What are some cases with excellent cooling?

[Kaido]

Looking into building some custom servers that need to be on 24/7 for years on end. I need some recommendations of cases that have excellent cooling that can support that. The Antec Sonata and Chieftec cases came to mind right off the bat. I saw a P180 at CompUSA and wasn't that impressed, seemed pretty flimsy. Basically I need easy access to the internals, standard fan types (120mm fan support is a Good Thing), and good cooling. So, fire away!

 

[CraKaJaX]

How dare you not like the P180. It's an awesome case.... ALOT of people have ditched their old cases for a P180 so it can't be that bad. And if you want something running for THAT long why not look into watercooling? Fans die, watercooling doesn't.

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: CraKaJaX
How dare you not like the P180. It's an awesome case.... ALOT of people have ditched their old cases for a P180 so it can't be that bad. And if you want something running for THAT long why not look into watercooling? Fans die, watercooling doesn't.

What kind of logic is that? Water cooling relies on fans as well.

As for cases check out the Lian Li V1000 and V1100.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Antec's SLK3000 series is nice, I use a 3700 (with upgraded PSU) for my music server. 5-HD grommeted drive cage, 120mm fan mounts.

 

[stelleg151]

I enjoy my trusty Ahanix Black Knight x195.

 

[homercles337]

Here is mine. Great for small server configs. 120mm inlet and outlet.

 

[piasabird]

I kind of like the Antec SLK3700AMB.

Reason:
The intake at the bottom is directly in front of a removable Hard Drive Rack/module designed for hard drives. Mine came with a 350Watt Antec Power Supply. The power supply was very quiet. The whole system with an Asus A7N8X with XP2800+ CPU is barely audible. It seems to run very quietly. The air flow comes in directly colling my hard drives. You can put about 5 hard drives in the lower cage, so if you put two big ones in there they will fit without being sandwiched on top of each other and will stay cool.

There was an Air Filter, but I dont like it, so I removed it. You have to remove the front of the case to get at it.

Cons:
The Front is kind of flimsy how it attaches. However, It is still operational, and still running after 2 years with the Stock Fan.

I kind of liked the size and cooling ability on the Coolermaster CM Stacker. It is a little on the costly side, but it looked really nice.

 

[Twistah]

Go witht he thermaltake Armor, you won't be disappointed. Three 120mm Fans (one intake, wo outtake) will make sure the case stays nice and cool along with perforated drive bays (which have dust covers behind em so your insides stay nice and clear)

 

[Zepper]

Antec SLK3000 series - I like the ones with the drive bays in the normal orientation - sidesaddle blocks too much air, IMO. The Compucase 6A19 is pretty much the same as the SLK3000/3700 inside for those that don't care for doors. The Evercase 42x2 series (also sold under the AMS brand on Directron) is a tad roomier inside and equal to the above in most respects. You can buy HD vibe dampers for them direct from Evercase as well as extra HD cages and accys.
. And you might also want to check out the Victor aluminum cases on http://www.computergate.com . Basically the same as the Kingwin 424 or the Beantech Igloo series without some of the extras that are not needed in server applications. Very inexpensive for a heavy aluminum case.
. Other options are the MSR series of aluminum cases by Skyhawk/Eagle that are being sold on Newegg and Dealsonic at rock bottom prices. Very good for the money but a little modding will need to be done on the cooling to bring them up to the level of the others here. IAC, aluminum is soft and easy to cut...

.bh.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: CraKaJaX
How dare you not like the P180. It's an awesome case.... ALOT of people have ditched their old cases for a P180 so it can't be that bad. And if you want something running for THAT long why not look into watercooling? Fans die, watercooling doesn't.

I had wanted one for my own computer case, but after seeing it at CompUSA I was disappointed. It felt like cheap plastic and didn't look as great as the pictures I saw in the reviews. Plus, the power button is behind the door, so you can't even turn it on without opening the case's door (gripe from my wife). Maybe it was a knockoff P180 they were selling as a P180...

 

[jlambvo]

Lian Li v2000 maybe? Compartmentalized, open-air aluminum case with 120mm fans. I have a little v1000 for my desktop, based on a couple reviews that showed CPU temps were several degrees celsius cooler with identical hardware in several other cases, and I'm not disappointed. There are some bigger server version if you need more room.

http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/S_V_S_PC-V2000plus.htm

 

[wpshooter]

I like Lian Li cases. They are very easy to install and uninstall equipment in. They have some models that have a fan opening in the TOP of the case. I really like this feature. I am not sure that this feature is available in the server style cases but if they are I would surely want it - heat rises.

 

[theMan]

go with lian li.