Case recommendations

[joecool]

I'm looking to make a switch from my current big flashy case. Requirements, in no particular order:

- top-mounted usb/audio jacks
- simple exterior
- prefer no door
- quiet (ie, larger fans)
- roomy
- side mounted hd's (for easy removal)
< $100

the case will sit in a corner where rear access is awkward; i like the cases that put the mobo on the top for this reason. i would like to leave it on 24/7 so quiet and cool are key.

thanks,
joe

 

[MisterDonut]

CM 690II wins. If you leave case fans stock, it fits 100&#37; of your requirements.

 

[modestninja]

i like the cases that put the mobo on the top for this reason.

What do you mean by the mobo on top? Do you mean the mobo rotated 90 degrees so that the I/O plate is on the top of the case? If so, the only cases that I know of with that orientation are the Silverstone RV01, RV02 and FT02, but they don't meet your other requirement (especially the price one).

 

[joecool]

What do you mean by the mobo on top? Do you mean the mobo rotated 90 degrees so that the I/O plate is on the top of the case? If so, the only cases that I know of with that orientation are the Silverstone RV01, RV02 and FT02, but they don't meet your other requirement (especially the price one).

i mean putting the mobo above the psu rather than the other way around. i like this 'cause it puts the io at the top of the back of the case which makes it easier to get to. on the other hand it's always seemed to me to be a bad idea for cooling, since the heat from the psu is now rising up past the cpu and all the other hot components on the mobo. maybe somebody can explain why this isn't a bad thing ... !

 

[MisterDonut]

If you don't have too many HDD's, the antec 300 might be worth a look. I found it quite roomy if wired right. Only thing is the HDD's are regular screw mount .

Otherwise the 690 II is everything you need.

 

[nipplefish]

i mean putting the mobo above the psu rather than the other way around. i like this 'cause it puts the io at the top of the back of the case which makes it easier to get to. on the other hand it's always seemed to me to be a bad idea for cooling, since the heat from the psu is now rising up past the cpu and all the other hot components on the mobo. maybe somebody can explain why this isn't a bad thing ... !

Depending on the case and the direction you mount it, the PSU will either be drawing in the warm air from the case and exhausting it out the back of the PSU, or will be drawing air from beneath the case. In neither situation is it actually putting a lot of heat out into the case. Plus, a modern efficient PSU doesn't really give off that much heat anyway. The fan doesn't even run on my X650 most of the time.

 

[jaydee]

Lian-Li Lancool K58 for $100. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-237-_-Product

Newegg had the K58W (same thing with a side window, usually $20 more) on sale for a smoking hot price of $60 just a couple days ago. If you're not in a hurry and want value, maybe wait a little bit for a sale on one of these two? You can also wait/watch for the K62

 

[joecool]

Thanks for the suggestions. The coolermaster looks pretty good, tho the negative comments about CM support are disheartening.

on a tangential note, i've always wanted to try water cooling and am wondering if that might be a good way to get decent quiet cooling. i would like to be able to leave this machine on 24-7 so good cooling is important, but it's in a small room and i don't want it to turn into a space heater. i would also like it to be quiet enough that you don't really notice it - it's just a faint background noise.

so what do you guys think? would water cooling be good here? and if so, any recommendations for a decent performance, quiet setup?

 

[beginner99]

Check out this one:

http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&prod=33

Quite, top USB + Audio + eSata. Quite Fans (and option to mount more if not enough).
Downside is it has a door. Door usually helps to lower the noise of the front fans.

Has enough HDD bays, 24/7 sounds like a server?

 

[nipplefish]

Thanks for the suggestions. The coolermaster looks pretty good, tho the negative comments about CM support are disheartening.

on a tangential note, i've always wanted to try water cooling and am wondering if that might be a good way to get decent quiet cooling. i would like to be able to leave this machine on 24-7 so good cooling is important, but it's in a small room and i don't want it to turn into a space heater. i would also like it to be quiet enough that you don't really notice it - it's just a faint background noise.

so what do you guys think? would water cooling be good here? and if so, any recommendations for a decent performance, quiet setup?

Are you planning on overclocking? That's really the only scenario in which water is practical. I did it purely for the fun and learning experience. Cost-wise it will be 3x-4x more expensive than air. You're still going to have fans with water cooling, so it really just comes down to getting quiet fans to cool either the heatsink or the radiator.

 

[joecool]

thanks for the heads-up nipplefish. def. not worth 3-4x multiplier just to play w/it, especially if it won't be any more quiet. the cm case is looking more and more like what i'll be going with. just need to measure my current space and make sure it will fit!

 

[joecool]

I really like the CM but have a couple of issue w/it:
- I don't plan on doing a lot of OC'ing so don't need killer cooling; quiet is more important. with all the holes and all the fans I suspect this rig won't be that quiet.
- My current case gets pretty dusty inside. I'd like my new case to be pretty well sealed and have decent filters on the input side, that are easy to clean, so I can keep the interior relatively dust-free w/out having to open it up and vacumn out the interior every three months!
- A side window wouldn't be a bad thing (tho if this makes for more noise, I'll do without).

any other ideas? i've been trolling on newegg but there are so many options it's overwhelming!

 

[shiranai]

There are, broadly speaking, two ways to build a quiet machine: a) using quiet parts, or b) using noisy parts in a sound-dampened case. Using the first method, it doesn't matter if your case is open (i.e., full of holes). I have a CM HAF 932 sitting next to my desk. The top and left side panels are open mesh, but you can't hear my system because the only moving part in the entire box is a single undervolted 120mm Nexus fan.

If you need a sound-dampening case, the P183 is a frequent recommendation, though it has a door and costs slightly north of $100.

I really like the CM but have a couple of issue w/it:
- I don't plan on doing a lot of OC'ing so don't need killer cooling; quiet is more important. with all the holes and all the fans I suspect this rig won't be that quiet.

 

[MisterDonut]

If you want silence, P183 or NZXT Whisper are incredibly popular. Sound dampening a case not made for silence will not do anywhere near as much as a case made for silence. I sound dampened my Antec 900, and there is a difference, but it's nothing like the silent cases I've seen (mostly P18X with couple Whispers).

And yeah, I think side windows (usually plastic) do leak more noise than aluminum panels. I replaced the window on my 900 with a non-windowed door .

Oh and, as long as you keep the stock fans, and keep the parts selective, then it doesn't really matter if your computer has any holes. Even if your GPU fires up during use, I doubt it'll drown out the sounds of grenades and fireballs thrown everywhere.