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Ahhhh.... CASE HELP!

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Adrayic

Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2004
Location
CANADA
I've been researching cases for months now and still can't decide on which one I want.

Here's what I'm looking for:

- 2x120mm fans (inlet and exhaust)
- a larger midtower case (something I can grow into)
- preferably black but also like silver
- preferably with a side window
- need a fan controller (doesn't have to come w/ the case)
- would like a temperature display (can you get these build into a fan controller?)
- budget for the case is: apprx 150CAD

A note on the budget - I am flexible and could probably dig up the funds if I can justify spending them. This system will probably last me a few years. How long do you think it will be before BTX is mainstream? I only ask because dont want to drop a whole bunch of money on an ATX case and only have it last me one build.

The case has to accomodate the following hardware:

- OCZ Powerstream 520W
- DFI NF4 Ultra-D Motherboard
- XP-120 Heat sink w/ 120mm fan
- 2 hard drives (one may be a 74Gb Raptor)
- 2 optical drives
- fan controller (if the case doesn't have one build in)

Another note: I value the cases cooling ability above anything else. I am looking at OCing a winchester (3000 or 3200) to 2600-3000 mhz so good cooling is a must!!

My research has turned up the following candidates:
(the following are from NCIX.com and prices are in Canadian dollars)

- Antec P160 - $156
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=10624&vpn=P160&manufacture=ANTEC

- Solid all-round case.... tried and tested.

- Silverstone TJ06 - 177
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=13600&vpn=SST-TJ06-BW&manufacture=Silverstone Technology

- I was told the DFI NF4 Mb w/ XP-120 will not fit in the wind tunnel. Despite this, many people are getting excellent results using this case without the wind tunnel.

- Silverstone TJ05 w/ controller - $220
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=13611&vpn=SST-TJ05-BT&manufacture=Silverstone Technology

- EXPENSIVE... but very nice, excellent cooling and LCD controller :)

- MGE Quantum - $171
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=13748&vpn=CA-QUANTUM-BK&manufacture=MGE

- MGE gets mixed reviews by people on the forums and in the reviews. However, this case seems to stand out among the OC community. I have read a couple of reviews on this case and all of them gave it praise.
PRO's - Integratted fan controller w/ temp display, supposedly has good cooling (lots of ventilation)
Cons - 3 80mm fans and 2 92 mm fans w/ 2 big vents = lotsa noise - although the reviews never mentioned the noise to be a problem

Now on the budget side
-------------------------

- Coolermaster Centurion 5 - $67
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=13954&vpn=CAC-T05-UW/UB&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

- CHEAP... and I like the design.. simple fut effective.
- I am concerned with the cooling though... 1 120mm fan and 1 80mm intake.... and the case is a little small.

- Chieftec / Chenming cases
- There are several of these available but I am having a hard time finding one w/ dual 120mm fans. Most of them (like the dragon) come w/ 2 80mm intakes and 2 80mm exhausts. Does anybody know if there are any dual 120mm versions?
-------------------

My personal favorites are the TJ05 and the TJ06. I've been pouring over the reviews but just can't seem to make up my mind about which one is better. I particularly like Anandtechs review of the TJ06 because it compares it w/ the TJ05.
http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling/showdoc.aspx?i=2219&p=9

As you can see from the review, the TJ06 has better cooling than the TJ05... but this was while using the windtunnel. I was unable to find any reviews on TJ06 performance w/ out the windtunnel. Also note that the TJ06 was 4db louder than the TJ05. I dont think this is a big difference but its worth noting. What do you guys think.... TJ05 or TJ06??

On the cheap side...

How much better would 2x120mm cool a case than 4 80mm? And how much noisier will 4 80mm fans be? I guess I should say that I really dont want something noisy... I can handle a bit of noise but I dont want my computer sounding like a turbine. I'm wondering if I should just get something cheap like a Chieftec Dragon. The TJ05 is 3x the price of the dragon.... I'm having a hard time justifying the money... how much worse would something like the dragon or centurion 5 be?

Any help would be greatly appreciated... I'm really stuck :-/

-Adrayic
 
My only personal experience with the cases on your list involves the Centurian and the SS TJ06.
The Centurian would top my list of "budget cases", but there is no doubt that the SS is my favorite of all current units available.

Of the two TJ06 builds that I have done, only the first used the stock AMD HSF which allowed the use of the "windtunnel". Clearly, Silverstone picked the supplied fans for their noise factor ( almost silent), not the CFM (very low).
Idle/load on this machine runs in the 40-55C range.

In my personal PC (also a TJ06) the stock fans were replaced with Nidec 120x120x38mm 3-bladed fans (108CFM) and the HS is a XP-90 (also sporting a big Nidec on an adaptor) so the windtunnel was not an option.
My unit idles in the low thirties and hits mid-forties under load with the fans (regulated by a Sunbeam rheobus) in the 7-9v range ( hence fairly quiet).

BTW, the 80mm front intake on the SS is a waste of energy...it makes no difference whatsoever to CPU/case temps, so I removed it altogether.

My biggest complaint with the TJ06 is the HDD cage...there is no provision for cooling the drives save for the PSU intake.
There is plenty of room on the backplane for fannage and this weekend I plan on modding the case to rectify this problem.
My guess is that SS will release a rev.2 of the case that incorporates some sort of active HDD cooling, but as is, my drives run in the mid-thirties range...not terrible, but higher than when they were in the excellent CM Stacker HDD cage (which has a dedicated 120mm fan built in).

I really like my Silverstone and would recommend it without reservation.
 
Adrayic said:
This system will probably last me a few years. How long do you think it will be before BTX is mainstream? I only ask because dont want to drop a whole bunch of money on an ATX case and only have it last me one build.
If you want a case that will support BTX, go with the Coolermaster Stacker. It has plenty of room and great cooling. http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=12315&vpn=STC-T01-UWK&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

Thermaltake has two new cases very similar to the Stacker, they will probably be cheaper, so you may want to look into them.

http://www.thermaltake.com/xaserCase/kandalf/kandalfmenu.htm
http://www.thermaltake.com/xasercase/armor/armormenu.htm

The case I have (Jeantech Apollo) has exactly the same layout as the TJ05 case (with the addition of a top blowhole), and only set be back £63 (rather than around £90 for the TJ05), but the front panel will require a bit of modding. I don't think you'll find it in Canada though.

On the (slightly) cheaper side the NZXT Nemesis has 3x 120mm fans - $87.99 http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1121851&Sku=A406-1006

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1121852&Sku=A406-1010 - The NZXT Nemesis Elite matches all the features you've listed and is $148.99 the fan controller w/ temperature display on this case features:

3x fan control
3x temperature display
Date and clock (w/alarm)
Temperature alarm


Adrayic said:
How much better would 2x120mm cool a case than 4 80mm? And how much noisier will 4 80mm fans be? I guess I should say that I really dont want something noisy... I can handle a bit of noise but I dont want my computer sounding like a turbine.
I would go for the 120mm fans, as they can spin slower to move the same amount of air, thus are quieter. There are "high-performance" 80mm fans around but they are VERY loud, (eg. Vantec Tornado is 55.2dBA/84.1CFM), and the "silent" 80mm fans don't move very much air (eg. Vantec Stealth is 21dBA/27CFM). The 120mm version of the Vantec Stealth is 28dBA/53CFM.
 
Clocker: Thanks for the interesting information. I really like the TJ06 but I am really worried about HD cooling primarily because I am thinking of going w/ a 74Gb Raptor and a 300Gb Seagate 7200.8 or Diamondmax 10 for storage. I dont know if its safe to run both of these without adequate ventilation. What do you think? Let me know how the mod goes. I would be interested to see how much difference it makes.


Vince: I was able to take a look at the Stacker in person today. I can't say I like the look of it much but I really like the design. I love the fan layout and there is plenty of room to expand in the future. I am giving this case serious consideration. I guess I'll have to go back to the store a few more times... maybe the asthetics will grow on me.

The NZXT Nemesis is a little to busy for me. I'm looking for something clean and smooth looking. The two thermaltake cases you listed are excellent suggestions and I am currently looking into them. I think if I end up going that route it will be w/ a Stacker but nothing is for sure yet.

I had a chance to see the P160 for the first time today.... very impressive. When I saw the pictures of it on the net I can't say I liked it too much.... well seeing it in person definately made me reconsider. Now I just need to find a place that carries the Silverstone cases so I can go have a look at them.

How would the P160 compare to something like the TJ06 or the TJ05 in terms of cooling?

-Adrayic
 
Adrayic said:
I was able to take a look at the Stacker in person today. I can't say I like the look of it much...
I don't like its looks either, (I take it you know you can get it with a window?) personally I prefer the TT Kandalf's looks.


Adrayic said:
The NZXT Nemesis is a little to busy for me. I'm looking for something clean and smooth looking.
I don't blame you, they're pretty ugly, but I listed them anyway as you may have liked them!


Adrayic said:
How would the P160 compare to something like the TJ06 or the TJ05 in terms of cooling?
I would imagine both the SS cases would out perform it cooling wise, but if your concerned about hot HDDs the P160 would be better then the TJ06, unless you invested in some sort of HDD cooling.
 
Adrayic said:
Clocker: Thanks for the interesting information. I really like the TJ06 but I am really worried about HD cooling primarily because I am thinking of going w/ a 74Gb Raptor and a 300Gb Seagate 7200.8 or Diamondmax 10 for storage. I dont know if its safe to run both of these without adequate ventilation. What do you think? Let me know how the mod goes. I would be interested to see how much difference it makes.
I did not mean to overexaggerate the HDD situation in the SS case...it's really not that bad.
I too am running a Raptor (36GB) and a Seagate SATA in the stock HDD cage and the temps are in the mid-thirties which is well within the manufacturer's spec.
I hope to do better with some moddage, but really, I could easily just leave it alone and be fine.
The HDD situation is not at all a reason to downgrade the TJ06...it's still my first choice in cases.
 
Clocker: Well I think I'll try and find a place that stocks the TJ06 and go take a look. As for cable lengths, did you have any troubles installing all your components? (were the cables long enough) Is there anything else I should know about the TJ06? How is the noise w/ the Nidic fans you installed? Thanks for the info... its been really helpful.

-Adrayic
 
The Nidecs produce more of a whoooosh than anything else.
I'm probably going to space them away from the case walls some and see if that helps, but the noise is well within reason.

Due to the positioning of the PSU above the HDD cage you may have some issues with the ATX cable length....my NeoPower just makes it, but of course your choice of motherboard and PSU will determine your outcome.

Pictures really do not do this case justice...it's beauteous in person.
 
Motherboard and PSU will be DFI NF4 Ultra-D and OCZ Powerstream 520W. Hopefully everything fits.

The pictures make the case look very clean and smooth - something I'm definately looking for. I really can't wait to check one out in person.... just dont know anybody that carries them in Canada (Edmonton specifically). Whats the finish like?

Also - what do you recommend for a fan controller? I am looking for something to control the 2 120mm fans on the case as well as the 120mm fan that will go on the XP-120. Preferably I would like it to include a temperature read out and an auto adjust feature that adjusts the fans depending on the temperature. Any suggestions?

-Adrayic
 
Adrayic said:
Also - what do you recommend for a fan controller? I am looking for something to control the 2 120mm fans on the case as well as the 120mm fan that will go on the XP-120. Preferably I would like it to include a temperature read out and an auto adjust feature that adjusts the fans depending on the temperature. Any suggestions?

-Adrayic
I have tried several controllers ( the latest was the Eudemon from SS) and still think that the only one to use is the Sunbeam. If you want a readout I would recommend a Matrix Orbital displaying the data from Motherboard Monitor.

The fans supplied by Silverstone don't need a controller as they are already very quiet (but also wimpy, IMO) and basically useless at anything less than full whack. I replaced mine immediately and expect you will too.

The layout of the DFI board is almost certainly going to preclude the use of the windtunnel as the socket is moved more to the center of the PCB due to the DIMM placement. Also, the socket alignment is off by 90 degrees for good placement of heatpipes should your chosen HS use them. I know that TR is now claiming that their heatpipes are not sensitive to orientation, but I'm not so sure and would much prefer a different socket layout.
It doesn't look like the ATX header is going to cause your PSU any problems however.

The case finish appears to be a semi-matt powdercoat, but may well just be paint. Mine is black, I have yet to see the silver version.
The alloy front panel is a semigloss black (anodized, I assume) and the resulting contrast is very pleasing to my eye.

Side-by-side with a CM Stacker, a TT Tsunami and a CM Centurion, the Silverstone really stood out as a class act, but I've noticed quite a variation in response to it at the shop.
The folks who like it really like it and everyone else thinks it is boring/plain.
I have been through over ten cases in the past two years and no longer look at a case for it's modding potential, instead preferring a case that I don't have to hack up to make suitable.
The Stacker is certainly more easily adaptable, especially if watercooling is planned, but I much prefer the Silverstone's looks and it's performance with an aircooling solution is just fine so far.
 
Clocker - thanks for the excellent information. I'll be checking out a TJ06 soon... I'm sure I will like it... I like the pictures so the real thing should be even better. As for the fan controller - I think I've narrowed it down to the Sunbeam or a Vantec 305 (I want the cathode lights anyways). I've decided against an LCD screen... I'll just use motherboard monitor.

-Adrayic
 
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