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looking for durable quality aluminum case good for mobility/taking to lans?

C

cpush

Senior member
Hello there I'm to build a new system in the coming weeks (an amd64 system with a 6600gt) and am looking for a quality case to throw the goods in. What I really want is something that can be thrown in my car and driven around to my friend's houses without sustaining visible damage. There are lots of attractive cases that looks like they'd bruise/scratch easily. I'd like it to be durable but light. I was considering these 3:

http://www.xoxide.com/thxaiiilasec.html
http://www.xoxide.com/chenming301bl.html
http://www.xoxide.com/chieftec12.html

Now 2 of the cases are really similar except one is like half of the size, do you think the smaller case will be too cramped? I've seen reviews and it looked like theh hsf almost touches the psu. This might be bad for heat (especially with a 6600gt). The bigger one is big, yeah, but will be light due to aluminum? Xaser III, decent?

Any input would be greatly appreciated- thanks
 
I personally have a Chenming 301 labeled as being Antec w/ a 350W PSU and only 1 side fan spot that came with a tri-color Antec fan.
The fan is great quality, but LOUD. The case itself has acceptable temps, not to hot, although my CPU (AMD Athlon XP 2400+) hits 55-70C. When I added the 9800 Pro, the 80mm fan was already so loud that I couldn't hear it...however, it still makes this annoying droning noise that has been lately driving me insane. The side window is great, and the LED fan makes for cool effects, even though not that bright. The case is NOT tooless....the front addon ports (2USB+ firewire) are nice although I'd love a mic/audio one too. The drives were okay to mount, althoguh a bit tight with the wires (not sleeved, would help significantly since blocks side fan). The case is overall good build quality, although a bit thin. It's VERY LIGHT, which helps a lot since I'm a LAN guy. You can't go wrong for $40. I'd say it's a strong 8.5/10, the major downside (on mine anyways) being the noisiness.
 
Why do you want aluminum (Im curious). If it is for lightweight, ok, if it is for cooling, then you should look at steel cases like the 3000B by antec since aluminum doesnt offer any improvement for cooling.

Superlanboy is ok, i have it, but i had to heavily modify it for my own needs. (it was fun)

Kingwin makes really decent cases. They are lian-li ripoffs and actually use pretty thick aluminum = not "cheap" like the superlanboy's superthin aluminum.

All of the mentioned cases retail for something like 40-80$ without power supply.


Edit: read your post a second time. You want mobility.

So Superlanboy will give that to you in a heartbeat! When i bought the case, i thought it was a joke because it seriously felt like carrying an empty cardboard box back from the store. This guy is less than 8 lbs with shipping material.
 
<<<thinks u should get heavy steel case and get your exercise walking from your car to the party 🙂
 
Originally posted by: TWills
<<<thinks u should get heavy steel case and get your exercise walking from your car to the party 🙂
Click to expand...

Like the Zalman TNN something case thats 1200$? That is aluminum :laugh:

 
twills, i get plenty of exercise on my runs 😉 it wouldnt necessarily have to be aluminum, just not REALLY heavy. yes it's primarily for mobility but won't get beat up in the process. the lanboy, is it of decent quality? i've heard it's flimsy, and no offense but im thinkin it will be pretty popular at a lot of lan's and i kind of like exclusivity 🙂 I am really considering the 301, just don't want it to get too cramped. all i will have is 1 hdd, 1 cdrom, vcard/ram/cpu/etc. thanks for the replies so far i appreciate it!
 
If you're considering a 301 and plan on lighting it.....it's pretty good for that. Put a nice LED fan in the front grill and you'll get a nice effect as light comes from between the fins. I tested mine with it, but my bro's computer got the fan in the end (since mine already has two). With your parts, the 301 sounds like a great buy. Especially for the low price. The only problem is that my wires get tangled, but I've been lazy to not sleeve them, nor will I since a new PC will come in another year or so. A guy at my dad's work has a 301, moded with a top exhaust and some other cuts with clear plastic for lighting effects from a couple REALLY bright green cathodes. Looks really cool (but for work?!) Anyways, I'd recommend the lanboy or the 301, although the lanboy will be quiter. for sure. lol.
 
I think I am going to go with this lian-li for $75
http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=0-N82E16811112211
what do you guys think? I am confused I have seen several reviews for this case and each one is a different version... Some have 2 120mm fans, some have 2 80mm in the front, with a blue led light, this one has a 120 in the front and 80 in the back.. no light I dont think. The ones with the blue LED look really nice with the blue leaking through the front grill, now if I'd get this wihtout the blue led would a blue led 120mm fan do the same trick? I have found various versions of the "PC-7" and each has been different. thanks
 
I like the SLB. Something to think about for aluminum... stuff gets scratched easily. If you use a case other than natural aluminum colors the scratches will show up easily.
 
Hey, take a look at this case. It has a handle built into the top of it. Makes it easy to carry to a lan.
CX-5959

It's fairly cheap, but is a decent size. You can also get it with a perspex side panel.

RoD
 
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