Looking for a case I can fit one of these (pic inside)

[HumblePie]

I've been putting together several systems and in all my systems I use a modded comair rotron fan. Unfortunately, with every case I've bought and tried I've had to CUT the "Extra" 3.5 bays that go all the way down to the bottom. This way I can mount it on the front. Otherwise, I really have no room.

Personally, I LOVE these fans and get them all the time for $4 a pop. Modded down to 12V they push a ton of air silently.

Anyone have any suggestions? I don't want to go to full tower cases. They are too expensive, and most people I know don't have the room for them. So, I stick with the mid-atx cases for now. Less expensive, easy to work with, I don't feel *bad* if I make a mistake on a mid tower. Also, there are way more mid towers available that are nice and don't even really need to be modded nowadays to look cool.

But since I love these fans, man do they rock, I really need to find a nice 4-6 bay mid tower case that doesn't have upteen-too-many 3.5 hidden bays that I never use that stretch down to the bottom of the case inside.

Any suggestions?

*EDIT* Almost forgot the pic

 

[Zepper]

. Most normal mid-tower cases only leave room for 120x25mm fans at the bottom front, if that - as you have found. Several larger cases like the Athenatech/AGPB A800 series have 3x5" bays at the bottom front and that fan could be mounted in or on the plastic bay covers or the metal (snap-off) bay shields there - still would need some modding, but perhaps not nearly as much. Outpost.com sells a similar design with the PCMCIS name on it. And the Silverstone Berserker (SST-B032F/FW) is also a similar design, but may have the 3.5 bays in the bottom instead of 5" bays. I was thinking the Enermax 1018x series might work, but it looks like it might be even harder to mod...
.bh.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

If I read that right you are looking to put a fan in that is exactly twice as deep as any will be made to suuport and it is almost 7" tall. I really have never seen a case except full towers that are just bare at the bottom that putting this fan into woudl even be possible without some serious cutting. I will admit that moves a hell of a lot of air and I will tke your word that it is quiet but I mean damn man that thing is huge.

 

[Zepper]

Would you mind sharing your source (if you don't want it public, PM me, I won't blab in the Hot Deals section )? The best I've found is around $9. each for 24V models...
.bh.

 

[Zepper]

I just thought of the Evercase 42x2 series. Its HD bays are totally detachable and/or removable (including the mounting plates). You can also get extras direct from Evercase. So you could mount one of the HD brackets into the bottom of the 5" bays (or just use 3 to 5" adapters) and just take the other out. HD isolators are available for the HD brackets direct from Evercase. Makes one of the quietest cases to begin with (see Silent PC Review) even moreso...
.bh.

:moon:

 

[HumblePie]

Sorry, can't reveal the source on my fans because well.. I don;t think you could buy from them even if I did. As for the case, I'll look that up tomorrow since right now I'm tooo tired. Thanks for the info though.

 

[Zepper]

. Please don't Bogart that fan info...
. I just remembered that some of the Enlight cases (e.g. the 7250) have a 3" drive bracket that is totally removable - gets rid of hard AND floppy drive bays. But there are four 5" drive bays, so adapters would work fine. You'd just have to cut out the lower front panel to fit - same as on any other case. There is a plastic bracket with card guides a 80x80x25 fan mount and speaker mount in that space, but it pops out easily.
.bh.

There's the :sun: !

This just in! Some Chenbro models also have removable HD brackets very similar to the Evercase that might work.bh.

:moon:

 

[Cerb]

The Evercases you might have to measure more carefully, but I think they would be better cases (mainly the 4252) than the Enlight 72xx. They also will have enough from vent room that you should be able to get by with minimal cutting, and maybe none.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: Zepper
. I just remembered that some of the Enlight cases (e.g. the 7250) have a 3" drive bracket that is totally removable - gets rid of hard AND floppy drive bays. But there are four 5" drive bays, so adapters would work fine. You'd just have to cut out the lower front panel to fit - same as on any other case.

This just in! Some Chenbro models also have removable HD brackets very similar to the Evercase that might work.bh. :moon:

There are also "extension hangar" brackets marketed for systems with too few internal 3 1/2" bays. CompUSA has these on hand in their Cooling & Modding area, close to the display of cases. I have an older 4-2-1 Mid-Tower that was supplied with a White Box system, and its brand has never been known, but it now is a 4-2-4.

The three additional bays hang from the screws holding in the drive in the original single internal 3 1/2 bay; and the hangar is fairly easily offset to leave room in front for an intake fan in the mount position provided when the case was produced. If you wanted a deep-bodied 80 mm intake fan, the rolled "lip" at the rear of that bottom bay (the rounded part to protect your fingers from sharp edges) could be ground off, and the hangar could be mounted at a "deeper stagger" away from the front.

With this setup (the price on the peg is $14.95, but the printed price on the cardboard backing of the blister pack says $12.99, so that was all I would pay), a less-expensive Mid-Tower such as the no-name one that I have ends up with greatly added value for small extra cost. And solves Humble Pie's quest or broadens his search range at the very least.


:thumbsup:

 

[Gravity]

Good grief man! That fan is huge. Why not go one size bigger and then build your pc inside your fan?

 

[Ken90630]

Good grief man! That fan is huge. Why not go one size bigger and then build your pc inside your fan?

:laugh:

And I wonder how much dust gets sucked into those cases? I'm not criticizing the fan -- to each his own -- but I can't help but wonder what the need is. And I thought the guy who posted awhile back and said he used 7 (!) Vantec Tornados in one computer was outta control!

PS: Shameless brief detour into off-topic land: Humble Pie was a very underrated band. Peter Frampton and Steve Marriott together was a great combination. (For those wondering what in the world I'm talking about, the original post was by a guy calling himself HumblePie.)