Need a good case for under 150-200$USD

[Desipher]

Im getting tired of my crappy generic case, so I decided I would spend some cash on a new case. Heres what im looking for:

MUST HAVE:

Side Window
120mm rear and front SILENT fans (or at least slots for 2 120mm fans)
case must be very quiet
Must cool well
Fairly easy to work in


OPTIONAL:

400Watt PSU w/ very quiet fan
Front tempature gauge

I really liked the Antec Super LANBOY Aliuminum case, and the Antec P160 case. Both seem like very good cases, but im worried about the prices and if their quiet or not.Please help!

 

[Tiamat]

I have the SuperLAN boy case. Its alright, but as you can see in teh price, its somewhat cheaply made. The aluminum is very thin, and the screws in the back of the case holding the PCI slot covers strip easily. however, once you get the screws off, you dont have to worry bout them again since the cards will be held in place by one metal plate that uses thumb screws. The mobo tray is not removable. I find this to be a minus. Overall, the case is very lightweight, somewhat cramped. The fans spin at around 2000rpm and are decently quiet. I dont have a sound meter, but i would rank their db level at around 28 db (compared to my other fans which have known db levels). I can hear the air moving in and out of the case when i sleep, but there is no annoying motor noise. I think the fans are rated for 50 cfm each. If you have a rheobus you could drop the voltage on these fans to make it quieter.

For PSU, i would recommend a Truepower series. They are reallly quiet.
The 74 gig Raptor is very quiet in Idle.

One final note, the Blue LED fan in the front is very bright. This could be good or bad.

 

[nageov3t]

all the high-end cases that I'm familiar with use 80mm fans.

if you can give up the 120mm fans, take a look at the CoolerMaster ATCS line.

 

[fireontheway]

this one is nice but is uses a 120mm front intake and 2x 80mm exhaust. i just thought u might wanna see it since you plan on getting a high end case.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: fireontheway
this is one is nice but is uses a 120mm front intake and 2x 80mm exhaust. i just thought u might wanna see it since you plan on getting a high end case.

i love that case, if i could afford it i would buy it in a second

you have have to get it refurb @ newegg to get it under $200

 

[Desipher]

Originally posted by: shady06

Originally posted by: fireontheway
this is one is nice but is uses a 120mm front intake and 2x 80mm exhaust. i just thought u might wanna see it since you plan on getting a high end case.

i love that case, if i could afford it i would buy it in a second

you have have to get it refurb @ newegg to get it under $200

Nice case, but 200 dollars is too much I guess. I really like the Antec Super LANBOY case, and its very afordable, but im worried about silence the most. I Just want a computer case thats so silent I can sleep without having to turn my pc off

 

[fireontheway]

If youre worried about silence, get a fan speed controller. it will help a lot silencing your pc.

 

[Falloutboy]

Nice case, but 200 dollars is too much I guess. I really like the Antec Super LANBOY case, and its very afordable, but im worried about silence the most. I Just want a computer case thats so silent I can sleep without having to turn my pc off

[/i]

funny I can't sleep well without hearing my computer

 

[EngenZerO]

well I just bought a wavemaster from sundialmicro for 130... . I am excited to recieve. it will be a nice change from my coolermaster atcs-201.

 

[shohoku]

How about this?

 

[Nebor]

I have an Acousticase 6607. It costs $200. It's basically a modified Antec 3700 BQE. It comes with acoustic padding that you line the case with. It's very quiet if you take the proper steps to make it so.

I use sorbothane strips to rest my hard drives on at the bottom of the case. I had to remove the hard drive cage, which does include rubber grommets if you want to mount the HDs for some reason. Cost for 2 4"x4"x.5" sheets of sorbothane was $14.

I use a Zalman 400w PS, which is now the loudest component in my system. I plan on doing a fan swap on it, or buying one of the fancy $200 silenx fanless power supplies. Zalman PS was $100.

I use a 120mm Acoustifan in the back. This is hooked up to my Vantec Nexus Fan controller. It includes a resistor if you don't want to use the fan controller. The fan is also thermally controlled, although a fixed speed version is available in limited quantities. I just ordered another Acoustifan about 20 minutes ago to go in the front of the case. I tried some other supposedly quiet fans, like the Aluminum Evercool, but they just can't be as quiet as the Acoustifan. 120mm Acoustifans are about $30 each. Fan controller was $20.

I also use a Zalman 7000Cu heatsink, unmodified, although that might change. I hear you can drop quieter 92mm fans on them with good results. $40.

Zalman northbridge heatsink, to get rid of that annoying loud fan. $5.

Arctic Cooling VGA Silencer on my r9800pro. I keep this set to low, as it makes a little bit too much air noise at high speed. I replaced a Zalman ZM80C-HP with this, since the Zalman heated up my case so much. I might change back though, I'm not sure. The VGA Silencer was like $20, the Zalman w/ fan was like $35.

My computer is VERY quiet. This case is fairly awsome. The acoustic padding even includes a better dust filter, it's very nice.



There's a pic of the front.

 

[jose]

checkout the Compucase LX 6A19 at directron.com $39 no ps or fans.
But it really is a nice case , just put a pair of Stealth 120mm fans in it and a good ps.
You can also find it at coolcases.com.

Regards,
Jose

 

[jose]

checkout the Compucase LX 6A19 at directron.com $39 no ps or fans.
But it really is a nice case , just put a pair of Stealth 120mm fans in it and a good ps.
You can also find it at coolcases.com.

Regards,
Jose

 

[ROJAS]

Antec cases.

 

[wkwong]

Originally posted by: Desipher
Im getting tired of my crappy generic case, so I decided I would spend some cash on a new case. Heres what im looking for:

MUST HAVE:

Side Window
120mm rear and front SILENT fans (or at least slots for 2 120mm fans)
case must be very quiet
Must cool well
Fairly easy to work in


OPTIONAL:

400Watt PSU w/ very quiet fan
Front tempature gauge

I really liked the Antec Super LANBOY Aliuminum case, and the Antec P160 case. Both seem like very good cases, but im worried about the prices and if their quiet or not.Please help!

the lanboy is made so thin because its trying to cut off as much weight as possible, making it a better lan case so you don't have to lug around a heavy case go with the lanboy if you want light.

but otherwise, I'd just get a lian-li or beantech case which are usually around 100 and have most or all the features you'd want.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: Desipher
Im getting tired of my crappy generic case, so I decided I would spend some cash on a new case. Heres what im looking for:

MUST HAVE:

Side Window
120mm rear and front SILENT fans (or at least slots for 2 120mm fans)
case must be very quiet
Must cool well
Fairly easy to work in


OPTIONAL:

400Watt PSU w/ very quiet fan
Front tempature gauge

I really liked the Antec Super LANBOY Aliuminum case, and the Antec P160 case. Both seem like very good cases, but im worried about the prices and if their quiet or not.Please help!

lol, I didn't even read your list of requirements the first time around. I think you may regret a side window, they're cheesey, and the novelty will wear off.

The included fans with any case are not quiet enough. Good 120mm fans can be had under $30 each though.

I don't think any cases comes with 400w PSUs, and I can gaurantee you that no power supply comes with a very quiet fan. You'll have to spring for a fanless model ($200) or mod a power supply with a nice quiet Panaflo L1A. I modded my Zalman 400w.

 

[essasin]

I would suggest getting a lian li pc65, antec lanboy, or a cooler master you cant go wrong with those cases

 

[Jmman]

Vote for the Lian Li. Best case I have ever owned......

My case is similar to this one.......Text