Need a new, smaller case for my dorm

[mitchafi]

Somehow I ended up getting stuck with 2 roommates instead of 1 so space is going to be even tighter than expected. Right now I have my system in a beast of an Antec (1080 Model SOHO File Server). I'm thinking it would be helpful to switch to a midtower. I am looking at Liani-Li's as they look nice and plain (plain is good). Any reccomendations for a case that can house a 6800/A64 3200+ system and keep it cool? The plainer the better. Thanks in advance.

 

[Jassi]

Antec P180?

 

[mitchafi]

heh, looks quite ugly but I suppose it could do...anything else?

 

[BillyBobJoel71]

antec p180 would be good. good cooling and not to big, looks shouldn't matter that much.

 

[Zepper]

P180 is substantially bigger than most midtowers (by about 4" in height, 2-3" in depth, and even an inch or so in width) - which is what he wanted to get away from. The Skyhawk Aluminum case on sale this weekend at Newegg ($32. shipped) would be great after a bit of modding for cooling and noise and leaves plenty of $$s in your pocket for the modding parts!
. Or the Antec SLK3000-B would be great as is (under $50 shipped from Amazon or Provantage). The Kingwin 424 series can't be ignored nor the Evercase 42x2 series and the Compucase 6A19 series (same as SLK3000/3700 inside - for those who don't care for doors). Among those is the one for you.

.bh.

 

[mitchafi]

Originally posted by: Zepper
P180 is substantially bigger than most midtowers - which is what he wanted to get away from. The Skyhawk Aluminum case on sale this weekend at Newegg ($32. shipped) would be great after a bit of modding for cooling and noise and leaves plenty of $$s in your pocket for the modding parts!
. Or the Antec SLK3000-B would be great as is (under $50 shipped from Amazon or Provantage). The Kingwin 424 series can't be ignored nor the Evercase 42x2 series and the Compucase 6A19 series (same as SLK3000/3700 inside - for those who don't care for doors). Among those is the one for you.

.bh.

Thanks for the many suggestions. I forgot to mention that I would prefer screwless installation of the 5.25 bays (and HD bays if possible). I know Antec has this feature in some cases, do any other companies have it? Also, do I have to worry about the 6800 being too long or will most (or all) midtowers have ample room for a 6800?

 

[Zepper]

All the cases I mentioned can take up to full length add-on cards but you may have to put the HDs in the lower slots to avoid conflict in the Antec/Compucase - that's their only drawback, a bit shallow. The Antec/Compucase have rails for 5" bays (not sure whether the rails still screw onto the drives or not) the HDs use screws but the whole HD cage comes out and has vibe dampers for the drives - can't be much easier to use. Kingwin and Evercase are pretty much totally toolless except for the HDs - Kingwin has dampers for the HDs, Evercase vibe dampers are optional and inexpensive direct from Evercase. Special screws go thru the vibe dampers. And the HD cages on the Evercase pop right out so it's easy to screw the HDs in.
. The only modern convenience in the Skyhawk is the slide out mobo tray, which the Kingwin has as well. Everything else is screws/thumbscrews just like the earlier Lian Lis. Not hard to mod in some vibe dampers for HDs and even opticals.
. The Skyhawk and the Kingwin are of aluminum - the kingwin is 2.0mm so it is pretty heavy, the Skyhawk is 1.2mm so it's fairly light but not flimsy.

.bh.


.bh.

 

[Dman877]

Don't get a P180, it's big and heavy. Get something aluminum (Lian Li, Kingwin) and you might even want to consider sff. Check out the article on Aspire Xpack (or whatever it's called) on the anandtech front page.

 

[Zepper]

You may want to also take a look at the Athenatech A747 or A600 series for toolless.

.bh.

 

[mitchafi]

It appears that the Kingwin 424 is exactly what I am looking for but NewEgg only has the one with a sidewindow, which I don't want. I have never shopped anywhere besides NewEgg for PC parts. Can anyone reccomend reputable online vendors that I can check to see if they have the windowless version of the case? TIA.

 

[QurazyQuisp]

http://www.dealsonic.com/skmssialatxm.html

Get this, it's aluminum, totally screwless and has room for 4 fans. It is an amazing case... I'm currently using one, but when I head to Michigan State University this year I'm moving to an SFF.

 

[Zepper]

It's not totally toolless as the drives and cards are held in with screws. just the same as the one from Newegg.

.bh.

 

[Zepper]

ZipZoomFly usually has the Kingwin and SVC.com sometimes has the same case under the Beantech name. Both are very reliable resellers. I buy small stuff frequently from SVC and my current mobo is from ZZF.

.bh.

 

[mechBgon]

I can contribute that the Antec SLK3000B does use screws for the 5.25" drive rails. Photos of same basic chassis as the SLK3700AMB, including the rails. I don't really see what the big deal is with screw-on rails, though?

Anyway, I have an Antec SX-style case like your 1080, and I have an SLK-3000B, and I have a Lian-Li PC-86. None of them are really what I'd call "compact." The Lian-Li is a little smaller overall, but scrunched inside as well. If you don't already have an LCD monitor instead of CRT, that might be a good start for saving space. Bummer about the 2 roommates!

 

[mitchafi]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
I can contribute that the Antec SLK3000B does use screws for the 5.25" drive rails. Photos of same basic chassis as the SLK3700AMB, including the rails. I don't really see what the big deal is with screw-on rails, though?

Anyway, I have an Antec SX-style case like your 1080, and I have an SLK-3000B, and I have a Lian-Li PC-86. None of them are really what I'd call "compact." The Lian-Li is a little smaller overall, but scrunched inside as well. If you don't already have an LCD monitor instead of CRT, that might be a good start for saving space. Bummer about the 2 roommates!

Yea, wasn't expecting two roommates but what can you do. At least it is one of the more conveniently located dorms. Anyhow, the screwless drive rails aren't really a big deal I just thought it would be a bit more convenient. I'm going to compare the dimensions of the Kingwin 424 to my current Antec to see how much smaller it actually is. I really like the removable motherboard tray so if it is a decent amount smaller I'll be going with it. And yes, I picked up a Samsung 712N a while back and it suits my needs perfectly. Despite claims that DVI is a must, it looks pretty good to me. Then again, I don't have anything to compare it to as I have never used an LCD with DVI.

 

[Jhhnn]

One of the smallest standard atx towers on the market is the Antec 1600 series- check out the dimensions, also consider the new inwins, which are pretty small, too...

 

[mdchesne]

nothing's better than making your own case out of cherry or mahogony (sp?). you'd be king of the geeks

 

[Tiamat]

Superlanboy, 3000B, some desktops from Silverstone.

That Kingwin case is great btw.

 

[QurazyQuisp]

Originally posted by: Zepper
It's not totally toolless as the drives and cards are held in with screws. just the same as the one from Newegg.

.bh.

I meant it's tooless, except for the drives. It has a mobo tray, 1.2mm aluminum, and made with the quality of a lian-li. (These were priced the same when they first came out as a comparable lian-li) It's hard to find a better $24.99 case.

 

[Zepper]

Well that's not what you said. "totally screwless" is what you said. Screwless to me means something like the Athenatech 747.
. Or like my Silverstone Berkerker where the drive rails all snap on, the mobo has snap-on mounts, the add-in cards have plastic locks and the side panels have slide clips and most of the fans have snap-in mounts - now that's "totally screwless"!

.bh.

 

[Acadien]

DEFINITLY the P-65B from Lian Li. FANTASTIC case, not too flashy, but it still shows off the guts of your computer. Very high quality too.

 

[frx218]

Sonata II, quiet, small, sexy.

o yea its tooless minus the Drives/mobo tray

 

[SWScorch]

Howdy, I'm in the same boat. I'm using a CompuCase 6919 (basically an Antec 1040 without the door) and am looking to get a smaller case. There are some good suggestions here, but does anyone know if any midtowers use a 120mm fan and 2 80mms? I'd really like to use the fans I have now. Thanks.

EDIT: I'm working on a computer at work that seems like it would be perfect. The box says AMS Electronics MONO 2029. Going to do some research now. Anyone have any experience?