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Can't decide between these two....

V

=Vector=

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 30, 2004
Messages
363
ok i'm ready to replace my old case (it's an older model of that one), which i've had for at least two years now, and i've looked at quite a few cases and have narrowed my choices down to two....

Lian-Li PC-65B
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-112-040&depa=1

Cooler Master Praetorian Black PAC-T01-EK
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-119-035&depa=1

EDIT (1/19/05): changed my mind about the wave master case, looking at the praetorian now

now i've read a couple of reviews of each and both are solid cases from what i've read. The Lian LI didn't really have any bad sides to it, at least nothing that was worth mentioning. The wave master had some minor issues like the front two intake fans not getting enough air, and that the vent could easily get clogged up with dust......

but anyways i'd really like to know what experiences you guys have had with these cases, if you have had either of them that is...
 
I haven't personally been able to afford either, but I've built a number of computers for rich customers out of Lian-Lis, and if you've got the cash for it, definately go for it. It's a truly beautiful/solid case with an that's worth every penny. I'd highly recomend them and I actually plan on getting the 65b when I have money for it.
 
I have a Praetorian, so I can vouch for CoolerMasters quality. Personally, I prefer the looks of the WaveMaster, but you can never go wrong with a Lian Li ;)
 
hmmm...just out of curiosity is there even anybody here who has the wave master case, and would like to say what kind of experience they've had with it? if not i'll just go ahead and get the Lian Li case, since i kind was leaning towards that one to begin with...
 
PC65 = better performance
Wavemaster = better looks

Just my $0.02. Depends on what is more important to you. Personally, I'd go with the Coolermaster.
 
=Vector= said:
hmmm...just out of curiosity is there even anybody here who has the wave master case, and would like to say what kind of experience they've had with it? if not i'll just go ahead and get the Lian Li case, since i kind was leaning towards that one to begin with...
Click to expand...

I've owned both and you can't go wrong with either. My opinion is to get the wavemaster if you like the door and the design.

Besides that the quality on both is excellent. You might want to look into the praetorian also from coolermaster:

Praetorian

I've owned this case also and its the same as the wavemaster but no door.
 
yeah i looked at the praetorian also, just didn't really like the look of it tbh....

anyways after thinking it over for a good bit, i'm gonna go with the Lian Li case, mainly because i can DO more with case than i would with the wavemaster, that and it's a good bit cheaper....well those aren't the only reasons, just the ones i felt like typing...

i do have a question though....how loud are the case fans?...while i do plan on replacing them some time later on with more interesting fans (ones with LED's) i'd still like to know if they are any good as far as cooling and noise levels are concerned...
 
The case fans about equal the dual fans in my power supply at low rev, which is still enough to keep me awake at night. It's a good bit of noise, and I've been having problems with heat recently, but I think that's just a bit of a backpressure problem and the fact that I'm in SoCal, and the only place my computer can fit is right next to my CRT monitor, which puts out a good deal of heat on it's own. It's a great solid case, I haven't had problems with it, only thing I wished is that the 5.25" drive tray had a bit more workability around it for cable routing.
 
I'd say go with the Wavemaster, or the Praetorian. The thing I hate about Lain Li's is they use those cheesy tin standoffs shaped like an upside down U. The clip into the square holes on the edges. The problem is that metal is so damn thin that if you put a screw threw them and you torque it down to even a reasonable amount of tightness, you get twisted metal. Even if they don't bend enough to pop out, they still bend and sometimes losen or rattle. Personally the use of that type of standoff is unforgiveable. It's a practice I'd expect out of a $20 case. Not a $100+ case.

None of the high end case makers use that shit. As a result, I will NEVER buy a Lain-Li until they stop doing that. The second thing I find unbearable about those two cases is that the drive cage is too close to the motherboard tray. the best thing to do is put the drive cage in sideways like they do in the Thermaltake Xaser VA1000 and the Antec Sonata and Antec P160. That is the ONLY way companies should put in drive cages in small cases. My Cooler Master has them in the same way, however due to the sheer size of the CM Stacker, your drive cage is so far from the motherboard it's not a problem.

The problem I have with the conventional design of the 3.5 inch drive cages is the fact that your power and data cable connectors often leave little to no room for a video card. In the case of the Lian Li that isn't a problem, but I don't like all that junk in front of my motherboard. I personally like having enough room to install memory and video cards without moving cables or pulling anything out of the machine.
 
When you put drives in sideways, the rack mounts are sideways too, which means you have a big-ass steel obstruction right in front of any intake fans you may have. That makes air flow take a big hit. So take your pick, normal drive bays or sideways one, either way you're gonna have to pull shit out of your case, be it to make room to install something or because you couldn't get enough airflow over it to make it live for a while (Knowing the way some of us run our computers :p )
 
well after reading up on the praetorian a little more, it's starting to look like a really good case......think i'll keep lookin for a case before i make a final decision, though i'm going to give up on the wavemaster, cause it's just a little to much and i'd like to have something that's a little bit more simple looking...
 
The quality of lian li is pretty hard to top, but the coolermaster looks like a similar case with some good construction as well. I would say you couldn't really go wrong, but i would still take the lian li. Though, having owned the PC-65B my opinion will probably be biased towards the lian li.
 
I would personally go with the Praetorian because there are more options to mod it, and it's not as open...it seems as if both cases are really good, which means it's time to go for looks, and neither are that spectacular but at least with the Praetorian you can mod to your liking much easier.
 
I vote for the Coolermaster. I hate the motherboard standoffs the Lian Li's use. In my opinion it's the worst method of screwing a motherboard to the motherboard tray.
 
i've built a video editing system for a friend with the Praetorian and it's simply a dream to work with. the removable mobo tray rocks and it's got lots of room. not to mention it's got tons of detail in it and is very sexy. i haven't dealt with any lian li so i can't compare it to one of them but you won't be disappointed with the cooler master.
 
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