PSA: Full tower cases are huge.

[daniel1113]

I am building a file server, so naturally I wanted a case that could comfortably hold as many hard drives as possible, ideally about 13 (three 4 HDD RAID arrays and an OS HDD). I looked at some mid-towers, and while there were some that would hold that many HDDs, most required the use of various 5.25 modules and other arrangement that I wasn't thrilled with.

So, I decided to spring for a full tower and purchased a Lian-Li PC-A71B thinking it would look nice in my living room (single bedroom apartment, so it can't be tucked away in a closet or anything). Long story short, it's so large that I can't decide if I want to keep it.

So, if you are considering using a full tower case for one of your systems, make sure you take some time and really think about the size.

I learned my lesson. That is all.

 

[Gillbot]

Shoulda got a CM Stacker. SOLID case, plenty of drive bays, built like a tank with wheels!

 

[daniel1113]

The Stacker made my short list, but I couldn't find any for sale without a power supply and without a window, so I eventually decided against it.

I may reconsider, though.

Anyone in the market for a shiny, new PC-A71B?

 

[videogames101]

When i opened up my antec 1200, i was like, WHOAH, big!

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Yea my antec 1200 is about 2" short of being as tall as my bed!

 

[Zepper]

There are quite a few Stacker clones out there now but they all require the purchase of extra drive cages to go beyond the as-delivered HDD bays. At least C-M HDD expansion cages are among the lowest priced for the capacity (4-HDDs per cage). I think the new Silverstone cage is among the best for HDD expansion but it has to be modded a bit for non-Kublai cases.

.bh.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

That reminds me, I need to post pics of my machine...

 

[mooseracing]

When I think big I think of 8U or my ALR Revolution 6x6 server, gutted and still weighs nearly 100lbs.

 

[evident]

I have my rocketfish full tower case as my main rig. it's huge, but a gorgeous case

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: AyashiKaibutsu
Yea my antec 1200 is about 2" short of being as tall as my bed!

Heh, yeah. I pretty much decided that by keeping this case, I would increase the seating capacity of my living room by one since it can easily double as a chair .

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: evident
I have my rocketfish full tower case as my main rig. it's huge, but a gorgeous case

This is the first time I've heard of RocketFish. It looks eerily similar to my PC-A71. Are they made by Lian-Li?

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Yea, it was a model made for RocketFish and sold at Best Buy.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: mooseracing
When I think big I think of 8U or my ALR Revolution 6x6 server, gutted and still weighs nearly 100lbs.

Yep. My case has made me hate moving.

 

[evident]

Originally posted by: daniel1113

Originally posted by: evident
I have my rocketfish full tower case as my main rig. it's huge, but a gorgeous case

This is the first time I've heard of RocketFish. It looks eerily similar to my PC-A71. Are they made by Lian-Li?

yep! it's a rebadge. It was a steal when it went on clearance, you could get it at BB for as low as $40

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Man, my case is smaller than yours. But size doesn't necessarily matter here.

 

[aigomorla]

pish..

even the LL seems small compared to a Mountain Mods

 

[Zepper]

Yup FMC and moose's boxes are a whole other order of magnitude... The RFFT I had here for a while pretty much hid the whole side of my desk and was about even with the top on my risers. My KL03 is a pretty big case in normal terms, but it's still about 4" below the top of my desk.

.bh.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

Originally posted by: Zepper
Yup FMC and moose's boxes are a whole other order of magnitude...
.bh.

I finally got updated pics. An mATX mobo looks so funny in this case. Great stuff.

 

[Zepper]

Yeah FMC,

I had a mATX mobo in my RFFT for a while and it looked lost in there, but not as lost as yours...

.bh.

 

[disports]

hahah OMG, there's so much extra space just sitting around..

 

[EvilSponge]

Bigger is better!

-sponge
Lian-Li = Quality

 

[Stern]

Originally posted by: videogames101
When i opened up my antec 1200, i was like, WHOAH, big!

And the fan. Never had a fan that big in a case before. Wish it had a better dust guard though.

 

[daniel1113]

Well, it looks like I'll be sticking with the Lian-Li. I looked all over the a Stacker 810, but it seems like the additional 4-in-3 hard drive cages are impossible to find anymore. Plus, the longer I keep the Lian-Li, the less daunting it becomes. It's still a beast, though.

 

[videogames101]

Originally posted by: Stern

Originally posted by: videogames101
When i opened up my antec 1200, i was like, WHOAH, big!

And the fan. Never had a fan that big in a case before. Wish it had a better dust guard though.

it's exhaust, so, um, dust grill wouldn't really make sense....

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Fullmetal Chocobo

Originally posted by: Zepper
Yup FMC and moose's boxes are a whole other order of magnitude...
.bh.

I finally got updated pics. An mATX mobo looks so funny in this case. Great stuff.

FMC, what case and what mobo is that?

thanx