Need help for purchase on monday: good case?

[Ardan]

I plan to buy the Antec SLK3700AMB off of Newegg for $65...it also includes a 350W Antec SmartPower PSU (as you might know). This is for a system damaged by storms and I can't spend TOO much on extra stuff, but with a new Abit NF7-S motherboard and an Athlon XP 2500+ Barton core as well as the Coolermaster Aero7+, I can't spend too much extra. I think it is a good choice and i'm going for a silent yet cool PC. My friend has the Aero7+ on a 2500+ Barton and his stays around 35C at 2600 rpms and you can barely hear it. I have read on here as well as every review that it cools the CPU amazingly well, so don't go on here and tell me to buy some massive Thermalright heatsink because i'm not looking to spend $30-$40 on JUST the heatsink here.

So what do you think, is it alright? I won't be using any front ports so I don't really care if they're USB 1.1 or 2.0 either. If you guys can point me towards a better case that is $100 or less, let me know please! I am looking for a case that won't sound like a Tornado, and the 120mm case fans in this model really appeal to me. I have looked at a few aluminum ones but they all use 2 80mm fans in the back. I'm alright with this case, correct?

Edit: It doesn't NEED to have a PSU, because I have a brand new 350W Antec SmartPower PSU here.

 

[HiTek21]

Thats a decent case choice with 2 120mm fans you'll have a nice quiet cool system going. You can also sell that Antec Smart PSU off for 25 or 30 bucks and you can spend the extra money on something else for your new PC.

 

[Blooz1]

How about the Compucase LX-6A19? LINK

This case is almost identical to the SLK-3700, but has a more traditional front bezel without the door. It's also 2-120MM fans, has a filter on the intake that's easy to clean, and is extremely well made. It's available for $39.00 at Directron. (NewEgg also sells this case, but in beige only with a PS for $65)

My 8RDA+ system lives in one of these cases, and I think it's a great buy!

 

[Ardan]

I looked at that case on Newegg and I will consider it. I won't consider selling the PSU because I don't need to replace anything else (the non-dead parts are less than 6 months old) and I will use it in a PC for a different part of the house in the future.

What about the 120mm fans? I know they're quieter than 80mm ones and move more air...but are there any that are quite loud? I was thinking of going with an Antec 120mm fan on newegg to go with the Antec case and I'm wondering if they run fairly quiet. I plan to get a Coolermaster Aero 7+...do you guys think it will fit in the SLK3700AMB case just fine? I could go for a bigger case perhaps...but I am not sure how loud they are because they all seem to come with two 80mm fans in the back of them.

If someone could provide me with some possibilities, I would be grateful! I mean, for a case with more room but won't be too loud (I don't need a silent case...just something that is bearable). I have been out of the case arena for a while and I am weary about which to buy.

 

[boomerang]

I have the Compucase that I bought from Directron. This would have no PS and no front USB ports, so it should fit your criteria. It is the exact same case you are looking at with a different front bezel and beige in color.

There are plastic fan brackets in this case and they will only accept 25mm thick fans. If you wish to mount 38mm fans, you will have to do some customizing as the mounting holes for the fan brackets will not match up with the fan itself. I would stick with the 25mm myself.

I'm using 2 Vantec Stealth fans and am happy with the noise level. I am running the back fan off the motherboard header and its RPM is being controlled by the Q-Fan Control built into my P4PE Bios. My front fan is being controlled by one of the "Fan Only" connectors on my Antec PS.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ardan]

Well I caved in and will probably buy off of directron for the case . Could you guys take a look at a few pictures I took of the inside of my case and tell me if I should get a new case? These are the links:
angle shot
Shot of space on motherboard
Another shot of the Volcano 9
Fan in front

I couldn't get a decent shot of the front fan, but there definitely is one there (inner part of the case) and there are holes in the front of the case (not ones I made) where that fan is. I suppose I could open that area up for once and put a decent fan of its size in there, and put a very good 80mm fan in back (that one is generic). Just look at the area around the Volcano 9 though. I know the motherboard is destroyed so it will be the Abit NF7-S in there instead. The Volcano 9 cooled my Athlon XP 1800+ (sometimes OC'd to 2000+ around 114-117 F all the time, though when it reached summer it neared 120 F under load. I modified a 5.25" cover on the front to be open but with a screen (cut out most of the plastic cover) to allow more air in and it sure sucks in quite a bit from right there.

I will be getting rounded cables whether I get a new case or not. If I do buy that case (Antec or the CompuCase) what I want to do is get a powerful 120mm fan (but not too loud) in the back and use a Vantec Stealth fan in the front to get a good compromise between silence and cooling power (along with the Aero 7+). Judging by my pictures (Forgive them, I am not photographer), do you guys think I *should* get a new case? This case is 7.5" wide, by the way.

 

[Blooz1]

Your case looks a little cramped, but I've seen worse! You definitely need some work on the wire management. That plastic thingy around you intake fan doesn't look like it's helping you cause much!

My Compucase has a Panaflo 120MM L1A for the intake. It was a very tight fit ,even with removing the plastic fan holder! The fan is bolted to the front wall of the chassis. My exhaust fan is a 120MM Panaflo H1A (105CFM at 12V).

Boomerang, your partially right about the 25 vs 38MM thickness and the plastic fan holders. They are design to have a "lip" on the holder clip over the rim of the fan to hold it in place. I found that if you push the fan into the holder slowly, the guide pins will go into the screw hoes as designed, but the fan is too thick for the lip to work as designed. I thought I'd give it a try, and even though it's not clipped over the rim, the fan hasn't moved since installed 3 weeks ago!

Both of my fans are wired to a Sunbeam rheobus. The front intake, being a L1A, is much quieter than the H1A, but it's almost 50% less CFM. The H1A on full can be kinda loud, and it gets turned down to 50% (about 7V) while doing quiet things or before going to bed. Panaflo's have their own special sound at 12V, kind of a "growl". Turning either fan to less than 75% results in a large noise reduction.

My case (a black/silver one, now <U>all</U> black) has front USB ports in a nifty little compartment at the base of the bezel. All the front wiring is nicely marked for installation. Neither of the removable drive cages rattle or make any noise. (A common complaint of many people with the Antec/Chieftec/Chenming towers that are so common.)

I'm extremely happy with this case!

 

[Ardan]

Originally posted by: Blooz1
Your case looks a little cramped, but I've seen worse! You definitely need some work on the wire management. That plastic thingy around you intake fan doesn't look like it's helping you cause much!

My Compucase has a Panaflo 120MM L1A for the intake. It was a <STRONG>very</STRONG> tight fit ,even with removing the plastic fan holder! The fan is bolted to the front wall of the chassis. My exhaust fan is a 120MM Panaflo H1A (105CFM at 12V).

Boomerang, your partially right about the 25 vs 38MM thickness and the plastic fan holders. They are design to have a "lip" on the holder clip over the rim of the fan to hold it in place. I found that if you push the fan into the holder slowly, the guide pins will go into the screw hoes as designed, but the fan is too thick for the lip to work as designed. I thought I'd give it a try, and even though it's not clipped over the rim, the fan hasn't moved since installed 3 weeks ago!

Both of my fans are wired to a Sunbeam rheobus. The front intake, being a L1A, is much quieter than the H1A, but it's almost 50% less CFM. The H1A on full can be kinda loud, and it gets turned down to 50% (about 7V) while doing quiet things or before going to bed. Panaflo's have their own special sound at 12V, kind of a "growl". Turning either fan to less than 75% results in a large noise reduction.

My case (a black/silver one, now all black) has front USB ports in a nifty little compartment at the base of the bezel. All the front wiring is nicely marked for installation. Neither of the removable drive cages rattle or make any noise. (A common complaint of many people with the Antec/Chieftec/Chenming towers that are so common.)

I'm extremely happy with this case!

I totally hear you on the wire management issue. I never ever messed with the front intake...and yea that has always bugged me. These are the reasons I figured that since we have $550 to repair both computers, maybe I could buy a decent case for under $100 and make things a little more tidy in there. The only real worry was that Aero 7+...I really must find some dimensions of it and figure out if it will fit just fine. Well I suppose I could go for a Thermalright heatsink and a ThermalTake SmartFan II perhaps...or just get a Retail Box 2500+ and use its HSF instead .

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: Blooz1
Boomerang, your partially right about the 25 vs 38MM thickness and the plastic fan holders. They are design to have a "lip" on the holder clip over the rim of the fan to hold it in place. I found that if you push the fan into the holder slowly, the guide pins will go into the screw hoes as designed, but the fan is too thick for the lip to work as designed. I thought I'd give it a try, and even though it's not clipped over the rim, the fan hasn't moved since installed 3 weeks ago!

That's good to know. That 38MM in the front has got to be pretty close to the drive cage though, right? It didn't even look like there was enough clearance to fit a 38MM in there.

I'm running a P4 2.4 w/no OC. My case temps at idle are 35~39C and CPU is 44~54C. Higher temps when gaming. I used the same fan front and rear with the thinking that my PS would provide additional air flow out the back. For my setup it seems to work, as I am happy with my temps and noise level. I should say that I feel that either the P4PE, MBM, or both are reporting higher temps than actual.

I'm gonna post some Pics for you Ardan. Back soon.

 

[boomerang]

Maybe these will help you out?

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4

 

[Blooz1]

Nice lookin' box there Boomerang! What's the drive setup you've got in there? Now I see why you bought one of these cases! (I'll post some of mine later today..I haven't taken any since I built this system!)

Now Ardan can see what we're talking about with the fan holders! When I get some pics today, I'll try and get the intake fan setup, so you can see how tight it is! I practically needed WD40 and Vaseline to assemble it!

Our temps are little different, but after seeing your 4 HD's, I think I can see why! (I've only got 1 HD in my system). I normally idle at 40-41C, with a board temp of 28-29C (ambient)

Most of the time there's either SETI or SoB running 24/7, so average temps are more like 45-48C with a board temp up to 32-33C.My proc is an XP1700 T-Bred B, 2105MHz (10.5x200FSB) @1.7V. It's throttled back for the summer, I've been running 10.5x210FSB @1.8V, but things were getting too hot at that speed! Heatsink is a Thermalright SLK-800a, with a Panaflo H1A 80MM.

I doubt I could do much better than what I am right now without going to water, but I'm not interested in that......

 

[boomerang]

The topmost drive is not hooked up (no power) at the moment. I intend to install Red Hat on it when I get time.

The next down is my backup drive. Both these two are Seagate drives.

The bottom two are Raptors in RAID 0.

 

[Blooz1]

Boomerang, I assume you've got those Raptors set up as Raid?

I started to take some pics of my MB/case, nd the batteries died on the camera! I did manage to get a good shot of the intake fan/drive cage so you can see how tight the clearance is!

Intake Fan Clearance

 

[Ardan]

Wow, a very tight fit indeed! I am strongly considering the CompuCase you guys are referring to, and also looking at more roomier cases. I am curious...how loud are cases with 2 80mm slots in the back? I imagine I could get some fairly silent 80mm fans with them from Directron and also do a good job of cooling. I'm not going that route, of course...just contemplating the possibilities. My first choice will be these cases though...the SLK3700AMB and that CompuCase.

It can get fairly warm in the room the computer is in, which is in the basement. If I get a P4 2.4C...how much cooler would it run? I hear that those Pentium 4's run a lot cooler and use less power than the Athlons, but i'm not sure how much less. The Athlon i'm considering is a 2500+, by the way. If I get a P4 I was thinking of the IS7 from Abit.

 

[Naruto]

Originally posted by: boomerang
Maybe these will help you out?

Pic 1
Pic 2
Pic 3
Pic 4

Boomerang, where did you get those grommets that cushion your harddrives? Did they come with the case?

 

[boomerang]

Yes, they come with it. There are special screws supplied too for retaining the drives. Shoulder screws actually, with a special head. Hope I never lose one. :Q