Looking for a new case

[Pntgrd]

Before I put together all the stuff for my Q6600 system I have been looking at cases to get better airflow than what I get with my Antec P160. I like everything about the Antec except the airflow. I have read a bunch of threads in this forum about what seems to be popular but I don't care for the 900, the Stacker 830 is more than I want to spend. The NZXT Zero is alright but doesn't really excite me all that much. The TT Armor is also OK but may be a little much for a 55 year old, although I could live with it. So I have been looking at some Lian_li's and I have really gotten to like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112131. I am especially impressed with the way you can move the drive bay/fan combo up to the level of the cpu cooler. That would give me a straight level path from the front intake fan to the TR120 EXtreeme and straight out the back exhaust fan. I have figured out how to space my opticals and accessory control plates on the front and as of now I see no downside to clicking the BUY button.

I just wanted to post this to see if there were any words of wisdom that I should take into consideration.

[EDIT]
I may have found a Stacker 830 that I am willing to spend the $$ on. I found one with a $40 Rebate so that gets it to within $50 of what I found the Lian-Li for but i was going to have to also buy a 3.5 adapter for the Lian-Li so that makes only a $35 difference. Is the Stacker worth the difference? I am looking for a case that will last and provide the best air cooling for the best value. I don't want to do this again. I thought I had found that in the Antec.

 

[Pntgrd]

No opinions??

 

[webdevour]

I will vouch for Lian Li and personally the PC65b, I've never come across more well-built case; sturdy, cools well, plenty of room and stylish to boot.

Here are the cases I like:


Thermaltake VF1000BWS Black Aluminum Front Panel/ SECC Chassis MicroATX Desktop Computer Case - Retail


Tagan Aplus Black Pearl Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail


Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail


XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish 1.0 mm SECC Chassis ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

And possibly this one, though this is the first time I've seen it;

XCLIO PROPELLER Fully Black Finish 0.5 mm SECC Chassis/ ABS Frontpanel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

 

[Gunlance]

I own both a pc-65b and a G70b. If you are ever planning on water cooling get the big case(G70B). ALl Lian-li products are awesome. Some might be overpriced but i find the G70 to be the absolute best bang for the buck. Bought mine from performance PCs for 180ish.

 

[webdevour]

Forgot to add, the Tagan Full Tower that I posted above is an OEM case made by Lian Li; same structural integrity and build quality as the rest of Lian Li's products.

 

[Pntgrd]

Thanks for the suggestions. After hours of reading reviews and user comments I went with this http://www.directron.com/cmstacker830.html. It is $10.00 cheaper there than at the Egg and came with a $40 rebate. It had everything I was looking for and was under $200. I still do like the A16 Lian-Li but I think the Stacker will be better for airflow. I only plan to use 2 fans in the door, on the bottom. One of the tops would have to go because of the Ultra 120 Extreme and the other would just screw with the airflow between the h/f and the back exhaust fan.
After reading up more on the 900 I grew to like it more but it just didn't have enough available bays if you used both front fans. I need 5 to keep what I have now and can't see going backwards.
But now it looks like I will have a few more days to wait to put my Q6600 together. Can't really see the need to tear down my Opteron stuff and put in the new for only a couple of days. But I can probably spend the time lapping the 120E to pass the time.

 

[webdevour]

If you plan on adding water cooling in the future, the Tagan case is water-ready.

 

[Pntgrd]

If you plan on adding water cooling in the future

Been there and came back to air cooling. It was alright but I like the challenge of all air. And it is hard on components if you get a leak. Killed a 9800 Pro and made a h**l of a mess when a polytec block developed a crack once. And I never could get the pump as quiet as I wanted. But to each his own.

 

[webdevour]

Fair enough, no arguements here... I just really like that case