Sherdog PC Build/Buy Thread, v5: Stop Thinking of Your Router as a Peripheral

[Madmick]

BTW, I really think they need to add liquid cooler radiator support (240mm/280mm/360mm/) filter boxes to PC Part Picker.

It's essentially the case version of the filter box for "Semi" or "Full" modular PSU's in that section. It's the most effective way to filter out all the shit you don't want to buy (I'm not saying there aren't good non-modular options out there, but if you don't know what you're looking for, or if you simply want to save some time, then filter for modular PSU's).

The reason is that it shows you the cases that weren't designed in 2011 and are just getting half-hearted updates to accommodate new standards (2.5" drives, liquid coolers, placement of m2 devices, etc.) It also shows you the manufacturers who are REALLY designing for the custom building enthusiast community and puts some actual thought into how their cases with be constructed in actual builds.

@GrizzlyTitan Just a heads up, the H110iGTX fans are somewhat noisy.

How are they in quiet mode?

 

[Thai Otoshi]

@GrizzlyTitan @Madmick

This is the SSD I have.

 

[Madmick]

@GrizzlyTitan @Madmick

This is the SSD I have.

That's on par with the Mushkin Reactor:
http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/SanDisk-Ultra-II-960GB-vs-Mushkin-Reactor-1TB/m18382vsm19867

UserBenchmark really just a godsend. It's becoming my one-stop benchmark reference.

 

[jefferz]

BTW, I really think they need to add liquid cooler radiator support (240mm/280mm/360mm/) filter boxes to PC Part Picker.

It's essentially the case version of the filter box for "Semi" or "Full" modular PSU's in that section. It's the most effective way to filter out all the shit you don't want to buy (I'm not saying there aren't good non-modular options out there, but if you don't know what you're looking for, or if you simply want to save some time, then filter for modular PSU's).

The reason is that it shows you the cases that weren't designed in 2011 and are just getting half-hearted updates to accommodate new standards (2.5" drives, liquid coolers, placement of m2 devices, etc.) It also shows you the manufacturers who are REALLY designing for the custom building enthusiast community and puts some actual thought into how their cases with be constructed in actual builds.
I have a pretty big wide open case with a decent amount of fans so that make a difference in temperatu

How are they in quiet mode?

Louder than I liked. I'm running Arctic Cooling PWM's 140 and 120 case fans at 900rpm idle and I had to drop the Corsairs to 800 to get down to the same noise level. I'm sitting at 29 degrees right now and I've never seen it hit over 60 in gaming. I'm using a 3570k @ 4.4 ghz. I'm also 7+ feet away from my case so take that into consideration for noise level.
If I were to to do it again, I probably would just stick with the Hyper 212 and stick with a lower OC, I only picked up .2 ghz and lowered my temps by a couple of degrees.
Since we're talking about SSD's, have you seen a US release date for the Samsung 750's?

 

[Madmick]

Louder than I liked. I'm running Arctic Cooling PWM's 140 and 120 case fans at 900rpm idle and I had to drop the Corsairs to 800 to get down to the same noise level. I'm sitting at 29 degrees right now and I've never seen it hit over 60 in gaming. I'm using a 3570k @ 4.4 ghz. I'm also 7+ feet away from my case so take that into consideration for noise level.
If I were to to do it again, I probably would just stick with the Hyper 212 and stick with a lower OC, I only picked up .2 ghz and lowered my temps by a couple of degrees.
Since we're talking about SSD's, have you seen a US release date for the Samsung 750's?

Well, shit. That's disappointing to hear. Wish I'd weighed in for the time-tested air cooler approach instead of recommending the Quiet Mode with the Corsair H110. I suppose that's part of the reason the Noctua DH-14 and CH-14 still sell as robustly as they do. Scythe's also seem to be known in particular for having the quietest high-performance air coolers. I'm just a big believer in controlled testing conditions for comparisons, and everything I'd seen was like the following:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/corsair_h110_review,11.html
Thought you'd be able to hit 4.5 or 4.6 in QM. Agreed on buyer's remorse. That $80 could have gone towards a better GPU or something. My bad.

 

[CodCommando]

Alright, I'll look into a bigger SSD for sure then! Thanks for the advice!

Your SSD and Memory is the same brand as mine, they work flawlessly. YEah definitely opt for a bigger SSD, I would actually go for SanDisk as they are really hitting stupid low prices for 480gb and their 960gb. The difference in r/w speed for them against say a Samsung Pro isn't going to affect you unless you're doing serious transfer r/w which for gaming and work, I doubt xD

I would actually look at getting more RAM though, but again depends on what sort of work you do. If your not doing designing rendering, etc. 8GB is more than enough I guess.

You also have the same liquid cooler as me, it works great, usually between 23 degrees/ 30ish degrees at idle/load respectively.

 

[Tyrannosaurus rex]

@GrizzlyTitan @Madmick

This is the SSD I have.

Spoiler

I would recommend the Mushkin Reactor as the even more value-minded alternative to the value-minded market standard Samsung 850 EVO. The Mushkin is about 30% slower overall, but it's nearly as fast in the most critical spec for gamers: read speed (472 MB/s vs. 498 MB/s), and it's hands down the best value in this performance class with their 1TB drive:
http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Samsung-850-Evo-500GB-vs-Mushkin-Reactor-1TB/3477vsm19867
The Samsung EVO 1TB is actually more expensive per GB than the 500GB. AAA games are like 20GB-60GB. It fills up fast.

Mushkin Reactor 1TB
472 MB/s read speed
$210 (NewEgg)
$0.210 per GB

Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
498MB/s read speed
$292 (Amazon)
$0.292 per GB

Well, how quickly do you fill up the 500GB drives with games on the consoles? AAA games today are like 20GB-60GB. It fills up fast.

Two strategies:
(1) You can buy the bigger, more economical SSD drive and forgeddaboutit.
(2) You can buy a smaller drive (either with higher performance for the same price or lower cost) and deal with apps like Steamtool which will move your apps/games around drives for you. So if you know you're not the type to play more than a few games at any given moment, then you can do this. But if you know you're the type who some days just likes to randomly want to play something from anywhere in your library, then you'll want the bigger drive.

That's on par with the Mushkin Reactor:
http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/SanDisk-Ultra-II-960GB-vs-Mushkin-Reactor-1TB/m18382vsm19867

UserBenchmark really just a godsend. It's becoming my one-stop benchmark reference.

Your SSD and Memory is the same brand as mine, they work flawlessly. YEah definitely opt for a bigger SSD, I would actually go for SanDisk as they are really hitting stupid low prices for 480gb and their 960gb. The difference in r/w speed for them against say a Samsung Pro isn't going to affect you unless you're doing serious transfer r/w which for gaming and work, I doubt xD

I would actually look at getting more RAM though, but again depends on what sort of work you do. If your not doing designing rendering, etc. 8GB is more than enough I guess.

You also have the same liquid cooler as me, it works great, usually between 23 degrees/ 30ish degrees at idle/load respectively.

Thanks for the advice guys! I'm heavily leaning towards the SanDisk 960GB now, as I do think I'll play lots of different games so I guess it would fill up quick. You guys sound very positive about it, and I've looked up some reviews and pretty much every site recommends it.

 

[Tyrannosaurus rex]

Spoiler

If you're going to install a CPU cooler with 2x140mm rads like the Corsair H110, then you might want to pay careful attention to your case selection. The NZXT S340 is compatible, but it's one of the smallest cases, volume-wise, that can fit them. You will be forced to install it in the front of the case. This guys shows a guts swap from a Corsair 600T to the NZXT 340 Windowed:

Just be mindful of this. PC Part Picker is amazing, and has made PC blueprinting a breeze, but it's still not perfect, and CPU cooler compatibility is still one of the things that can cause problems even when PC Part Picker doesn't indicate compatibility. Even if a case does support certain radiators doesn't mean it necessarily supports it if you plan to use both 2.5"/3.5" drive bays meaning you can't remove a drive cage: stuff like that. These are some of the first rocks you'll find on your path, here.

Ironically, I was just working on generating a list of MidATX Towers that I would legitimately consider for a build exactly like this. The truth is that it comes down to a few real manufacturers and their market winners that I would genuinely consider at various price points for a personal build. I hadn't completed the $150+ section, but if I was spending that much I would just get a Full ATX tower like the Corsair 750D. Of these manufacturers, Silverstone tends to specialize in smaller cases, and Lian Li isn't usually competitively priced. Phanteks still has a very streamlined catalog. The result is that almost all of the models are Corsair, Fractal Design, and NZXT.

Top PC Case Manufacturers

• Corsair
• Fractal Design
• Lian Li
• NZXT
• Phanteks
• Silverstone

Hon. Mentions: Bitfenix, Cooler Master, Thermaltake
Best Startup: NCASE


Best MidATX Towers

$50 & Under

• Corsair Carbide 100R
• Corsair Spec-01
• NZXT Source 210
• Silverstone PS11B

$51-$75

• Corsair Carbide 200R
• Corsair Carbide 300R
• Fractal Design Define R4
• Fractal Design Define S
• NZXT S340
• *Phanteks P400
• *Silverstone RL-05B

$75-$100

• Corsair Carbide 400(C/Q)
• Corsair Carbide 400R
• Enermax Ostrog GT
  
• NZXT Phantom 410
• Phanteks Enthoo Pro M
• Thermaltake Core V51

$100-$150

• Cooler Master MasterCase Pro 5
• Corsair Air 540
• Corsair 500R
• Corsair Obsidian 450D
• Fractal Design Define R5
• NZXT Noctis 450
• NZXT H440

$150+

• Corsair Obsidian 550D
• Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV

*Upcoming stars from the CES or Computex shows.
Note: Discontinued cases like the Corsair 650D have been omitted.


Otherwise, I haven't updated since I posted it, but here is a list of all the cases supporting big liquid AIO radiators. I'll try to update it throughout the day with the latest releases that aren't already included. We just got the CES 2016 show, so most of these year's models haven't rolled out yet.
Sherdog PC Build/Buy Thread, v5: Stop Thinking of Your Router as a Peripheral

Thanks for the heads up. That's a pretty impressive list! Is there a specific case you would recommend that may fit better? Or do you think I need to go full tower?

 

[Madmick]

Thanks for the heads up. That's a pretty impressive list! Is there a specific case you would recommend that may fit better? Or do you think I need to go full tower?

I'm just pointing out that this is one area where you want to double check compatibility depending on your build plans. That's one of the most praised cases I see out there. The Corsair 400Q & 400C are the most recent case designed in this class by Corsair. I like Fractal Design, so the Define S is probably my top nod, especially if you do go with water cooling, or the R4 if you're looking for more drive space (and maybe a bulky air cooler).

The Thermaltake Core V51 is under $100, and just enormous. Along that consideration, if you like NZXT's design style, the NZXT Noctis 450 is one of their newest cases designed with liquid cooling in mind, and one the biggest MidATX cases out there. But you probably don't need a ton of extra space. I was just pointing out the caveat.

 

[Tyrannosaurus rex]

I'm just pointing out that this is one area where you want to double check compatibility depending on your build plans. That's one of the most praised cases I see out there. The Corsair 400Q & 400C are the most recent case designed in this class by Corsair. I like Fractal Design, so the Define S is probably my top nod, especially if you do go with water cooling, or the R4 if you're looking for more drive space (and maybe a bulky air cooler).

The Thermaltake Core V51 is under $100, and just enormous. Along that consideration, if you like NZXT's design style, the NZXT Noctis 450 is one of their newest cases designed with liquid cooling in mind, and one the biggest MidATX cases out there. But you probably don't need a ton of extra space. I was just pointing out the caveat.

Got it, thank you!

 

[jefferz]

Well, shit. That's disappointing to hear. Wish I'd weighed in for the time-tested air cooler approach instead of recommending the Quiet Mode with the Corsair H110. I suppose that's part of the reason the Noctua DH-14 and CH-14 still sell as robustly as they do. Scythe's also seem to be known in particular for having the quietest high-performance air coolers. I'm just a big believer in controlled testing conditions for comparisons, and everything I'd seen was like the following:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/corsair_h110_review,11.html
Thought you'd be able to hit 4.5 or 4.6 in QM. Agreed on buyer's remorse. That $80 could have gone towards a better GPU or something. My bad.

It's all good. It's something I've always wanted to try so i've scratched that itch. From what I've read you better have a higher end mobo that's thicker to handle the weight of the DH-14 and Phanteks one. I think the noise would have bothered me from the air coolers.
I tried 4.5 but my temps were jumping to the low 70's, still acceptable but a little to high for me.
I've used Scythe Ultra Kaze before, they worked awesome but were extremely loud. I don't know about Scythe cpu coolers but I've noticed a lot of their case fans are either rifled or sleeved bearings.

 

[jefferz]

I'm just pointing out that this is one area where you want to double check compatibility depending on your build plans. That's one of the most praised cases I see out there. The Corsair 400Q & 400C are the most recent case designed in this class by Corsair. I like Fractal Design, so the Define S is probably my top nod, especially if you do go with water cooling, or the R4 if you're looking for more drive space (and maybe a bulky air cooler).

The Thermaltake Core V51 is under $100, and just enormous. Along that consideration, if you like NZXT's design style, the NZXT Noctis 450 is one of their newest cases designed with liquid cooling in mind, and one the biggest MidATX cases out there. But you probably don't need a ton of extra space. I was just pointing out the caveat.

You're more of the expert than I am, but if you're looking for a case with lots of room wouldn't it be better to step up to a full tower for only a couple bucks more? I wouldn't go back to a midsize personally.

 

[Madmick]

You're more of the expert than I am, but if you're looking for a case with lots of room wouldn't it be better to step up to a full tower for only a couple bucks more? I wouldn't go back to a midsize personally.

If you're after cooling performance and more features, absolutely, I agree, although there are probably numerous examples of MidATX cases outperforming Full ATX cases in cooling (not to mention that sometimes the "smaller" form factor cases are actually larger in size). I think at the premium end (especially with brands like Lian Li) it isn't about that. Maybe it fills that smallest of niches where someone wants the smallest case possible, but knows mATX or smaller won't cut it for their build plans, but they also want the most luxury build of the MidATX size they're buying. Alternatively, perhaps it's just that MidATX is already plenty sufficient in size for guys whose overall build is relatively straightforward, with just several drives, and they simply don't need Full ATX. In that case the latter serves to house eATX and other supra-ATX sized motherboards as its niche.

I think it really does come down to a combination of need and preference for size. After all, there are some seriously fantastic Full ATX cases on the market for under $100 (ex. Phanteks Enthoo Pro). So it's not like getting a much larger case necessarily must come at a steep premium. I think the manufacturers just get into that for the dream builds with like triple GPU setups and massive cooling simply because, at that point, what's another $150?

 

[frystyle]

Guys I need your help.
I am looking for a cheap gamepc to use for some h1z1, bf 4 and use it at lanparties.

I can get this setup for €225, can you tell me if it is a good deal? And if I will be able to play bf 4 on medium or even high settings with good fps?

AMD FX4100 3,6-4Ghz cpu
8Gb DDR3 1333Mhz memory
Gigabyte 78LM-USB3 (MicroATX AM3+) motherboard
1Tb Samsung Harddisk
MSI GTX750ti Gaming 2 GDDR5 TwinFrozr gpu

 

[Madmick]

Guys I need your help.
I am looking for a cheap gamepc to use for some h1z1, bf 4 and use it at lanparties.

I can get this setup for €225, can you tell me if it is a good deal? And if I will be able to play bf 4 on medium or even high settings with good fps?

AMD FX4100 3,6-4Ghz cpu
8Gb DDR3 1333Mhz memory
Gigabyte 78LM-USB3 (MicroATX AM3+) motherboard
1Tb Samsung Harddisk
MSI GTX750ti Gaming 2 GDDR5 TwinFrozr gpu

That's a very good deal.

My one concern is that the CPU isn't great, and BF4 is a game that is more CPU-dependent. This doesn't mean it won't play it, but you won't be playing on high settings with that CPU + GPU. My prediction is that you're looking at Low settings with a very strong FPS (50+). Medium settings would probably put you around 40fps average with a minimum above 30. I could be wrong. The CPU might be too weak, and hurt these fps projections.

So yes, it's a phenomenal value-- that GTX 750 Ti alone would run a Brit like you about 90 quid. However, it isn't capable of that level of performance. It definitely will be able to run the games. The 750 Ti is no slouch:



Just keep in mind that guy is using an i7-3770K which is nearly twice as powerful as the FX-4100. This chart demonstrates how BF4 is heavily CPU dependent, and benefits greatly from 6+ cores. It's pretty nuts. This looks like your typical GPU charts. Keep in mind that the i3-2100 down near the bottom is ~16% more powerful than the FX-4100, and the Phenox X2 550 at the bottom is ~18% weaker:

*Edit* I just slapped together this build at PC Part Picker UK. If you built this computer your friend is offering to sell you (for €225/£180) as closely as you could today (some upgrades are actually cheaper, so I took them) it would cost you €511/£408:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/83xfK8

 

[frystyle]

Thanks for your reply! I will wait and see if I can get something with a better cpu. If i can't I will go with this one. The chart you posted is nice, gives me something to look for in other advertisements.

I am no brit by the way, so quids do not make much sense to me but I guess it is a pound?

 

[Madmick]

Thanks for your reply! I will wait and see if I can get something with a better cpu. If i can't I will go with this one. The chart you posted is nice, gives me something to look for in other advertisements.

I am no brit by the way, so quids do not make much sense to me but I guess it is a pound?

LOL, yeah, I assumed you were a Brit since you were posting in Euros. Yes, a quid is a pound. That's the forum's largest demographic in Europe (unsurprisingly given that it's an English-language forum). My next guesses, since this is the VG forum, is that you are either Swedish, German, Swiss, or Dutch. Just seems like their PC communities are more thriving, and they're also MMA fans.

You could always cut out the CPU out and install a new one, but that doesn't make the most economic sense in the world. For example, since I will continue to assume that British prices are probably closer to what you would expect to pay, the FX-6350 is a €125; the FX-8350 is €172; and marginally better FX-8370 is €207. So it would seem to make sense to hunt for a similarly phenomenal deal on a pre-used rig that has a better CPU in it already, or simply build one yourself.

Oh, btw, does that €225 rig have an aftermarket CPU cooler? The FX-4100 is unlocked, so if you can overclock it, then it's significantly better. It still wouldn't be tremendous, but it would step up to like today's higher-end i3's in terms of performance. In that case it should suit your needs, I think. Can't promise 60fps minimum on high settings.

 

[frystyle]

LOL, yeah, I assumed you were a Brit since you were posting in Euros. Yes, a quid is a pound. That's the forum's largest demographic in Europe (unsurprisingly given that it's an English-language forum). My next guesses, since this is the VG forum, is that you are either Swedish, German, Swiss, or Dutch. Just seems like their PC communities are more thriving, and they're also MMA fans.

You could always cut out the CPU out and install a new one, but that doesn't make the most economic sense in the world. For example, since I will continue to assume that British prices are probably closer to what you would expect to pay, the FX-6350 is a €125; the FX-8350 is €172; and marginally better FX-8370 is €207. So it would seem to make sense to hunt for a similarly phenomenal deal on a pre-used rig that has a better CPU in it already, or simply build one yourself.

Oh, btw, does that €225 rig have an aftermarket CPU cooler? The FX-4100 is unlocked, so if you can overclock it, then it's significantly better. It still wouldn't be tremendous, but it would step up to like today's higher-end i3's in terms of performance. In that case it should suit your needs, I think. Can't promise 60fps minimum on high settings.

Good guess lol, I am Dutch. It does, it has a Coolermaster CPU cooler (92mm) on it.

Yeah, I looked for other cpu's but it is probably better to be patient until
another sweet deal pops up.

A friend of mine got this set up last week for €500:
AMD FX-6300
Radeon HD7950
8 gig ram
1 TB hdd
256 Gb SSD

Mechanical keyboard, gaming mouse and headset and a 25,5 inch full HD monitor.

I think I will test my luck and wait untill I find another deal like this but with a better CPU.

 

[Madmick]

Good guess lol, I am Dutch. It does, it has a Coolermaster CPU cooler (92mm) on it.

Yeah, I looked for other cpu's but it is probably better to be patient until
another sweet deal pops up.

A friend of mine got this set up last week for €500:
AMD FX-6300
Radeon HD7950
8 gig ram
1 TB hdd
256 Gb SSD

Mechanical keyboard, gaming mouse and headset and a 25,5 inch full HD monitor.

I think I will test my luck and wait untill I find another deal like this but with a better CPU.

In that case it looks like, market-wise, the Germany PC Part Picker will best suit your market-value comparisons:
https://de.pcpartpicker.com/

Keep in mind that Battlefield is one of the very few franchises that does take advantage of multiple CPU cores. So not only is it CPU dependent, but it's also a rare game that benefits from 6+ cores. Almost all other games out there, including AAA titles, are optimized for four or fewer cores.

There's no greater benchmark out there than Passmark for telling you the raw, overall power of a CPU. It's hundreds of benchmarks run across tens of thousands of real systems. Yet this doesn't reveal the effective speed for most tasks from gaming to browsing. Very few tasks will run parallel processes on all the different cores. For that, there is no greater benchmark than UserBenchmark which also compiles real-world system tests, but then assigns an "effective speed" weighted score that heavily favors single core horsepower. This is their equation:

What is CPU Effective Speed?
A desktop orientated measure of CPU speed that favours single over multi core performance.Measuring CPU performance was once straightforward, clock frequency used to scale reasonably well with real world performance. At 3 GHz clock frequency increases slowed and manufacturers starting putting more emphasis on total calculation throughput rather than raw single core performance, they started adding additional cores. Extra cores work well for server orientated workloads where there are typically lots of CPU intensive tasks running in parallel but for consumer workloads where two cores or less are typically active, the additional cores make little difference to real world performance. The effective CPU speed index measures performance for typical consumers with the following weights: single-core mixed (80%), quad-core mixed (10%) and multi-core mixed (10%). This set of weights are appropriate for tasks such as surfing the web, watching videos using office applications and playing the vast majority of games. One fox beats one hundred chickens.

Here's what I mean:
UserBenchmark > AMD FX-4100 vs. AMD FX-6300
UserBenchmark > AMD FX-4100 vs. AMD FX-8300
As you can see, in terms of "Effective Speed", the FX-6300 only finishes 15% ahead of the FX-4100 despite that in their "Multicore Mixed" suite of benchmarks the latter was 57% superior. This becomes even more apparent when you notice that the FX-8300 is only 17% better in effective speed despite that it's 107% faster in the multicore suite.

The reason is that single core performance between these doesn't change much. Now, with the Battlefield series, where the game does a great job of utilizing the 5th and 6th cores, the FX-6300/FX-8300 will clobber the FX-4100. That simply won't be true for most games. For the majority of games they'll be about the same. Furthermore, if you can overclock that FX-4100, should that build include an aftermarket cooler, then it will be likely be superior to the FX-6300 & even FX-8300 for most games.

This is why for overclockers on a really tight budget the AMD Athlon X4 860K + Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is an incredibly popular combination here in the states. For ~$100 one gets the CPU performance of the lower-end i5's from the Haswell and Skylake generations.*

*Edit: this is incorrect. Even overclocked those CPU's are beating it by 10%-15% on a per-thread basis.

 

[Madmick]

Oh, you mentioned LAN parties as a consideration for your case. Those aren't common anymore: very few still in production. Today, seeking portability drastically narrows the potential case list for consideration that devotes specific accommodation to portability in their design. Three things marginalized LAN cases:

• The internet-- specifically the proliferation of broadband-- sort of killed LAN parties.
  
• The rise of small Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX box designs (ex. Silverstone Sugo SG13, NCASE M1). The shoebox designs are particularly easy to just lug around.
  
• There's also a mod market that will simply add things like (recessed) handles to some of the most popular cases out there (examples: http://www.mountainmods.com/index.php ; http://mnpctech.com/). Some users with the proper tools will simply drill holes and make these kinds of modifications themselves.

Most of the best manufacturers only make one or two cases specifically for the LAN niche-- if any at all. The only significant exception is Cooler Master. Nevertheless, there are more options than ever as there exists a growing abundance of small form factor (SFF) cases. I direct you to this site for reviews specific to LAN gamers:
http://lanoc.org/review/cases

Redditor "DntMessWitRohan" has assembled the most comprehensive, intelligently streamlined Google Sheet for SFF cases I have ever found which you can use to inform your decision. Be aware this list is more preoccupied with the smallest form factor cases, so it doesn't filter out cases that don't support larger GPUs or CPU coolers, for example, that are probably better suited for LAN gamers.



Because they are marketed to gamers LAN Cases are more feature rich, and as such are also usually more costly than typical cases. They are chiefly characterized by handles or specialized grips: a surefire sign they were designed with this purpose in mind. If they don't have that, then there is the new abundance of compact Mini-ITX cases now with an elevated chassis that's easy to reach under, and that separates the case from the floor. The cube designs tend to be more compact and sturdy to set down anywhere.

They offer features that cater to gamers like 120mm/140mm fan mounts for liquid cooling, support for full-length video cards (preferably 266mm+/10.5"+), mounts for 2.5" SSD drive bays, compatibility for ATX PSU's, and sometimes even an externally accessible hot swap drive cage. Some users also like the side windows to show off components.

An example that fills nearly every imaginable box, and is possibly the ideal design for a LAN Party rig, is the Corsair Graphite 380T:

LAN Party PC Cases (w/ Handle)

Aerocool
Strike-X Cube (mATX)

APEX
TX-831-C (mATX)

Bitfenix
Prodigy (mITX)
Prodigy M (mATX)
Survivor (ATX)

Cooler Master
Cosmos II (Full ATX)
Cosmos II 25th Anniversary Edition (Full ATX)
Cosmos C700M (Full ATX)
Cosmos C700P (Full ATX)
HAF XB (ATX)
HAF XB w/Windowed Top Panel (ATX)
HAF XB EVO (ATX)
Cooler Master Masterbox Q300P (mATX)
Mastercase 5 Series (ATX)
Storm Scout 2 (ATX)
Storm Scout 2 Advanced (ATX)
Storm Stryker (Full ATX)*
Stryker SE (Full ATX)
Trooper SE (Full ATX)

Corsair
Graphite 380T (mITX)
Vengeance C70 (ATX)

Cougar
Panzer (Full ATX)

InWin
D-Frame Mini (mITX)

Lian Li
PC-TU100 (mITX)*

Silverstone
Milo ML08-H (mITX)
Raven RV02 (ATX)
Raven RV02-E (ATX)

Supermicro
732G (ATX)

Thermaltake
Level 10 (Full ATX)


LAN Party PC Cases (SFF)

Aerocool
DS Cube (mATX)
Xpredator Cube (mATX)

Bitfenix
Phenom (mITX)

Cooler Master
Elite 120 Advanced (mITX)
Elite 130 (mITX)
N200 (mATX)

Corsair
Carbide Air 240 (mITX)
Obsidian 250D (mITX)

DIYPC
Cuboid (mATX)

EVGA
Hadron Air (mITX)
Hadron Hydro (mITX)

Fractal Design
Core 500 (mITX)
Node 304 (mITX)
Node 804 (mATX)
Nano S (mITX)

Lian Li
PC-Q08 (mITX)
PC-Q25 (mITX)
PC-Q28 (mITX)
PC-Q36 (mITX)

NCASE
M1 v5 (mITX)

Phanteks
Enthoo EVOLV ITX (mITX)

Raidmax
Hyperion (mATX)

Riotoro
CRIO CR1080 (ATX)

Silverstone
Fortress FT03 (mATX)
Fortress FTZ01 (mITX)
Milo ML07 (mITX)
Raven RVZ01 (mITX)
Raven RVZ01-E (mITX)
Raven RVZ02 (mITX)
Sugo SG08 (mITX)
Sugo SG12 (mATX)
Sugo SG13 (mITX)
Temjin TJ-08 (mATX)

Thermaltake
Armor A30i (mATX)
Core V1 (mITX)
Core V21 (mATX)
LanBOX Lite (mATX)
Suppressor F1 (mITX)

Notes:

• *discontinued but still available
  
• mITX= Mini ITX ; mATX = Micro ATX ; ATX = Mid ATX ; Full ATX = Full Tower
• For the SFF I tried to stick to cases with elevated chassis that were no longer than 400mm (~16 inches) in any dimension, but that could support 266mm+/10.5"+ video cards, and at least 120mm or 140mm liquid cooling. There are a few exceptions that may have special appeal. The greatest exception has been granted to the Silverstone Fortress FT03 which is ~3.2" too tall, but can house dual-GPU monster builds (ex. RTX 2080 Ti's) while simultaneously housing liquid coolers as robust as the Corsair H75 or air coolers as massive as the Noctua NH-D15; yet taking up less than 3/4 of a square foot when stood on a desk or the floor.
• I realize there are some tiny "shoebox" cases that LAN gamers might find appealing that I omitted like the Cooler Master Elite 110. While there are some special versions of the high-end GPU's available in these shorter lengths of 210mm/8.5" or less, and while AMD has even produced a GPU specifically for this niche with the R9 Nano, generally speaking, I feel that a shortening of the reference design signals the beginning of the abstract transition to compact professional office builds and HTPC's at their highest performance end rather than LAN Party SFF gamer builds. Nevertheless, the smaller ITX/DTX version of the above case by Silverstone, the Fortress FT03-Mini, is an example of a case also aimed at enthusiasts that only becomes an option if you consider those shorter GPU's like the R9 Nano.
• Along this line I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the $185 NCASE M1 from the above SFF list destroys every other case in terms of the single-GPU performance builds it is capable of housing in the most ludicrously tiny space (12.6 Liters ; longest dimension is 328mm/12.9" depth)

Discontinued Cases

Spoiler

Antec LANBOY Air
Azza Stealth (aka CyberpowerPC FANG Battlebox)
Cooler Master Ammo 533
Cooler Master Cosmos 1000
Cooler Master Cosmos Pure
Cosmos SE
iBuyPower LAN Warrior II
Lian Li PC-TU200
Lian Li PC-TU300
Linkworld LC321-06
NZXT Vulcan
Thermaltake LANBOX
Thermaltake LanBOX HT

Custom LAN Party Cases

Finally, if you don't wish to build your own LAN PC, then there are custom builders who often build the component combinations you choose and assemble them into cases like the above. Here in the states we have several. They used to make more LAN-friendly cases, but in 2019 the most relevant CyberpowerPC series to this thread are from their "Syber" line (C-series, Vapor series, and Steam series). The most relevant iBuyPower options are their "Mini ITX" configurators. None of these core case options is really designed with the intent to be carried around, unfortunately.