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Help me pick a case

G

galapogos

n00b
Joined
Aug 22, 2004
Messages
30
Hi,
I'll be building a new system within a couple of months so I'm doing some research now. I've had my current Addtronics 6896A for almost a decade, and while it was excellent for its time, it's time for a change. I'm on a budget and I'm not in the USA so my choices are kinda limited. I've narrowed it down to the following few choices with converted price and pros/cons

Casetek CK-1022-5 - US$115
Pros:
Cheapest of the lot
Relatively big
Relatively deep
Pretty good looking
Cons:
Overall quality might not be as good?
Only space for 4 HDDs
External USB ports are all jam packed together
Might not fit 8800GTX with 3.5" cage at the bottom?

Coolermaster CM Stacker STC-01 - US$160
Pros:
Very deep
Even more space for expansion
Coolermaster reputation
Looks good
Cons:
Might be too big
Most expensive of the lot
Only space for 3 HDDs?

Silverstone TJ-06 - US$140
Pros:
Got a great review on AT
Good cooling with the wind tunnel
Space for 6 HDDs
Looks very good
Cons:
Not as much space for expansion, but probably sufficient.
Wind tunnel might obstruct big CPU HSFs
GPU/rest of the system gets no wind tunnel love - gets hot?
Not as deep as the rest

Enermax CS-718 - US$130
Pros:
Based on the Silverstone TJ-06
External USB ports are spaced out more
Looks pretty good in black
Cons:
Same cons as the Silverstone
Front bezel construction looks flimsy compared to the Silverstone
Only comes in silver where I am, which doesn't look as good

As you can see from my choices, I want a big roomy case that has lotsa room for expansion. I currently have 6 HDDs and with my new system I'm probably getting 1-2 more, and decommisioning some of the old ones, but I'd still probably have at least 3-4 to deal with. Right now my 1st and 2nd choice are the Casetek and Silverstone.

I'm also looking for something deep because I don't want a long graphics card to mess with whatever's at the front of the case. My previous 2 cases(Addtronics 6896A and Antec PlusView 1000AMG) both had this problem with my 6800GT, and I think an 8800 series card would be longer. From the looks of it though, the Enermax/Silverstone, though the shallowest, will fit big cards easily since there's no drive bays in front. I'm not sure about the other 2 though.

Cooling is also obviously important since I intend to do some amount of overclocking. As such I'll be getting an aftermarket CPU HSF, and I'm concerned if oversized HSFs fit in the Enermax's wind tunnel.

So, any opinions and recommendations for or against any of these cases? Any and all comments are appreciated. TIA
 
That stacker can hold as many hard drives as you can fit in there, you can either suspend them in the 5" bays (MUCH quieter, but not secure if moved often) or buy more 3.5" bays.

Personally, I'd go for the silverstone or stacker, but that enermax looks pretty nice as well.
 
Hmm, how would I suspend them in the 5.25" bays? With home made ghetto rubberbands or something?
 
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