Please recommend a good case and cooler

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ibex333

ibex333

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2005
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I find my Antec case too small and too hard to work inside of. I need a nice sturdy, spacious case. Don't need anything fancy, must be below $100.
I'd prefer the case to be black, no bright glowing leds, must have at least 4usb ports in the back an 2 in front, or 6 in the back.

Also looking for a good cooler that will fit on my DS3 mobo. The space around the CPU is very limited so I need something that's guaranteed to fit. Price must be $80 or less. I'm currently looking at this case, and this cooler.

Any better suggestions?
 
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Zepper

Elite Member
May 1, 2001
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zagood

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2005
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I'm using the same mobo with the TR Ultra 120 Extreme inside a P150. Only modification is that I replaced the stock NB heatsink with the Zalman ZM-NBF47. It clears the NB heatsink by about 1/4 cm, and the fan mounting bracket from the TR rests on the nb heatsink.

-z
 
L

LOUISSSSS

Diamond Member
Dec 5, 2005
8,771
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can't go wrong with a $30 Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro... half the price for 90% performance
 
ibex333

ibex333

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2005
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Originally posted by: Zepper
Many are liking the new Cooler Master 690 - mostly due to the price at Newegg right now. Still $30. AR and free shipping:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811119137 . It's the mobo that has the USB port cables, not the case. Most have two front USB ports.

As for cooler, Cooler Master Hyper 212 from ClubIT.com - $23. after rebate:
http://www.clubit.com/product_...906716&cmp=OTC-fr00g13 - well, I guess the rebate is over but still not a bad price.

.bh.
Click to expand...

Thank you. At this price, that case is a hell of a deal. I don't like the leds on the front fan, but I can always disconnect them. Too bad the rebate is over on both items. Guess I'll wait till Xmas to see if there will be any nice price drops or rebates again.

Off course it's the mobo that has the usb ports in the back... I don't know what I was smoking. ;)
 
TraumaRN

TraumaRN

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2005
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Also if your mobo always it, the Tuniq Tower 120 is always a good choice ;)

Plus you can get it for the price I did, $29.99, from NCIXUS.com which is like a canadian version of Newegg same level of service, reliability and customer service with WAY better prices on a few things. Their ordering is a little wonky but very secure. If the Tuniq Tower is a possibility at least give them a look.

Here's the link to the Tuniq Tower on their site:Tuniq Tower for $29.99
 
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Zepper

Elite Member
May 1, 2001
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Well, the Rosewill R5604 or R5605 still have their deals running and they are much sturdier than the 690 and still my top recommendation in the budget case category. And the R6A series are also fine cases based on the same chassis as the Antec SLK3000-B and many versions are on discount now too. Both series are more sturdy than the 690 and have significantly better Casitude (tm) scores. Here is my review of the 5600 series with a mention of the R6A series:
http://www.techimo.com/reviews...roduct.php?product=431

.bh.
 
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Zepper

Elite Member
May 1, 2001
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Dang, you beat me. I guess you were posting while I was still composing my post. Anyway, my 690 just arrived and it is a lot heavier than I expected at ~ 25 pounds gross. From the review I just read, I expected a lot lighter (the reveiwer sais he managed to ding the side panel simply by bumping it against his arm... And my rebate submission was picked up by our mailman just a couple minutes ago - no procrastination where money is concerned. Didn't receive a copy of my invoice from the Egg until this morning as it was on the UPS truck to be delivered - I'm quite near to their NJ subsidiary, ChiefValue.

Shortly I'll be tearing it up one side and down the other in one of my reviews on TechIMO. Directly following the completion of that, one or the other of the cases taking up space here will be available for purchase.

.bh.
 
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Tullphan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2001
3,507
5
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Lemme know if you seem to think the side panel is a little difficult to get off or if i'm just getting weaker in my old age. ;)
I've gotten an e-mail alert stating that they've received my submission & will be sending my rebate shortly.
I haven't filled out the $5 Price Grabber rebate yet, though.
I'll be looking forward to reading your review, Zep. :)
 
TraumaRN

TraumaRN

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2005
6,893
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Originally posted by: Tullphan
Lemme know if you seem to think the side panel is a little difficult to get off or if i'm just getting weaker in my old age. ;)
I've gotten an e-mail alert stating that they've received my submission & will be sending my rebate shortly.
I haven't filled out the $5 Price Grabber rebate yet, though.
I'll be looking forward to reading your review, Zep. :)
Click to expand...

I've got the CM 690 sitting right next to me, its easy to remove the side panels IMO, I think the reviewers who had difficulty were pulling the wrong direction or something. You unscrew the thumbscrews and pull STRAIGHT back. :p Pops off nice and easy.
 
ibex333

ibex333

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2005
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Originally posted by: Tullphan
Cooler Master RC690 for ~$21 shipped AR
Click to expand...

I dont get it.. where do you see $21 shipped?

$29.99 AR
$12.99 shipping
-------------------
$42.59 shipped from Zip-Zoom-Fly

If it was indeed $21 shipped, I'd jump on it despite the fact that Rosewill does seem to be better. However, given the $42.59 price, I might just bite the bullet and get he Rosewill R5604 for $58.63 shipped. ;)


I want to thank everyone who posted here. You guys are awesome. When I started looking for cases I didn't see any of these that you posted here... Thank you everyone!
 
B

BadOmen

Senior member
Oct 27, 2007
249
1
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I have the same MB and my case is not exactly spacious either.

The Arctic Cooler 7 worked well on it. It's cheap, silent, and the size is pretty good for the ds3. It gets close to the NB heatsink, but with no interference.

I'm so impressed with the fan that I'm thinking seriously about replacing my case fans with Arctics.
 
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Zepper

Elite Member
May 1, 2001
18,998
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On my 690, the left side was difficult to remove and the right side was easier. Perhaps the paint had bonded a bit under the grippers. I haven't put it back on yet, but I'm sure it'll be easy off the next time. Used a dinner knife to help ease the front panel off. Top panel is removable too if you're willing to drill the pop rivets.

One thing I noticed was that the ground wire for the front FW port was not connected to chassis metal but to a plastic riser from the ports panel. There is a nearby hole in the chassis metal where it should be attached with a self-tapping (sheet metal) screw. All the USB and FW cables easily detach so you only need to have the ones you're actually using in the way.

Did you find the extra 6-32 and M3 screws? ;) Clever but unnecessary...

Easy to see how the pricing on ZZF is confusing. Still not bad esp. if the free shipping w/ PayPal is going on.

.bh.
 
ibex333

ibex333

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2005
4,094
123
106
I think I'll pass on the 690 on ZZF because the promo only lasts a week. Delivery is 5-7 days, and I have bad experience with ZZF in the past where they held my order for 3 extra days for no apparent reason. I cant afford for that to happen again because the MIR will be useless if I don't receive the package by next Thursday. I now have a good idea about what I should get thanx to you guys, so I'll wait another week or two to see if I can score a nice Xmas sale deal.
 
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Tullphan

Diamond Member
Jul 27, 2001
3,507
5
81
Originally posted by: ibex333
Originally posted by: Tullphan
Cooler Master RC690 for ~$21 shipped AR
Click to expand...

I dont get it.. where do you see $21 shipped?

$29.99 AR
$12.99 shipping
-------------------
$42.59 shipped from Zip-Zoom-Fly

If it was indeed $21 shipped, I'd jump on it despite the fact that Rosewill does seem to be better. However, given the $42.59 price, I might just bite the bullet and get he Rosewill R5604 for $58.63 shipped. ;)


I want to thank everyone who posted here. You guys are awesome. When I started looking for cases I didn't see any of these that you posted here... Thank you everyone!
Click to expand...

At the time of my post, the case was $39.99 + shipping (~$12 for me), less $30 MIR making the final cost ~$21.99 shipped. However, the price had been raised later in the day.
 
ibex333

ibex333

Diamond Member
Mar 26, 2005
4,094
123
106
Yes, I saw that thank you, but the shipping is not free and ZZF held my orders in the past so I decided to pass unless same deal appears on newegg.
 
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