Trying to decide on case for new gaming system

9nines

Senior member
Sep 6, 2006
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I am going to build a new gaming system in the next few weeks. I am trying to decide on the case.

When considering cases the following are most important to me:

?1) Quality ? I want it to be sturdy and of good quality. No crackling and vibrating sounds, does not sit wobbly.

?2) Plenty of internal room ? I plan to get a new GTX 280 video card and want plenty of clearance for it. Also, I want room to be able to apply good cable management.

?3) Easy to install motherboard etc. Not cramped and hard to place things ? easy installation of system.

?4) Good cooling.


Currently I am looking at the Antec 900 and Cooler Master CM 690.

Antec 900

It seems really nice and has great reviews. I am concerned about it being cramp though and maybe having trouble with the new GTX 280 video card. Some users have stated the current long video cards almost hit the drive bays and that the back drive bay fan has to be removed to fit long cards. I assume the GTX 280 will be as long or longer than the longest gaming video cards out now, so I am concerned if the Antec 900 would be too cramped. And, I will be using a non-modular PSU and reviews have stated it is hard to route cables and manage their placement in the Antec 900.

Also, I had read user reviews indicating the fins on 200mm top fan break easily and the fan is hard to replace ? plus hard to find (I think you have to order from Antec.)




CM 690

The CM 690 is about 1.5 inches longer and higher than the Antec 900. That extra dimension will probably make it lot more roomy, as it is close to many full towers in size.

From looking at pictures, I am concerned about the tool-less features. The seem like nice features but the plastic fasteners on the expansion card slots seem like they might be flimsy and could break easily. Same with the hard drive holders.

Also, since the Antec 900 is known for superb cooling, but I have not found any reviews indicating how well the CM 690 cools.



Questions:

Is the Antec 900 small inside: would it present cable management problems and might be cramped with big video cards and more of a pain in mounting the motherboard?

Will the CM 690 provide noticeably more room than the Antec 900?

Are the CM 690 tool-less fasteners and hard drive bays good quality ? would they break easily?

If you add optional fans to the CM 690, will its cooling be close to the Antec 900?



Also:

Are there other cases that might be closer to meeting the important items I listed above? Full towers?
 

BlueAcolyte

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Nov 19, 2007
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I did not have a problem working in the CM 690, as long as you take the cable managers out at first. The hard-drive tool-less bays work fine, they don't seem flimsy. But I wouldn't trust the plastic tabs for expansion cards on the back. They won't break, but they might not hold the card properly. It's pretty simple to use a screw instead of the plastic tabs. The CM 690 probably has better cable management than the Antec 900 because it has a space behind the motherboard tray to route unused cables. Both cases have very good cooling. The CM 690 can hold 5 120/140mm fans (top, bottom, side) and two 120mm fans. (front back) If it's really a big concern, you can put an 80x15mm fan in the back behind the motherboard tray. The fans that come with it are very quiet, but don't push too much air. You may want to change them out too.
 

9nines

Senior member
Sep 6, 2006
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Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
. But I wouldn't trust the plastic tabs for expansion cards on the back. They won't break, but they might not hold the card properly. It's pretty simple to use a screw instead of the plastic tabs. .

IF you do that, will a standard expansion card holding screw fasten into the hole or do you have to drill for it?

 

BlueAcolyte

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Nov 19, 2007
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The CM 690 comes with a ton of screws, I used one of those and it fits right into the hole, no drills required. So it's still power-tool-less at least.
 

rgallant

Golden Member
Apr 14, 2007
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Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
I did not have a problem working in the CM 690, as long as you take the cable managers out at first. The hard-drive tool-less bays work fine, they don't seem flimsy. But I wouldn't trust the plastic tabs for expansion cards on the back. They won't break, but they might not hold the card properly. It's pretty simple to use a screw instead of the plastic tabs. The CM 690 probably has better cable management than the Antec 900 because it has a space behind the motherboard tray to route unused cables. Both cases have very good cooling. The CM 690 can hold 5 120/140mm fans (top, bottom, side) and two 120mm fans. (front back) If it's really a big concern, you can put an 80x15mm fan in the back behind the motherboard tray. The fans that come with it are very quiet, but don't push too much air. You may want to change them out too.

-It took me three weeks to order in a 80x80x15mm fan , (needed something to order with a $5.00 fan) could not find one in Toronto ,
- I was surprised when I turned it on , it drop my 780i nb from 56c to 52c, sb 48c to 46c , cpu a couple of c's , this was even after the heat pipe remount , cable management is great , power supply drawing cool out side air is why I purchased it,
- great case for $65.00 on sale,
 

mmnno

Senior member
Jan 24, 2008
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Originally posted by: 9nines

Is the Antec 900 small inside: would it present cable management problems and might be cramped with big video cards and more of a pain in mounting the motherboard?

Yeah, it is. There's no way around it, the case is small. Unless you're used to cutting up every new case you get, the lack of space is going to be seriously annoying at best. The extra 4 inches of length in the NZXT Tempest would be wonderfully helpful in the 900, even if they kept all the other dimensions the same (the 900 is also pretty narrow, which makes high-performance heatsinks somewhat dicey as well.)

The NZXT Zero has halfway decent dimensions too and is also an inexpensive aluminum (meaning shoulder-friendly) case, but it might not be the cooling monster you're looking for. If you're interested in the 900, I'd recommend the Tempest instead.
 

9nines

Senior member
Sep 6, 2006
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Originally posted by: mmnno



The extra 4 inches of length in the NZXT Tempest would be wonderfully helpful in the 900, even if they kept all the other dimensions the same (the 900 is also pretty narrow, which makes high-performance heatsinks somewhat dicey as well.)

If you're interested in the 900, I'd recommend the Tempest instead.


Thanks for pointing out the NZXT Tempest. It is even longer than the CM 690 by about two inches. I saw a review with it having a 9800GTX and there were about 3 inches to spare: http://www.ocia.net/reviews/nzxttempest/page4.shtml picture: http://www.ocia.net/aimages/303_34_full.jpg

It seems to have good cooling and I like the traditional sized 140mm fans at top (I was concerned about the Antec 900 more unique 200mm fan possibly being hard to replace ? seems tricky mounting and hard to find a 200mm to buy.) Also the side fan, in the NZXT Tempest, seems to be positioned lower, allowing for tall heat sinks, since it is far from CPU: http://www.ocia.net/aimages/303_36_full.jpg

My only concern is build quality. Many reviews questioned it, stating it has much flexing and housing no secure.
 

9nines

Senior member
Sep 6, 2006
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Originally posted by: BlueAcolyte
The CM 690 comes with a ton of screws, I used one of those and it fits right into the hole, no drills required. So it's still power-tool-less at least.

Thanks. I was concerned about not being able to use a screw, since it had the fasteners.

 

jesterb84

Member
Mar 14, 2008
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I agree with BlueAcolyte that screws are needed to hold expansion cards in the CM 690. My 9600GT kept drooping slightly downwards without a screw holding it. On the other hand, the HD holders are far from flimsy in my opinion. In fact, I like them A LOT, very stable, fits tight, and sort of cushions the hard drive so it doesn't vibrate against the case - very nice IMO. My vote goes for the CM 690: With a possible 8 fans and good cable management, airflow is not an issue.

rgallant - Where did you get the 80x15x15 fan from? I am also from Toronto...
 

Sumguy

Golden Member
Jun 2, 2007
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Originally posted by: jesterb84
rgallant - Where did you get the 80x15x15 fan from? I am also from Toronto...

Sorry if Newegg does not ship to Canada, but you can order some here
 

BlueAcolyte

Platinum Member
Nov 19, 2007
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Does NCIX have any?

EDIT: They do, but they're all HiPers, if that matters to you...