Ok... Bragging Time... WOOT!!!
Best Lan Lee Case in the world... Just make sure you don't have any ceiling overhangs cause I HEAR that this is a MONSTER! Very Tall.
I will know very soon... Only complaint Ive heard... Got to buy bigger Cables to reach things.
Here is my public wish list... Its for a Network Storage Server that will be able to grow to over 22 Drives.
https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersio...indows+2003+/+Linux+NAS+Low+Power+Consumption
The case is a
LIAN LI PC-V2000Bplus II Black Aluminum Server Computer Case - Retail
Lian Li makes excellent practical boxes with amazing flexibility, and easy setups that with some time, tie wraps and careful working, you can make your machine look awesome, both inside and out. Lian Li and Cheap shouldn't go in the same sentience. The best cases cost a bunch, and are of the finest workmanship, utility and materials.
However I would HIGHLY recommend you look at the Cooler Master Stacker II
I own the first Stacker, and its a awesome device, though there are some flaws in it. I hear the latest Stackers are perfect (though the new one had a drive door cover, which would drive me nuts cause I swap so many disks in and out of the machine. The door on the new ones can be opened either way). The Cooler Master's Stackers are always the highest acclaimed boxes in almost any review Ive read.
Now if you want a machine that is a peace of art... Go with Silverstone! The boxes look amazing. The paint on my machine is black, and looks better then a new Ferrari. Of course, they are usually the largest pain in the *** to work on. I bought dominator memory with the Large heat sink! It blocks the second 5 1/2 inch drive bay. Other people have found that some boxes wont fit equipment too boot!
If your looking to water cool, I was able to fit in a Internal 3 120mm fan radiator, and a pump in my cooler master, though I needed to mod to fit my external passive cooled resivor. If you want the space for more, or a monster pump, and a internal resivor, I would recommend the server box, for if you removed the 12 drive bays, you would have so much room in it you could park your car and still have space for a peltier system.
Lastly, if your looking for massive modifications, I would look at the least expensive cooler masters or the antecs. They are simple boxes, that could be used to remove the shell, cut into them, and even add wood or other materials to your hearts content. The Antecs usually come with a plastic front, which would be easy to remove making a good flat surface with 1 or 2" to work on building that custom made look with any material that you feel would add that special look.
Lastly, the Cooler Master is the king of air flow. Side air vent, with a front grill. The ability to add a addon a crossflow fan
http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g/c15/s462/list/p1/b26/Cooler_Master-Case_Fans-Cross_Flow-Page1.html
One fan on the back, plus room for 2 PSU's, or a modified 2 fans in the back. The drive bays are all on plastic rails that clip the drive bays on (no screws needed), Tons of front drive space, and dont forget the
http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g/c...rmaster_Parts-Coolermaster_HD_Kits-Page1.html
Hard drives do have to be screwed in to these kits, and holding 8 wirers (4 pata or sata + 4 power) can make it hard to modify. The side loaded hard drive bays on the Lain Lee server I mentioned above will provide much faster insertion, better cable management, and easier to maintain / add drives. This is not a unique design and you can always look for it in other cases. I even modified a non-screw in drive from another box to fit on the bottom of a Antec, that provided this rear drive access.
Other things to look for is, size, front USB ports of high quality (sorry but the cooler master II front USB ports blow... Ive had one set break on me in less then a year.) and Firewire ports. Plugs that fir Front headphone/mic support is available on some sound cards and motherboards, but not the X-Fi or many other devices.
Aluminum is your friend if you ever want to move. If a case comes with wheels, they usually have locks. These locks are the stupidest things on the planet. They seem to be locked when ever you want to move the case, and they are hard as hell to unlock when you are in a tight fit. I have opted to buy some wheels from Home Depot, that fit to the exact dimensions of the existing drives. They do not have locks, and my machine is right next to my legs without a wall to lean against. I increased the size of these wheels from 1/2" that they come with too 1". The machine is stable, will not tip, nor does it move on carpet without intention. The wirers plugged into the back of the machine will keep it in place.
The front of the cooler master I case comes with plastic drive covers that snap into place, however they often slide in too far
These have a mesh to them that act as great dust collectors, keeping your machine clean. I refuse to install a floppy drive, so the room to run cables in the back of the mobo comes in handy for a nice clean look and a easy access for the stupid install disks needed with Windows XP. Thank GOD vista will accept USB drives, CD/DVD drives and a few other ways to load drivers. No more floppies! FINALLY!
Lastly cooling. Many boxes, including the cooler master, provide a ton of cooling... They overkill it. More fans are nice, but at some point they become useless.
The coolermaster Stacker I also comes with a mesh bottom. This is about a 1/2 inch rise that doesnt cover the whole bottom. Its great for additional air flow, but you will have to build a special riser if you want to fit pumps and other stuff down there. I used plastic, with aluminum trim found at home depot for this. It creates a flat surface, though spilling coolant becomes a major pain in the *** due to the grill. I would recommend removing this grill entirely and then just making a bottom to it. Not hard if you have a bit of a craftsman's in you.
I built a bottom that fits around the grill. I also cut a whole in the grill the size of my PSU fan and placed my PSU to suck air from under the case. Since the case now stand over 1" from the ground the air is really not obstructive, and blows cool air into the psu. Only problem... Dust... Luckily a pen to hold the fan in place, and compressed air from a compressor blows the thing clean in a matter of minutes.
The stacker II does come with clearance issues that make a top mounted water cooling device a bit challenging. I wouldnt recommend a internal cooler, though one of the ones that fit on top of it.
The silver Stone I have in my sig, is an amazing case, though it would of been impossible if I didnt have the resivor submersed pump combo that I use. I then pump the water out of the rig, in a two fan external radiator that sits well behind my machine. The CPU temps are lower then the motherboard and case temps. I got lucky when I switched water cooling, though I had to make allot of modifications to my case (some listed above). The pump that I didnt use, went into the silver stone with JUST enough space to fit it. It couldnt of been a clooser fit. One of the few things that went well with the two builds.
I hope all this information is helpful in choosing the solution thats best for you. Last things to think of, removable MoBo trays... sure they make the initial installation of a MoBo easier that is if you don't want to run electrical wire's under the mobo. Thus because Im a perfectionist who does everything I can to hide and manage wires, I find that removable MoBo case trays are not a make or break deal.
Materials... Well aluminum is great to work with. Easy to cut wholes into, but you can easily compromise the cases internal strength if you mess up. With big non-locked wheels, the mostly steel case of the Stacker is an ideal choice making allot of the move a simple slide along the floor.
The stacker comes with a open design by default, with vent holes everywere! Who needs fans when the Mobo, CPU and other components are so widely open to the outside environment. In fact my back fan broke, and is locked up. I have bought another one, but I have never had any high temps in the entire machine. Would be nice to blow air on the "passive" resivor mounted right behind it.
Because all air comes from the front, dust has been very minimum/almost non-existent. (the biggest problem is the radiator was clogged with the stuff, and needed to be blown out with Pressured air. Still not 100% clean, but the water temps have returned to reasonable.
GreenJelly
Hows that for a complete answer... with all this in mind, its easy to think of what you want; and make a choice all your own.
