Suggest a Case for me...

[KBTuning]

Well, im pretty much fed up with the cable management in my P180 that ive had for 2 years and i need to rip everything out of the case anyways to do the padmod to my evga 780i...

the first obvious choice to me is the P182 since it has the cable management built in... but since ive already got a P180 it seems silly...

the next choice i think is a Antec 900, whether it be the standard one or the nVidia one that they sell thru the store...

lastly ive looked at the CoolerMaster Stacker 830... its super expensive but... it seems to be a beast...


i did look at the Thermaltake Armor and Thermaltake Kandalf cases but if im gonna have a big opening id rather it be mesh like on the antec and CM...



everyone, tell me whether im headed in the right direction or if im a retard who should just keep my P180...

 

[Zepper]

Well, I hate to continue flogging the horse, but have you heard about the Rocketfish by Lian Li aluminum full tower case which you may be able to go down to your local BestBuy and pick up for $72. or less +stx (some stores have it at $48)? Only things are; it's huge (don't let your eyes fool you - that big case, box and all, is only 26 pounds), but light and since you're used to a p180, it might be a bit on the noisy side for you. Those w/o the p180 experience would probably find it on the quiet side even with all of the superfluous venting it has once the rattlies have been dealt with. Noise level probably depends on the relationship of case to walls and floor and distance from user as well as the components you put into it.

Several other threads about it - two here in C&C and another in Hot Deals.

If you have room for and/or always wanted a really large case with the L-L cachet, it's hard to beat for value. Most of the flaws I found are basically nitpicky stuff and can be relatively easily dealt with. One can't expect perfection even at it's $120. normal price. At the sale prices, one can pretend to ignore a lot...

.bh.

 

[KBTuning]

i just looked at it and i dont see how its a rebadged case? i see nothing on the Lian-Li website that is compareable....

 

[Tullphan]

I don't think Lian Li would advertise something like that on their website.
Google "Rocketfish Lian Li" & see all the results you get about this being rebadged.

 

[manimal]

Check the other posts about the case. There is some detail on the subject of LL.

 

[Zepper]

Let's say it is OEM for BestBuy by Lian Li and the inventory label on the boxes name the source - Lian Li. One of the threads has a pic of the inventory label. It is not identical to any specific L-L model - sort of a mix of the G70 and A71. The details tag it Lian Li from 10 feet away. No one else mounts HDDs that way, Few do fan ducts that way, etc., etc..

If it doesn't float your boat, order your priorities and tell us your budget. Others will be turned up.

.bh.

 

[KBTuning]

well considering i said i was looking at the 250 dollar CoolerMaster, im game for pretty much anything...

 

[Zepper]

What are your priorities from high to low. I'm guessing low noise is at the top of your list since you have a p180. What's next an so on: cooling, drive bays, size of mobo it needs to be able to accommodate, overall size, window, weight, color etc. Waste of time not doing some triage and developing a short list.

.bh.

 

[KBTuning]

i dont noise as long as its not that motor whine noise... but i need it to flow a decent amount of air since i plan to start pushing my Q6600 to 3.2GHz or so and the 780i chipset seems to be a heat monster. it needs to be able to accomodate this stuff...

-EVGA 780i Mobo which is your normal ATX mobo so none of that mini-tower crap, id prefer none of the smaller mid-towers either
-i have 2 9600GT's in SLi as well
-3 Sata Hard drives
-currently two 5 1/2" drives but i can ditch one and have been thinking of doing it anyways
-Zalman CNPS9700NT which is pretty tall and wide
-OCZ GAMEXSTREAM 700watt psu has pretty long cables so i can pretty much run any case with it...


Here is the nVidia edition of the Antec Nine Hundred i like http://store.nvidia.com/servle...age&productID=84512700

heres the coolermaster case...
http://store.nvidia.com/servle...age&productID=58708300

heres the two thermaltake cases that ive come across that i seem to like...
Armor+ ESA
http://thermaltakeusa.com/prod...rPlusESA/vh6001bws.asp
Kandalf
http://thermaltakeusa.com/prod...dalf/kandalf_index.asp


at the moment im kinda swinging back and forth between the nVidia Antec Nine Hundred and the Armor+ ESA

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Both the antec 900 and the stacker 830 are great flowing cases. The cooler master cm690 is right up there with the 900 for flow but, it typically less expensive, any of those three would be great choices when combined with the right fans.

 

[manimal]

I almost got a stacker when I was looking for a great aircooled case. I ended up getting a Silverstone TJ-09 and while it has performed wonderfully and breathes very well I sometimes wish I got a TJ07.....I also have an armour that I would never buy again. The build quality is decent but the tech is old and while it does the job it looks meh to me after all these years...Even at 100 bucks id get the rocketfish if you want roomy.

I helped a friend build up a 900 recently and while it went together allright I am so used to big honkin cases that I was totally underwhelmed by the case.. It breathes ok but is louder than deaf a trumpet player.

 

[Sutareteiru]

I have just recently built a brand new computer, all new parts and using the P182 was a breeze for installment, the cable management is amazingly easy to utilize and the case looks beautiful both inside and out, very quiet too, i have 6 fans setup inside and can only barely, barely hear the 2 near the outside back port. If not the P182, the lian li's are great, my friend built the exact same computer as I did and had great success with it.

 

[Zepper]

Take a look at the Ultra m998 - review here: http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1182 It has been at a good discount recently at CompUSA.com, PCConnection.com and TigerDirect.com. Silverstone's new Kublai series are decent too. NZXT makes some nice cases. Maybe the XClio WT (wind tunnel). Or the Gigabyte Aurora 3D 570. And look under Tagan on Newegg as well. The new Antec aluminum Titan looks brutal and it has an ETA at Newegg (under Titan, not Antec).

.bh.

 

[KBTuning]

that ultra case looks somewhat decent BUT they did say that boltholes were a pain to lineup and if im paying more than 50 bucks for a case, that shouldnt be an issue...

so i guess build quality turns into an issue as well... btw, that ultra case looks exactly like all the mid-tower cases my friends had from 00-03 lol

 

[Zepper]

The m998 is deeper and wider than any midtower I know of, nor do I recall any that could be totally stripped down to the bare frame, or that were mostly aluminum. But it does remind one of the popular InWin cases of that era. About the only thing I'd like to see is an aluminum bezel with a door - I think Akasa.com.tw does a version with a door, but the bezel is still all plastic. Supposed to be a version with an aluminum front coming.

.bh.

 

[djnsmith7]

I love my CM Stacker 830 & 832. Plenty of room for just about whatever you need to throw at it. You can see my rigs below & the number of components that reside comfortably in each one.

 

[Cookie Monster]

How about the Silverstone TJ09/10?

 

[KBTuning]

i dont like the looks of the Lian Li or the Silverstone stuff... plus those funky 3.5" drive layouts bother me...


im still seriously considering the CM Stacker 830 Nvidia edition... but im also looking at the 810 since i can still put the fans wherever i want... and thats the main thing i think righ tnow... plus its got a nice ricer window so i can see my stuff

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: KBTuning
i dont like the looks of the Lian Li or the Silverstone stuff... plus those funky 3.5" drive layouts bother me...


im still seriously considering the CM Stacker 830 Nvidia edition... but im also looking at the 810 since i can still put the fans wherever i want... and thats the main thing i think righ tnow... plus its got a nice ricer window so i can see my stuff

the 810 is a great case for air cooling. I almost bought one when I was thinking of migrating my system to water cooling. Just keep in mind that with the dual 120mm exhaust and the power supply as exhaust the case will be at a slight internal vacumn so you'll be cleaning the front mesh rather often to keep it clean and you'll want to make sure that the case is sealed as best as you can anywhere there is no filter to keep dust out. Personally, I was going to get either some of the scythe bay fans or rig up my own 120mm fan brackets to put 3 120mm fans up the front so it would be slighly pressurized to help keep dust out.

 

[KBTuning]

i really dont care if dust gets in... i can blow it out pretty easily... P180 has those filters on it and all they do is cut airflow in HALF and then the dust comes in the other cracks...

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: KBTuning
i really dont care if dust gets in... i can blow it out pretty easily... P180 has those filters on it and all they do is cut airflow in HALF and then the dust comes in the other cracks...

I don't know about half. And it would depend on the fans used but, without contention they will restrict airflow. The P182 is not designed for peak airflow though, it's designed for quiet/silent systems.

 

[KBTuning]

well with my P180 they cut airflow in about half... and with a higherspeed fan having the front door closed will kill airflow too... im sure its fine if you have a minimalist system that doesnt belch heat but i need a bit of airflow running SLi and an overclocked quadcore...

 

[Sentry2]

Any Mountain Mods case will do....

 

[KBTuning]

lol... i looked at those and i would seriously get one if i was gonna do water cooling but after looking at the overall price of watercooling... its not not worth it for what im wanting to do plus should i ever get a leak im screwed.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Originally posted by: KBTuning
lol... i looked at those and i would seriously get one if i was gonna do water cooling but after looking at the overall price of watercooling... its not not worth it for what im wanting to do plus should i ever get a leak im screwed.

thats why the prep time is so great on a watercooling set-up. I've been playing with my pump for two days now and it might be ready for my chiller set-up, won't know until late this morning when everything is dry and ready to test again. If you can't find time to do it right the first time how are you going to find time to do it the second time, right?