Ok looking for case suggestions in the $100 or less range

[EvilSponge]

Hello all,

I've put together my new E6400 rig and am pretty happy so far but my old case is showing it's not up to task it uses 80mm fans so it's on the loud side and the cooling is suffering a bit I'm sure though it's saving grace is it is all alum with removable mb tray a feature I really like.

So I'm looking for a case to meeting the following requirements:

1) $100.00 or less willing to fudge a little if the features are there

2) 2 120mm fans

Side panel window (not a huge must have but nice)

3) Removable mb tray

4) Large enough to accomodate my Ninja heat sink

5) Nees to be full atx

6) looking for cool and quiet

Is it doable?

-Eric

My candidates so far are thermalright soprano and LIAN LI PC-7B plus II

 

[Caldenfor]

Well Zepper and a few others got me to purchase the Raidmax Smilodon, it just sounded so good I couldn't resist lol. It cost 79.99 from Newegg.com, I think I paid 89.99 last week from Newegg.com LOL. It has space for 2 left and 1 right 80mm fan, a 120mm fan in the front and I am adapting the 80mm rear exhaust fan to a 120mm Yate Loon fan. I plan to cover up the 80mm side slots and just use the exhaust/front fan in the mean time. I picked up an Enhance 500w PSU for the case and I will be attempting to fit a Thermalright Ultra-120 heatsink w/fan on the CPU. I hope it will all fit, but the best thing about the case is that BOTH sides can fold down, so you can get easy access to the mobo and hopefully better cable management.

Dave

 

[Zepper]

I'm not sure the Smilodon can fit the Ninja, but then no one really NEEDS a Ninja - it's more an ePeePee than anything else. Maybe the X1 could. Didn't know that the Soprano had a removeable mobo tray (it doesn't). I just checked and they are both 8" wide. How tall is the Ninja from the top of the CPU anyway - <6" so it should fit if you really need it.

The Arctic Cooling Freezer is plenty good for most and costs half or less than the Ninja from Provantage.com

Perhaps you could get around the limitations of your current case (didn't mention what it is) with some slight modding.

.bh.

 

[Riddlinkidstoner]

Lian Li PC-60 Plus II w/ window and removable motherboard tray. x2 120mm fans, x2 80mm fans. Removable hard drive cage @ $120 on Newegg.com

LL PC-7 is good too

 

[EvilSponge]

Does LL PC-7 have removable MB tray? IF so I'll pull the trigger on that with some 120mm yate loon fans I prefer not to mod my current case would be great for a non oc system

-Eric

 

[Zepper]

Hey Caldenfor,
. Don't blame it on us. All we did is point it out to you and nitpick it's high and low points. You made the decision... Nevertheless, I think you'll like it.

OP,
Oh and if you might want something a little more elegantly styled, take a look at the Silverstone Temjin 4 (SST-Tj04). It is 1/2" wider than the Raidmaxen but smaller in the other directions largely because there is no front door.

.bh.

 

[EvilSponge]

Well after looking at the suggestions from folks here and on another forum I've decided the Lian Li PC-60 Plus II fit my needs the best will need to add some yate loon fans for noise considerations thanks for your help guys

-Eric

Hold on a sec is the rear fan of the Li PC-60 Plus II 80mm is so It won't fit my needs can anyone verify this

-Eric

 

[Riddlinkidstoner]

Yes the rear is 80mm so I use a PCI blower combined with a 120mm side intake directly on my video card so it cools it no problem. 80mm is enough exhaust for me because my AC freezer pro blows it directly into it. 80mm top blow hole as well.

So for the PC-60 Plus II you have one 120mm intake and one 120mm either intake or exhaust on the side. 80mm rear and top blowhole.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/Riddlinkidstoner/Computer013.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/Riddlinkidstoner/Computer002.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/Riddlinkidstoner/Computer001-1.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y168/Riddlinkidstoner/Computer004.jpg

 

[Zepper]

Most cases with a mobo drawer have either one or two 80mm fans (like the Smilodon or the Lian Li you were hot for) - go to the "Photos" section of http://www.techimo.com and search for my entries to see what can be done about that (cool Zippy). The whole case would have to be widened to allow for both. One one case that has a drawer and 120mm is the Akasa Eclipse-62 which is very hard to find here in the states (the one store that did carry it was self-importing) - Akasa has no US office yet. Some cases with a removeable tray (like the Raidmax X1) have a 120 mm fan.

.bh.

 

[EvilSponge]

Thanks Zepper I'll look into it I may just have live without a MB tray as allot of the cases that I like don't seem to have one.

Thanks for the pics Riddlinkidstoner very nice rig

-Eric

 

[Agent11]

iStarUSA Nitro Ax S-10000B

The best case for the money. Even better than many more expensive cases.

 

[Zepper]

I agree that the iStar case looks good - it's nice that they have unbundled them from their PSUs (which usually puts the combo well out of the affordable range). Maybe you can find a place nearby that carries it so you won't have to pay that shipping. Use the price search engines.

.bh.

 

[EvilSponge]

Not a bad option at all thanks guys! I'm taking another hard look at the LL PC-7 and now this one

-Eric

 

[dak125]

I just got a Thermaltake Tsunami, it's very nice. 120mm up front and back.

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: EvilSponge
Not a bad option at all thanks guys! I'm taking another hard look at the LL PC-7 and now this one

-Eric

I-Star a good case for the money, and isn't all blingy like so many cases are these days. As far as the Lian-Li cases go, I would opt for the PC-60 Plus II over the PC-7 (of course, it's a bit more expensive). The side mounted 120mm fan on the Plus II models is awesome for cooling your video card(s), I actually got one for my PC-777 and converted it to an intake fan. I don't know what components you plan on housing in your case, but having a good side intake fan is never a bad idea.

I'm not sure if you've ever owned a Lian-Li case before, but I'm on my second one now and the more I get used to Lian's quality the harder it gets to even look at other cases. I was checking out the new black CM Stacker 830 yesterday at Fry's ($250), It's a sharp case with some cool design ideas, but I just couldn't get over how cheapy the case felt to me. Lian-Li cases are worth every penny that you pay over the other guys.

 

[covertash]

This is my Ultra Aluminus case:

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=273035

Roomy, quiet, and elegant if you don't mind the Chieftec Dragon desgin. I'm also housing 3 Yate Loon fans in this case. One sitting in the bottom front intake, one in a Scythe Kama Bay as an intake, and one rear exhaust. I also have a PCI slot exhaust cooler as well. Still nice and quiet.

 

[nitromullet]

The Dragon case is actually a really good design, I've owned three of them over the years.

Here's a silver one for less:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications...m-details.asp?EdpNo=1215772&CatId=1510