KimbaWLion
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I do realize case selections are very opinion oriented ones but I will have my X299 dark SOMETIME tomorrow and I wanted opinions this time because ease of build and flexibility are my primary concerns. My current case is an Inwin 509 and TBH I had a bear of time making it work well with my atx MB. I went out a bit ago and bought an Fractal Define R6 on sale a good price and its sitting in a box. The S2 came out shortly after I got the R6 but its not a biggie other than it has a Pump Bracket ready to use as the R6 does not. I currently use an EVGA 480CLC with Noctua industrial PWM 140mms. (these are SOOOO sweet too!) Here is where my issues start. I should have looked first, and its TOTALLY my fault as its IS noted even on Fractal's FAQs but in an R6 as well as MANY other EATX motherboards, the wire grommet pass-throughs are covered when using EATX. Evga's EATX spec shows a width: 10.895in - 276.7mm and is slightly over MOST case manufacturer's spec of 272mm wide. (NXZT H700i etc.) So it comes down to this, should I just use the R6? I can sell it easily enough, but it REALLY mentally bothers me to use a case that has wire pass grommets FOR neatness and to not be able to use them, my last Lian Li was like that and I really hated it...So IF I make a switch I want a case super easy to work with, I want a glass door or doors with easy pop on pop off LIKE the R6 or hinges, I would like a PSU shroud the shows the name or the option to like a Cooler Master HP500M,and MOST importantly its about cable management. I am always struggling with lining my PSU wires in the back and making things a tight fit plus having a new EVGA 1600 T2 means I have a large PSU to place in the case. Again I know its an opinion question but looking good and neatness go together. I am hoping that other than a GPU change or NVME upgrade. I won't to touch a thing for 3-4 years. Intel and AMD have new stuff all the time but will I REALLY outgrow my I9 7900X in the next 3-5 years? Me thinks NO...So what do I do?1. Keep the R6 and make it work some how.2. Change to something that will be EASIER TO WORK ON (that also means making it look neat on BOTH sides) and I do not mind buying another case I want this RIGHT as I can make it and make it look awesome in for years to come. I do want to try custom loops some day but that is when I have money to burn and I shot all I had on the 1600watt T2 and the X299 MB but can eek out for another case if it makes it work better...3. I have been looking at the Evolve X, NXZT H700 ThermalTake View 71 etc etc etc. I am driving myself nuts... I get this way when I start to over think and beat things to death, HENCE HELP! Thanks in advance for any and ALL advice! I respect and appreciate any and ALL advice. I may have been doing this since the 90's but I love learning and doing better every time I do it! 
post edited by rjohnson11 - 2019/01/02 11:46:43
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KimbaWLion
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2018/12/27 22:19:57
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I was looking for a wee bit of help given the fast knowledge base here, but I guess it was thought that I should figure this out all by myself and stop whining. (Yes I know I was so it's ALL good) BUT for any interested, this was my research, what I discovered, my final choice, and why. I eliminated the Fractal R6 and the NXZT H700 right off the bat because when looking up the max sized EATX MB from their info available and official word from the case makers, the slightly over sized spec, depth of 10.879in of the X299 Dark made it not fit or at leasttoo close for the manufacturer to say it would fit. While they may fit and many here may use them, I only have the makers words to go on. When you look at the Thermaltake offerings like the View 37, 71 etc. you STILL found the grommet holes ALL covered up making it an install that would compromise what I was looking for. Now Thermaltake does make cases that do work like some of the new Level 20s but the price at well over $200 to $200+++. It was a LOT more then I wanted to spend though, the local Microcenter had a deal of for the Thermaltake 900 Tower Snow for $199 but it weighed 50lbs with NOTHING in it... Sorry it wasNOT going to happen. Corsair did have 1-2 offerings but when fully evaluated, googled and looked at, the board looked to be a tight fit and wiring cleanliness would have to be creative according to some of the reviews I read. The Be Quiet! offerings just didn't hit the me and I look long and hard at the Phanteks offerings. The Evolve X to me was NOT worth the $200 strictly a PERSONAL feeling. The Enthloo etc. lines came really close, especially for the price but I read that quality COULD be an issue though not too likely and I read mixed reviews on their support, things do happen bad to me and those things DO play a part. Again I much remind that this are my personal feelings and not criticisms, it's about how my mind worked through this... The local Microcenter had a deal on an Inwin 909 that I was REALLY temped to get even though it was a 2 year old design and no longer made, BUT again at OVER 40lbs empty I just didn't want to deal with it no matter how good a deal (from a $400 list to under $200) let alone the minor flaws in the case and they are some of the flaws I have with my 509. What was nice, was the Microcenter had a lot of cases (18 for EATX) I could touch, feel and look at so I could really make a solid call on what I was looking at. So here is my final choice in the end... TADA!!! It's the Lian Li O11 Dynamic!!Here are my reasons why in no order: 1. The review over at Gamers Nexus was thorough as always, Steve leaves NO stones overlooked.2. Der Bauer is one smart dude, and almost every feature makes it possible to do an install that works any number of ways and will allow to me grow from an AIO to a real water loop some day! 3. The grommets of course will be covered BUT they are angled! This will allow me to fish my cables through the grommets, not block the the radiator of the AIO thereby allowing a tight but clean look with the ability to add all sorts of goodies later as I can afford and grow. 4. Still not sure how it would look even with the information, I went to Youtube and found a vid of somebody using the EATX ROG $600 MB for their x299 build. While some of it was tight, it all fit in the custom loop and looked AWESOME! It worked and was really clean. All wires etc. look great and the vertical GPU mount was a great looking and does NOT affect thermals as tested by Gamer's Nexus. 5. Generally speaking and as reviewed, Lian Li makes solid cases, I have owned them before and never been disappointed, just a bit poorer... This case however I got for the sale price of $129+ PA sales tax! It was much lower priced than any of the competitors and since purchased locally I have 30 days to play around if not happy or have broken or missing parts. I am always in awe at the rigs I see in Mod Rigs and I realize do not have the talent a lot here do. I just do my best with what I have and feel good when it starts up with the power button, we ALL know the feeling for the first timepower up of a new build... I am sure many here even use some of the cases that are said to be not able to be used or use ones I ruled out for my own personal reasons. We all know building our own rigs is personal thing because we have to lookat the finished product plus improvements along the way for a long time after we get done. This was SORT of a fun, tedious at times trip, BUT an excellent learning experience for me. I hope in my journey, I made a few of you laugh at me,gave some a little bit of entertainment, and JUST maybe helped JUST one person going through what I am and still am until I complete the build. Here's hoping and thanks for reading to the end of this IF you did! 
post edited by rjohnson11 - 2019/01/02 11:54:31
Lian Li O11 EVO XL ll Intel 14900K ll Asrock Nova MB ll Samsung 990 2TB ll WD 850N 4TB ll Toshiba 8gb hdd ll NZXT Kracken Elite 360 ll 64GB Corsair Platinum Dominator ll EVGA 3080 TI ll Asus Rog Loki SFX 850 PSU
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bcavnaugh
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2018/12/28 14:44:09
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PINKTULIP
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2018/12/30 06:39:02
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Just make sure it's E-ATX and have great Cable management and last larger Radiators option. rest of your choice...….
MOBO :EVGA X299 DARK 151-SX-E299-KR BIOS :1.29 CPU : Intel Core i9-10900X Skylake-X 10-Core 3.7 GHz LCR :Corsair Hydro Series H80i V2 GPU :SAPPHIRE NITRO+ RX 6900 XT SE MEMORY: CORSAIR Dominator Platinum SE Torque 32GB (4 x 8GB) CMD32GX4M4C3200C14T SSD 01: SAMSUNG 970 PRO M.2 1TB NVMe SSD 02: SAMSUNG 860 PRO 256GBX2 Raid 0 PSU : Seosonic Prime Titanium SSR-1000TR 1000 Watts CASE :Thermaltake (Armor+) VH6000SWA SC :Creative Sound Blaster AE-9 5.1 Channels Monitor Acer XR382CQK IPS 3840x1600 @ 75HZ BD [/
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KimbaWLion
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2018/12/30 20:12:53
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I actually look at most of those and price was the major reason why I had to dismiss some of those choices. The Core X5 was in the running for a bit but in the end I chose what I did. I DO appreciate your input, this really was a soul searching decision on my part and I REALLY beat myself up over it...
Lian Li O11 EVO XL ll Intel 14900K ll Asrock Nova MB ll Samsung 990 2TB ll WD 850N 4TB ll Toshiba 8gb hdd ll NZXT Kracken Elite 360 ll 64GB Corsair Platinum Dominator ll EVGA 3080 TI ll Asus Rog Loki SFX 850 PSU
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rjohnson11
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2019/01/02 11:54:18
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I have reduced the font size of the first two posts to make it a bit easier on the eyes.
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w318ti
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2019/01/02 13:19:20
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GGF did a build with the x299 Dark in the O11 Air, this should give you a good idea about how the motherboard looks in relation to the cable grommet holes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCERe2eLafIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agAjrwbeuT4 The O11 Air vs Dynamic are basically the same exact chassis. Air just has slightly more rear rad mounting flexibility, different top and front panels, rear exhaust fan mounts, and front fan mounts. Main compartments are virtually identical between the cases.
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jericogarcia16
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2019/01/02 19:03:29
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you can try LIAN LI PC-V3000WX
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KimbaWLion
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2019/01/02 21:36:10
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I did look at the LIAN LI PC-V3000WX but the only Online supplier at a sale price which was still a hefty $300+ was Newegg and it as out of stock anyway. The thing that made it hard to find what I wanted was the slightly larger than usual X299 Dark E-ATX Motherboard. Plus I did not want to spend a mint on a new case. I had in my head under $200 too. I have always loved Lian Li cases and I just moved out of one a little while ago. I actually saw the GGF vids before I ended up with the Dynamic. I will be using an AIO for now, an Eisenbaer 360LT which I can actually add to with extension tubing and being able to fill as needed. It even has a copper rad. and from all the testing I saw on the new model its pretty darn good and will let me expand for a bit before I break into a custom loop one of these days when I think I am bend and afford the fancy parts.
Lian Li O11 EVO XL ll Intel 14900K ll Asrock Nova MB ll Samsung 990 2TB ll WD 850N 4TB ll Toshiba 8gb hdd ll NZXT Kracken Elite 360 ll 64GB Corsair Platinum Dominator ll EVGA 3080 TI ll Asus Rog Loki SFX 850 PSU
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jericogarcia16
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2019/01/03 20:43:18
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KimbaWLion
I did look at the but the only Online supplier at a sale price which was still a hefty $300+ was Newegg and it as out of stock anyway. The thing that made it hard to find what I wanted was the slightly larger than usual X299 Dark E-ATX Motherboard. Plus I did not want to spend a mint on a new case. I had in my head under $200 too. I have always loved Lian Li cases and I just moved out of one a little while ago.
I actually saw the GGF vids before I ended up with the Dynamic. I will be using an AIO for now, an Eisenbaer 360LT which I can actually add to with extension tubing and being able to fill as needed. It even has a copper rad. and from all the testing I saw on the new model its pretty darn good and will let me expand for a bit before I break into a custom loop one of these days when I think I am bend and afford the fancy parts.
yea with this case i only have 480mm and 420mm radiator installed. I want to add more but it's only 120mm rad using the rear fan exhaust. I was gonna go with the new Corsair 1000D.
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rusTORK
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2019/01/19 09:51:18
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Hm... since i have X299 Dark too i also looking case for it, but...
I want to mount motherboard horizontally and also mount GPU horizontally too (basicly everything should be horizontally). Best for such build will be cube case and ThermalTake have got a lot of them... but damn they are so big (Core X9 for example). And a lot HDD cages i don't need.
Another problem - i don't want to use any AiOs, only Air cooler. But most Noctua not compatible, so i think i go for be Quiet! cooler (and it's Black!).
Board itself very similar to ATX size (it's just wider on 33mm)
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bcavnaugh
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2019/01/19 10:17:08
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Core X9 is great as well as Core W100
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Dreadvolt
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Re: X299 Dark Case Selection questions. opinions, and choices
2019/05/16 06:33:07
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w318ti
GGF did a build with the x299 Dark in the O11 Air, this should give you a good idea about how the motherboard looks in relation to the cable grommet holes.
The O11 Air vs Dynamic are basically the same exact chassis. Air just has slightly more rear rad mounting flexibility, different top and front panels, rear exhaust fan mounts, and front fan mounts. Main compartments are virtually identical between the cases.
This build is incredible and all sorts of inspiring for risking a very angry wife to have an absolutely gorgeous blacked out build. Thank you for sharing it here.
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