Case Recommendation

I am in search of a case for my new build but am having trouble finding one that fits my requirements with a price tag under $150 as I would rather get an extra 6gb of ram than an expensive case.

Desired features:
Strudy (preferably no plastic, but lets be realistic, no preference on steel/aluminum)
Quiet (space for dampening material, possibly hdd cage isolation)
8+ hdd bays
4+ 5.25" bays
preferably black, no side window, minimal lighting, no front door, space for 2-3 120mm fans (already have), rectangular shape (ie, no jet engine intakes, etc)
Small as possible as it will be going in a dorm

other info: i7 w/ larger hsf (possibly Scythe MUGEN-2), nvidia gts 250, 7hdds to start, 2xdvd-rw, 5.25" card reader

planed 1 year additions: bluray reader, extra hdd(s)

Basically, I just want a no frills case that will not distract, yet be sturdy and capable of holding all the components

Any recommendations?

Thanks

Not sure if it fulfills everything, but...

Antec p182


*EDIT: it has 11 bays, 4 5.25''. Very nice case, quality made, filters to prevent dust from entering the case, cable management, no holes and glowing stuff, etc, etc

i always liked the ninehundred

I have read that the Antec p18x series is a great line that is well built and fairly quiet, but I dont see how I could fit all of my hdds in it which seems to be the main factor that is pushing most of the cases into the $250+ range

You wouldn't be able to fit all your HDD in the P182, I believe it has 6 HDD slot if I remember my case correctly, 4 in the trunk, 2 in the middle. It's a very high quality case with nice sound absorbing rubber grommets if you ever reduce your number of HDD's though.

Until SSDs hit the 750+gb mark with good performance and low prices, I dont think I will see a reduction in drives as my applications require multiple raid0 arrays to keep me happy and my music collection will be graduating to its own disk probably by the end of the year. Current planned hdd setup: 150gb wd velociraptor (os,apps), 3x 320gb raid 0 (swap,scratch, hd media playback), 2x1tb raid 0 (active media storage), 1tb (documents, backup from AMS, music). After searching every possible combination of 3.5" and 5.25" bays to achieve my desired totals these are the only cases which I was able to find that were reasonably priced and not too flashy. I already have a 3x5.25-3x3.5 cage.

Thermaltake Spedo-tall (24"), 9hdds $140
ABS Aplus ABS-Black Pearl- smaller as hdds are in bottom compartment, holds up to 11hdds, simple design. $150 Is it big enough for hsf, gfx, and sound dampening? Any comments on brand?
COOLER MASTER HAF 932- has solid reviews, 8hdds, $150

Assuming the ABS is a well build case, I think I may go with that as it has the simplest styling, potential to hold the most drives, and 2 compartments.

Any thoughts?

why so many 5.25" bays ?

PhysX said:

why so many 5.25" bays ?

Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing but because I was going to suggest getting some converters like these to house some of his HD's.

my 5.25" bay devices
2x dvd-rw
1x card reader
1x fan controller if not built in
1x bd-rom

total 4-5

I currently have a 3 5.25 -> 3 3.5 bay cage which I have available if necessary which would bring the total 5.25 up to 7 or 8 if there are not enough dedicated 3.5" bays.

all ima say is Antec 900 or 1200, both are great cases