SLK3700 -- any problems?

anything wrong with the slk3700bqe?

Hey all, i've been really pis*ed at my really crappy chenbro gaming bomb case lately, cause the right side panel is riveted on (it isn't secured all the way so it rattles like u wouldnt believe)

it also just has a realy crappy design, there's like 4 - 3.5" bays, hardly anything close to enough, also the basic layout just blows, the 120mm fan mount at the back is so close to the psu that its like 1 cm off, and i have two 120mmm fans in the back (one in the psu in sig) so theres a lot of fighting for air in that area in the back because my 92mm hsf is also right there

so i would like to know a few things, about the slk3700bqe

1) I read online that the side door rattles

2) any other general problems with the 3700bqe?, like does the rotated HDD rack raise airflow problems?

3) which one to buy...the BQE or AMB, the amb is a few bucks cheaper, but is it a better case?

4) has anyone that has owned this case have problems with the evercool 120mm aluminum fan? i am planning on using two if these fans in the front and back and i wanted to know if there were any problems mounting it, my last case (the POS mentioned above) had a 120mm fan "adapter" that couldnt fit the aluminum fan, i had to mod in my own hole with new screw holes as well, a PITA as u would imagine

5) do the front black vents on the bezel restrict airflow? if so, can u show me ways to mod it? i remember seeing a guy modding it and putting metal mesh in there...i thought it looked pretty cool but i cant remember where i saw it

EDIT : added questions

I would suggest the AMB - the BQE does have cooling issues from the different hd rack from what I understand. The AMB does get quieter if you dremel out the honeycomb fan grilles.

My AMB's side panel doesn't rattle, and never has... only issue I've ever had is that the front panel arrived with one of the mounting clips broken, but it doesn't show and I can live with it. I haven't done anything with the airflow on the case front - it does fine for me as is.

The PSU isn't a great one for overclocking - I would have it swapped for the new Fortron 400w w/120mm fan if possible, or one of the Truepowers.

bump...bump

The BQE and AMB are almost exactly the same case except for exterior paint job and the hard drive bay. I would recommend the AMB of the two, it's a very fine case and has worked great for me.

Save the money and get the AMB. I love mine, even with five 120mm modded into it and the fan grills punched. The inside frame is very thick and cutting the grills does wear out those cutoff wheels. With the grills, front panel and fan filter, intake airflow is very restriced at stock. The BQE it would be even worse with the rotated hdd rack.

Also, this case is a bit taller and wider than most mid-towers, however, a watercooling system would be rather cramped. Plan carefully if wc.

At $67 at newegg, it's a steal. You might want a beefier psu than the stock 350.

i have the bqe and love it, the side panel doesnt rattle at all. the hdd rack would be great if you had a window because its easier to hide wires.

the front 120mm fan has to be 25mm think, 38mm fans will not work, but i believe the evercool aluminums are 25mm, so that shouldnt be a problem.

airflow is not a problem for me, i have the standard antec 120 in front @12v, but it only pushes 40~50cfm so its pretty quiet, in back i have a radio shack 120 @7volts and on the proc i have a 92mm tornado @7volts. its an amd 2500+ at 2.2ghz. also in the case is an overclocked 9800np, leadtek tv, card sb audigy soundcard, dlink nic card. and an antec true430. mobo is an epox 8rda with vdd mod @1.9v.

id have to say that airflow is not a problem for me to run all of that overclocked hardware w/ no stability issues. in fact i didnt see any more than 2~3c load temp difference from my old case, which was a thermaltake xaser (antec/cheiftec clone) modded to hold 4 92mm fans (2 intake/2exaust) @50cfm each plus an 80mm side panel intake and the psu exaust.

i paid 89$ for my case and it was worth every penny

ok....one last question does the bqe come with those little springy metal things along-side of the case where the side panel touches it? its like on the out-line of where the side panel is...u will only know what im talking about if u have actually seen em b4

if you are talking about the side panel handles it has two, other than that my panels dont have anything on them

hahaha that couldnt have answered my question any worse lol, i mean the little tabs on the case itself, not the handles or side panels, they are little springy metal tabs that were in the older antec solution series cases, they are on the case like where the side panel touches the case on the top and bottom, its hard to explain, u can only see it to know what im talking about

It's been a while since I've seen those tabs but no the BQE or AMB doesn't not have them. I love the SLK3700 AMB. Quiet little thing a lot of case for the money.

bumpity bump bump bump bumpity bump bump bump over the hills we go

I love the BQE. I'm not one to mind computer noise, but I can appreciate the components that come with the BQE which are *extremely* quiet. I'm also an avid modder, but it's worth the extra $15 for the quiet PSU/fan and to not have to mod the fan grills

No rattling.

The HDD rack does cause some airflow problems, but it's still better than the Sonata because the fan in the BQE is forcing air directly across instead of sucking from inside the case itself.

There should be no problems with your 120mm fans. The front fan can only be 25mm deep, but the rear fan can be 38mm.

ok, now im thinking of adding a 120mm led fan @ directron, its gonna be blue and it will be at the front, one thing though, do yall 120mm fans look good on the side? im gonna have a blowhole over the video card in the bottom left corner of the side panel, will this look OK?

ok so heres the airflow plan in the slk3700bqe that i will be getting ---
1x blue 120mm led fan front intake 55cfm?
1x evercool aluminum 120mm 79cfm over video card in bottom left side panel
1x M1a panaflo 120mm ~87cfm
1x 120mm fan in psu ~34cfm

does anyone know the cfm of the led fan at directron? i have bought one b4 and the only thing on the label is super flower

tell me what yall think of this plan, and if i could have any improvements on it, also is it necessary to remove the fan grills in the bqe? they look really un restrictive to me....

ok, how is this fan grill, i found it at directron its here, will it be as effective as the aluminum ones or as the foam ones?

the bqe is soooooo quiet. I mean like whoa. And pretty good set up. I didn't like the whole sideways hd mount but not a big problem.

the amb has a diff psu and the grills need to be cut out and it doesn't have the nifty isolated hd mount.

a good look at both can be found at http://www.silentpcreview.com/article76-page1.html

THREAD RESURRECTION


ok im about to really buy this case soon, so i have one more question, does the bqe have enough room in the back to mount a fan on the exterior of the case? also, do u have to use the little rubber things in the back of the case? im thinking of using a nut and bolt (the ones u get in the thermaltake smart fan I/II) and i was just wondering if it would work

You can use nuts and bolts. To mount a fan on the outside of the case you need to cut out the stamped grills. This is because it protrudes out of the case.

Tebore said:

You can use nuts and bolts. To mount a fan on the outside of the case you need to cut out the stamped grills. This is because it protrudes out of the case.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the low-restriction stamped grill on the rear on the case does protrude outwards (which makes a lot of sense from a design/airflow standpoint). If you need to have the 120mm fan mounted externally, you'd have to either cut the fan grill out, or make a simple shroud to avoid the fan sucking air from outside the case (this is assuming that the fan will be exhausting).

yeah, when i buy it, im gonna mod the external grill out for better airflow and so on..

thx for the info guys, im really gonna be happy when directron has the slk3700bqe back in stock (those bas*ards have it on backorder) and ill be doing a few mods

also one other thing...what fan do yall recommend i put in the bottom left corner over the video card area? im thinknig of modding a hole right there, im thinknig of using a 92mm fan i already have a 92mm NMB fan, not sure on the specs but its .28a

or some other 120mm or 80mm fan what do yall suggest?

Well I'd get a 120MM panaflo H1A and 7 voltmod it. Lotsa air and low noise. Goodluck cutting the side panel it's thicker than the cases I worked with in the past(explains why it's really solid and quiet). It's a reallly good cause enjoy my friend enjoy.