Good cooling case?

Mr.Guvernment said:

for $80 you can not go wrong!

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Without a PSU it is $50 at newegg though.

Jacobman said:

WOW!!! Your guide gave more information then i have read on the net so far. I have 1 question though, besides the 3 stock fans that come with it, you can only put 1 120mm fan in the upper front for intake and is that a 25mm thickness? So no 120mm fan can be placed in the front bottom? Are the stock fans pretty good for airflow or should i buy some for it?

Also on the sight CJ4 said to buy it from they say it only comes with 2 fans, is that an error? Im guessing it is.

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I got one as well, I haven't gotten my mobo/cpu/vcard yet so I can't confirm how well it works, but I will say that after plugging in an old motherboard/psu to test it they ran very quiet on low and an audible whisper on high (with the door open). I don't think you will need to replace the fans unless you want some loud super-high cfm fans. I also believe that there is room on the bottom front for a fan as well, only thing is that you might want to make that an intake, but then you would need to turn the other fan in the middle around (if I remember correctly) so you don't cause an interruption in air flow.

Centurion 5: Can I put a 120mm fan as front intake?

no, only 80mm will fit in the front for a C5. its located right in front of the HD bays, and behind the power and reset button.

Jacobman said:

WOW!!! Your guide gave more information then i have read on the net so far. I have 1 question though, besides the 3 stock fans that come with it, you can only put 1 120mm fan in the upper front for intake and is that a 25mm thickness? So no 120mm fan can be placed in the front bottom? Are the stock fans pretty good for airflow or should i buy some for it?

Also on the sight CJ4 said to buy it from they say it only comes with 2 fans, is that an error? Im guessing it is.

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Mine came with 3 fans, the top and back were 120x25's and the bottom one in the middle is a 120x38 and they are pretty quiet on low. I tried squeezing a 120 in the front lower grill but there is nothing to mount it to, you can put one there but you will have to make some kind of mounts for it. I set mine up so that the middle fan is pulling air from the front across the hard drives. I left the center trays out and let the front middle fan pull air in towards the motherboard. The back and top are exhaust.

bigdaddyTank said:

Mine came with 3 fans, the top and back were 120x25's and the bottom one in the middle is a 120x38 and they are pretty quiet on low. I tried squeezing a 120 in the front lower grill but there is nothing to mount it to, you can put one there but you will have to make some kind of mounts for it. I set mine up so that the middle fan is pulling air from the front across the hard drives. I left the center trays out and let the front middle fan pull air in towards the motherboard. The back and top are exhaust.

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Are you using the little black air duct thing? Also can it hold 2 80mm fans or just 1?

Jacobman said:

Are you using the little black air duct thing? Also can it hold 2 80mm fans or just 1?

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I have the duct there, but have not yet mounted an 80mm fan (I don't have any spare fans smaller than 92mm). It will only accept one fan.

CJ

Jacobman said:

Are you using the little black air duct thing? Also can it hold 2 80mm fans or just 1?

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Yea it only takes one fan but it didnt fit with the fan on so I just left the entire duct out.

I don't know if I would even want to put a fan there (duct) personally. I think that the case should cool fine without it, but if you want it, go for it.

I will also suggest the centurion 5. At $50 - $80 it is easily the best case in its price range imho. Aside from looking awesome, I modded it into a very respectable cooling case and it will only cost you $10-$15 for an extra 120mm fan and a 120mm grill. This is what you need:

An extra 120mm fan.
A 120mm unrestrictive fan grill.
Something to remove "punched out" fan grills from the case (IE: a dremel).

basically just cut out a blowhole in the back and the intake in the front. put the grill over the back hole and leave the front open. The front mesh not only looks really good but it acts as both a fan grill and filter so no need to further restrict your intake.

This next step will only work if you're a minimalist like me with a single optical and a 3.5" fan/temp monitor. Now I really wanted more intake and after going over ideas in my head I noticed I had a huge space under my optical drive with lots of unused faceplates with little holes in them. Took a 120mm and started to see if I would get lucky and sure enough 4 of the holes line up perfect. Five minutes later I have a totally unabstructed 120mm intake fan pushing air through the entire case straight to the exhaust. Now the stock 80mm acts as an intake/HDD cooler and the 120mm which sits flush with the face just like the 80mm acts as my main intake, moving any dead air the case might have. The dust filter runs up the entire length of the case so it works perfect.

Great case. Only complaints are flimsy tool less clamps (they work just not very well) and its a little cramped in there. Front mesh is a double edged sword. It looks great and is functional but you have to wipe it down every few days since the dust builds up fast. Plus its a pain to remove.

not to put you down, but he said he doesnt want to cut and all that.

Anyway, i want the P180 sooo bad. Nice review BTW. Is there room for a dual 120mm rad on top using the 120 hole that is already there for one of the holes? Also, the CM Wavemaster does look fly, but i would say get the Thermaltake tsunami dream... very similar, but better cooling.

I am getting a P180 shortly from techonweb.com 106.30?!? thats a good deal for what you get. The only downside is i would like a side window, but it would break my heart to cut the specially designed construction... O well

Im looking at buying a P180 but I have doubts about using my powersupply in it, can any of you that have one let me know if this PSU will fit, and be cooled properly in a P180? http://www.svc.com/sf-550psu-blu.html Mostly im worried about the single fan, in the P180 it doesnt look like it will get any air, also if it helps, I currently have a Lian Li PC70.

Spanko said:

Im looking at buying a P180 but I have doubts about using my powersupply in it, can any of you that have one let me know if this PSU will fit, and be cooled properly in a P180? http://www.svc.com/sf-550psu-blu.html Mostly im worried about the single fan, in the P180 it doesnt look like it will get any air, also if it helps, I currently have a Lian Li PC70.

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That should fit fine. The fan in the bottom of the case is setup to blow across the powersupply and pull air from the front of the case, the stock fan is a 120x38 and the back of the case all the way around the powersupply is vented so it should cool your PS just fine. I have the Fortron AX500 and I mounted it with the main fan on the PS pointed up.

although it is expensive
with out having to mod it this seems to cool better than any case i have have ever had
i have had large ,aluminum,and custome cut to fit 120mm fans but this beats them all
the one i have in avatar
it is a cube

Well you dont HAVE to cut the blowholes on the Centurion 5. The 120mm intake will work without cutting, all you have to do is pop out two of the 5 .25 bay covers and screw in the 120mm fan.

The p180 has all the modern perks and looks good when the front door is closed but I hate cases with front doors and the intakes have a total of 3-4 grills/filters in front of them obstructing air flow and thats only if the door is open. I thought that was really wierd then theres the price tag.

Mr.Guvernment said:

Centurion 5

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I just ordered that exact case. For the money you can't go wrong. I currently have the (pos) Raidmax Samurai case,the Samurai sucks for cooling it actually is so poorly designed that it traps air in. I have 2 120mm fans in it and it runs 48 idle 58 under load. I 'm hoping this coolermaster helps that!

RAIDMAX SUCKSSSSS!!~^@$*#$^%#W4432985234!! I know because i have one now... Soon to upgrade to a P180

Wwing49 said:

RAIDMAX SUCKSSSSS!!~^@$*#$^%#W4432985234!! I know because i have one now... Soon to upgrade to a P180

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Yea I'll never buy another Tampax (Raidmax) case again! Iy was a prebuilt that I have in the last year changed everything except the video card and case. Got the case ordered,still happy w/the card!

I'm kinda surprised that no one has asked yet...what kind of cooling are you planning to use?
Water will require a larger case to fit all the components internally (if you care about that) and air cooling should come stock with 120mm fans.

Although the Centurion is an OK case (we use it as our standard build case at the shop), it does have some issues that render it unsuitable for an "enthusiast" build.

I had a CM Stacker and it will accomodate just about anything you want to install...it's a monster sized case.
Unfortunately, I never warmed up to it's looks.

My current case is the Silverstone TJ-06 (in black).
The standard "windtunnel" is actually quite effective, assuming your board layout is suitable. DFI LanParty boards are problematical due to their oddball DIMM placement, but even without the shroud, aircooling was very good.

Watercooling will require some modification (which is typical I've found), but the end results can be quite spectacular.

One feature that I've really come to appreciate is the pseudo-BTX mounting of the motherboard (the Stacker can be configured this way also).
Cable routing seems a lot easier and the video card now has the hot side up, which is a real benefit if you are aircooling.

I was really looking forward to the release of the P-180 too, but having seen one in person (we just sold the case...didn't build it), I'm not so sure.
Much like the Lian-li V-series, the internal structure is very compartmentalized, forcing you to work within strictures determined by the designers.
I much prefer a wide open interior ( my Silverstone was entirely gutted and rebuilt) that allows for more component placement options.
That said, the P-180 looks like it would be nice if you just wanted to do a straightforward build/install.

Good luck, whatever case you decide on.

WOW, this thread actually managed to get me excited about a case! I actually want to buy a new case now. I've glanced at pictures of that Centurion 5 before and it didn't appeal to me at all, but now that I look at it and notice the front steel mesh, the 120mm exhaust fan, the nice drive cages, the sleek looks, yadda yadda yadda; I have found my new favorite case!! That thing ROCKS! And as someone said before, there is enough room in the bottom three 5 1/4" spaces for a 120mm fan and it works perfectly since the whole front of the drive bay covers are that mesh!
And all for less than $60!!!
OOHHHH, I just really want that case now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so yeah, after all that mubling on and on, I would also have to recommend the Coolermaster Centurion 5! the Lian Li PC-70 is damn nice also but it is just so expensive! Steel or not, that Centurion is nearly perfect