New Rig Case Question

CreativeTom

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May 10, 2005
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I am thinking of a couple diferent options but I would rather not spend too much on a case. I am now looking at the Antec P160 which is an obviously awesome case, I am also looking at the MGE Quantum case. I would like something that is going to cool well....I am not real concerned on noise insulation though, and I would love to keep the cost on the case down as much as possible. I would greatly appreciate any ideas on a cheaper case then the ones that I have listed, but still have a great cooling case.
 

Gurck

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Mar 16, 2004
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Case isn't really a place to skimp, cheap cases will be flimsier, offer inferior airflow for cooling and have more sharp edges which will slice the hell out of your hands when building / working on your PC. Antec cases have some of the best quality : price ratios you'll find, for myself and many others they're the brand of choice.
 

CreativeTom

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May 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: Gurck
Case isn't really a place to skimp, cheap cases will be flimsier, offer inferior airflow for cooling and have more sharp edges which will slice the hell out of your hands when building / working on your PC. Antec cases have some of the best quality : price ratios you'll find, for myself and many others they're the brand of choice.


Yeah I understand what you are saying, but I don't really want to spend over $100 for a case and then spend another $70 or so on a PSU. I agree that Antec Cases are awesome the P160 is my first choice but the money aspect phewww. I don't want to go cheap as in crappy, just want some other ideas on something that is still nice just LESS EXPENSIVE (not cheap).
 

Gurck

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Mar 16, 2004
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Originally posted by: CreativeTom
Originally posted by: Gurck
Case isn't really a place to skimp, cheap cases will be flimsier, offer inferior airflow for cooling and have more sharp edges which will slice the hell out of your hands when building / working on your PC. Antec cases have some of the best quality : price ratios you'll find, for myself and many others they're the brand of choice.


Yeah I understand what you are saying, but I don't really want to spend over $100 for a case and then spend another $70 or so on a PSU. I agree that Antec Cases are awesome the P160 is my first choice but the money aspect phewww. I don't want to go cheap as in crappy, just want some other ideas on something that is still nice just LESS EXPENSIVE (not cheap).
Antec's Sonata is a nice choice, fairly quiet, and iirc comes with a 380watt psu. It's well under $100 for both. Its focus however is on quietness, and I'm told it doesn't have the quality airflow (without modification) required to overclock. Likewise a 380watt PSU won't provide the juice necessary to do much OCing. What kind of rig are you putting together?
 

CreativeTom

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May 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: Gurck
Originally posted by: CreativeTom
Originally posted by: Gurck
Case isn't really a place to skimp, cheap cases will be flimsier, offer inferior airflow for cooling and have more sharp edges which will slice the hell out of your hands when building / working on your PC. Antec cases have some of the best quality : price ratios you'll find, for myself and many others they're the brand of choice.


Yeah I understand what you are saying, but I don't really want to spend over $100 for a case and then spend another $70 or so on a PSU. I agree that Antec Cases are awesome the P160 is my first choice but the money aspect phewww. I don't want to go cheap as in crappy, just want some other ideas on something that is still nice just LESS EXPENSIVE (not cheap).
Antec's Sonata is a nice choice, fairly quiet, and iirc comes with a 380watt psu. It's well under $100 for both. Its focus however is on quietness, and I'm told it doesn't have the quality airflow (without modification) required to overclock. Likewise a 380watt PSU won't provide the juice necessary to do much OCing. What kind of rig are you putting together?


I was planning on buying the PSU separate anyway, I am looking at the DFI nForce4 Ultra board with the San Diego Core 3700+. I am looking at the Antec TruePower 500 or the Ultra X-connect 500.
 

CreativeTom

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May 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: dcdude
Antec SLK 3000


That's a nice Case but seems to be more for silence then cooling, I am not concerned about the noise it doesn't really bother me at all. The current rig I have now has two raptors in it along with 4 case fans and a thermaltake 7500 rpm fan in a crap $30 case, it sounds like there is an airplane in my office.
 

Xitar

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Dec 14, 2004
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Centurion 5 by cooler master is a great case and what I run. The whole front is filtered and open to intake air. I see now that they make it out of aluminum which is pretty sweet. I'm running system in sig. Only draw back it the dust that collects on the front that you need to wipe off every so often.
 

CreativeTom

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May 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: Xitar
Centurion 5 by cooler master is a great case and what I run. The whole front is filtered and open to intake air. I see now that they make it out of aluminum which is pretty sweet. I'm running system in sig. Only draw back it the dust that collects on the front that you need to wipe off every so often.


That looks pretty nice, and I definately like the price of it. I don't see where the front is open, but I will take your work for it. I think I will check out some reviews on the web for it and definately consider it seriously....Thanks.
 

Boztech

Senior member
May 12, 2004
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Lian Li PC7 Plus
Silverstone TJ04 "Gloria"
Coolermaster Praetorian
Coolermaster Cavalier 3
Kingwin KT424
 

Xitar

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Dec 14, 2004
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Originally posted by: CreativeTom
Originally posted by: Xitar
Centurion 5 by cooler master is a great case and what I run. The whole front is filtered and open to intake air. I see now that they make it out of aluminum which is pretty sweet. I'm running system in sig. Only draw back it the dust that collects on the front that you need to wipe off every so often.


That looks pretty nice, and I definately like the price of it. I don't see where the front is open, but I will take your work for it. I think I will check out some reviews on the web for it and definately consider it seriously....Thanks.

The whole front is perforated with holes like a aluminum mesh with a filter behind it. It has a 80mm fan in lower front by the HDD and a 120mm on the rear. I have the one with window and am planning to mod it to add another 120mm fan to blow on the dead space below the video card and on the chipset. I removed the loud ASUS chipset fan and replaced it with a zalman 47 or something heatsink. Standard temps under load range from 40-45C since I continously run F@H it's under load. during gaming no change, stays pretty cool.
 

CreativeTom

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May 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: Boztech
Lian Li PC7 Plus
Silverstone TJ04 "Gloria"
Coolermaster Praetorian
Coolermaster Cavalier 3
Kingwin KT424


Those are definately some awesome cases I did look at the Lian Li PC7 Plus before in the review here at 'AnAndTech. The only problem I have with these cases are the fact that they cost some serious money, They are real nice cases though, everyone of them I would definately use.....just too much money.
 

CreativeTom

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May 10, 2005
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Originally posted by: Boztech
All of those cost less than $100 with the slight exception of the Praetorian.

The Cavalier is the most reasonable --
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=141775

Same chassis as the Centurion but with a better bezel, IMO.

What's your budget?


Oh the prices I found they were all right around $100 with the exception of the one you linked here. I don't really have a budget for the case alone, but I am trying to keep it as close to $1200 for the whole system, as of now I am at around $1350 so I am trying to find places I can cut some costs that's all.
 

Away

Diamond Member
May 1, 2005
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Take a look at the Antec Super Lanboy. It has room for two 120mm fans and is made of aluminum. It's a nice case and hopefully falls in your range.
 

Arcanedeath

Platinum Member
Jan 29, 2000
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I'd suggest the Antec SLK3700 or the SLK3000 (same case w/out PSU and is black) they both have room for 2 120mm fans (one front one rear) and can be had for between 45-75 delivered depending on which version and where you get it. If you looking to save money on a case and still want 120mm fans they are the way to go. I"m also a fan of the TT Tsunami, but thats around 105 delivered so it's kinda out of your price range (altho very nice case, I just got one recently :) )
 

Boztech

Senior member
May 12, 2004
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There is a cheaper version of the Tsunami called the "Soprano" that is almost identical. However after using a Tsunami myself I would personally not recommend it.

Coolermaster and Antec's cases are built much, much better.

BTW, the Antec SLK3000 is the same chassis as the Tsunami/Soprano, with a different bezel and side panel. The chassis is actually from CompuCase.
 

Lalakai

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Nov 30, 1999
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also consider removable cages inside the case, that allow you to remove the hdd's, dvd's, ect. In the cases with removable cages, you'll usually find a couple of optional fan mounts, so that you can add more fans if you choose. You can also get additional options such as fans mounted in side of case, over v-card slots.

I've built several units, modded several cases; good stock case is the antec (for the price), but really like a custom build unit that had specifically located fans.

good luck.

ps, i really like the removable cages