"kid proof" locking ATX Case Suggestion

[jtabler]

Hi,

I'm considering the Lancool K10B because it has a locking front door.

I've got a baby in the chute and I know that pressing buttons is something I used to like to do as a kid. I can only imagine that I'm working on something important and the power button is held for 3 seconds.

I have a budget up to $175. I'd like quiet and decent airflow. I air cool and do only a little over-clocking with stock fans, nothing even close to extreme.

Is there anything else that's known as "an awesome case" that I should consider? Unfortunately, newegg doesn't have a "locking door" search.

Thanks so much!

 

[DSF]

The P182 by Antec has a locking front door. I don't recall off the top of my head whether it covers the power button or not, but I think it might. It's a quiet case and the airflow is pretty good.

 

[jtabler]

Hmm, I couldn't see a lock on that one. The K10B also locks away the power button, the Antec 182 doesn't.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

I have the Thermaltake Tsunami case with the side window, and it has two locking sections on the front (one covers the hard drives and internal components; the next covers the power button and DVD drive). It comes with three case fans (front, rear and side) and has decent airflow.

I bought it in early 2007 for about $160 CAD. The version without the window is cheaper.

 

[DSF]

I'm not sure what pictures you were looking at, but take a look at the photographs on Newegg's website.

The P182 very clearly has a lock right under the headphone and USB jacks, and the power button is very clearly covered by the locking door. The small picture doesn't do it justice, you need to click on on the picture to get the larger views. (And once you click on the picture you have access to a lot more viewing angles, including ones with the door open and closed.)

Newegg lists the price as $170, but they rarely have the best prices on cases. You should be able to find it for close to $100 if you shop around, or even lower if you catch a sale at some place like Fry's.

 

[BassBomb]

Antec P182
Antec Sonata III (covers power button)

 

[zagood]

Originally posted by: BassBomb
Antec P182
Antec Sonata III (covers power button)

These are the cases I was looking at when faced with the same issue. Of course, on my thread I got "beat your child so he doesn't touch your stuff" replies (or something to that effect).

I just ended up moving my case up off the floor and out of reach.

-z

 

[Gillbot]

Chieftec Dragon

 

[coxmaster]

Give this a look...

It'll work with any case you want (or have) and its not just a simple latch, it uses an actual key.

 

[jtabler]

Originally posted by: DSF
I'm not sure what pictures you were looking at, but take a look at the photographs on Newegg's website.

.

Hah, the lock is actually what I thought was the power button. Sorry! I'll put that in the short list. Getting it for $100 would be a great find. I see that the $140s total are the lowest right now.

 

[jtabler]

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha
I have the Thermaltake Tsunami case with the side window, and it has two locking sections on the front (one covers the hard drives and internal components; the next covers the power button and DVD drive). It comes with three case fans (front, rear and side) and has decent airflow..

No side window. That's another criterion.

 

[jtabler]

Originally posted by: zagood

I just ended up moving my case up off the floor and out of reach.

-z

Unfortunately, the computer must remain in it's holder attached to the desk for a number of reasons.

 

[jtabler]

Originally posted by: Gillbot
Chieftec Dragon

A little large! I'm thinking along the P182, sonata III, or the Lancool K10B. The lancool is the cheapest of the bunch and has pretty good reviews beyond customer reviews on newegg.

 

[Biggerhammer]

Congratulations on the impending kid.
Would it make sense to use whatever case you prefer but not connect the power switch? You could put a power switch and reset switch from another case in a convenient location.

 

[jtabler]

Originally posted by: Biggerhammer
Congratulations on the impending kid.
Would it make sense to use whatever case you prefer but not connect the power switch? You could put a power switch and reset switch from another case in a convenient location.

Thanks!

This is actually part of a larger computer replacement. The current computer was a very cheap bare bones ASUS kit which was supposed to be temporary, but that was two years ago. With so many changes to hardware upcoming, we just kept waiting and waiting. windows 7...i7...SSDs oh my!

For now we are just replacing the case and power supply. Both are very cheaply made and the power supply is whining.

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: jtabler

Originally posted by: InflatableBuddha
I have the Thermaltake Tsunami case with the side window, and it has two locking sections on the front (one covers the hard drives and internal components; the next covers the power button and DVD drive). It comes with three case fans (front, rear and side) and has decent airflow..

No side window. That's another criterion.

Theres a non window version.. even then I wouldn't buy a Tsunami (see sig)

 

[RKS]

Originally posted by: jtabler
Hi,

I'm considering the Lancool K10B because it has a locking front door.

I've got a baby in the chute and I know that pressing buttons is something I used to like to do as a kid. I can only imagine that I'm working on something important and the power button is held for 3 seconds.

I have a budget up to $175. I'd like quiet and decent airflow. I air cool and do only a little over-clocking with stock fans, nothing even close to extreme.

Is there anything else that's known as "an awesome case" that I should consider? Unfortunately, newegg doesn't have a "locking door" search.

Thanks so much!

How else will they learn how to use a computer? My 3yo knows how to correctly insert a dvd, my 5yo knows which folder contains his movies and can navigate and play the movie he chooses. Sure there were a couple of unexpected shutdowns when they first found the power button but they usually don't touch much after a few "talks". An infant, however, shouldn't be so far out of sight that they can actually mess with your computer.

 

[jtabler]

Originally posted by: RKS

How else will they learn how to use a computer? My 3yo knows how to correctly insert a dvd, my 5yo knows which folder contains his movies and can navigate and play the movie he chooses. Sure there were a couple of unexpected shutdowns when they first found the power button but they usually don't touch much after a few "talks". An infant, however, shouldn't be so far out of sight that they can actually mess with your computer.

I don't mind that kind of access for the other computer, but not my primary business one.

 

[EvilBob]

You mentioned no side window - one more consideration that you may want to keep in mind is: No top vent.

To a toddler, those grates look like a neat place to pour things, no?

Heck, I have the bad habit of using the top of my case as a coaster - the last build I did I used a Lancool K7B over the P180/P182 because I didn't want to risk pouring my coffee in the top vent. (plus I only modestly overclock, too, so I don't need insane airflow)

The K10B looks like a great case - like a K7B with a locking front door!

 

[jtabler]

Excellent point EvilBob. Since it is on sale, I might go ahead and buy it today. I can't find it cheaper than newegg right now.

 

[Zepper]

Using a lock switch as recommended above is good (computer cases with doors used to come with those standard so when you were away from your machine you could disable the power button and lock the door (if the case had a door) at the same time - the reset switch would also need to be disconnected or hidden behind a door. Here is a page of replacement keys and key switches much cheper than those mentioned in another post:
http://www.allelectronics.com/...75/Switches/Key/1.html. Can be used to disable the power or reset buttons. Should be some out there with panel/door lock as well.

Here is a case that is a lot like the Silverstone Berserker I had at one time. That version was very secure - it had a way to lock the front bezel in place and the right side panel. The left panel had a panel lock loop, so you could make it so someone would have to be willing to break the thing to get in. http://www.servercase.com/miva...ode=Entry-Level+Server
the other two versions have 3 more 5" drive bays in the bottom, so you'd have to get a drive cage to put HDDs there, but there is room for 1 or 2 HDDs below the floppy bays and above the bottom 5" bays.

This one is even closer to the Berserker in terms of security and looks much better: http://www.buildtoorderservers...egory=55&idproduct=478 . But unlike the others, this one still has 80mm fan mounts in the rear. All are variations on basically the same chassis.

Used to be a company with Arrow in the name that also sold the CK800A,B,C at better prices than the above, but I can't locate it now. The B and C models are in the "Domino" series for an obvious reason.

And the Chenbro workstation/entry level server cases are reasonably well secured. The SR105xx series has a longer chassis to accept extendedATX (EATX) mobos as well as std. ATX, while the SR209xx is shorter and takes only standard ATX mobos (put 68 where the xx is for my fave version - I've never seen other than the 68 or 69 version here in the States). The stock fans can make your ears bleed at full speed. I put one of my C-M fan kits in the rear and a Zalman FM2 92mm in the front with something like a FanMate 2 on it. Some of the Ark pedestal server cases (avail. on Newegg under Cases/Server/Pedestal) are like the Domino series. Looks like the Egg dropped Chenbro's pedestal cases - they used to have a good selection of 'em. I think SuperBiiz.com (yes, the double "i" is correct) still carries them at decent prices - prices went up about 20% but they're still there. Check the Chenbro.com site for detailed info and more pix. Good luck!

.bh.

PS: The Antec Titan series may also be something to check out - Similar in concept to the SR10568 but bigger and pricier, but I think still in your range. .bh.

PPS: Possible to lock the room the confuser is in - not easy for ankle muncher to play with buttons then?