Apex MI-100 ITX case

[Casca]

Looking to buy 6 of these cases.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154084

Big issue is shipping. From newegg it would cost roughly $220 to ship 6 to me. Mwave is about the same. ebay is even worse and Amazon would be the way to go as it would be $30 ish or so, although they are also charging $60 per case instead of $50 so @$100 to ship. However, I am also swinging through california for an RoN (remain over night) on my way back to hawaii and there is a Fry's store near the location (Sacramento). I looked online and Fry's does not have it listed as a case they sell...at least online. Wondering if anyone knows if fry's sells this case at their brick and mortar stores? I'd hold off ordering em and see on my way through if so.

Also, am planning on getting either this h/s

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835220030

or this along with a fan controller

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835114039

How bad does the PSU intake being directly over the CPU fan intake effect temps?

 

[mrmylanman]

You can't negotiate bulk shipping discount or anything like that?

 

[Casca]

Got it shipped for free. Amazon has maybe 7 different sellers of the case and I picked the lowest seller at first...which charged shipping same as nearly every other seller. However, Amazon themselves also sells the case, but for $10 more then everyone else and free shipping.....even to Hawaii (Neweggg has free shipping except for Hi, Ak, Guam and PR). $10 more for the item cost, but with free shipping is tons cheaper and I ordered that deal. I ordered it on saterday and it will be at my doorsteps on tuesday which is way faster then I expected as I am still outside of the USA and won't be home till the 7th at the earliest. I was thinking they wouldn't even get the order processed till monday or tuesday .....actually I was counting on that lol. Hopefully my boxes of MI-100 will still be there when I get home

Planning on fittng one of them with two maybe three 1.5TB HDD's and a blueray player. Should be fun.

 

[mrmylanman]

Hope you have someone to sign for them lol

 

[best [486]]

To fit 3 HDDs into that case one has to go on the case floor under the other drive cages...
What motherboard are you using? The minix one? If so, read my MI-100 thread in the SFF gallery, it has an easily fixed problem with the case...

I've been thinking of getting the nt07 too, just don't know how loud it is [I have the 45W processor, I'm sure it'll cool it reasonably well.]

 

[Casca]

I am using the Minix mobo and will not be mounting the PSU in the optical drives location (assuming you'll be moving it back to factory location with new heatsink as well). Have yet to see the case in real life, but from pics, I think three HDD's and a blueray drive should be no problem. If I can play high def content with the onboard HD3200, then I may even try to also mount a 4th HDD where the PCIx16 slot is for a total of 6TB of HDD space, but really need to see the case along with my gear in it to see what is possible and if a 250w PSU can support it (BE-2400 45w cpu, HD3200 IGP, four 1.5TB HDDs???, 1 optical drive, 3 maybe 4 1w to 2 w fans). Will move to a higher wattage PSU if need be. Also already bought 6 HEC PSU's rated at 75% effciency and 240W when I was thinking I would just build my own cases.

I'd imagine the NTo7 is pretty quite since it's rated at 15 to 25 dBA, but I think I will get this H/S instead


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835230013

36dBA, but is copper and my computer room has an AC constantly going which is louder then 36dBA anyway. And can always change the fan to a less noisy one if need be or put a controller on it or just undervolt it.

Might also make another of the builds into a gaming ITX lanbox for fun. Probably get the highest wattage mATX psu that fits and a 4830 to 4850 vid card (length?), whatever 95w amd cpu, a slim drive, a single 3.5" HDD or maybe 2.5" or maybe an SSD and make ducting to route the airflow for best cooling. Although I have no actual use for such a thing. Tempting to try it for fun, but it'd require excess money I don't really have lol

 

[best [486]]

I am using the Minix mobo and will not be mounting the PSU in the optical drives location (assuming you'll be moving it back to factory location with new heatsink as well).

Yeah, that's because the heatsink got in the way, it's going back asap, I just can't afford the power supply I want, and I'm not ordering the heatsink until I can order the PSU at the same time...

 

[Casca]

Got home and all my stuff was still there.


















Gonna just use 5 of the 6 cases I got, as moding it to be my gamer(ish) case will be to the point where I might as well have just started from scratch...so I will....probably...still thinking it over. Will be taking the 5 into the shop today or tomorrow to drill the rivits out that holds the mobo tray (ish) panel down so I can cut a large enough square off it to make it so the components on the bottem of the J&W mobos don't short out. Kinda messed up they designed it that way and gave no warning this might happen (admittedly...I haven't read the manual, so maybe they did lol). Will also be painting the interior glossy black.

Also, prepping one of the cases to be my sorta mobile HTPC.


No problem fitting a 120mm fan. Probably make it an exhaust and let air intake do as it will.













I can fit four 3.5" HDD's in there along with the mATX psu and 5.25" optical drive with not too much modding. With 1.5TB HDDs, that's pretty damn good space for a mobile HTPC. I'll see how cooling goes, but with a 120mm fan blowing right next to the mobo and a 45w BE2400, I doubt it will be a problem. Will have more problems with the NB really and if I do, will see about putting a vid card in to have the NB do less work.