Need a new case less than 55cm in height, any suggestions ?

[Jaap74]

Title says it all :

Need a new case less than 55cm (21.6 inches) in height, any suggestions ?

Gonna build a new PC once Conroe is out and my current desk will only take a case with height up to 55cm.

Any idea's ? Quietness is a key factor.

Cheers
__________________

 

[InlineFour]

Text

most atx mid tower are under 21".

 

[Operandi]

The Sonata is not worth anywhere near $90 in my opinion.

Here are my suggestions: Lian Li PC-V600B | Lian Li PC-G50B.

 

[Howard]

The two cheapest best (best cheapest?) cases IMHO:

http://www.provantage.com/antec-slk3000b~7ANTG02Y.htm

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811127060

Neither come with a PSU.

 

[Zepper]

OP,
. You don't provide enough detail like how much can you spend, does color matter, does material matter, how many drive bays will you need. Who knows, I might recommend something like the Arctic Cooling Silentium series if I really knew what you needed. But any mid-tower, maxi-mid and even many full towers (I consider 21" to be the beginning of that bracket) will fall within your measurement. Doesn't narrow the field much...

The ones Howard linked have the most casitude for the money. If you do consider the Evercase, make sure your dealer provides the rubber bushing kit for the HDD rack - most here in the States don't and they can be hard to find except thru the local importer/company office/agent. And the whole 42x2 series are about equally good. And the HEC/Compucase 6A19 is the same as the Antec 3000B inside for those who don't care for doors.

Operandi,
. The Sonata includes a PSU which is why it costs $90. Can't get it separately. If you could, it would probably cost around $55 or 60.

.bh.

 

[zagood]

Originally posted by: Zepper
The ones Howard linked have the most casitude for the money.
.bh.

Brilliant. I'm gonna have to use that word.

-z

 

[pkrush]

You will be able to fit pretty much any mid-tower computer case, including the Chieftech Dragon. For silence, I'd recommend the Antec P150 (the Antec P180 may fit, but I wouldn't count on it).

 

[pkme2]

PC-7A
This Lian Li case has excellent cooling capability with two 120mm fans.

Pick your PSU here after checking with JonnyGURU
http://www.psuinquisitor.com/

 

[Jaap74]

Originally posted by: Zepper
OP,
. You don't provide enough detail like how much can you spend, does color matter, does material matter, how many drive bays will you need. Who knows, I might recommend something like the Arctic Cooling Silentium series if I really knew what you needed. But any mid-tower, maxi-mid and even many full towers (I consider 21" to be the beginning of that bracket) will fall within your measurement. Doesn't narrow the field much...

OK : Preferably black, money not an issue, 5 hard drive bays, 3 dvd drive bays.

 

[pkme2]

Then you should get the PC-61 Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112025

 

[Jaap74]

Been doing a lot of investigation and I'm leaning towards the Antec P180 :

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article254-page1.html

Just wondering if there will be any issues with cable length's from the PSU to the various components, as the PSU is at the bottom ?

 

[Zepper]

Yes, that is the main issue with the P180, except for the warping door, separating panels. Don't know if they've solved those issues yet. Your ATX and P4 connectors need to be at least 20"- longer wouldn't hurt. And to reach the top 5" drive bay, you'll need at least one drive power bundle that's 22" long or more. I don't like to use extensions on the ATX/P4 (high current) connections, but that would be fine on the drive power bundles if necessary. And the black ones aren't as widely available as the silver, at least here in the States. If the Thermaltake brand is available (I know some brands have a different name there than here), then the Eureka (or whatever they call that model there) might be something to look at (may need a bit of goose grease to fit it into your space ). Or the original CoolerMaster Stacker, STC-T01. You'll need to buy another CM 4-in-3 cage to hold 5 HDDs, but that's OK as you'll want to space the drives out a bit in the cages anyway. Either will just fit in your space, look impressive and function very well.

.bh.

 

[Zepper]

I just went browsing the Gigabyte cases since so many are mentioning them. Their budget line is "twins under the skin" with the 120mm f/r Centurions, the Kingwin 523 et al. This shows signs of becoming the next "classic good design" winner along with the Antec 3000-B/HEC 6A19 and brethren, and the Evercase mid-tower design. I don't think they come with rubber HDD iso, but easily modded.
. The Aurora is basically an expando on the above design to allow for WC which most won't use, but Air Cooling will work just as well. Replace the two wimpy fans at the back with one goodun - all you really need for A-C...
They make it out of more Al. thus the high price. No rubber HDD iso either, but the same ease of modding. It holds 5 HDD and is 52.2 cm tall. So it fits your spec well. The looks are a matter of taste.
. I just remembered the AOpen Impression (steel)/Nouveau (aluminum) which are also good and fit your spec. Steel is usually quieter than Al., FWIW... No rubber HDD iso either but easy as most other rail-mount designs to mod for it. And there is nothing proprietary about their PSUs except the label. They're rebadged Fortrons just like most AOpen PSUs have always been.

.bh.