Recommend me an excellent case

unkel

Silence is very important so fans should be quiet (probably 120mm). Weight is not important, won't have to carry it around. I'm not a gamer

Needs to be full tower as I would consider going watercooling in the near future. Would also be very interested in a pre-installed high quality water cooling case. My budget is pretty good, depending on the solution, so don't let that stop your suggestions

My parts that will go into the case: Asus A8V S939 mobo, Zalman 7000AlCu CPU cooler (or water), Zalman 400W PSU, AMD A64 3500+ clawhammer, 2*samsung SATA 160GB, DVD+/-RW, CD-RW, Audigy 2 soundcard, ATI 9600 passively cooled

hopeful

Howdy.

If you want big then you want a CM Stacker...this is mine just completed.



If you want preinstalled then HiTide do this... HiTide System

CyberGhost

I like Antec cases, all of them are very nice,

hopeful, that is very neat.

hopeful

CyberGhost wrote:

I like Antec cases, all of them are very nice,

hopeful, that is very neat.

Thanks for the compliment...my first watercooled attempt

I do like the Antec stuff too. The new P180 is very sweet indeed.

Endurance Man

Me also now like antec, i have the super lanboy. Its a lot smaller than most cases but its nice . Fits my bits and bobs in perfectly.

lkman

Hey hopeful and Endurance Man...
I'm liking both those setups, cool lights EM...

Just wondering what temperature your CPU runs at with the watercooling setup??

unkel I'l have a look see can I suggest something.

hopeful

lkman wrote:

Just wondering what temperature your CPU runs at with the watercooling setup??

At idle my AMD64 3000+ is around 28c and under a full load it will top out at 48c

WizZard

Lian Li.

Zounds

Endurance man:

I'm considering getting that case, how quiet are the fans and can the leds easily be turned off?

Endurance Man

I'm considering getting that case, how quiet are the fans and can the leds easily be turned off?

Yo . So far the fans have been quiet, but i am told they get a bit louder with age. I am going to be replacing them soon anway as they dont move enough air for radiator.
I added the led's, they came with a switch which i just mounted on the front .

Its a nice case, im happy with it.

Zounds

Cool, thanks

unkel

Thanks for the suggestions so far, lads. Keep them coming!

I really want something excellent. I have a Thermaltake Xaser III Lanfire Midi Tower atm. I deffo want full size case this time

hopeful wrote:

If you want preinstalled then HiTide do this... HiTide System

Funny you should mention that. Before I posted this thread I was browsing a few sites and that very case on the hitide site got me interested!

Is is good value? Looks like it when it's priced @€;399 and the Innovatek XXD kit that's pre-installed sells separately for €270

Obviously this would be ideal



How about the Zalman Reserator? Anybody any experience with them yokes?

Endurance Man

Those ^^ are EXPENSIVE :eek: , would be great though.

Sparky

Endurance Man wrote:

Those ^^ are EXPENSIVE :eek: , would be great though.

nah i think [size=-1]$2299.00 is a bargain
[/size]

unkel

Sparky_S wrote:

nah i think [size=-1]$2299.00 is a bargain
[/size]

EEEEkkkk where did you get that quote?

Like yourselves, dudes, I just want a silent rig. I'm willing to spend a few bob, but obviously I won't spend as much as I spent on my BMW 7-series

WizZard

Zalman Reserator is very quiet, but it's awkward as a separate system from the PC, and will really only coolr your CPU, and maybe a graphics card too if you aren't intending on getting super temps.

If you are going for ultra quiet, and not too concerned about cooling (I mean about getting the lowest possibe temps) you should have a look here. There are some beautiful cases there with built-in cooling. IIRC, performance wise, they come in slightly below a DIY water setup, but are ultra quiet, and look very sexy.

<edit>I particularly like this one</edit>

po0k

Coolermaster Stacker.

unkel

WizZard wrote:

Lian Li.

Yeah the Lian Li PC-V1100B Plus is gorgeous:

WizZard wrote:

Zalman Reserator is very quiet, but it's awkward as a separate system from the PC, and will really only coolr your CPU, and maybe a graphics card too if you aren't intending on getting super temps.

Agree, but it does come as standard with CPU and GPU block (NB block is optional extra). Bit pricy for what it does too

WizZard wrote:

<edit>I particularly like this one</edit>

Yeah that one stands out alright, nice

SyxPak wrote:

Coolermaster Stacker.

On my shortlist too, but top fan a lil' noisy

WizZard

I have two V series Lian Li's and I can say they are fantastic!! Quiet and cool. I was very surprised at the quality of the fans that come with them tbh.
Go on, get one!

The Real B-man

just got my Super Lanboy deffo have to say nice size & light enough for lans plus the window allows you to show your bling off

unkel

Any views on the Thermaltake Armor?




linky

Drapper

unkel wrote:

Any views on the Thermaltake Armor?




linky

sexy little number !!

Endurance Man

Those really are MASSIVE though, the picture does not do justice to how big they are :eek: , you would need a fork lift to transport that thing around .

Drapper

Endurance Man wrote:

Those really are MASSIVE though, the picture does not do justice to how big they are :eek: , you would need a fork lift to transport that thing around .

I have the Shark Thermaltake and its huge!!

heffo9

thermaltake shark, full tower, 2x120mm, pre-drilled for water cooling pipes.
sure here have a look yourself, i have the black one.

http://www.circotech.com/thermaltake-shark-va7000swa-va7000bwa-full-tower-aluminum-computer-case-va7000.html

also have the hardcano 13 fan + temps controller

http://www.thermaltake.com/accessories/a2259hardcano13/a2259hardcano13.htm

unkel

Should I worry about BTX compatability? Pardon my ignorance, but when is that gonna happen? Both Intel and AMD?

Kintarō Hattori

I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree with everyone who's recommended the Stacker. It's an excellent case for the money, it's HUGE and so easy to work with. ATX, E-ATX and BTX support, dual PSU support, up to 4 x 120mm fans, it kicks ass.

This be mine!

shanethemofo

endurance man.... u do realise that ur gfx card has cardboard sellotaped around it... lol... only messin

WizZard

The TT cases are generally rip-offs of other cases/styles and have not come out good in any direct comparison review that I have seen (last one was in Custom PC mag).

The Stacker is huge and a very good case. I considered it myself, but for decent (read triple BIX/heatercore) watercooling it requires modding, sometimes lots of. That's what put me off it.
The new model is supposed to have changed all that - with allowance for two dual BIX on the side panel or something similar.

<edit>What do you think of the new Stacker 830?</edit>

Endurance Man

The TT cases are generally rip-offs of other cases/styles and have not come out good in any direct comparison review that I have seen (last one was in Custom PC mag).

This is true, but then they are good cases, with good looks at a cheaper price. I dont care who they ripped off, as long as im getting good build quality cheaper . Take the coolermaster vs tsunami.
I have seen both and while the coolermaster does look better, the tsunami is cheaper and i think has better features.

Kintarō Hattori

I'm afraid I'm inclined to argue against that. When the Tsunami first came out I was really impressed by it and bought one. The build quality though was AWFUL to say the least. The mertal was so thin, and the quality of the metal was dubious. It had a big problem fitting stuff into the 5.25" bays, my Musketeer wouldn't go back far enough and just stuck out- leaving me unable to close the door on it.
And don't get me started on the noise, for a case with two 120mm fans and a 92mm fan, it's noisy as hell, it was crap. I had it for a week and brought it back to work and paid crap loads more, which I didn't like and just bought the stacker.

Thermaltake are generally muck. I do the purchasing in work and in th early days bought in a wide variety of stuff to give them the go- I gave it the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't the best, it was slow to sell and it was generally always a copy of something someone else made. Why stock the clones, just go for the original material in the first place!

That's my rant. Rant Over.

henbane

Thread hijacking here. I do have a budget. Looking for a case less than €100 (preferable less than €80). I've found a few candidates and would appreciate some advice from folks who have seen/used them.

beantech igloo
sharkoon silvation
silverstonek TJ01
silentmaxx ST11
coolermaster cavalier

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.

WizZard

BTW, unkel. If you are interested I have a friend selling a CM Stacker at the mo'. PM me if you are interested.

Endurance Man

Thread hijacking here. I do have a budget. Looking for a case less than €100 (preferable less than €80). I've found a few candidates and would appreciate some advice from folks who have seem/used them.

beantech igloo
sharkoon silvation
silverstonek TJ01
silentmaxx ST11
coolermaster cavalier

Any other suggestions would be much appreciated.

I dont like the those beantech thingys, they are basically lian li's but i find them very sterile, looks like they belong in a hospital .

The cavalier is supposed to be good. If you want something a little more compact and very light get the super lanboy , cheapest alluminum case you gonna get .

Kintarō Hattori

Endurance Man wrote:

I dont like the those beantech thingys, they are basically lian li's but i find them very sterile, looks like they belong in a hospital .

The cavalier is supposed to be good.

Have to agree with him there. The Beantech's are rather boring. I bought some of those Silverstones in as stock for the place I work, and man what an uninspirational case, it was really disappointing.

The two best on your list are the Cavalier and the Silvation. For a price less than €90, the Silvation is a really nice case. Alot of thought went into it, and it has a ton of features. While I'm always a fan of Coolermaster, and the Stacker is the case I use at the moment, I'd go with the Silvation!

henbane

Endurance Man wrote:

I dont like the those beantech thingys, they are basically lian li's

Are they as well put together as the Lian Li's?

eo98 wrote:

The two best on your list are the Cavalier and the Silvation. For a price less than €90, the Silvation is a really nice case. Alot of thought went into it, and it has a ton of features. While I'm always a fan of Coolermaster, and the Stacker is the case I use at the moment, I'd go with the Silvation!

Thank's for the advice.

WizZard

henbane wrote:

Are they as well put together as the Lian Li's?

I would highly doubt it!

gline

id recommend the CM stacker also, animal cases and look really nice imho

Sarunas

Antec Performance One P180: review 1, review 2

thinking of building a box with that case my self.

hopeful

Came across this review of a new Thermaltake case...its a big one

Thermaltake Tai Chi

gline

hopeful wrote:

Came across this review of a new Thermaltake case...its a big one

Thermaltake Tai Chi

WOW that is a sweet case, would love t gt one of those

Drapper

gline did you see the price !! WTF !!

gline

Drapper wrote:

gline did you see the price !! WTF !!

not too bad i suppose, i paid 200 for a cm stacker, that case is only 50 extra

WizZard

Drapper wrote:

gline did you see the price !! WTF !!

A good quality, well built full tower case will cost in the multiple hundreds.

Looks like Thermaltake cases are improving. Anyone see the similarity to the Zalman cases?

Drapper

WizZard wrote:

A good quality, well built full tower case will cost in the multiple hundreds.

Looks like Thermaltake cases are improving. Anyone see the similarity to the Zalman cases?

I have a Thermaltake Shark was about €200, I know they are expensive ! but there is no sexy lights and fancy logos on that one !!

might be like hauling a casket around to a LAN !

but may look sweet in the corner of a room somewhere..........

My next case will be "mobile".

Any tips for my AMD experiment on the horizon?

gline

Drapper wrote:

but there is no sexy lights and fancy logos on that one !!

they are the best type of cases imho, thats 1 reason i got the stacker as they arent really fancy looking.. like a boy racer type pc case.. ughh

Drapper

gline wrote:

they are the best type of cases imho, thats 1 reason i got the stacker as they arent really fancy looking.. like a boy racer type pc case.. ughh

I'm sure CSI could do an episoe of cumputer geek who kills wife and hides her in a stacker! alongside all his rig equipement!! fooking loads of space in there......... but as you've said its functionality not asthetics!

gline

Drapper wrote:

I'm sure CSI could do an episoe of cumputer geek who kills wife and hides her in a stacker! alongside all his rig equipement!! fooking loads of space in there......... but as you've said its functionality not asthetics!

exactly, in reality i dont really like lights in pcs unless they have a switc i suppose , and i HATE psus that have led fans, doesnt give u an option on wether to turn it off or not, i HATE that

savemejebus

Drapper wrote:

I'm sure CSI could do an episoe of cumputer geek who kills wife and hides her in a stacker! alongside all his rig equipement!! fooking loads of space in there......... but as you've said its functionality not asthetics!

Off topic:they did do something like that, only hid the gun in the case though.

back on topic, The stacker looks the biz though and i've heard nothing but good things about it

gline

savemejebus wrote:

The stacker looks the biz though and i've heard nothing but good things about it

ah yeh.. i couldnt believe how big it was when i got one and the build quality is class, but the style isnt to everyones taste, too plain for some people.

unkel

Thanks folks for all your suggestions! The creme-de-la-creme of cases have passed through this thread :cool:

Unlike my usual self, I've been procrastinating

I just can't make up my mind. Surely I don't need a new case, just felt like buying one...

It will deffo be a quiet case with 120mm fans only