Thermaltake Aguila... or something else?

[VivienM]

Well, it's finally time to plan my Conroe box 🙂 so... it needs a case!

Basic requirements:
- ATX
- decently quiet
- 120mm fans in front/back
- silver with black drives (thanks Creative Labs...)
That's realistically about it... as I won't be overclocking, no intense cooling is really necessary...

I rather like the Thermaltake Aguila, but a) the silver one seems to be rare up here (Canada), and b) a quick search through this forum suggests some negative thoughts?

So... should I go with the Aguila anyways? or can anybody suggest something similar (that's hopefully fairly readily-available)?

Or there's the Antec NSK6500, which seems nice, but perhaps a tad too low-end, not to mention the included 430W PS probably isn't enough to feed a 7900 GTX?

 

[VivienM]

Oh, and I forgot to say... I don't care either way about a window, though it seems the windowless version of the aguila is impossible to get except from a few (pricy) american suppliers...

 

[VivienM]

How about the Thermaltake Shark?

 

[Howard]

Does it have to be silver?

 

[VivienM]

Originally posted by: Howard
Does it have to be silver?

Well, the problem is this... I really dislike black in general, so whenever possible (sometimes you can't avoid it... e.g. MS only makes their ergonomic keyboards in black) I've gone with white.

Unfortunately, the a**holes @ Creative Labs have decided to screw a loyal customer by making the X-Fi Platinum bay black-only... which means that I need a case that takes black 5.25" drives (or getting the basic X-Fi without the drive bay thing, which I may end up doing). That, obviously, rules out shopping for another white case.

It seems to me that silver cases like the Thermaltake Aguila (which I really really like) or the Antec P180 do take black drives... in which case problem solved. I don't have to look at Yet Another Big Black Thing (I already have a Big Black Subwoofer) under my desk, and I can put black 5.25" drives in and it'll look good.

Now, if there's some really amazing black case that's absolutely fabulous, I suppose I could consider it...

 

[Howard]

I wouldn't say the SLK3000B is fabulous, but it's got everything you need (aside from being white) and it's fairly cheap.

 

[VivienM]

Originally posted by: Howard
I wouldn't say the SLK3000B is fabulous, but it's got everything you need (aside from being white) and it's fairly cheap.

Ahh yes, the SLK3000B... I came extremely close to buying one of those and shoving an X2 into it about 6 months ago. Then somebody told me 65nm Intels were on the way... then their price was going to be massively cut... then Anand got his hands on a Conroe, and here I am, still without anything built 🙂

(CAD) $59.99... with no PS.

There's also the NSK6500, which looks nice. I could always recycle the PS somewhere... and it's only $129 (CAD). Or get a 7900GT instead of GTX and keep the 430W PS... now that'd be big $$$ savings 🙂 (or will the 430W take the GTX?)

(By comparison, the one local place that seems to have the silver Aguila wants (CAD) $179 for it... without a PS of course)

That being said, for as long as we're not talking Lian Li-type prices, I am willing to spend a bit on a case. I [accidentally] cheaped out on a case for my last build of a serious desktop system 4.5 years ago, and I'd rather not repeat the mistake again.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

many things are better than thermaltake. they make pretty bad products. antec p160? p180? anything by lian li? cooler master stacker? silverstone? anything but TT? well almost anything. raidmax =D lol

 

[VivienM]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
many things are better than thermaltake. they make pretty bad products.

bad in what way, though?

 

[LOUISSSSS]

they lie about their fan specs = no no
owned one of their cases before. interior had edges as sharp as some dull knives and points as sharp as some not so dull knives. after putting together my pc inside i had about 4 cuts on my hands. the door on my TT case had a VERY sharp corner which cut my leg if i forgot about it and moved it that way. my door also had a lock, once i locked the door and it wouldn't open after. i had no way of turning on/off the pc (except to pull out the button from the inside) which is what i had to do. then i had to break the lock just to open it again. fans are VERY loud in my case.
also owned a TT purepower?or smartpower 430watt psu. it had trouble powering an intel 3.2@3.5 and a 6800NU oc'd. i had random shutdowns and the fans in that were also very loud.

 

[Zepper]

Doesn't the Aguilla have a mesh front? Lets all the noise out and all the dust in...

I do like the Tt Eureka, the SViking, the new Matrix - even the Swing ain't bad.

.bh.

 

[VivienM]

So... if I got an Antec P180 instead, for example, everybody in this forum would think it a much better idea?

The P180 is substantially less stylish than the Aguila in my mind, but... it's readily available and doesn't have a window (so people won't see my ugly wiring job...)

 

[Zepper]

If cooling and quiet are all you are after, yes. As far as appearance and quality of fit and finish, and materials, there are better. Has Antec solved the 180's panel warping and separation problems or the weak door hinges? If those have been fixed and you can tolerate the bland appearance, go for it... <BSEG>

.bh.

 

[VivienM]

I just discovered something else: it seems Antec now sells the NSK6500 (or something similar) without a PS; they call it SOLO apparently. It's $55 (CAD) cheaper than the P180. Nothing fancy, but it does have a silver front, no door to worry about, and two 92mms on the front...

Cooling, quiet, and an appearance that doesn't bug me are the main criteria, yes...
Ease of upgrading, for instance, is essentially not a criteria (the only upgrades done to the previous rig in 4.5 years were an extra HD, a new video card, and a USB 2 controller... oh, and I did swap the PS)... generally, by the time I upgrade, it's time for a new case too 🙂

Now, time to figure out what power supply to get 🙂