Suggest a case for my C2D build?

[Hop]

Can you recommend a case for my C2D build?
I only need a case, not a PSU, and IMO a case WITH a PSU means the PSU is not very good, at least with my experience.

Need room for four hard drives, a DVD burner, possibly an audio card breakout, and an additional 5.25" bay for a future LCD system status reporting device I'm building. Maybe another 5.25" bay for fan speed control.

I'll still need a 3.5" bay for a floppy, since XP doesn't support using anything other for raid controller drivers. Any alternatives to using a floppy are also welcome. PM me if you want.

OK, the hardware I'm using for my build...

Abit IP35 Pro
E4500 2.2GHz CPU (plan to OC to 3.2GHz using 291Mhz FSB)
Kingston 800MHz ValueRam 2x1gb RAM
ThermalTake The Big Typhoon HSF
A 8800GT 512mb (haven't decided on the brand yet)
HVR-1600 (Hauppauge tuner card)
Audio card, not decided. Maybe non-creative labs, like M-AUDIO with breakout if it exists
LiteOn DVD 16x - double 8x/dual layer 4x burner Model SHM-160P6S04C

Fans:
I'll be using panaflo 80mm fans so noise isn't really an issue if I use a few, or maybe 120mm. One in the front, one in the back at 120mm would be fine I think, or maybe more.
Would like an exhaust fan out the top. Plexi on the side is important since I plan on having an alpha numeric display or two close to the board via MCU controller I'm building for Lighting/Fan control/Temp reporting. A fan in the plexi side is something I haven't researched as necessary for cooling.

Front Access:
Not sure if stating this is even necessary since I see breakouts with a lot of cases, but need USB, audio IN/OUT via the front. SPDIF IN/OUT via the front is a plus, but not really necessary. Firewire also, but again a plus, not really needed.

Price Range:
I'd like to stay around $120, $150 max. Anything lower than $120 is a real plus and adds to my 8800 GT buying power.

Thank you for your time and I appreciate any suggestions anyone can offer.

 

[Ozoneman]

This is a nice case and you can put a window in like mine (see my pic at bottom).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129025

 

[Hop]

Originally posted by: Ozoneman
This is a nice case and you can put a window in like mine (see my pic at bottom).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129025

I like that pic you linked! And I forgot completely about the new strategy of locating the PSU at the bottom, and isolating it for cooling.

First question that comes to mind is the reach of the connectors from the PSU to the mobo. Your cabling looks real neat and tight (grats!), but what did you do? It looks like it was snaked up under the motherboard mounting plate. There is room for that?

Any thoughts on that would be appreciated, and thanks for your reply!

EDIT: Put a window in like yours? Did you have to cut it and put that plexi in? I went to the link, and no window. I'm good with hardware, and if not, I read enough to become good, but I've never dipped into modding cases. Doing factory-quality cuts in the metal is something I'm sure I'd be deficient at. :

If that is what you did, and I looked at the pic your link goes to again, that is first-rate work. Looks factory!

 

[Ozoneman]

It is a factory install. I can't take credit for that.

Here is another picture showing how my cables went behind the mobo.

http://i239.photobucket.com/al...EC%20P182/P1010022.jpg

Here is another link. Check the demo out.

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=81820

 

[Ozoneman]

Also go to this link and check what others have done with this case. Make sure to hit post no. 458 on page 23.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1186892

 

[Hop]

Originally posted by: Ozoneman
It is a factory install. I can't take credit for that.

Here is another picture showing how my cables went behind the mobo.

http://i239.photobucket.com/al...EC%20P182/P1010022.jpg

Here is another link. Check the demo out.

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=81820

I'm almost sold! Thanks for the video link!!! This case rocks but I still don't know how you replaced or side panel with a plexi panel.

Hop

 

[Hop]

Also Ozo, that cooling solution for the CPU is different from the Big Typhoon I originally picked. That what... Zalman looks NICE! Heat pipes I'm sure, but how does it do against the aforementioned one I talked about earlier?

 

[Ozoneman]

Originally posted by: Hop

Originally posted by: Ozoneman
It is a factory install. I can't take credit for that.

Here is another picture showing how my cables went behind the mobo.

http://i239.photobucket.com/al...EC%20P182/P1010022.jpg

Here is another link. Check the demo out.

http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=81820

I'm almost sold! Thanks for the video link!!! This case rocks but I still don't know how you replaced or side panel with a plexi panel.

Hop

I had Performance PCS put the Plexiglas in the panel. I sent my panel to them and they did the job for $78 (shipping included). They sell panels for the P180 already made up with the Plexiglas, but they haven't received panels for the P182 from Antec yet. So I had to send mine in to have them do the work for me.

http://www.performance-pcs.com...438e1957886392617164cd

You can buy the entire case from them if you don't want to buy a panel or have them do the work on your panel.

http://www.performance-pcs.com...=162&products_id=21558

http://www.performance-pcs.com...=162&products_id=22441

Something else, I had them cut a little smaller window because I didn't want as much of the hard drive cages to show. They cut mine smaller at my request. I think mine is 13 in X 17 1/2 in and starts 5 1/2 inches back from the very front of the case.

 

[Ozoneman]

Originally posted by: Hop
Also Ozo, that cooling solution for the CPU is different from the Big Typhoon I originally picked. That what... Zalman looks NICE! Heat pipes I'm sure, but how does it do against the aforementioned one I talked about earlier?

I have a Freezer 7 Pro. Yes it is a heat pipe type cooler with a 90 mm fan on the front blowing air through to the rear exhaust fan. I have the Freezer 7 Pro because that was the tallest cooler (5 inches) I could fit in my old case. I also wanted a push-pin type mount so I didn't have to worry about taking the cooler plate off the back of my mobo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835186134

If I bought a cooler today for my system that had push-pin mount, I'd get the Scythe Ninja Plus. It is taller (7 inches) but it would fit in this case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835185038

 

[Hop]

Originally posted by: Ozoneman

Originally posted by: Hop
Also Ozo, that cooling solution for the CPU is different from the Big Typhoon I originally picked. That what... Zalman looks NICE! Heat pipes I'm sure, but how does it do against the aforementioned one I talked about earlier?

I have a Freezer 7 Pro. Yes it is a heat pipe type cooler with a 90 mm fan on the front blowing air through to the rear exhaust fan. I have the Freezer 7 Pro because that was the tallest cooler (5 inches) I could fit in my old case. I also wanted a push-pin type mount so I didn't have to worry about taking the cooler plate off the back of my mobo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835186134

If I bought a cooler today for my system that had push-pin mount, I'd get the Scythe Ninja Plus. It is taller (7 inches) but it would fit in this case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835185038

Alright, I've reached my limit as to how many times I can see "PUSH PIN" design and not know what it is. So I'll research that. I'm assuming that the Big Typhoon is "Push Pin" design, but I don't know what "push pin" refers to. I need to read and familiar myself to your level of lingo.

Hop

 

[jonmcc33]

I highly recommend the Antec Nine Hundred case. It was much better than the P180 case it replaced, which is the same thing as the P182 that someone showed you above. It cools far better with a pair of 120mm intake fans and 200mm exhaust fan. All of them are TriCool with adjustable speed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129021

FYI, it's under $100 at Buy.com...no stupid MIR required.

 

[Ozoneman]

Hop,

I have both the 900 case and the P182 case. I prefer the P182.

900 case is a good case too, but it doesn't have the air filtering. I just cleaned my 900 today and it was pretty dusty inside.

My 900 case looks so cluttered. It doesn't have the cable management capability that the P182 has. It also didn't have as much room inside.

The 900 may cool a little better due to the large 200 mm fan on the top, but I don't think my 900 case is much cooler than the stuff in my P182.

The OLD P180 wasn't the same as the P182. There are several differences. The NEW P180 is pretty much the same as the P182.

The P182 also has tri-cool adjustable fans. But the controls for two of the fans are mounted outside on the back panel so you don't have to take the side panel off to adjust the fan speeds like you do for the 900.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Coolermaster 690. Heard it goes for $59~79 dollars depending on whether its on rebates or not.

That case is seriously the most bang per buck case in a long time.

 

[aigomorla]

well OP, that P182 has a front door, and it looks really ugly with the door off. Also you stated that you wanted to drop a front LCD device, something like a matrix orbital or greater, so having a front door would destroy that purpose.

I would recomend this case:
http://www.directron.com/stct01uw.html

Its a big case, which will fit everything you wanted and more. Its also one of the most watercooling friendly case you can get incase you want to play with h2o cooling.

Also it comes with wheels or pads. Your choice, and its very roomy to work inside.


Also, front bay LCD devices own heres mine:

http://i125.photobucket.com/al...aigomorla/IMG_0726.jpg

 

[Ozoneman]

Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
Coolermaster 690. Heard it goes for $59~79 dollars depending on whether its on rebates or not.

That case is seriously the most bang per buck case in a long time.

Since you are a 690 fan I thought you might enjoy this link (you may have seen it already?).

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1234744

 

[Cookie Monster]

Actually im a fan of the silverstone TJ09.

But seriously for the amount you pay, the coolermaster 690 is one awesome as case for any budget build.

However having said that, the P182 is a better case when it comes to alot of things but thats what the extra $$ is for. So its really up to the OP.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Originally posted by: Hop

Originally posted by: Ozoneman

Originally posted by: Hop
Also Ozo, that cooling solution for the CPU is different from the Big Typhoon I originally picked. That what... Zalman looks NICE! Heat pipes I'm sure, but how does it do against the aforementioned one I talked about earlier?

I have a Freezer 7 Pro. Yes it is a heat pipe type cooler with a 90 mm fan on the front blowing air through to the rear exhaust fan. I have the Freezer 7 Pro because that was the tallest cooler (5 inches) I could fit in my old case. I also wanted a push-pin type mount so I didn't have to worry about taking the cooler plate off the back of my mobo.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835186134

If I bought a cooler today for my system that had push-pin mount, I'd get the Scythe Ninja Plus. It is taller (7 inches) but it would fit in this case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16835185038

Alright, I've reached my limit as to how many times I can see "PUSH PIN" design and not know what it is. So I'll research that. I'm assuming that the Big Typhoon is "Push Pin" design, but I don't know what "push pin" refers to. I need to read and familiar myself to your level of lingo.

Hop

Push pin means just that, push-pin. You install it by lining up the holes and pushing the retaining pins in. In contrast a cooler like the ultra-120 is much more troublesome to install. The ultra-120 uses a bolt through board design. You have to remove the motherboard so you can install a rear bracket (to screw the bolts into, and to prevent motherboard warping).

 

[Puffnstuff]

You should also have a look at the xclio windtunnel with two 250mm side fans plus front and rear 120's. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811103011 It's been the best case I've used so far and cooling will never be an issue in it.

 

[Hop]

Originally posted by: Puffnstuff
You should also have a look at the xclio windtunnel with two 250mm side fans plus front and rear 120's. http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811103011 It's been the best case I've used so far and cooling will never be an issue in it.

Yeah, I was just going to ask about that one, and another xclio case I saw, looks like a jet engine. My son said to get it and put wings on it.
XCLIO A380BK
It's a little too out there for my needs, but I like the noise level / air flow reviews.

Everyone has made some good suggestions and now I have a good base to decide from. I'll give it a few days and read some more about each of them.

One thing I just thought of is that the cases with the PSU at the bottom, my PSU has a fan underneath instead of the back, so if I get that design (I really like that PSU isolation), clearance between the PSU and the bottom of the case is critical, or I'll have to get another PSU.

 

[Zepper]

In the 180 style cases the large fan on some PSUs is supposed to face upwards while other cases like the Cooler Master Stacker (STC-T01) would have the bottom PSU's fan downward. The 900 has a universal PSU mount so you can have it either way. I like cases that give choices. Others can deal with real choice and become Democrats or Socialists...

.b.h.

 

[Hop]

Originally posted by: Zepper
In the 180 style cases the large fan on some PSUs is supposed to face upwards while other cases like the Cooler Master Stacker (STC-T01) would have the bottom PSU's fan downward. The 900 has a universal PSU mount so you can have it either way. I like cases that give choices. Others can deal with real choice and become Democrats or Socialists...

.b.h.

Thank you!

 

[Ozoneman]

Hop,

If you noticed my Corsair 620 has a fan on the bottom and not on the back of the PSU. It is not a problem in the P182. The PS mount is a little off the bottom of the case so the fan still has room to move the air.

 

[Hop]

Originally posted by: Ozoneman
Hop,

If you noticed my Corsair 620 has a fan on the bottom and not on the back of the PSU. It is not a problem in the P182. The PS mount is a little off the bottom of the case so the fan still has room to move the air.

Thank you Ozo, and I'm leaning towards this case based on some reviews I read on the 900. What case I get now is tied to what HSF I decide on. Initially, was going to use a Big Typhoon, but I did a bit of reading today and there are other options. I like some cases I viewed that had exhaust behind and above in close proximity to the HSF. One I viewed had the air from the HSF blowing right at the rear exhaust fan. I like the idea of getting that heat out into the outside and not affecting the surrounding internal hardware.

This will be my first 120mm fan case. I have one in my Linux box in the front as an intake, but that's it for a 120mm. The others are panafo 80mm. I never really thought about the lower RPM/noise to move the same amount of air. The popular fan seems to be the Silverstone FM121 with its fan control breakout. A simple SPI digital potentiometer tied to an MCU could control that, and then connected to a motherboard USB port could give me fan speed control via software monitoring temps.

The thing that keeps me from grabbing a p182 is the extra cost of getting a side panel with a plexi window in it. I know it sounds trivial, but I am working on fan and lighting (high output LED) control, and I need to see the effects of what I coded. I will be building higher end systems for a select clientèle, and I clean machines of viruses and bugs regularly. When the client comes over and sees that in my machine, it reinforces confidence.

In any case, no pun intended, the options laid out in this thread are a radical jump in features from my current P4 3Ghz machine's case. I'm a cable freak, a lover of the zip tie, so I like all the options to keep it neat, clean, and balanced for cooling.

Sorry for the long-winded post. I have just learned a ton "catching up" and it feels real good now talking about this build of mine, and a subject I value higher than anything else in my life.

 

[Ozoneman]

Originally posted by: Hop

Originally posted by: Ozoneman
Hop,

If you noticed my Corsair 620 has a fan on the bottom and not on the back of the PSU. It is not a problem in the P182. The PS mount is a little off the bottom of the case so the fan still has room to move the air.

What case I get now is tied to what HSF I decide on. Initially, was going to use a Big Typhoon, but I did a bit of reading today and there are other options. I like some cases I viewed that had exhaust behind and above in close proximity to the HSF. One I viewed had the air from the HSF blowing right at the rear exhaust fan. I like the idea of getting that heat out into the outside and not affecting the surrounding internal hardware.

Where did you view the cases you talk about above? I don't know if you realize that my HSF blows air from the front of the cpu cooler, through the fins, towards the back of the case where there is a 120 exhaust fan directly behind it. It also has the 120 exhaust fan directly above the cpu cooler. Any heat coming off the cpu cooler is getting pulled out of the case by both fans immediately. The fan for the Scythe Ninja Plus can be mounted the same way that my cooler is set up. The fan on the Ninja on my son's PC doesn't even run when the PC is at idle. The cooler cools well enough that that fan doesn't need to run and only kicks on when he starts to work the cpu.

 

[Hop]

Originally posted by: aigomorla
Also, front bay LCD devices own heres mine:
http://i125.photobucket.com/al...aigomorla/IMG_0726.jpg

What controls your LCD aigomorla? I haven't used matrix orbital because the cost threw me off a little, but I see they have serial devices, and I'll check to see if there are also SPI compatible ones. That is sweet looking. Actually, that's an LED not LCD correct? I prefer lighted characters to LCD with a back light. Ultimately, I'd like a 640x480 touch pad using OLED, but that's a way off yet I'm afraid.