just to re-iterate - get the biggest case that you can see yourself filling over a year or 2 or 3
generally this will be at least 6u and 84hp
mostly this is as a long term money saving strategy - I know it might not seem it in the short term
generally the best bang for buck (cost/hp) is the tip top mantis - which is a great case, although some dislike the aesthetics - but not as much as I hate the rackbrute
doepfer and ladik both make very useable, inexpensive modules that are not tiny and have real knobs on them - but are generally bigger than 2hp and often cheaper than the 2 hp equivalent
the 2hp modules are great - for sticking between larger modules - if there is enough space to get to them easily - tbh I find the same issue with a lot of 4 hp modules too
just take a look at the 2hp youtube videos - they've almost always got blank panels between the modules
"some of the best base-level info to remember can be found in Jim's sigfile" @Lugia
Utility modules are the dull polish that makes the shiny modules actually shine!!!
sound sources < sound modifiers < modulation sources < utilities