Good mid-tower that hides cd-roms (and no window)?

[Hikari]

Hey, all.

Does anyone know a nice mid-tower that has some way to hide cd-roms and the such? That way I don't need to see them unless I have to. Also, I'm not a fan of case windows, sorry.

The AMS gmono looks nice to me, but it has that window kit and I don't think it hides the cd-roms (plus I imagine it's hard to match that color if you didn't mind not hiding the roms).

I guess it doesn't -have- to be a mid-tower, but I didn't really want a huge tower under my desk any more. I don't care about price, it's a non-issue.

Thanks in advance!

 

[eklass]

get an antec/chieftec/chenming-styl case...

here's beige with no window for $69: http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/cst-09.html

here's some others if you want something with a bit of color: http://www.frozencpu.com/cgi-bin/frozencpu/scan/se=Stock%20Cases/se=Chenming::Chieftec/mp=menu_search.html

 

[phatj]

I'd get an antec SLK3700AMB... its only $72, comes with a 350w antec power supply, and has a door that covers all your drives. It also has 2 front usb ports. You can find it here for $72 or newegg has it for $89 if you like ordering from newegg (as a lot of people here do).

 

[Hikari]

Thanks for the links and info so far!

Ok, guess I left out a few things... First, I dislike beige, and I guess I like silverish or blue, etc. (sort of like some of the big Coolermasters have, and the Gmono I quoted originally). Everyone has different tastes, just mentioning what mine are.... For example, I like how my G4 tower looks, but I know a lot of people don't.

Thanks!

 

[TweakageMan]

Here ya go. Best case you'll find EVER (without going to server series). This case is $273 at newegg:

cooler master awesome case

On a side note, I dunno why you want to cover up your drives. The drives on a computer are the only thing that makes it unique. Godddddd I am so tired of seeing chieftec cases. People show me a chieftec and im like "yeah, uhm, that's nice". Everyone has them, it's so borrrrrring. It's just like the old ones. Plus everyone who has chieftec hides all their cables behind their mobo tray..... tsk tsk.

 

[Hikari]

Thanks! I'd actually looked at it and am considering it... but it is a -huge- case. Right now I actually have some really really big server case under my desk, hence I was trying to find a good mid-tower.

I guess I like plexiglass-ish cases, don't ask me why. As for why I don't want to see drives. Well, since unless you get a beige case (or maybe black if its matte??), the stuff won't match right, and that bugs me a lot!

Originally posted by: TweakageMan
Here ya go. Best case you'll find EVER (without going to server series). This case is $273 at newegg:

cooler master awesome case

On a side note, I dunno why you want to cover up your drives. The drives on a computer are the only thing that makes it unique. Godddddd I am so tired of seeing chieftec cases. People show me a chieftec and im like "yeah, uhm, that's nice". Everyone has them, it's so borrrrrring. It's just like the old ones. Plus everyone who has chieftec hides all their cables behind their mobo tray..... tsk tsk.

 

[RalfHutter]

Did you take a look at the Antec SLK3700? It sounds like it would be perfect for you. It's about 2" shorter than the regualr Antec SX10x0 Server case, has a front door and the color is a dark metallic gray (supposedly "bronze" but there's no hint of bronze in any of them that I've seen).

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

the coolermaster atc 710 is by far the sweetest case i've worked with. It's damn sexy and the cheapest of all the coolermasters by far (only $110). It's nice and big and part aluminum/ part steel. It also has a door to hide your drives.

 

[Rio Rebel]

I just bought that Antec SLK3700, and I LOVE it. The big selling point for me was the 120mm fans. There's a place for a 120mm in the front intake, and one in the back just behind the CPU for fantastic air flow (and quiet, too, with the larger fans.)

Major advantages: Comes with good 2 fan power supply, a place for two 120mm fans (comes with one), easily removable 3.5" drive bay for floppies, easily removable hard drive bay (holds 5 or 6), front usb ports, thumb screws, screwless slot shields.

Minor shortcomings: No motherboard tray, no side fan, not aluminum.

I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this case. The 350 watt Antec power supply is worth probably 30 to 40 dollars, so you would buying the case for about $40 or less.

 

[TweakageMan]

Originally posted by: Hikari
Thanks! I'd actually looked at it and am considering it... but it is a -huge- case. Right now I actually have some really really big server case under my desk, hence I was trying to find a good mid-tower.

I guess I like plexiglass-ish cases, don't ask me why. As for why I don't want to see drives. Well, since unless you get a beige case (or maybe black if its matte??), the stuff won't match right, and that bugs me a lot!

Originally posted by: TweakageMan
Here ya go. Best case you'll find EVER (without going to server series). This case is $273 at newegg:

cooler master awesome case

On a side note, I dunno why you want to cover up your drives. The drives on a computer are the only thing that makes it unique. Godddddd I am so tired of seeing chieftec cases. People show me a chieftec and im like "yeah, uhm, that's nice". Everyone has them, it's so borrrrrring. It's just like the old ones. Plus everyone who has chieftec hides all their cables behind their mobo tray..... tsk tsk.

Wow, you are alot like me... heh. I was also looking at the AMS Gmono, cause I liked how it looked. But...... then I found another case that is better If you like the "plexiglass-ish" look, then you should take a look at the case i've got:

KingWin KT-436WM

It's beautiful, and drives match perfectly. I have a:

Lite-on CD/RW
Lite-On DVD
Panasonic Floppy Drive
Vantec Nexus Fan controller

..... and like I said, they all match great. If you reallllly want to get picky, if you look really close to the case (2 feet or closer), the nexus is a tiny tiny tiny bit darker than the cd-roms, but it's NOT noticible from more than 2 feet away. I am like you, I hate things not matching, infact, it's prob cost me an extra $100 worth of stuff just to make sure my case matches everything (had to buy a Stealth PS cause it was black ) - Anyways, this case is about the best case you'll find. With 3 windows, 5 case fans (2 back, 2 front and 1 top) it's got good cooling. The pictures look good, but it looks 10x better in person.

 

[Hikari]

Not a bad case I guess. Noticed it has no front firewire connector though... A front port makes it a little less tedious to plug in my iPod.

Originally posted by: RalfHutter
Did you take a look at the Antec SLK3700? It sounds like it would be perfect for you. It's about 2" shorter than the regualr Antec SX10x0 Server case, has a front door and the color is a dark metallic gray (supposedly "bronze" but there's no hint of bronze in any of them that I've seen).

 

[Hikari]

Thanks also for the info. Certainly not a bad case at all.

I do have a nice 430 watt Enermax PSU I'll be using though. hehe

Originally posted by: Rio Rebel
I just bought that Antec SLK3700, and I LOVE it. The big selling point for me was the 120mm fans. There's a place for a 120mm in the front intake, and one in the back just behind the CPU for fantastic air flow (and quiet, too, with the larger fans.)

Major advantages: Comes with good 2 fan power supply, a place for two 120mm fans (comes with one), easily removable 3.5" drive bay for floppies, easily removable hard drive bay (holds 5 or 6), front usb ports, thumb screws, screwless slot shields.

Minor shortcomings: No motherboard tray, no side fan, not aluminum.

I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this case. The 350 watt Antec power supply is worth probably 30 to 40 dollars, so you would buying the case for about $40 or less.

 

[Hikari]

I like that case a lot, reminds me of the gmono. But, it has a window kit. Don't ask me why I don't like them, but I don't. Guess I just don't like seeing into my case, even if I do have some rounded cables and the such. I' have no idea why most of the cases I think look nice end up having a window on them.

Originally posted by: TweakageMan

Originally posted by: Hikari
Thanks! I'd actually looked at it and am considering it... but it is a -huge- case. Right now I actually have some really really big server case under my desk, hence I was trying to find a good mid-tower.

I guess I like plexiglass-ish cases, don't ask me why. As for why I don't want to see drives. Well, since unless you get a beige case (or maybe black if its matte??), the stuff won't match right, and that bugs me a lot!

Originally posted by: TweakageMan
Here ya go. Best case you'll find EVER (without going to server series). This case is $273 at newegg:

cooler master awesome case

On a side note, I dunno why you want to cover up your drives. The drives on a computer are the only thing that makes it unique. Godddddd I am so tired of seeing chieftec cases. People show me a chieftec and im like "yeah, uhm, that's nice". Everyone has them, it's so borrrrrring. It's just like the old ones. Plus everyone who has chieftec hides all their cables behind their mobo tray..... tsk tsk.

Wow, you are alot like me... heh. I was also looking at the AMS Gmono, cause I liked how it looked. But...... then I found another case that is better If you like the "plexiglass-ish" look, then you should take a look at the case i've got:

KingWin KT-436WM

It's beautiful, and drives match perfectly. I have a:

Lite-on CD/RW
Lite-On DVD
Panasonic Floppy Drive
Vantec Nexus Fan controller

..... and like I said, they all match great. If you reallllly want to get picky, if you look really close to the case (2 feet or closer), the nexus is a tiny tiny tiny bit darker than the cd-roms, but it's NOT noticible from more than 2 feet away. I am like you, I hate things not matching, infact, it's prob cost me an extra $100 worth of stuff just to make sure my case matches everything (had to buy a Stealth PS cause it was black ) - Anyways, this case is about the best case you'll find. With 3 windows, 5 case fans (2 back, 2 front and 1 top) it's got good cooling. The pictures look good, but it looks 10x better in person.

 

[Jhhnn]

If you want a small midtower w/door, the the Antec SLK2600 definitely fits the bill, might be the smallest midtower w/ conventional layout currently available.

You'll need to compromise somewhere, one way or another, what you want doesn't seem to actually exist. Small blue or silver w/door and front firewire- might get 2 out of 3...

Check the dimensions before buying a coolermaster- they don't even resemble small...

 

[Hikari]

Yeah, I know. Was just trying to see if anyone had seen anything else simlar to the gmono I guess.

Originally posted by: Jhhnn
If you want a small midtower w/door, the the Antec SLK2600 definitely fits the bill, might be the smallest midtower w/ conventional layout currently available.

You'll need to compromise somewhere, one way or another, what you want doesn't seem to actually exist. Small blue or silver w/door and front firewire- might get 2 out of 3...

Check the dimensions before buying a coolermaster- they don't even resemble small...

 

[Hazer]

Why dont you just buy whatever case you like, and stealth the cdrom door?

Stealth: Take one of your 5 1/2" bay covers, and cutoff the tabs. Recess your cdrom back about 1/4" and doubleside tape the baycover to the cd tray. You can always eject it through media player or some such.

 

[Hikari]

For some reason the idea of doing this slipped my mind. Not a bad idea at all. Either that or something like velcro strips I suppose.

Thanks!

Originally posted by: Hazer
Why dont you just buy whatever case you like, and stealth the cdrom door?

Stealth: Take one of your 5 1/2" bay covers, and cutoff the tabs. Recess your cdrom back about 1/4" and doubleside tape the baycover to the cd tray. You can always eject it through media player or some such.

 

[Zuerst]

These to me looks pretty good... and "different"...

 

[alrox]

The Ahanix dboX cases have no side window and 2 pre stealthed drive bays. Also comes in 3 colors and has a digital LED for the temp inside the case.

 

[Shoshanna]

You guys just don't get it, she is a girl!

I had to sign up just to post this!!! (longtime lurker, also shy, LMAO)

I think this is more along the lines of what she is looking for, its compact, silver(ish) and above all...CUTE!

 

[Hikari]

HAHAHA.

OMG! Yeah, I'm a girl, but I'm not like 8 years old. I love my G4's case... I think I'll take the advice above and stealth a neat-looking case.

Originally posted by: Shoshanna
You guys just don't get it, she is a girl!

I had to sign up just to post this!!! (longtime lurker, also shy, LMAO)

I think this is more along the lines of what she is looking for, its compact, silver(ish) and above all...CUTE!

 

[Shoshanna]

MUAHAHA!

I know, I'm just kitten, erm kidding, you know me;-)

I really like the gMono case with its automotive finish and its afordable, I also like the Kingwin with its windows and features, I despise the Xaser series of cases, though, they sorta remind me of Sony's Xplod car audio equipment...

Anyway, I really like the Atech Flash AFT6551, It's very Mac like and has front FireWire too ;-) ... But please, if you get it, get the silver, I'm getting the blue

 

[styrafoam]

I have an antec sonata and am very pleased with it. Front firewire, usb, audio, and a hinged door over the cd rom drives. Not silver though, only comes in black.

 

[Bonesdad]

LOL...funny post. Welcome to Anandtech...

 

[Hikari]

This thread is getting silly and amusing. LOL.

I think I'll either get the gmono or the AFT6551 once I get around to buying a case. Of course silver. I have an ugly G3 here that is blue, I'm done w/that color.

Originally posted by: Shoshanna
MUAHAHA!

I know, I'm just kitten, erm kidding, you know me;-)

I really like the gMono case with its automotive finish and its afordable, I also like the Kingwin with its windows and features, I despise the Xaser series of cases, though, they sorta remind me of Sony's Xplod car audio equipment...

Anyway, I really like the Atech Flash AFT6551, It's very Mac like and has front FireWire too ;-) ... But please, if you get it, get the silver, I'm getting the blue