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HEC 98 ATX Case .....Anyone?

C

CMadki4

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Feb 3, 2011
Messages
4,438
I've got my eye on the following case. It's pretty slick looking. It's an HEC 98 full ATX. PureOC did a review on it here awhile back (2009). Hopefully linking to that doesn't get me the stink-eye from the admins [H]ere. It seems like it has some great modding potential. I was thinking a 360 rad in front or on top.

My question: does anyone have some more insight into this case or more detailed pictures? Or maybe someone has modded already?

Hoping to get as much feedback by tonight as possible as this case is a shell shocker today. Thanks in advance!

hec_98_3.jpg


Modding potential:
- 360 rad in top or front
- move PSU to bottom (if top mount rad)
- black interior
- change chrome front pieces to carbon fiber (Di noc by 3M)
- USB3.0 on front I/O panel
 
Used to look at this case back in the 2006-2007 era, Always wanted one but could never afford one, It used to be made by a different company, Cheiftec I think and now its being remade.

Used to want it or a older stacker back in the day i was rocking my atcs 100.

Buy it.
 
Done. $59.99 after mir. Woop woop!

... like I need another modding project... :rolleyes:
 
So, I took delivery of my HEC 98 today. I do enjoy coming home to a nice big box on my front porch. Does that sound wrong? Lol. First off, the box is huge. Even a little taller than a 800D box sitting around here.
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It's a really good looking case IMO. Really simple and sleek. Plenty of external bay too! (7)
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The build quality of this case is phenomenal! Very solid and even the plastic pieces feel rigid and tough, not flimsy or like they might snap with use. The steel construction could hold up a house. The aluminum door w/ steel mesh insert has a nice solid, chunky feel. The mesh on top and front is quite thick and stiff as well. No real risk of bending it or denting it on accident.

Inside, there is ample room. More HDD bays would be nice for some end users, but you can always plop a hotswap box in the front bays, which I will likely do. The motherboard tray slides out for easy access/installation. I must say, this is one of the best feeling slide out MB trays I've experienced. It has a plastic track for the tray to slide in, giving it a very firm feel, all the way up to when you pull the tray completely out. Very nice.
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One of the things I was curious about before receiving the case was what sort of potential there was for a top mounted 360 radiator. The mesh on top is not quiet as long as a 360, but would likely be enough venting surface area to accommodate one w/ low speed fans (low flow rate). And you can see here a spot for one 120mm fan. The PSU would have to be moved to the bottom of course.
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Overall I am quite impressed and please so far with the HEC 98 (also known as the Compucase 98 in EU and other). Very solid case. Lots of potential as a gaming case, server or crunching rig. As much as I love my custom fab case I'm using now, I really like this one and may just move into it after some modding. For mods, I'm thinking of making room for a 360 rad, painting the interior black, and doing something about the chrome pieces on the front. Not huge chrome fan except for on my Caddy ;)

Stayed tuned. I may have a worklog coming. That is if I can find time between work, grad school, wife, home and starting up my new business. Ugh. I do this to myself, I can't complain. :D
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Well, no returning it now. I used the box to ship some Roy Rogers signed memorabilia out to California. No regrets, haha.
 
Wow, that is a very nice case, especially for $129 on the 'Egg...

7 5¼" external bays
5 3½" internal bays
10(!) expansion slots

It can hold up to 15 3.5" drives (with two 5-in-3 cages) and an EVGA SR-2 board (maybe)... I think I may have found a new tower case! :D
 
JMccovery said:
Wow, that is a very nice case, especially for $129 on the 'Egg...

7 5¼" external bays
5 3½" internal bays
10(!) expansion slots

It can hold up to 15 3.5" drives (with two 5-in-3 cages) and an EVGA SR-2 board (maybe)... I think I may have found a new tower case! :D
Click to expand...

And I got it on a shell shocker for $60. :)
 
Thats a sweet case! Ive never even heard of it. Ims still rockin an ABS Black Pearl case. Absolutely love it.
 
@mannyman - no problem ;)

@Da1Nonly - yeah I'd never heard of it prior to the shell shocker. I think it will make for a nice build.
 
I wanted to see what I was really working with so I began pulling the case a part. The top, front panel, feet, door, etc. I'm still just blown away at the quality of this case and the features and thought put into it. I've owned Corsairs, CMs, a Lian Li and numerous others, but this one is a pleasant surprise from a brand I've never experienced before.

The first think I did was remove the top panel (and door) to see what kind of room I have for a radiator.
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There is plenty of mesh area to vent a 360 radiator w/ 3 low speed 120mm fans:
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The top of the chassis has a place for a single 120mm fan with an included fan clip. Plenty of surface area to cutout for 3 120mm fans up there:
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Next, I removed the front panel. 7 glorious 5.25" bays uninterrupted with anything between them. Fan controller, optical drive, hot swap bays, card reader, etc. all have ample room here. With a top mount rad I'm guessing I'd loose the top two bays for full length 5.25" items. A fan controller or card reader will be probably fit since they are short than a optical drive (which is usually around 6.25" deep):
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The feet came off last. Very cool feet that bolt into place rather just clip in. They raise the case up about 1.5" off the floor for added inflow of air. There are two places for 120mm fans to be mounted on the bottom inside the case. This could add some serious cooling capabilities to a case that already breathes like really well.
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And just a glance at behind the motherboard tray. There is roughly 0.75" of space between the back of the motherboard tray and the side panel. More than enough for cable management. However, more cable routing holes will probably need to be cut for maximum obsessive cable management opportunities, haha:
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I don't expect to be modding on this in the near future, but hope to move my existing rig into this sometime. Winter project to cure cabin fever, perhaps?? Along with the move to this case I will being changing my reservoir to a cleaner looking reservoir than my homemade one. Don't get me wrong, mine works like a champ, but I may need better fitting direction placement than my very purpose built one. The fittings are orientated specifically for the tight squeeze in my custom SFF case.

Anywho, tell me what you all think! Good case?

EDIT: I just set a few 120mm fans on top to give you an idea of how a 360 radiator might sit up top. The mesh on the top should be more than enough to vent the air from the rad's fans (6 total):
IMAG0070.jpg
 
Last edited:
mannyman said:
Put the hard drives in the 5.25 bays and put the psu up front?
Click to expand...

yeah, that's a possibility. I'm thinking I won't need all 10 expansion slots. I could possibly fit it on the back below the motherboard like a conventional psu.
 
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