Case suggestions

M

Mansize_tissue

2[H]4U
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
2,501
I'm buying a case for a new computer i'm building this week and i really can't decide what to get. It's going to be air cooled, so this is my first considering when selecting a case. Out of the following, what would you pick:
CM Stacker 830 - £180
CM Stacker 810 - £105
Lian Li PC7 - £60
Lian Li V1000 - £130
Antec 900 - £65
Thermaltake Armor - £95
Akasa Eclipse - £87
Thermaltake Mozart TX - £120

Obviously if you have other suggestions, that would be great. Oh, and it has to be large enough to fit an 8800GTX. I have no set budget, in particular, but i don't want to pay loads for an overpriced case- it has to be justified.

Thanks in advance! ;)
 
To my knowledge the Stackers will fit 8800's easily and also have quite a bit of room for expandability and air flow options.
 
If you go for the Armor, be sure to go with the Alu version, steel version is too damned heavy ;)

If I had my druthers, I would probably go with the 830.
 
Private_Ops said:
To my knowledge the Stackers will fit 8800's easily and also have quite a bit of room for expandability and air flow options.
Click to expand...

I'd like to get the 830, but it's awfully pricey. I really like the fact that, with stacker-like cases, you can have a couple of 120mm fans in the front to blow cool air across the whole width of the motherboard. Whereas, with a lot of cases (like the Lian Li PC7 for example), they just have a single 120mm fan at the bottom so the top half of the motherboard isn't getting any airflow. What cases would match the 830 in terms of airflow?

Sniper_Merc said:
If you go for the Armor, be sure to go with the Alu version, steel version is too damned heavy ;)

If I had my druthers, I would probably go with the 830.
Click to expand...

I'm not too concerned about the weight really, but thank you for bringing this to my attention. The i can get the black one cheaper than the silver, so i might just have to live with the extra weight. Why would you go with the 830?

haadij404 said:
Don't forget to check out the Gigabyte Aurora 570.
Click to expand...

Mmm, the airflow in that case really isn't that good, from what i've heard. Doesn't the HDD cage block most of the airflow from the single 120mm fan at the front of the case.

I originally had my heart set on the Stacker 830 but, looking at the price, i realised that spending £180 on a case is pretty silly. I don't know if i can justify spending so much, when it could be much better spent else where. Although, since i'm going to have it for years, it might be worth the extra money; i don't know. :confused:

Thanks, guys. Any more suggestions?
 
I'm not too concerned about the weight really, but thank you for bringing this to my attention. The i can get the black one cheaper than the silver, so i might just have to live with the extra weight. Why would you go with the 830?
Click to expand...

Mostly because of the airflow available with the 4 120 mm side fans, you could set them all on 5 volts for silent operation but still have plenty of airflow across the motherboard itself (if you overclock and or watercool this does become a concern.)

The newer Armor cases with the big 240 mm fan in the side would also do nearly as good of a job.

As for equivelent amount of airflow, the only one that actually comes close to it would probably be the Thermaltake Mozart TX, and the only reason I would go that route is if I was going to set it up as a home theater PC and as a storage server, not to mention the ability to have a secondary system setup just for that, leaving the main system available for gaming and such but have it all in one case.
 
I like the Thermaltake Mozart, but i don't like its layout. It's massive, yet there's little room in the motherboard area if larger graphics cards are released.

If i did get the Stacker 830, i probably wouldn't fill the side up with fans; i just want a couple in the front of the case to blow across the motherboard so the CPU and NB get cool air. This kind of setup isn't really possible in many cases (pun?), although i could probably add an extra fan in the front of the V1000 to blow across the motherboard.
 
Don't get Mozart. I've seen it in real life and the case is really not that good in terms of quality. Perheps, you should consider something like Lian Li V2000 ?

All these people talking about CM stacker 830/832 is making me jealous?! even though I have 2 and hate them for not being able to house my HD hotswaps.
I have decided to use them to house my extra PCs and continue my worklog from this thread:


http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1166250

I have a sick plan for my systems.
I will have Lian Li PC-343B /w black/blue/grey theme

CM 832 will be watercooled /w black/red theme

and lastly, my up and coming Lian Li Aplus Black Pearl edition is going to have black/blue/red/grey/gold theme.

Extra 832(still BNIB) and the custom modded 631 Mystique goes to my friend's house for free of charge.
 
The V2000 is a bit big for my liking. I'll just go with the Stacker 830. Thanks guys!

k00lance, is the Aplus Black Pearl made by Lian Li?
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Out of the following, what would you pick:
CM Stacker 830 - £180
CM Stacker 810 - £105
Lian Li PC7 - £60
Lian Li V1000 - £130
Antec 900 - £65
Thermaltake Armor - £95
Akasa Eclipse - £87
Thermaltake Mozart TX - £120
Click to expand...

The Akasa is a awesome case, and I have been looking to get one for awhile now. But since I live in the good 'ole US looks like im S.O.L

The Eclipse is a HUGE case, and very good at cooling, plus you can get a windowed side panel. May I suggest however that you get the Mirage? That ones alot more classy looking...

AK-BKCSE-02a.jpg


-------------------
Just my 2C's

~FID
 
I would probably get it, but the front is plastic. :confused:

Not what i'd expect for a £100 case (you have to buy your own fans for it).
Everybody seems to rave about it, but i can't see how it's that good at cooling. I mean, you just get a 120mm fan to put at the bottom of the case and the airflow is cut off from the top half of the motherboard due to the length of the 8800GTX. It's build nicely for what i've heard, though.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
I would probably get it, but the front is plastic. :confused:

Not what i'd expect for a £100 case (you have to buy your own fans for it).
Everybody seems to rave about it, but i can't see how it's that good at cooling. I mean, you just get a 120mm fan to put at the bottom of the case and the airflow is cut off from the top half of the motherboard due to the length of the 8800GTX. It's build nicely for what i've heard, though.
Click to expand...

Lots 'n lots of room...
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Mmm, the airflow in that case really isn't that good, from what i've heard. Doesn't the HDD cage block most of the airflow from the single 120mm fan at the front of the case.
Click to expand...

Yeah the airflow in the case, to be honest, sucks. But if you use the side mesh panel instead of the plastic window, it gets great temps. It lets in all the air flow you would ever need to cool your components. And also because you think its a mesh side panel, its going to be loud, but its not. The three included 120mm fans are super quiet. The only thing you will hear is the CPU fan and the GPU fan, like you do with all other cases. I would seriously take a look at the 570, I have been pretty damn impressed.
 
If the Stacker 830 is too pricey for you, my pick out of those is the Stacker 810. It still has excellent airflow, tons of space, it's easy to work in, and it looks good.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top