Need case advice...

[Woodie]

For the overview, see my thread here.

I'm looking for a small or mid-tower with:
3x5.25 external bays
Front USB (2 preferably)
Front Mic/Headphone
Quiet! but cool, so, prefer 120mm fan(s)
PSU
I'll only have one hd, probably 15K SCSI.
Plainer case preferred (stealth),

I looked at the Antec SLK3700AMB..but it only has front USB.

 

[Zepper]

Compucase 6A19 at Directron.com - identical to SLK3700AMB inside (made by the same OEM) - just different bezel, no door. Has front USB and audio jacks. Hard to beat the 6A19/3700 design for cooling and quietude potential. Newegg used to carry Compucase and HEC PSUs - both excellent and distributed in the states by the same co. I wonder what happened???
. Both lines are quite hard to find online - checked Pricewatch.com ?
.bh.

 

[cubanx]

The Antec Sonata sounds like what you are looking for:
380W PSU
2 120MM Fans (1 Included)
Front USB, One Firewire, and Audio
Newegg link

Here's nudies of Quiet Black Beauty Sonata i'm almost finished modding:
PIC 1
PIC 2
PIC 3

 

[Woodie]

That Sonata is looking good...

Thanks!

BTW, your case is looking sharp so far.

 

[klocwerk]

another vote for the Sonata.
I have one, I love it.
it's also super quiet.
just make sure you put another 120mm fan in the bottom front.

 

[Zepper]

Sonata is nice but I don't like the sideways HD rack. Looks to impede air flow more than the normal arrangement like the 6A19/3700.
.bh.

 

[Woodie]

How's the 6A19 on sound? According to Ars, the Sonata is very quiet.

In another review, they commented that the door over the front ports was too tight, and made it awkward to use the upper USB port. How's the CompuCase in that aspect?

 

[cubanx]

Originally posted by: Woodie
That Sonata is looking good...

Thanks!

BTW, your case is looking sharp so far.

Thanks. I like the way it's turning out.

PIC with UV and lights out

 

[Zepper]

Here are a couple of reviews of the 6A19
Normal: http://www.techwarelabs.com/reviews/cases/compucase_tower/
Premodded: http://www.bit-tech.net/review/283/
. There is a fellow ATer that I recently browbeat into buying a 6A19. Send a PM to "sugarkang" and ask him what he thinks of it. While newegg carried it, it had a 4 star rating. There is one fellow here that mentions the depth of the case may be a bit tight for some of the longer video cards if you populate the drive bay directly in line with the AGP slot.
. It can be made as quiet as you want. The HDs are already isolated and you buy your own 12cm fans so you can select them for quietude. Several silencing kits are available from svc.com if you want to go the extra mile. Or you can fabricate your own if you enjoy such things. But I think you will find the raw case sufficiently quiet.
. I'm too cheap to buy such fancy cases for my own rigs. The one I'm using now is a newegg blowout special (Chyang Fun) that I got for about $30. shipped, PSU and all. Enjoy!
.bh.