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I need a new case

D

Davegod

Platinum Member
My case is looking a worn out and the noise is much higher than it used to be. So as I've a bit of cash and will have some free time coming up, I'm trying to find a new one.

I'm looking for a good quality mid-tower, quiet, sleek looking without windows and LED bling.

So far the best I've found seems to be the P182 but it's bit big and pricey. I'm in UK where it's USD$175.

I've also chosen a Corsair TX 650W PSU though if the case comes with a good one it's a bonus.
 
This all depends on a number of things: How focused are you on cooling? How much money do you want to spend? Those are just two of probably twenty questions.

So I'm not going to recommend any particular case to you. For a midtower case that's maybe less than $50, I've had luck for building mainstream desktops for family members using the CoolerMaster Centurion. Nothing fancy -- SECC steel -- but a decent design and has a potential for improved cooling with fans.

I just acquired a CoolerMaster Stacker 830 SE. I got it for $50 less (paying $170) and avoided the additional shipping and taxes -- still getting it in its unopened carton. Even THAT has shortcomings for me: I wished that it had the two 120mm exhaust fans like the Stacker 810, but it only has one.

NZXT has a good case; Antec makes several good ones as midtowers -- like the one you cited. Hopefully, some others will chime in here with more specific advice.
 
basically a smaller and preferably cheaper P182 😱 Apparently it is classed as a mid tower but isnt 21" full tower size?

for cooling, at least one 120mm intake and exhaust: good enough to keep the fans on low.
drive bays: 2x 3.5" & 1x 5.25" drives.
Bonus if it'll fit a TRUE/NH-U12P (haven't decided whether it's worth the money over stock since none of them seem to be PWM, unless this is good).
front usb preferred, small preference for no firewire.

TBH I'm more looking for people to vouch good cases than advise I buy a certain one.
 
No. 21" would be midtower.

I prefer full towers, myself, but I've done three or four computer-builds during the last year with midtowers.

The difference between mid-ATX and full-ATX had been fairly standard, I think, but there may be variation with all these innovative case designs I see -- Lian Li, Antec, CM -- the list goes on.

Per the P182. That's not bad for a mid-tower. Here in the States, it's going for an after-rebate price of $150 with 3-day free shipping at NewEgg. It STILL seems a bit pricey -- like I said -- I was pleased with the Centurion. I can't see why it would be priced like that, because it's an SECC-steel case.

The thing I like about the P182 is the front door. If you look at the edges of it, it is vented. This is a lot better for the fan intake than, for instance, the ThermalTake Tsunami.

Whether the power supply is "up top" or, as with the P182, in the bottom -- having at least a 120mm exhaust fan makes it "acceptable" from my own perspective and priorities.
 
Consider the new Arcting Cooling Silentium units. They should be readily available in Europe, but aren't suitable for extreme/high-end gaming systems. They include a customized 500W Seasonic PSU. http://www.Madshrimps.be just did a review on one of them (used to be three different bezel designs available, but IDK about now. I've always liked the concept and execution, but I want more flexibility for my personal systems.

.bh.
 
Yeah. CoolerMaster Centurion. There are several models of the case out there.

Really -- it's nothing special. Keep in mind, I've been modding old '90s-era ATX cases with cooling and ducting in mind. I've got a CM Stacker 830; I watch here and look at Antec, NZXT, Lian-Li, Silverstone and other cases -- if only from pictures featured at web-sites. There's an XClio case with two 240mm side-panel fans that I thought was pretty good. There was a set of models known as the Gigabyte Aurora or 3D Aurora -- also had my eye on that one.

I got the first Centurion for my brother's P4-Northwood build. I like the drive cage -- very simple but functional; the 120mm rear fan port; the lower-front intake 120mm port. I think one model features a smaller fan port, but others offer 120mm intake. It's steel. It was being offered for around $60 a couple years ago -- not sure what the current prevailing price was. But for my brother's mother-in-law, we picked up another one -- this time with a $25 rebate and after-rebate-price of $0.00. So we only had to pay a total of $25 for shipping and state tax.

You could do a lot with such a cheap case: mount it on 2" casters; cut 120mm fan holes in the case bottom. And if you screwed up -- somehow -- I really don't know how -- it's not a terrible loss.

Really -- my best assessment is this. For a person's particular preferences, no single case fits the bill precisely. Most people don't want to do any dremeling or sheet-metal work or pop-riveting -- they want it all ready to go. But whenever I see any one of these cases, there's always something I think could be done better, or some improvement I think I could make with the dremel -- extra fan-deployment, ducting, etc.

The manufacturers have to make cases that can be used with a wide range of motherboards; various motherboards place the CPU in slightly different locations; different users will want to deal with airflow and cooling as a meticulous obsession or not at all.

That's why I have high-hopes for the Stacker 830: I don't "need" four 120mm fans in the case access panel; I don't "need" all the ventilation with perf-aluminum on both sides of the case. But the way these things are built into the case design, it gives a lot of options for my particular choices without taking advantage of all the possibilities. I might only put two 140mm fans in the side-panel; I'll duct the motherboard and reverse the flow of the CM Barrel-fan for really good motherboard ducting. I'll replace their lame and anemic 120mm exhaust fan with a beefier 120x38mm fan, and possibly do the same with the intake fans in the existing HD cage and the spare Lian-Li EX-34 that I put into the Stacker 830. And I'll block off unnecessary case ventilation with black foam-art-board -- unseen to the eye -- so that I can channel the air and keep the case pressurized. If I need to see "bling" from the left access panel, I'll use Lexan to seal the unnecessary vents so the blue-LEDs can shine through.
 
I highly recommend going into a local store and feeling them up first. If money is no issue, the P182 is nice. I personally prefer a more open intake fan, but if you build a quiet system, it means you won't be pushing it too hard.

I used this one for a family PC with a minimal stock OC. It's relatively quiet.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811119106

The LED's are very mild, and give it a nice accent, but if you hate them you can just disconnect the wires when installing.
 
Consider the antec solo if you already have the PSU, or the antec sonata plus 550 if you need a psu.

These two share the same quiet design features - indirect front vents, vibration isolating hdd mounts, dampened side panels...only diff is the sonata plus comes with a neo power 550 modular psu. The one thing to watch out for with these cases is that they can't fit the really long gfx cards over 10" long like 8800gtx or 3780x2
 
Originally posted by: ShockwaveVT
Consider the antec solo
Click to expand...

That's what I was gonna say. 😛 Quiet, no bling, smaller than P180-series, fits big-azz heatsinks. Only potential problem is that it won't fit super large video cards that extends beyond the motherboard (8800 GTX, 9800 GTX, 9800 GX2, etc).

Here's a pic of my Solo setup with a Scythe Ninja (regular one, not mini ninja) and an Arctic Cooling Acclero S1. Oh yeah, a Corsair 650W like you've chosen.
 
I stopped recommending the Cooler Master Centurion for fear that increased popularity will cause it's $50 price to go up. It's on par with the $100 cases. This is the last time I will say this.
 
Originally posted by: Zap
Originally posted by: ShockwaveVT
Consider the antec solo
Click to expand...

That's what I was gonna say. 😛 Quiet, no bling, smaller than P180-series, fits big-azz heatsinks. Only potential problem is that it won't fit super large video cards that extends beyond the motherboard (8800 GTX, 9800 GTX, 9800 GX2, etc).

Here's a pic of my Solo setup with a Scythe Ninja (regular one, not mini ninja) and an Arctic Cooling Acclero S1. Oh yeah, a Corsair 650W like you've chosen.
Click to expand...
Oh my. That's the type of cooling I like 😀 Passive and win.

Originally posted by: Chosonman
I stopped recommending the Cooler Master Centurion for fear that increased popularity will cause it's $50 price to go up. It's on par with the $100 cases. This is the last time I will say this.
Click to expand...

Well it's already gone up from the 44.99 price a couple months ago for the 534. Now it's 52.99 🙁 but then again, the 534 is also discontinued which is another 🙁.
 
the quiests and also i feel the best mid tower if not looking for water is the
Antec P180 or P182 series.


Sorry those cases were designed for silence when crafted.
 
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