Thiddy needs a case

thideras · 04-11-08, 08:41 PM

Well, I've decided to "get rid" of my benching station and go to a case since I'm basically done with benchmarking. I've been looking around at a few cases and got an idea of what I want. There are a couple rules:

Price is not a problem (to a point, no $300+ cases), but cheaper is better
Size is not an issue, the bigger the better
I have no problem modding (removing grills, new holes)
Quiet is nice

The case MUST:

Be able to support full ATX
Take AT LEAST 4 drives, they must be actively cooled
If there is a door, it has to have space on the inside for my fan controller
Decent airflow (Cosmos is too little)
I don't like large fans (200mm+), they don't push much air and have horrible pressure
Color doesn't matter....to a point
Weight/material doesn't matter

I'll add more if I think of it. I'm picky...very very picky.

I have looked at:

CM Cosmos (too little airflow...don't really care for the design)
CM Stacker 830 Evolution (not bad, seriously considering)
Lian-Li 2000/2100 (love them, airflow is a little on the low side)
Gigabyte 3D Aurora (not bad)
Antec 900 (don't care for)
Antec 1200 (see above)
Thermaltake Armor (loved this case when I had it)
Thermaltake Armor PLUS (HATE, DO NOT WANT, uglier than sin)
Thermaltake Mozart TX (not bad)
Caseless (hard to carry around, easily broken components, price is a plus though)

Any input/pictures/impressions is highly appreciated. I must make a point. I do not "just go" with a case, that is why I'm doing information gathering here.

If I forgot any information or need to add anything, I'll do so.

Adragontattoo · 04-11-08, 08:50 PM

UFO
Just clear out a 10' sq to plop the case down.

thideras · 04-11-08, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adragontattoo

UFO
Just clear out a 10' sq to plop the case down.

Thanks for the idea. While they make very nice cases, I'd rather not drop that much on one....let me check what other ones they have though.

Adragontattoo · 04-11-08, 08:57 PM

I keep debating the Tt cube type case. Supposedly it will hold a Full ATX IIRC AND a mATX.

HTPC and Fileserver AIO!

thideras · 04-11-08, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adragontattoo

I keep debating the Tt cube type case. Supposedly it will hold a Full ATX IIRC AND a mATX.

HTPC and Fileserver AIO!

If it could do two ATX's, I'd do it

Then my server would be with me at all times.

mattspalace · 04-11-08, 09:00 PM

I'd buy the Stacker 830 if I was you. That was my first choice actually but the shipping costs to get it from Newegg to Stuttgart, Germany were just too high. So I had to narrow it down to what I could buy on the German economy and the Cosmos was it.

Although if you replace that 120x25mm with a 120x38mm fan, the airflow is actually pretty good. It's a pretty quiet case as well. Have you looked at the Cosmos S? Might be an option.. No door and has a 120mm fan in the front as well.

thideras · 04-11-08, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattspalace

Although if you replace that 120x25mm with a 120x38mm fan, the airflow is actually pretty good. It's a pretty quiet case as well. Have you looked at the Cosmos S? Might be an option.. No door and has a 120mm fan in the front as well.

The S also has one of the huge useless fans

Thanks for the input.

gsrcrxsi · 04-11-08, 10:42 PM

i love my antec 900. i know you said you arent fond of it, but it does have great airflow. i think it makes a good use of space i have 5 HDDs in mine and i could fit 3 more easily. HDDs are actively cooled. nice big fan on top keeps all the air moving, etc. i;m not a fan of huge cases.

gsrcrxsi · 04-11-08, 10:47 PM

ill throw in some pics

no drilling needed, just some ingenuity

thideras · 04-11-08, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsrcrxsi

i;m not a fan of huge cases.

LOL, I get it

You're not a fan of big cases

Cable management doesn't seem to be too bad...just seems a little small...I'll reconsider it

. Thanks for the pictures!

If anyone else has pics of a case you'd suggest (with hardware installed), that would be great, it helps me figure out how much space I have to work with! gsrcrxsi's pictures are a perfect example!

cabose1227 · 04-11-08, 10:58 PM

I love my raidmax smilodon, dont have pics though.

thideras · 04-11-08, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cabose1227

I love my raidmax smilodon, dont have pics though.

That case is really small, I don't think my setup would work well in it.

cabose1227 · 04-11-08, 11:04 PM

Its not to small.

thideras · 04-11-08, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cabose1227

Its not to small.

Sorry, but to me, that would be cramped. I like to have room to move my hands

I have a Raidmax case EXACTLY that size; it was my server...and difficult to work with.

cabose1227 · 04-11-08, 11:22 PM

I like how the pannels flopdown but it is hard to get the wires nice.

freeagent · 04-11-08, 11:28 PM

i think youd be pretty happy with a stacker

have you seen that stacker slacker thread at xs?

thideras · 04-11-08, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeagent

i think youd be pretty happy with a stacker

have you seen that stacker slacker thread at xs?

I have not

If you could link it, I'll check it out tomorrow at work

...or I'll use my google-fu skills

gsrcrxsi · 04-12-08, 12:19 AM

the cable management could be better, but thats the best i could do without cutting anything.

thideras · 04-12-08, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freeagent

i think youd be pretty happy with a stacker

have you seen that stacker slacker thread at xs?

Omg.....that case is awesome...I see sooooo many good ideas there. Might have to pick one up.

*link for self*
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...d.php?t=102550

jmsanders2 · 04-12-08, 12:24 AM

i've got this case, cant remember the name but i think it had 690 on it that someone did a good review on.

boy are you picky

04-11-08, 08:41 PM	Thread Starter #1
thideras Banned Neckbeard Moderator Premium Member #3 Join Date: May 2006 Location: South Dakota	Thiddy needs a case Well, I've decided to "get rid" of my benching station and go to a case since I'm basically done with benchmarking. I've been looking around at a few cases and got an idea of what I want. There are a couple rules: Price is not a problem (to a point, no $300+ cases), but cheaper is better Size is not an issue, the bigger the better I have no problem modding (removing grills, new holes) Quiet is nice The case MUST: Be able to support full ATX Take AT LEAST 4 drives, they must be actively cooled If there is a door, it has to have space on the inside for my fan controller Decent airflow (Cosmos is too little) I don't like large fans (200mm+), they don't push much air and have horrible pressure Color doesn't matter....to a point Weight/material doesn't matter I'll add more if I think of it. I'm picky...very very picky. I have looked at: CM Cosmos (too little airflow...don't really care for the design) CM Stacker 830 Evolution (not bad, seriously considering) Lian-Li 2000/2100 (love them, airflow is a little on the low side) Gigabyte 3D Aurora (not bad) Antec 900 (don't care for) Antec 1200 (see above) Thermaltake Armor (loved this case when I had it) Thermaltake Armor PLUS (HATE, DO NOT WANT, uglier than sin) Thermaltake Mozart TX (not bad) Caseless (hard to carry around, easily broken components, price is a plus though) Any input/pictures/impressions is highly appreciated. I must make a point. I do not "just go" with a case, that is why I'm doing information gathering here. If I forgot any information or need to add anything, I'll do so. __________________ Desktop: Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H \| 3570k 4.6 GHz \| 32 GB GSkill Ares \| GTX 570 \| 180 GB Intel & 2 TB total \| Arch Linux and Windows 7 Main server: 37 TB raw disk \| 2x Opteron 6134 \| Asus KGPE-D16 \| 48 GB RAM \| LSI 8708EM2 \| CentOS 6.2 VM Server 1: Dell R510 \| 2x E5645 \| 128 GB RAM \| 4x 300 GB Velociraptor \| Xen Cloud Platform (XCP) VM Server 2: Dell R710 \| 2x E5645 \| 288 GB RAM \| 8x 300 GB Velociraptor \| Xen Cloud Platform (XCP) "That's not overkill, or a lot. That's just thiderastic." -txus.palacios Current projects: Rackmount Overkill (New) \| 30/45 hard drive server Articles: Rack Mounting 101 \| Dell Perc 5/i Throughput Benchmarks Past projects: Software RAID \| The Dragon Case My Website *Want to talk directly to all* the moderators at once? Call the Mod Hotline!** Last edited by thideras; 04-11-08 at 09:01 PM.
	QUOTE Thanks

04-11-08, 08:50 PM	#2
Adragontattoo Trailer Chasing Senior Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: 102 year old Victorian that I am renovat/moderniz-ing and fixing.	UFO Just clear out a 10' sq to plop the case down. __________________ Only ISP provided, .EDU, .GOV, .MIL e-mail addresses are Classifieds approved. Are you unable to access the Classifieds? Click here to find out why! The Forum Rules FAQ\|Classies Rules and Regs Prices, slashes and edits Quality over Quantity Pictures are NOT req. Adopt an animal if you want one, dont use a breeder!
	QUOTE Thanks

04-11-08, 08:57 PM	#4
Adragontattoo Trailer Chasing Senior Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: 102 year old Victorian that I am renovat/moderniz-ing and fixing.	I keep debating the Tt cube type case. Supposedly it will hold a Full ATX IIRC AND a mATX. HTPC and Fileserver AIO! __________________ Only ISP provided, .EDU, .GOV, .MIL e-mail addresses are Classifieds approved. Are you unable to access the Classifieds? Click here to find out why! The Forum Rules FAQ\|Classies Rules and Regs Prices, slashes and edits Quality over Quantity Pictures are NOT req. Adopt an animal if you want one, dont use a breeder!
	QUOTE Thanks

04-11-08, 09:00 PM	#6
mattspalace I been Dolk'ed Senior Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Stuttgart, Germany	I'd buy the Stacker 830 if I was you. That was my first choice actually but the shipping costs to get it from Newegg to Stuttgart, Germany were just too high. So I had to narrow it down to what I could buy on the German economy and the Cosmos was it. Although if you replace that 120x25mm with a 120x38mm fan, the airflow is actually pretty good. It's a pretty quiet case as well. Have you looked at the Cosmos S? Might be an option.. No door and has a 120mm fan in the front as well. __________________ Case: Cooler Master HAF XM Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V RAM: G-Skill Ripjaws X-Series 16GB DDR3-1600 SSD: 2 X 120GB Kingston Hyper-X 3K in RAID-0 CPU: Intel i7 3770K @ 4.2GHz - 1.18V CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme Video Card: EVGA GTX 670 FTW Edition PSU: Corsair AX-750 Monitor: Dell U2410
	QUOTE Thanks

04-11-08, 10:42 PM	#8
gsrcrxsi Member Join Date: Feb 2008	i love my antec 900. i know you said you arent fond of it, but it does have great airflow. i think it makes a good use of space i have 5 HDDs in mine and i could fit 3 more easily. HDDs are actively cooled. nice big fan on top keeps all the air moving, etc. i;m not a fan of huge cases.
	QUOTE Thanks

Thiddy needs a case

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04-11-08, 10:47 PM	#9
gsrcrxsi Member Join Date: Feb 2008	ill throw in some pics no drilling needed, just some ingenuity
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04-11-08, 10:58 PM	#11
cabose1227 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: California 805 ftw	I love my raidmax smilodon, dont have pics though. __________________ \m/ OverClockers mATX L33T Club \m/ New Rig : D, thanks to all the people in the classifieds hooking it up with the good parts! Silverstone FT03 Titanium ASUS Maximus V Gene Intel i5 3570k @4.8 ghz/ s1283 ATI HD 5970 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2x8 1600 Antec 650W 80 plus Platinum OCZ Vertex 4 120gb WD Re4 500gig WD Veloci Raptor 300gb HEAT : caboose1227
	QUOTE Thanks

04-11-08, 11:04 PM	#13
cabose1227 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: California 805 ftw	Its not to small. __________________ \m/ OverClockers mATX L33T Club \m/ New Rig : D, thanks to all the people in the classifieds hooking it up with the good parts! Silverstone FT03 Titanium ASUS Maximus V Gene Intel i5 3570k @4.8 ghz/ s1283 ATI HD 5970 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2x8 1600 Antec 650W 80 plus Platinum OCZ Vertex 4 120gb WD Re4 500gig WD Veloci Raptor 300gb HEAT : caboose1227
	QUOTE Thanks

04-11-08, 11:22 PM	#15
cabose1227 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: California 805 ftw	I like how the pannels flopdown but it is hard to get the wires nice. __________________ \m/ OverClockers mATX L33T Club \m/ New Rig : D, thanks to all the people in the classifieds hooking it up with the good parts! Silverstone FT03 Titanium ASUS Maximus V Gene Intel i5 3570k @4.8 ghz/ s1283 ATI HD 5970 Corsair Dominator Platinum 2x8 1600 Antec 650W 80 plus Platinum OCZ Vertex 4 120gb WD Re4 500gig WD Veloci Raptor 300gb HEAT : caboose1227
	QUOTE Thanks

04-11-08, 11:28 PM	#16
freeagent Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Winnipeg!	i think youd be pretty happy with a stacker have you seen that stacker slacker thread at xs? __________________ Xeon X5690 E.S. @ Stock+Turbo Corsair H100, 4x 38x120 Panaflo Asus Rampage III Formula 3x2GB SuperTalent Chrome @ 1333Mhz 6-6-6-18 1T, 1.6v Asus GTX580 Matrix Platinum @ Stock\|LG 42" Auzentech Prelude\| NAD, Mirage, Mission, Monitor Audio OCZ RevoDrive 120GB, Intel 520 120GB 2x WD 1TB Black, Hitachi 300GB, RaptorX Corsair TX850\|CM Stacker STC-01
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04-12-08, 12:19 AM	#18
gsrcrxsi Member Join Date: Feb 2008	the cable management could be better, but thats the best i could do without cutting anything.
	QUOTE Thanks

04-12-08, 12:24 AM	#20
jmsanders2 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Moving to my new condo on the lake and golf course :)	i've got this case, cant remember the name but i think it had 690 on it that someone did a good review on. boy are you picky __________________ New Rig: Gaming/ FEA/ Logical Programming (in that order) Q6600 GO: 3.2 Ghz at 1.29 V currently EVGA 8800 GTS 640 SC: 4Gb Crucial Ballistix 6400: Abit IP35PRO CoolerMaster CM690 ThermalRight Ultra 120Xtreme 2X500Gb Seagate 7200.10 Samsung 20x DVD:Samsung 245BW:Vista Business 32
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