looking for a small ATX case to transfer from my Lian Li

[robphelan]

not sure what model Lian Li I have, but it's just too big. Now with my new desk, i'd like to have something that looks a little more 'finished' to put it on top of the desk.

I don't want to bang my legs on the PC everytime I sit down.

looking to spend <150.

I thought about going SFF, but my components well together and I don't want to spend the money to outfit a SFF.

for the case, I really only need room for the ATX mobo w/Zalman CNPS7000 HSF, 1 optical drive, 2-3 harddrives, my 9800 pro, hauppage pvr card - no floppy drive needed.

does such a thing exist?

tia,
robert.

 

[Safeway]

There are several nice looking cases, ... you might want to look for mini towers that only have 1 5.25" bay. The problem with those, that I have seen, is you might need a rack server PSU, and they all seem rather bland and ugly.

I'll look around for you.

 

[Safeway]

Better yet, look for a classy HTPC case. They often come in black plastic or aluminum and would look great with the monitor and speakers.

Other than that, the Antec Sonata is a nice looking, quiet case. But may be too big. Antec also sells some mini towers with 3 5.25" and 2 3.5" bays, still rather tall.

 

[robphelan]

i've been looking at those Cavalier cases - they seem pretty nice...

however, i just measured my space - it's only 14.5" wide... i haven't been able to find a desktop/htpc case that small.

i may have to live with the lian li or switch to a SFF.

i don't know anything about the SFFs. can i fit both my tv tuner card + 9800 pro AGP in there? how many harddrives can it fit? i have external audio, so i don't need a pci slot for that.

 

[Zepper]

There is no really small case that can hold a full ATX mobo without any compomises (like a PSU that interferes with the space above the CPU so large HSFs won't work). Antec has a few cases that are in the 16.x" tall bracket (as does Evercase) that might work for you.

.bh.

 

[robphelan]

ok.. so if I switch to a SFF, what can it hold as far as PCI slots? i think i only have a pci TV card, AGP 9800 pro.

i assume i can buy a P4 SFF mobo so i can use my existing processor? I guess the PSU is proprietary so my Thermaltake won't fit?

tia,
rob.

 

[Safeway]

Originally posted by: robphelan
ok.. so if I switch to a SFF, what can it hold as far as PCI slots? i think i only have a pci TV card, AGP 9800 pro.

i assume i can buy a P4 SFF mobo so i can use my existing processor? I guess the PSU is proprietary so my Thermaltake won't fit?

tia,
rob.

That's correct. A SFF will fit your AGP card and your PCI Tuner easily. THey come with HSF alot of the time, although you might be able to fit your own. The PSU is pretty much non-replaceable unless you get another small small one.

 

[Zepper]

. If you get a case like the Aspire X-Qpack or the Chenming 118 (variants of the same case), or the Enermax Venus series, they take normal microATX mobos with three PCI slots and one AGP slot.
. I don't recommend true (shoe-box type) SFFs as they usually have proprietary PSUs, mobos and CPU cooling solutions which allow for only limited expandability/upgradability - often only one AGP and one PCI slot ...

.bh.