Full Tower Case

[ender_speaker]

Hey guys, I'm looking into buying a new full tower case within the next 1/2/3 months. After some extensive reading I've narrowed it down to the following cases but I'm having a very hard time choosing one. One of the problems is that I can't see them for myself before buying so reviews and other people's thoughts is all I've got.

Silverstone TJ11
+ good looking (it's not great but not bad either, I like it for its low profile: no flashy colors or aggressive shapes)
+ extraordinary quality build (all aluminum, super solid, black painted inside)
+ spacious (doesn't fit HPTX form factor and only 9 expansion slots; it's quite enough but for this size & money you'd expect more as Lian Li PC-Z70B is smaller and has them both)
+ very good cooling (vertical orientation is a big plus although the two 180 mm fans at the bottom would be difficult to replace - are Noctua or Noiseblocker still the leaders?)
+ plenty of drive bays (the 6 HDD bays are very well ventilated, any additional ones converted from the 5.25" bays will probably have to do it - don't know where they will be drawing any cool air from)
- it's rather big (it might not fit under the desk)
- it's pricy (I could get two Lian Li top cases)
video presentation : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA_aCrb_J-4 review : http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2011/04/08/silverstone-temjin-tj11-review/1
review : http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4211/silverstone_temjin_tj11_sst_tj11b_w_tower_chassis_review/index.html
review : http://www.techreaction.net/2011/06/03/review-water-cooling-the-silverstone-temjin-series-tj11/


Lian Li PC-A77FB
+ very good looking (don't like those leds much but other than that it looks almost perfect)
+ spacious enough (doesn't fit HPTX form factor and only 8 expansion slots but it should do it)
+ good cooling (3 x 140 fans at the front push cool air, past the HDDs, into the case, that it's then expelled by the fans at the back and on top)
+ plenty of drive bays (12 x 5.25" external bays, 9 of them converted into perfectly ventilated 9 HDD bays, offer maximum flexibility)
+ OK quality built (side panels seem a bit flimsy)
product : http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=478&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=61&g=f
review : http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/lian_li_pc_a77f_review,7.html
review : http://www.techwarelabs.com/lian-li-pc-a77f-computer-casechassis/4/


Lian Li PC-Z70B
+ extremely good looking (it looks perfect except for the plasticky control panel at the front; how cheap does it look?)
+ very spacious (it fits HPTX form factor and has 11 expansion slots - kind of future proof)
+ OK cooling (similar to PC-A77FB only the 3 x 140 fans at the front are located on the lateral and push cool air, past the HDDs, from one side to another so I wonder how much of that air gets deeper into the case; anyone if this works ok?)
+ plenty of drive bays (9 x 3.5" bays perfectly ventilated, 2 x 2.5" bays, 3 x 5.25" external bays)
+ OK quality built (side panels seem a bit flimsy)
product : http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=576&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=138&g=f
review : http://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/zardon/lian-li-pc-z70-diamond-series-case-review/7/

Lian Li PC-P80NB
+ very spacious (it fits HPTX form factor and has 11 expansion slots - kind of future proof)
+ good cooling (similar to PC-A77FB)
+ plenty of drive bays (10 x 3.5" bays perfectly ventilated, 3 x 5.25" external bays)
+ OK quality built (side panels seem a bit flimsy, are they thicker or is it only for the red special edition case?)
- not so good looking (I don't like the hump on the top)
product : http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=572&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=138&g=f
review : http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/4188/lian_li_pc_p80n_full_tower_chassis_review/index.html
review : http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/1182/pg1/lian-li-pc-p80n-full-towerhptx-chassis-review-introduction.html


So, what should I do? I can't choose the damn case, I want them all yet none is perfect, especially for what they cost. :|
Do you have any tips, additional info from first hand experience that I probably missed, completely new recommendations perhaps? THANKS!


To stir things a bit, Lian Li seems to be preparing two new simialr cases:
PC-A75 : http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=613&cl_index=1&sc_index=0&ss_index=0&g=spec
PC-A77FN : http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=614&cl_index=1&sc_index=0&ss_index=0&g=spec

 

[TheCur]

I own a SilverStone TJ09 and I have to say it's the nicest finished, sturdiest and most well built case I've ever owned. Thing weighs a ton. It oozes quality.