Looking for input on choosing a case

[imported_mouser]

Have spent some time researching the various case recommendations here and am seeking a little customized input.

Important System Specs:

E6300 - overclocked, but not exotic cooling
Asus P5B Deluxe or variation
EVGA 8800GTX - need space for the card. May want to add a 2nd card in the future to drive a 3rd monitor.
3x DVD ROMs/Writers
4x 3.5" hard drives - will probably only do 2x initially, but want room to expand to 4x


Preferences & Comments:

- I really really hate cases with doors on the front. The Antec p180b and Lian Li PC-A10 both look like cases I'd otherwise love to have but both have doors. Are these asthetically removable or should I cross these cases off my list? I've demolished more doors on tower cases over the years than I care to remember.

- Would prefer a side window but it's not mandatory. Have a case of LED fans I'd like to put to use.

- I'm thinking mini-tower chasis like the Lian Li PC-7B is going to be a bit cramped with 4 hard drives and airflow over them?

- Aluminum preferred, but not mandatory. Quieter cases prefered, but don't need to go overboard on silent computing.

- I live in the desert, and the room the computer is in will often be in the 90'sF in the summer if I lighten up on the AC while out of the house. Computer will be on 24x7. Money is not an obstacle (within reason).


Any suggestions on cases that would fit my prefs would be greatly appreciated. Been building my own systems since the Taiwanese XT clones first hit back in '84, just about time for that 2-3 year itch to strike again.

 

[Evacide]

are the 3 dvd rom's SATA? the p5b deluxe only has one ide that allows for 2 devices

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: mouser
I live in the desert, and the room the computer is in will often be in the 90'sF in the summer if I lighten up on the AC while out of the house. Computer will be on 24x7. Money is not an obstacle (within reason)...

I see!

Well, I live in the desert too, so I understand exactly what you're saying...

And, I'm loaded! So, "Money is not an obstacle (within reason)" for me either!

What do I recommend?

See the case in my sig...

*edit*

BTW, If you buy a Lian Li, I will never 'talk' to you again! You can 'talk' to the sh!t ppl...

*edit II*

Excuse me... I mean the Lian Li Monkey Army...

 

[Boyo]

I have the Lian Li PC7 and if you have 4 HD, what you could do to space them out is put two in the HD cage and then put the other two in the 5.25 bays with a cooler. I would definitely recommend the PC7B. Great case for the money. You won't be disappointed.

 

[imported_mouser]

@Evacide: Thanks much for pointing that out. Will make sure I can connect the devices.


@VinDSL: Love the case, definitely has character. Sadly not an option--my secondary work location can't accomodate something with that much width if I ever had to move it.

@Boyo: Would you feel comfortable heatwise stacking 3 HD's in that cage on the PC7? Doesn't look like there's much separation from the pictures I've seen.


Eyeballed several cases at the local computer dump:

Antec P180b
Antec 900
Stacker 830
Thermaltake Armor

I have to confess I kinda liked the Antec 900 though it seems to get mixed reviews here. Seems like it should be cheaper than the $150 price though with less frills than other comparable cases.

The Thermaltake Armor did look intriguing. Need to do a little more research on that one.

Unfortunately the P180b is a no go on the case front door. Can't abide it.


Still shopping.

 

[UMfanatic]

I have a Tt Amor, it is amazing in terms of cooling, and space is not a problem, it is rated as one of the best cases on newegg, I read 100s or reviews before I bought it, and I have not been disatisfied thus far.

 

[Boyo]

You could fit three HD's in the cage since the front intake is right in front of your HD cage. It will keep them cool enough. But I would choose the other option that I recommended. Keep two HD's in the HD cage and then move the other two to the 5.25 bays. But it's a great case and lots of airlfow. It also comes with an 80mm top blowhole.

 

[ShockwaveVT]

I've got a Lian Li PC-A10 and you can remove the front door and its mounting plates. Not really sure what it looks like, but I'm going to be installing some other stuff & working on wire management this afternoon so I'll have a chance to take it off and snap some pictures for you.

Overall the case is roomy, cool and quiet.

 

[Syran]

I have an armor, and love it. I removed the funky swinging sides thou, much nicer without them.

Has plenty of room for multiple drives, think 6 or 7 HDD without an issue, plus around 6 5 1/2" slots for burners and such.

 

[trOver]

go for a lian li, the quality and overall working with the case is amazing. the more you work with them, the more things you start to notice that they do RIGHT unlike other brands.

 

[bjp999]

There are a lot of good cases out there, and picking the right one depends on your objectives. For excellent cooling in a small package, consider the Antec Nine Hundred. It does takes some work to hide the wires, but the results can be excellent.

Here is the link to my "review" of the case, focusing on cable management.

 

[imported_mouser]

Hopefully getting near the end of my search. Leaning towards the Silverstone TJ09 right now. Seems to fit all my requirements on the bay side.

Outstanding questions on the TJ09:
- Validate it can absolutely take an 8800 form card. Reportedly yes, but would like to see the clearance on it.
- Determine how much noise you get from the drive area. Like the thermal isolation, but concerned the baffling design might allow a lot more HD noise than average out though.
- Verify the 120mm fans for the HD bay and other are stock mounts.

 

[Syran]

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/product/Chassis/fulltower/armor/va8000bws.asp
$130 for the Regular
$165 for the Extreme Edition

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: mouser
Hopefully getting near the end of my search. Leaning towards the Silverstone TJ09 right now...

Yep!

Silverstone finally got it right, with the TJ09...

Good choice! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[VinDSL]

Originally posted by: mouser
Outstanding questions on the TJ09:
- Validate it can absolutely take an 8800 form card. Reportedly yes, but would like to see the clearance on it...

LoL!

Here's a GeForce 7800 GTX if you would care to extrapolate...

And, here's Quad SLI.

Plus, this might ease your mind...

Well it was an interesting week in the graphics world last week. Whilst, at the time of writing [13-Nov-2006], the only officially supported chassis for NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX SLI is the Cooler Master Stacker 830, the TJ-09 from Silverstone proves it should be on that list too.

The finish of the TJ-09 is superb, from the monstrous box to the overall look and feel; it seems SilverStone has got it spot on...

 

[imported_mouser]

Was out of town over the holidays, so had to hold off on ordering anything, grr.

Silverstone TJ09-BW is finally here. First impressions are wow, all the glowing reviews that have been posted on this baby are spot-on. Very well constructed, nice clean lines, the airflow looks like it should be excellent with the 120's mounted up top.

This case is a lot bigger depth-wise than I imagined it, even having seen the pictures online (605mm deep vs. 525mm high). Shouldn't be any case interference with any large cards or a Tuniq on the motherboard.

Motherboard for the rig is currently out of stock so probably will be late next week by the time I get to fully assemble everything and really test it out. I do expect the twin raptors will probably be pretty noisy given the lack of baffling around the hard drive cage. More to come.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: mouser
Was out of town over the holidays, so had to hold off on ordering anything, grr.

Silverstone TJ09-BW is finally here. First impressions are wow, all the glowing reviews that have been posted on this baby are spot-on. Very well constructed, nice clean lines, the airflow looks like it should be excellent with the 120's mounted up top.

This case is a lot bigger depth-wise than I imagined it, even having seen the pictures online (605mm deep vs. 525mm high). Shouldn't be any case interference with any large cards or a Tuniq on the motherboard.

Motherboard for the rig is currently out of stock so probably will be late next week by the time I get to fully assemble everything and really test it out. I do expect the twin raptors will probably be pretty noisy given the lack of baffling around the hard drive cage. More to come.

ever think of watercooling it to help with silence? The swiftech Premium kit would fit nicely inside that case, or any 120x1mm radaitor setup using the rear 120mm exhaust. You would get better clocks then on AIR if your cooling CPU only, and if u use the right radiator with fan's it will produce less noise then having a CPU fan + rear exhaust fan with better cooling.