Buying a Case Tonight, need some final input...

[Roman79]

OK I need to buy a case to start building my new gaming rig. I've got it narrowed down but I need some final input please before I pull the trigger

Thanks for any input.

Requirements:

- Mid or full tower
- Room for newer video card(s) (ie: soon to be purchased 58*0)
- Quiet / solid construction
- Reasonably priced
- Sufficient cooling for OC'ing
- Good HDD mounting system (ie: not Antec 900 style)


Would be nice:

- Water cooling ready
- A window of some sort, but nothing too flashy
- dust filters

Finalists:

Coolermaster CM690 II
- Inexpensive ($88 Can on sale right now)
- Black interior, SLI support bracket, 7+1 expansion slot
- Possibly cramped?

Coolermaster HAF 932
- Window
- Better airflow?
- More expensive ($140 Can on sale right now)
- More room, but is it too big? Might have to go on the floor.

Honorable Mention:

Coolermaster HAF 922
- Nice, but perhaps too small? 932 seems like a better deal

Coolermaster Scout
- Again, nice but too small...larger video cards may not fit

 

[Bop]

Have you considered the Antec P183? If you want quiet there is probably no better base to start with except a Solo, but that's too small for a 5870. If you OC you will definitely need to buy an intake fan, however.

The 932 is very big, I had one. From what I've read the 922 has all the benefits and it's really not that much smaller internally. I'd pick the 922 over the 932. Honestly, all the dusting that is required may not be worth it. High air flow = high dust cleanup. The fans are relatively quiet, but certainly not silent.

 

[Roman79]

Thanks for the suggestion. I did originally look at a P183, but it looks so plain compared to other options available. I've also heard people grumbling about (relatively) poor airflow.

I definitely agree with you on the dust point, and that's one of the big reasons I'm looking at the CM 690 II.

 

[coconutboy]

Of your two Finalists, I'd recommend the 690 II Advance. Other strong contenders in or near to that price range are the Lian Li pc-k62, and NZXT Tempest Evo.

All 4 of the cases are fine on noise if you just undervolt the fans and the cooling is excellent.

The p183 Bop recommends is a decent case, but given its price, it's got too many disadvantages when using a 9"+ vid card a la ati's 58xx series (blocked up hdd slots when using longer vid cards etc).

 

[Negative Decibel]

what about Antec 1200??

 

[Roman79]

what about Antec 1200??

I have a real dislike for that method of HDD mounting. I think it looks terrible and makes the inside look like a budget case. But other than that it's a great case I'm sure.

 

[Roman79]

Of your two Finalists, I'd recommend the 690 II Advance. Other strong contenders in or near to that price range are the Lian Li pc-k62, and NZXT Tempest Evo.

All 4 of the cases are fine on noise if you just undervolt the fans and the cooling is excellent.

The p183 Bop recommends is a decent case, but given its price, it's got too many disadvantages when using a 9"+ vid card a la ati's 58xx series (blocked up hdd slots when using longer vid cards etc).

Hmm those are two good suggestions, I like the look of both of them. I hear LianLi makes some solid cases.
Alright I'm going to sleep on it and try and dig up some reviews on those two. Sale on the 690 ends tomorrow so I've still got 24hrs +/-

 

[coconutboy]

Dig Bill Owen's pre-release breakdown of the Lian Li pc-k60 which is basically the k62, minus the window and black interior.

When case shopping I've found youtube darn useful. In particular, the 3dgameman is great because he gives you a quick "tour" of dang near every case on the market. Here's his take on the NZXT Tempest Evo which has a few upgrades/changes from the original Tempest case. However, be aware the dude is NOT critical of the cases he "reviews". Watch enough of his vids and you'll notice he always has the same few gripes with very few complaints about other things that get critiqued by actual owners. Still, it's great to be able to get a good look at a case from lots of angles and in addition to 3dgameman, there's a buncha other youtube case reviewers.

 

[vanilla_guerilla]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...?EdpNo=4975080&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs

really nice case, built like an aluminum tank.

 

[paul-e-wog]

I'm going to have to recommend the antec p183. Personally, I think it looks subdued and elegant. Side panel windows for it are available at some online retailers. Replacing the stock fans with faster ones and cabling your case effectively can provide awesome cooling.

Also, what do you think about the antec p193? It's a bit pricey, but tons of airflow, nearly the same fan configuration as the HAF 932.

 

[4x4not]

I think the interior sizing of the CM690II is the same as the Storm Scout. I just got the Scout and it is my new favorite case. Surprisingly light weight for a steel case, just doesn't feel flimsy in any way. The build quality is excellect and it looks fantastic. My only complaint is that it could use slightly better wiring management holes, but it is overcomable (is that a word?)

[edit]I take that back... read the measurements and the 690 is about an inch larger. I guess that might make a difference on huge graphics crads.[/edit]

 

[Bop]

Thanks for the suggestion. I did originally look at a P183, but it looks so plain compared to other options available. I've also heard people grumbling about (relatively) poor airflow.

I definitely agree with you on the dust point, and that's one of the big reasons I'm looking at the CM 690 II.

Honestly, I have never found a case besides the HAF series that came with decent fans. An Antec P183 won't have the best airflow, but unless you're doing extreme overclocking it's not a major concern. I'm at 3.8ghz with my i7 920 and it stays within reasonable temps. (67C in my HAF, ~74C with the Antec.)