Praetorian 730 or Soprano

[Patrick Wolf]

Cooler Master Praetorian 730

Lian Li PC-60APlus

Thermaltake Soprano

Which one should I get?/Which one is better, as far as looks, cooling, and features?

EDIT: Or is this Lian Li the best choice?

 

[Corporate Thug]

whoever voted soprano should be shot

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Originally posted by: Corporate Thug
whoever voted soprano should be shot

OK, so try and shoot me. Be warned. I'm well armed

The CM has a removable MB tray that's a plus that is canceled by having 80mm fans.
The TR does not have a single 80mm fan.

80mm fans are useless for decent air flow with low dBA. That is why I voted Soprano


...Galvanized

 

[Zepper]

Praetorian for looks and sturdiness (I also like the mobo tray). Could use Silverstone FM/FN82 fans to improve cooling (doesn't look like there's much room for cutting).

Soprano for modern conveniences, proper cooling and lower cost

.bh.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Better yet, does anyone have either one of these cases? How is the cooling? Which is my main concern.

The CM is all aluminum and the Soprano is metal I think. Aluminum is better for cooling I believe.

 

[w00t]

neither, there both bad look into Lian Li....

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: w00t
neither, there both bad look into Lian Li....

I did, too expensive, and most are too plain looking IMO.

EDIT: Although this one looks alright.

 

[Boztech]

Originally posted by: w00t
neither, there both bad look into Lian Li....

Are you kidding? Not that Lian Li is bad, but Antec and Coolermaster are both top class case manufs.

The Soprano is steel and therefore will have the benefit of being more quiet and sturdy. However it's heavier, smaller, and harder to work in and hide cables.

The Praetorian is gorgeous, well layed-out and easy to work in, has a removeable mainboard tray, is lighter, but will be louder due to 5 8cm fans vs. 2 12cm fans.

I have a classic Praetorian with 4x Nexus fans and it is much more quiet than your average machine, and cools adequatly for a 3200+ overclocked to 2600Mhz and an X800XL running 455/550.

Not as quiet as a steel Antec with larger fans but I wouldn't give up the layout and sheer good looks of the alum. chassis just for a little less vibration and fan noise. It's not that loud at all.

 

[imported_rod]

I would say the soprano. I like it's looks better, and it'll be quieter.

But really, a case is a personal choice. It needs to be something you like the look of sitting under/on-top of your desk.

RoD

 

[Zepper]

Boz..,
Soprano is Thermaltake, not Antec. You're thinking Sonata...

Same case design in both Al and steel = no diff in cooling. Airflow is much more important. 120mm front/rear is the consensus for optimum balance of airflow vs. noise also max potential airflow given a pair of extreme fans and a limit of two fans + PSU fan.

.bh.

 

[peleejosh]

Originally posted by: Boztech

Originally posted by: w00t
neither, there both bad look into Lian Li....

Are you kidding? Not that Lian Li is bad, but Antec and Coolermaster are both top class case manufs.

The Soprano is steel and therefore will have the benefit of being more quiet and sturdy. However it's heavier, smaller, and harder to work in and hide cables.

The Praetorian is gorgeous, well layed-out and easy to work in, has a removeable mainboard tray, is lighter, but will be louder due to 5 8cm fans vs. 2 12cm fans.

I have a classic Praetorian with 4x Nexus fans and it is much more quiet than your average machine, and cools adequatly for a 3200+ overclocked to 2600Mhz and an X800XL running 455/550.

Not as quiet as a steel Antec with larger fans but I wouldn't give up the layout and sheer good looks of the alum. chassis just for a little less vibration and fan noise. It's not that loud at all.

The Praetorian 730 has 2 x 80mm fans and 1 x 120mm, not 5 x 80mm fans.

 

[l Xes l]

coolermaster products' quality surpasses thermaltake's by far...

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: peleejosh

Originally posted by: Boztech

Originally posted by: w00t
neither, there both bad look into Lian Li....

Are you kidding? Not that Lian Li is bad, but Antec and Coolermaster are both top class case manufs.

The Soprano is steel and therefore will have the benefit of being more quiet and sturdy. However it's heavier, smaller, and harder to work in and hide cables.

The Praetorian is gorgeous, well layed-out and easy to work in, has a removeable mainboard tray, is lighter, but will be louder due to 5 8cm fans vs. 2 12cm fans.

I have a classic Praetorian with 4x Nexus fans and it is much more quiet than your average machine, and cools adequatly for a 3200+ overclocked to 2600Mhz and an X800XL running 455/550.

Not as quiet as a steel Antec with larger fans but I wouldn't give up the layout and sheer good looks of the alum. chassis just for a little less vibration and fan noise. It's not that loud at all.

The Praetorian 730 has 2 x 80mm fans and 1 x 120mm, not 5 x 80mm fans.

Yup, I was going to mention that, and you could also add a 12 cm fan on the side.

 

[fireontheway]

I think they're both good.Preatorian 730 vs. Soprano with no side window that is.The x patterned window on the Soprano is a little too much for my personal taste so i voted for the 730.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Alrght, I know Lian Li is supposed to be like the "King of the Cases", so I updated my first post with a Lian Li case from Newegg, the reviews make it seem like a gift from God, minus the price tag. So how many think the Lian Li is the best choice?

 

[fireontheway]

This Lian Li uses 120mm fans for quiter cooling.(pic shown is the 7B with a 80mm exhaust but see detailed specs).

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Everyone Vote! :thumbsup:

 

[nib95]

I have the Cooler Master Praetorian 732 Black on order.
Best looking case ever (besides the Zalman silent one). It's the Darth Vader of cases.
Really well built, sharp, techno evil looking and has had great reviews to boot!

 

[Gronk]

There will always be a debate regarding styling

TT Soprano has nice utilitarian features: Removable filter & HD cage. Locking bezel door and Thermaltake's highly touted Tooless features (blah). TT's OEM fans have always been notoriously loud. It would be nice if they didn't include fans, but I understand they're aiming for the entry level enthusiast. "Whats CFM staND FOR?"

CMaster: Unfortunately CM invests too much time in styling. I love 1/4" milled aluminum as much as you, but CM continues to crawl along with an outdated "stamped and riveted" chassis designs. Its a pain to work around the planted drive cage. (Understand that this is coming from a case modder..wink ..wink)

Users are rapidly becoming aware of value in large cooling fans (120mm) Better cooling w/o excessive fan noise. The SilentPC enthusiasts are now steering industry changes. Will this hurt CM? No. They will continue to survive because of the percived value in "the look"

LL: The name has become an institution with enthusiasts worldwide. Did you know that its the name of two brothers? Lian & Li. These guys do their homework and know they have a reputation to stand behind. This LL's only drawback is lack of removable Mobo tray (I can't beleive I said that, but its become an expected feature) Other than that, the LL offers the best all around value

FYI: I think you meant to list the LL PC-7plus (120mm front/rear)

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Thanks for voting ya'll. I ordered the Preatorian and can't wati to get it. My first case I've ever bought, except for when I bought that Alienware system 3+ years ago but that doesn't count cause it was part of the package, not a custom build.

And the Alienware case I have now is just a Chieftec case with the Alienware brand name.

Btw, I ordered from thenerds.net

 

[Boztech]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee

Originally posted by: Corporate Thug
whoever voted soprano should be shot

OK, so try and shoot me. Be warned. I'm well armed

The CM has a removable MB tray that's a plus that is canceled by having 80mm fans.
The TR does not have a single 80mm fan.

80mm fans are useless for decent air flow with low dBA. That is why I voted Soprano


...Galvanized

FYI, the Praetorian has 3 80mm fans and 2 120mm fans (1 optional). It has far better cooling than the Soprano. It will be loud, but that should be easily fixed by replacing the fans with better units or simply installing a Rheobus.

 

[potato28]

Lian Li. Make sure to buy 1 with dual 120mm fans. Easier to work with, silent, and has very good looks.

 

[Patrick Wolf]

Originally posted by: Boztech

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee

Originally posted by: Corporate Thug
whoever voted soprano should be shot

OK, so try and shoot me. Be warned. I'm well armed

The CM has a removable MB tray that's a plus that is canceled by having 80mm fans.
The TR does not have a single 80mm fan.

80mm fans are useless for decent air flow with low dBA. That is why I voted Soprano


...Galvanized

FYI, the Praetorian has 3 80mm fans and 2 120mm fans (1 optional). It has far better cooling than the Soprano. It will be loud, but that should be easily fixed by replacing the fans with better units or simply installing a Rheobus.

The Praetorian has 2 80mm fans and 2 120mm fans (1 optional, which isn't included).

I just got the Praetorian and it is pretty damn quiet, especially compared to my now old Alienware case that had 4 80mm fans, and the side fan made the side panel vibrate which was awfully annoying at times.

The quitetness is mainly due to the included fans on the Praetorian. They're kinda weak, I may have to buy more powerful ones. The temps are good on idle, haven't tested load yet.

 

[bdww00]

umm soprano is best it doesnt have removable drive cage thought i have one

 

[Zebo]

Praetorian. That door is like 1" thick solid aluminum - you could use it to defect those bullets when CT and Galvi start shooting . Very nice.

I still think the black wavemaster is the nicest case made when you combine price/looks/build quality and has a style that never goes out of style. http://www.sundialmicro.com/cooler_master_computer_case_tact01ek_1701_68.html

Anything from tT is garbage. You'll see if you get it. Plus t's an obvious rip-off from the Coolermaster - I'd reward the orginal - better built wavemaster- not the copycat.

That lian li, PC60, has pretty thin skin which I don't like. Plus it's getting a bit dated with it's squared off everything and no door.

Only real problem with Praetorian is that ugly plasticy blow hole in the side panel they obviously added as an afterthought so Pentium IV's could cool.