what are you favourite pc-cases at the min

djrlittleton

well lads, pondering getting a new case or 2, current case in 1 pc has been dremelled, hacksawed, and is just plain old

so what cases are making you reach for your credit card

could be a nice thread for all budgets here, i have to say i do like the 932

http://www.coolermaster.com/news.php?action=ViewNews&id=6188

Solitaire

For those who have no budget worth talking about, the much-loved old Coolermaster CM330 Elite is finally heading toward the end of its stay as the budget king, its €30-35 price point under fire from a slew of €35-40 next-gen rivals. Foremost among them are the Antec 200 (ugly and pricey but comes kitted out with fans), Thermaltake V3 Black (ludicrously cheap for a case with a modern internal layout and a neat black interior) and NZXT Gamma (cheaper than the 200 and amazing spec - it might be made of tinfoil but we're talking a ton of fan placement options, black interior and proper cable routing for well under €40 most places!).

cherryghost

Coolermaster CM690 II

massy086

have always loved it and peats do it for 99euro not too bad for a walk in deal

Burgo

that a cm storm massy?

ED E

Whats a good price for a 932?

Solitaire

Probably sub-€130 and lower. HAF922 are under €90 in some places.

Serephucus

I'm liking the ATCS 840 at the moment. If all goes well, it'll be my next case. Very similar to the 932 on the inside, classy outside.

ED E

922:
H:22.2
D:19.8
W:10

932:
H:21.5
D:22.6
W:9.1


Practically the same size but the ATX vs Extended ATX....is the extended a big deal? The 9.1 is slightly more convenient for where I want it but its nothing major.

TheDoc

I'll keep an eye on this thread as I wouldnt mind a new case.

Mine is pretty old and pretty worn and just isnt doing it for me anymore.

That case from massy looks great.

Cant say I'm mad for paying that sort of money for a case. I'd just want something that dumbs down noise, looks great, and has good air flow. I guess if I have to pay up to €100 I could fork out : /

Solitaire

For mid-range budgets the NZXT M58, Lancool K58 and Xigmatek Midgard (with its cheeky 3-fan speed control) are good choices, although the pricier CM Storm Scout comes with a full collection of fans to offset its price somewhat. Antec isn't doing very well in this segment; the new 600 isn't really that awesome, and if you didn't like the Skeleton's industrial styling you're not going to like the 600 much either. It does come with slightly better fannage though.

And the ATCS840 looks like the replacement to the old Cosmos. Its super pricey!

Wonder when CM are going to refresh their ancient budget lineup?

TheDoc

Did a quick ebay search for those three, seem up and above 70 euro that right?

Very bland too from google searches.

Black and orange, theres something about that colour that just does it for me.

While we are on the subject, can you have TOO many fans?

My current case has one 120mm fan on the front sucking air in, I've got another fan on the back pushing air out.

On the side is a plexy glass kinda side panel, which has room for a 120mm and a 80mm( i think thats the size)

The room is there connections wise to put another two fans in, just wondering is it worth it... ( not so much price). Im not after massive performance boost, its more so for a bit of looks and some airflow efficeny, but i dont want it to be a major negetive.

ED E

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/149351

I'm putting mine in a fronted unit so looks dont matter, but its sexeh:p

Also I'll be cooling front to back so thats another box checked.

Opinions?

Solitaire

Goddamn it, stupid Firefox just nuked my post!!! :mad: Hang on, have to rewrite from scratch!

@ doc

The mid-range Aerocool case for €75-ish is probably the definition of too many fans - tons of 120mm fans including four on the side panel alone but no cable routing or painted internals or anything else.

There's also a cool old CoolIT casemod from way back that had something like fifteen 80mm impellers on the rear of the (custom) case alone! :eek::D

And the mid-range cases are a mixed bag. The Lancool K58 is €60+ but its basically a high-end Lian Li minus the aluminium. Bland internals but otherwise very competitive. The NZXT M58 is just a roomier and windowed version of its smaller brother, the Gamma. Storm Scout has the 140mm fans included and is a bit more flash than the others. The windowed version of the Midgard is around the €70 mark in most places but looks nicer than the regular version and you can just buy some really cheap, nasty 120mm fans for next to nothing and use the included fan controller to melt any nasty noise they produce away

@ bullet

That case is okay, but you only have a single 120mm fan for system cooling so you'd have to be very restrained with CPU/GPU selection to avoid major heat issues Even the Antec P183 has two 120mm exhausts (one top, one back). If you could use a top exhaust and had a mATX gaming system this is an unbeatable offer as high-end noiseproof cases go

TheDoc

I find my current case is just very cluttered and wires everywhere and akward to work with when its opened

Dont know the make cause it came with my build from years ago, I'd nearly buy a new one for just an easier way to work with my components, silence and wire management

Might just pick up some new orange fans and launch them in to look good, hopefully not too loud

witnessmenow

I still have a very soft spot for the antec 300, I personally think it looks very nice, maybe a small bit plain, but is a really nice case to work with. You could throw orange fans into the front of it and it would look fairly cool I'd say. Can be picked up really cheap second hand at the moment!

The antec 200 looks very similar inside, but the front of it rotten!

ED E

Solitaire wrote: »

@ bullet

That case is okay, but you only have a single 120mm fan for system cooling so you'd have to be very restrained with CPU/GPU selection to avoid major heat issues Even the Antec P183 has two 120mm exhausts (one top, one back). If you could use a top exhaust and had a mATX gaming system this is an unbeatable offer as high-end noiseproof cases go

TBH an ATX or EATX is more what I'm going for.

This is what I'm thinking about doing:

Unfortunately that pinkish line along the side is a radiator. Doesnt suit to put the stuff anywhere else but I have it off most of the time as my 8800GTX warms my feet(in the corner ATM).
The gray is the desk, about 72cm floor to underside. 50cm left to work with after the radiator and a step back for aesthetics.
Green is trunking to bring the cabling neatly up to 2x1920s, USB Hubs, Audio gear, network switch etc.
Black is the unit I'm going to build. The front will be a pop off affair, with a mesh vent in the bottom 2/3 and slots for drives in the top 1/3. That section in the back is for fans. My idea was to put probably two large fans in there and run them manually according to what I'm doing. The case will be for the new build(spec tbc depending on how much I spend/earn over the summer) and and my Dimension 9200 which isn't super hot and isn't OC'd[that may change though].

Am I off my rocker or could this work?

massy086

Burgo wrote: »

that a cm storm massy?

AND!!!!!
what the problem

Solitaire

What is that black box representing? The case or an enclosure you're putting the case in or are you scratch-building a custom case and want a retail case to provide some of the chassis or what???

In any case, if you can't use the top or left side of the case for ventilation then you'd be best with an inverted mobo tray to let you put ventilation in on the right side of the case instead. Not many ATX cases do that though except for the Raven, and that orients the mobo differently again

noodletop

djrlittleton wrote: »

well lads, pondering getting a new case or 2, current case in 1 pc has been dremelled, hacksawed, and is just plain old

so what cases are making you reach for your credit card

could be a nice thread for all budgets here, i have to say i do like the 932

http://www.coolermaster.com/news.php?action=ViewNews&id=6188

i got that case last week from overclockers and have to say i love it but before you buy it just 1or 2 little gripes about it.the front panel which does look lovely in the red is a little bit too plastic and flimsey tbh and the side window with the fusion dragon logo is very light perspex so light in fact i had to change the plastic screws on it to stop it rattling in the case

however even with those 2 minor things its still one of the best cases i have owned, easy cable managment,fantastic cooling and im loving the side on hdd bays too:D

RoyalMarine

after buying an obsidian 800d i dont ever want anything but it.

sadly, i sold it as i had bills to pay, and now im going matx. shame tho

ED E

Solitaire wrote: »

What is that black box representing? The case or an enclosure you're putting the case in or are you scratch-building a custom case and want a retail case to provide some of the chassis or what???

In any case, if you can't use the top or left side of the case for ventilation then you'd be best with an inverted mobo tray to let you put ventilation in on the right side of the case instead. Not many ATX cases do that though except for the Raven, and that orients the mobo differently again

A ply enclosure yeah with a lick of matt black from the HVLP.

Will front to back not do?
I was hoping the fans inside the case(whichever suits best) and two of these bad boys on the back would move enough air

Solitaire

I'm surprised you don't just rip the mobo tray and some bays out of a cheapo case and bolt them into the enclosure! It'd be a boon to T&M if you did...

And I'm not sure that such a plan would work so well. The big outer fans would blow lots of air through but any excess airflow beyond what the inner (case) fans could support would bypass the case and its components and just go in the intake and around the PC and out the exhaust! Airflow within the PC itself would be largely unchanged I'd expect

Front to back with more and/or larger (thus higher-CFM) fans would do, if you're not going to casemod the trick is getting a case that can exploit that fact and there are only a few cases out ther with 140mm rear exhausts or dual 120mm exhausts, and they tend to be very big and very pricey!

TheDoc

going to pickup one of those antec 300's thanks for the mention, looks like exactly what I'd want pricewise and well, airflow wise

I always have a nightmare though plugging those front ports into the motherboard. The usb and audio microphone jacks.

I've got them on this current one and they never worked, they need those tiny little nickly plugs on the motherboard which are absolutely tiny and i can never plug in, or plug in correctly.

Hopefully its easier on this case

I'll post pics when I get it, wont be till the first paycheck comes in from the new job, but ill be putting a nice saphire 5770HD vapor x and corsair 400w along with my other bits and bobs and hopefully creating a nice orange black effect

djrlittleton

RoyalMarineComm wrote: »

after buying an obsidian 800d i dont ever want anything but it.

sadly, i sold it as i had bills to pay, and now im going matx. shame tho

pity you had to sell that case, it is just so elegant

witnessmenow

TheDoc wrote: »

going to pickup one of those antec 300's thanks for the mention, looks like exactly what I'd want pricewise and well, airflow wise

I always have a nightmare though plugging those front ports into the motherboard. The usb and audio microphone jacks.

I've got them on this current one and they never worked, they need those tiny little nickly plugs on the motherboard which are absolutely tiny and i can never plug in, or plug in correctly.

Hopefully its easier on this case

I'll post pics when I get it, wont be till the first paycheck comes in from the new job, but ill be putting a nice saphire 5770HD vapor x and corsair 400w along with my other bits and bobs and hopefully creating a nice orange black effect

I recently got the Antec 900 (rev 1) and in alot of ways its a major step back from the 300. Not as nice of a case inside.

The sound is one full block (well two full blocks, one is for AC97, other is "HDA"

USB is a full block too

One thing to mention as well though, because the PSU is at the bottom, the CPU power cable is probably not going to be long enough,or at least long enough to put away tidly, i picked one up on ebay (like this one)

massy086

ye im a 300 owner too. first thing is drill holes for good cable management second is take out the hard drive bay,s really helps with big graphics cards then cut the front fan mesh away to help with airflow then buy some front led fans green looks great last thing spray inside matt black then i think it,s a great case i love mine

massy086

and with green fans witnessmenow should know this picture

Solitaire

Why the hell don't some of you people show off your silliness and Dremel Time powahs on Tweaking & Modding?? Doesn't have to be something super-elaborate!

Bus77II

My next pc build is going in a GMC H80. Wish I had the reddys to get it now, just to put it somewhere and look at it.

Solitaire

Its very.... "industrial" oh dear