Antec SLK3700 AMB vs BQE

[Gooter]

I'm having a hard time deciding on a new case. So far, I am interested in the Antec SLK3700 AMB or BQE. Here is what I'm looking for in a case:
1) $100 or less (including at least a 350W PSU)
2) the quieter the better
3) I don't want to have to do a lot of modding (eg. cutting out grille covers, don't have the tools and have never done it before)
4) drive bay cover door
5) 120mm fans would be nice

Which one would you recommend? Is there another case out there that I may like?

Thanks!

 

[Ritalin]

lx-6a19 from compucase.

 

[Clutch_Head]

Welcome to the Forums!

i own a SLK3700 AMB and i love this case. they didn't have the black
one when i bought it or i would have gotten that instead. the "bronze"
version is silver IMHO. mine is anyway.

you can use the two 120mm fan locations as is. i chose to cut the grills
out just to allow more air flow.

the smart power 350 that the 3700 comes with is a good power supply,
but was underpowered for my system. what are the specs of your
other components please?


note: my sparkle 350 is underpowered with my current setup, and is being replace with a True Power 480

 

[Gooter]

the smart power 350 that the 3700 comes with is a good power supply, but was underpowered for my system. what are the specs of your other components please?

Currently have or will be getting:

Abit NF7-S v2.0
AMD Athlon "Barton" 2500+
2x-Buffalo Tech PC3200 DDR400 512MB RAM
WD SE 120GB HD
Sony DVD-ROM Slot Drive
CD-R/RW Drive
Gainward Gforce Ti4200 128MB (will be upgrading to ATI 9600xt or 9800pro 128 MB)
Santa Cruz TB sound card
Floppy
NIC

I read some people think the PSU that comes with the AMB is considered loud? What is your opinion?

Thanks!

 

[Clutch_Head]

depending on your OC, i think that setup (with 9*00) would be a bit
much for the smart power 350. i don't have any experience with current
AMD stuff so i could be wrong.

i found that under load (SETI@Home x 2 @3.3Ghz) i could definitely hear
the fans goin. the greater the load, the faster the fans run. it
wasn't "loud", but it was audible. during normal use (surfing etc.) i
thought it was pretty darn quiet.

i wish i could find the link where they sell the SLK3700 without a PSU
for around $50

if you do use the SP350, just keep an eye on your voltages via a volt meter/multi tester.
if the PSU ain't gonna cut it, you could sell it and upgrade to a better one.

HTH
c_h

 

[Gooter]

I'm not that technical so I wouldn't know what to look for when monitoring my voltage. Heh.

If you find the link, let me know.

Thanks

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

I have the AMB as well, and think it the better of the two cases, at least for cooling. The PSU is indeed on the weak side for overclocking, which is why I swapped it for my 420w CWT, but the 350 is reasonably quiet (at least compared to the single fan 420w, anyway).

For a while I was running the stock 120mm fan in front of the hard drives with a Panaflo 92mm in the exhaust mount, and I found that just running the stock 120mm fan in the exhaust and no Panaflo was much quieter and still had ok cooling.

 

[seer33]

directron is the place

 

[Deathknight]

Personally I would go with the amb version as well. IMHO Antec screwed up the airflow on the bqe version.

If you are looking for basically the same case without a psu then consider the Compucase LX-6A19 at directron for $39. This is the same case that the antec slk-3700 is based on. Internally is virtually identical to the amb version of the slk-3700, but it has a different front bezel, paint job and has no psu. If you opt for the case with no PSU then you have alot more flexibility chosing the correct PSU for your oc

 

[Clutch_Head]

the drive cage on the BQE looks alot like the SONATA. Antecs comparison
chart shows that the SONATA and 3700BQE offers "Quiet Computing™"
while the 3700AMB doesn't. i guess they consider a case as being quiet
when the front fan is in a useless place . thanks for the heads-up
Deathknight . i was going to get a BQE for a friend.

i'd say go for the AMB or the LX-6A19 Deathknight mentioned. i dunno
if the one without the PSU i heard of was the Antec or a Compucase.

c_h

 

[Oklahoma Wolf]

i dunno
if the one without the PSU i heard of was the Antec or a Compucase.

That'd be the Compucase

Though I will admit the place I bought from had the option of deleting the PSU on mine, I needed it for another system; and just kept the CWT 420 from my main rig for the case.

 

[Blooz1]

I've got the Compucase, and it's a great deal for the price. It has a ton of room, is built well with a nice finish, and great airflow.

It also comes with grommets on the HD cage to prevent any vibrtions during seeks/writes from being transferred to the chassis.

One of the most popular mods to this case is to cut out the restrictive grills from the fan mounting locations, and also to scrap the plastic snap-in fan holders. Since I used Panaflo 120's in both locations on my case, I've performed both of these. It's made a great difference in the noise level and also airflow.