So I have been editing 4K videos for this YouTube channel on my old Dell workstation.
Over the years, I have upgraded its CPU cooler, the power supply and the GPU. But
I think now it's time to build a brand new PC to take my video editing to the next level. My
plan is to build a PC that will last for many years and will be future proof. So that means
I need to pick a case that is large enough to not only accommodate Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU,
but whatever monster GPU that gets released down the road. Although I am not happy with
the humongous sizes of these modern GPUs, it seems like the industry has decided to go that
route. For example, the Founders Edition of RTX 4090 requires 3 PCI slots and it measures 12” in
length and 5” in width. Board partner cards like the ASUS TUF Gaming OC Edition require almost
4 PCI slots and measures an insane 14” in length and 6” in width. So I think picking
anything less than an ATX Full Tower case may be a mistake. In order to ensure that
I can upgrade to whatever monstrosity Nvidia unleashes in the future, I need to go bigger
Now, My budget is tight and I don't want to spend
over $200 on a PC case. So I have narrowed down my choices to 3 cases.
This is the most expensive case in my list and at the time of making this video,
it was going for around $230. But currently there is a deal which brings its price down
to 200 bucks. I consider the Corsair 7000D a Cadillac luxury model of PC cases. This
is a full-tower ATX case that comes with an airflow-optimized design. It has a roomy interior
that offers plenty of airflow and ability to install custom water cooling solutions.
This case comes with 3 140mm fans. I will put 2 of these fans in the
front and 1 in the back to create a nice cool breeze that will keep the GPU, RAM,
and other motherboard components cool. Corsair also includes a PWM fan repeater controller that
is capable of controlling up to 6 fans from a single 4-pin PWM header on the motherboard.
This will allow me to fine tune the fan speed for optimal performance and noise. For CPU cooling,
I will use an AIO liquid cooler and will install its radiator on the top of the case
You get plenty of airflow options in this case. You can put a 120 mm fan as shown here. You can
put 4 in the front. You can put 4 on the side. You can put 3 on the top and you can put one
in the back. Now, if you want to put bigger fans, you can go with 140 mm fans. You will
be able to put 3 in the front. You can put 3 on the top and you can put 1 on the bottom. If you
want to go with liquid cooling, then you need to put in the radiator. On the top, you can
actually go all the way up to a 360 mm radiator. That should suffice for most power hungry CPUs
Similarly, if you want to put the radiator on the front, you can go all
the way to 480 mm and you can actually have a push-pull configuration if you want. Now,
if you want to put a radiator here on the side that is also possible and you
can again go up to 480 mm. And then in the back there is a 120 mm radiator.
Corsair 7000D Airflow is a massive case that supports a maximum GPU length of 17.7 inches
and height of 7.5 inches. It comes with tool-free swing-out side panels and offers plenty of space
for installing various storage drives. There is a 25mm space behind the motherboard for tucking
all the cables and easily routing them through a hidden channel. There is even a concealed
hinged steel door to hide all the mess, if you don't care about cable management. The
build quality of this case is top notch. It uses stainless steel and 4.4 mm sturdy
tempered glass side panels. Corsair 7000D Airflow definitely feels like an overkill,
but I intend to use my case for many years, and this case should last for an eternity
This case is designed for maximum air-flow and boasts plenty of space for installing
fans or radiators. Fractal Design has included 4 120 mm RGB fans which are good enough for my
needs. But if you want, you can install 2 larger 140mm fans in the front and 1 140mm
fan in the back. You can also install 2 120mm or 140mm fans on the top. Since I plan to use
AIO liquid cooling for my CPU, I will install a 280 mm radiator on the top. The case does allow
installing a 360 mm radiator in the front as well, but I will stick with stocks fans
in the front and back. Now what I love about this case is that it can accommodate a 17.9”
long and 8” wide GPU. That's more than enough to accommodate any modern or future GPU. Also
the case is wide enough to accommodate most tall large air-cooled CPU heatsinks
Now lets talk about the build quality of this case. So the case weighs 9.65 kg and
looks very hefty. The left side panel is made from tempered glass while the right side panel
is solid stainless steel. Regarding dust filters, the top of the case has a perforated plastic mesh,
while the front side has a perforated steel mesh. The PSU dust filter in the back uses
a nylon mesh. There are 8 expansion slots and plenty of drive mounts in this case.
Unfortunately this case does not come with cable routing grommets but you do get 2 fixed cable
ties at the back for cable management. The front of the case includes 2 USB 3.0 ports
but there is no USB Type-C port. You will have to buy an optional USB-C upgrade kit
to add this port. Now at the time of making this video, Fractal Design Pop XL Air was selling for
around $130 including shipping and handling, which makes it the cheapest case in my list
Next up is Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2. This is also a full tower ATX case with stainless
steel chassis and tempered glass side panel. I like the plethora of air-flow options that this
case offers. Unfortunately this case doesn't come with any fans, so you will have to shell out extra
cash for them. While this may not be an issue for folks who intend to buy matching RGB fans,
I plan to use the included stock fans that come with my case. On the bright side, Phantek does
include high-airflow dust filters for the top, bottom, side and front intakes in this case.
Now Enthoo Pro 2 is a monster case that can accommodate all kinds of
motherboards including EATX and SSI-EEB server motherboards. You get 8 PCI slots,
support for up to 12 3.5” hard-drive slots and up to 11 2.5” slots for sata drives. It
can accommodate GPUs up to 19.95” inch in length which makes this case future proof.
The maximum CPU Cooler Clearance is 7.7” which is good enough to accommodate most
tall air-coolers. Its front panel has 4 USB 3.0 ports and 1 USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port
which I really appreciate because these are missing in the Fractal Design Pop XL Air case.
Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 is priced at $190 making it about 60 bucks more expensive than Fractal Pop.
I have decided to go with Corsair 7000D Airflow. Although it's the most expensive among the lot,
I like its premium build quality and attention to detail. So now that I have made my decision on the
case, next up will be deciding whether to build an AMD or Intel System. Both
13th gen Intel raptor lake and AMD Ryzen 7000 Series Desktop CPUs are awesome. So
it's not going to be an easy choice. Please leave a comment below and let
me know what you think about my case choice and whether I should go with Intel or AMD?
If you liked this video give it a like and I will see you guys in my next video. Bye!