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YACDT: Need help picking a case.

I have not used the Praetorian, but here are some pics of my P4 in a PC-65 silver.

PC-65 and Desk Pics

t does get a bit loud of you do not undervolt your fans. I did not try some quieter 80mms,
insteaf I built a P-180. I do have a lot of hot gear tho.

I do not mean to say it is the best case, just the one I have worked with and enjoyed the most.
As long as you do not totally fill it with hot gear you will do well. You may also consider the
PC-7. It has 120 fans in front and back, but no removable tray. I 'hear' that the quality is less, but I cannot confirm that.
 
Yup, you can have removable mobo tray or 120mm fan(s) but not both unless they make the chassis wider - will cost significantly more too... Now they could make the mobo tray swing out thru the right side and have their cake and eat it (120mm fan) too, but few seem to do that. When I'm choosing between two cases w/ all the features I need/want, the low priced spread wins...

.bh.
 
Both look nice. I have a Lian-Li in that family, not exactly sure its a 65 though... At any rate, I use quiet AeroCool fans (they are aluminum framed. nearly silent as far as I can tell) and a fan controller. I can't hear that box unless I really listen.

That being said, now adays I prefer 120mm fans, and also agree the P180 is awesome.

\Dan
 
I've used both, the CoolerMaster is better in almost all regards. Heres why...

The CoolerMaster's frame is made from much thicker AL which makes for a very solid feeling case. The bezel is made from a heavy peice of milled AL with beveled edges, the Lian Li uses thinner stamped AL for the front. The CM also has better air flow; free flowing wire grills all around vs. the cheap & and restrictive stamped exhaust opening on the Lian Li.

About the only negative I can think of are the cheesy "Praetorian" logo in the upper left of the bezel but I always sand it off with a fine grade sand paper.

I would disagree with Galvanized; two 120mm fans would be preferred but the use of four 80mms is hardly a deal breaker. For every build of this case I've either used four of these low speed NMBs or four Panaflo L1As, intakes running at 5v while the exhausts were thermally controlled via the motherboard. The four NMBs were enough to keep a 3700+, 6800GT, two 7200 HD system in the low to mid 30s so I wouldn't worry about cooling potential unless you plan to run very hot hardware. I never ran the stock fans so I can?t comment there.
 
Never used the coolermaster....but as far as the wire grills go, I cut those out of ALL my cases. Some of them tend to make
whiney noises, but all in all they just look ghetto and make more noise than a chrome grill.
 
Disagree with me all you want Operandi 😛 I have two PC-60s here.

One has been modded for 120 intake & 92x38 exhaust.
The other, 2-92x25 intake, w/92x38 exhaust. Both use a Sunbeam Rheobus and can
be damn near silent. 😉

OP, Why buy a $100+case then have to buy quieter low flow fans??

If you use a cool chip and have home ac, low flow 80s will do. My ambients can vary from
32F~100F.

...Galvanized
 
Originally posted by: aboothman
Never used the coolermaster....but as far as the wire grills go, I cut those out of ALL my cases. Some of them tend to make
whiney noises, but all in all they just look ghetto and make more noise than a chrome grill.
Click to expand...

This is a wire grill, the only way you be less restrictive is to have no grill at all.

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Disagree with me all you want Operandi 😛 I have two PC-60s here.

One has been modded for 120 intake & 92x38 exhaust.
The other, 2-92x25 intake, w/92x38 exhaust. Both use a Sunbeam Rheobus and can
be damn near silent. 😉

OP, Why buy a $100+case then have to buy quieter low flow fans??

If you use a cool chip and have home ac, low flow 80s will do. My ambients can vary from
32F~100F.
Click to expand...

I never said he had to change out the fans, that?s something I do with almost all the systems I do.

As far as the cooling goes I've built all kinds of systems around this case, with all kinds of thermal outputs. Regardless I wouldn?t call a 3700+, nForce4, 6800GT, and dual 7200 hard drives a cool running system.
 
i just got a centurion 5 and can't recommend it enough. You could get it, even with a window, plus a couple good fans for less than the praetorian. Front fan is 80mm intake, but you can get a 92mm in there instead with a little effort (and maybe a zip tie), but because of the grilled front, the 120mm outflow is much more important.
 
Ya the Centurion 5 is an awesome cheap case. Only real issue is the fact that all fans are different size...they could have put a 120
in front with a little more effort no problem. Also, the front is metal mesh, so noises can espace easily. Great case tho.
 
Originally posted by: aboothman
Ya the Centurion 5 is an awesome cheap case. Only real issue is the fact that all fans are different size...they could have put a 120
in front with a little more effort no problem. Also, the front is metal mesh, so noises can espace easily. Great case tho.
Click to expand...


yeah, a 120mm up front would have been nice... some people are ziptieing one in... the mesh really helps airflow, however
 
Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Niether, because 80mm fans are a pita for noise.

Look to cases that use 2x120mm fans.
Click to expand...

Actually I'd love to get the SilverStone SST-TJ04. Its a sweet looking case that uses two 12cm fans. Also the same case that Falcon Northwest uses for their Talon series. Problem is I hate that ugly looking case window. Either no window at all or just plain square would be better.
 
Originally posted by: ryan256
Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Niether, because 80mm fans are a pita for noise.

Look to cases that use 2x120mm fans.
Click to expand...

Actually I'd love to get the SilverStone SST-TJ04. Its a sweet looking case that uses two 12cm fans. Also the same case that Falcon Northwest uses for their Talon series. Problem is I hate that ugly looking case window. Either no window at all or just plain square would be better.
Click to expand...


To me the window shape isn't terrible, but when will case makers realize that you don't want a window over the drive bays... woo... a beautiful view of the side of the drives. huzzah.

 
SilverStone is a good call. if you don't like the window view then get a sheet of posterboard and put it up next to the window on the inside so it doesn't look into anything.
 
Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Niether, because 80mm fans are a pita for noise.

Look to cases that use 2x120mm fans.


...Galvanized
Click to expand...

You switch the back 80mm fan to a nice SD 38mm and the problem is solved 😉

Or a 92 with a shroud.
--Trevor

The PC-65B scratches VERY easily.

Just a note. [I have one. Experience speaking 😛]
 
Originally posted by: ryan256
Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
Niether, because 80mm fans are a pita for noise.

Look to cases that use 2x120mm fans.
Click to expand...

Actually I'd love to get the SilverStone SST-TJ04. Its a sweet looking case that uses two 12cm fans. Also the same case that Falcon Northwest uses for their Talon series. Problem is I hate that ugly looking case window. Either no window at all or just plain square would be better.
Click to expand...

Too expensive for a largly steel case. Even if it didn't have a window which I agree is stupid looking I'd rather have the Praetorian.
 
i have a wavemaster sitting in my closet.

its the same case as the pratorian with a difference front bezel. i've never had a lian li, but the wavemaster isnt that great cooling wise, and its not very easy to work in either compared to other boards. the motherboard try is somewhat cool, but i would say its an average case at best as far as ease of use.

i have a newer coolmeraster case in the centurion line, and those all at least have screw less drive bays and screwless card slots etc.


looking at those pics though, i cant see the lian li being much better. they really are very similar. i think the window is somewhat gaudy but thats just me.

i dunno it looks like you are set on an aluminum case, the p180 and such are not aluminum. i'd suggest looking at more cases.


was just browsing newegg and ewll.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112104

that new case looks good

so does the pc60plus2 which is more or less the same as the pc65 just with more fans and 2 120 mm fan spaces

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112069
 
Ya I dig my new P180, but as for looks it is horrible compared the my PC-65 in th pics I posted above. They need a sexy model 😛

If I bought a new lian li, it would be a pc-7 for the dual 120s, or one of the 1000 or 1200 models, I forget which.
 
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