeled otherwise.

Per Tom's Hardware:

SpecificationPrevious TermTechnical TermMarketing Term
USB 3.2N/AUSB 3.2 Gen 2x2SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps
USB 3.1USB 3.1 Gen 2USB 3.2 Gen 2SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps
USB 3.0USB 3.1 Gen 1USB 3.2 Gen 1SuperSpeed USB
 

teubbist

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That's another that's only allowing USB 3.0 on the front panel, rather than 3.1. I could probably live with that, but then the Phanteks Enthoo would return to contention, as well.

Maybe I'm missing something, but the D1 has 2x USB 3.0 type A ports and 1x 3.1 Gen 2 Type C(page 29/section 21 of the manual). Same as the SL600. What it's missing vs the SL600 is the 2 USB2 Type-A ports.

It looks like having a 5.25" drive at the same time as a long GPU is probably out, though. I'll have to contemplate that, I hadn't really thought about it before. Maybe just giving up on that whole idea and sticking with the USB DVD burner is smarter.

Long GPU's sacrifice 3.5" drive mounts, page 27/section 19 of the manual. I suppose if you had a GPU with an extra thick backplate it might intrude on the 5.25" cage but that seems pretty unlikely.
 

Semi On

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Maybe just giving up on that whole idea and sticking with the USB DVD burner is smarter.

This was my conclusion in the end. It's tucked in behind my big-ass monitor so I don't ever see it. I used it a lot at first as I was converting my DVD/BD collection. Since then, I've used it like three times when I bought a physical CD.
 

pauli

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I like this mockup:
we_decree_define.png

It's very clean, very sleek, very clearly missing some major things, and also completely insane.
 

mnpctech

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Good call @continuum

CM did similar idea with Mastercase 5 Midtower. CM invitied several PC Modders to private workshop in Taiwan to share feedback during it's development. CM sold add-on parts like glass panel and vented top, separately. You could remove top and front fan/radiator brackets and change orientation of internal storage cages. Pro version came with window panel and vented top. The case is still a great idea, but it was before it's time. Modular cases are uninteresting to most consumers. People just want to open the box and build. Mastercase failed with sales.

In-win makes most of their revenue from OEM manufacturing, so they can afford to offer specialized designs for niche market.



CM sent me a sample in 2016, which I still use as my main rig today. (Porsche 917 PC build)


buy-porsche-911-930-gaming-computer_1200x1200.jpg
 
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steelghost

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I know I'm in a very, very small minority, but if a modular case was offered that I liked, one of the modular options would have to be for more drive bays, and that's where both Coolermaster's previous attempt and In-Win's current attempt seem to be lacking.
Feels like the time for that sort of case has probably passed? The last one I can think of along those lines (ie building a workstation with lots of local storage) would have been the Fractal Define 7(XL). When 2 and 4TB SSDs are eminently affordable, it's really hard for a manufacturer to justify the tooling costs for a case that supports lots of 3.5" drives (unless they're building an expressly NAS focused case). I would actually really like to see Fractal do an update to the (IMO classic) Node 304, which came out (judging by the dates of the reviews I'm seeing) ten frikkin years ago. Offer a lower capacity, super efficient semi-passive PSU with it, with the right cabling to service however many bays with SATA drives. Maybe the option of a backplane for hotswap. ITX and mATX versions could be great, if they can package the space well.
 
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Have we talked about the CM Qube 500 yet? Really interesting case that's flat packed and (somewhat) modular.
Also kinda shocked that the whole case has detailed step/cad files so you could make your own (properly mounted) mods for it...


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSrCtEfE0kE



(also gonna add it seems to be using some parts from other CM cases, like the fan mounts and some of the snap connectors from the NR200).
 

continuum

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Feels like the time for that sort of case has probably passed?
Obviously yes. :/ But to me if a manufacturer is going to take another crack at the "modular" case market they might as well take actual advantage of their modular product and make some additional modular that do drive bays in a few different configurations, not just one or two more for varying thicknesses of radiators and not much else.

Heck I don't think I see any modular cases that do a separate GPU module, although to be fair I don't know how practical that is.


CM Qube 500 I don't think we've discussed here yet.
 
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grommit!

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Not sure what they're going for with the angled front fans, but it's nice to see another case with bottom mounted fans blowing directly at the GPU:
 

ScifiGeek

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grommit!

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First impressions from tomshardware and kitguru seems to be that it performs well enough, though the stock RGB fans are noisy. It'll be interesting to see how it does with GN's noctua fan setup.

Hardwarecanucks point out that the lack of grommets would ruin the aesthetic of the white version, as you can see the cable mess.
 
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continuum

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Silverstone CS382, depending on your needs, looks improved over its predecessors. I would prefer more comparison to other cases but sounds like this reviewer doesn't review many (which is fair given he discloses that up front).
 

tadams

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My now very elderly kaby lake box is in dire need of a full upgrade/replacement. Looking to get something a bit easier to move around, so a mini ITX build using the M1 Evo looks very appealing. Reviews on it are still pretty sparse, though. Anybody tried one?

Gamers nexus has put out a video on it. I’d say it’s pretty comprehensive and should let anyone know if the case is for them
 

Semi On

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Corsair has new dual-chamber cases coming:


The wood paneling and brushed metal options are interesting. They've managed to support Asus, MSI and Gigabyte's backside connectors, in case those motherboards ever make it to the US.
 

mpat

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Corsair has new dual-chamber cases coming:


The wood paneling and brushed metal options are interesting. They've managed to support Asus, MSI and Gigabyte's backside connectors, in case those motherboards ever make it to the US.
So the PSU and non-M.2 storage is in a cabinet of its own. That made a lot more sense when we all had lots of non-M.2 storage. I have a single SATA drive in my box and it is barely used, so that big cabinet would be mostly empty.

It would make more sense if it was the GPU and CPU in different chambers.