looking for new matx sff case... which one?

D

digitalxdna

Gawd
Joined
Dec 27, 2005
Messages
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so i've come to realize the constraints of the thermaltake lanbox lite (having to modify it to barely fit my gtx 280, heat/cooling issues), and i'm thinking of migrating the innards into another matx sff case. so far, i've got it down to these two:

lian li pc-v351
silverstone sg-01f

so which one do you all recommend? or should i keep my thermaltake lanbox lite and work with it?...

btw, i'm not very impressed w/ the qmicra or the x-qpack, and i don't want a mini-tower.
 
Okay, Microfly it is then.

They all have problems of some sort with fitting oversized cards. Lian Li has the same problems as the Thermaltake. SG02 the drive bay has to be removed. Microfly, you need power connectors with the connector facing sideways or a dual PCI-E board.

If you want better cooling, modify the Lanbox or buy cooler components.
 
SG03 w/ GTX260-216 and don't have any cooling or fit issues. The Mini P180 had no cooling or fit issues either.
 
I see you say no mini-tower, but the mini p180 is one of the best out there for cooling and fitting gtx's
 
Stop recommending the miniP180 then.

Seriously don't get you guys... guy has 2 cases he's "slimmed it down to" and always always always there's gotta be a garbage load of unrelated opinions flung. Just stick with the criteria, easy nuff.
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The SG02 does NOT need the cage to be removed, in fact you cannot remove the cage. All you do is remove the hard drive FAN which is useless to begin with.

The Lian Li's cooling issue resides in CPU exhaust; video card it has no problems with esp since the card he wants stuck in it is dual slot rear exhaust.

SG01 and V350 both will do what he wants with the GTX280, so the decision is up to him on which one he likes more. Fridge or Shoebox. Not fridge, shoebox and the Marriott hotel.
 
lowteckh> thank you.

and to everyone else, let me address the reasons why i limited my choices to those two cases so you understand where i'm coming from with these two choices:

1. no major components/parts/panels made of plastic - i want something w/ better build quality. aluminum is preferable, steel is acceptable. the only plastic i'll carry around are my credit/atm cards.

2. no mini towers - if i wanted to get a tower, i'm going to get a full-sized one. however, as this is my lan rig, i'd like something portable. that, and i already have a full-sized tower (p180) w/ my s939 daily use system.

3. must fit the following: one optical drive, three hdd's, and a gtx 280 - with no modifications. my lanbox lite required a bit of dremel work (relocate lower hdd cage, lose half of upright 3.5" cage) to make it all fit.

4. must not have cooling issues - the thermaltake lanbox lite had one 80mm fan up front and two 60mm fans in the rear. unfortunately, the 80mm fan up front is blocked by the hdd cage, and the 60mm fans don't do much; it's not as thermally efficient as i might have thought...

having said that, i'm still torn between the SG-01F and the V351...

decisions, decisions...
 
hey let me help u, as a owner of the SG-02F and V350! lol
what i do with those 2 cases are...
i have the V350 as my home rig... because it looks nice and itz aluminum... i dont want to cry it around and have scratches all over it... plus i will be putting some sexy party in to real soon ;)
and then i have the SG-02F as my LAN box... it might be cheaper but then the build is not as bad as i thought it would be... and for some reason most of my frd like the SG-02F more than my V350 ( WTF!? i paid more for the LL :( ) and atm gonna play around with the SG-02F, i just screwed off any screw that is available on it right now... i m thinking if i should get the rivet gun and completely taken it apart! lol

so if u ask me i think the SS makes a better LAN box than the LL ( but that just me ) and i have see more SS than LL in a LAN party. but of coz u r the owner of the case... so u should pick whatever u like more ;)
 
Buy both then. SFF cases all have their share of flaws. Both cases will not have ATX style cooling, if the ultimate overclocks are what you're looking for then this entire segment is not for you.

- Again, a GTX280 (or two) will fit into either case without modification.
- Both will fit 3 hard drives and 1 optical.
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And try to compare it with the Lanbox
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Interior comparisons:
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lowteckh, thank you for posting those pics. I honestly thought that Lian Li case was too huge to be considered a mATX case. But now side by side with the Silverstone case, it doesn't look that big. I might now consider that case for the next SFF build I'd do.
 
apparently lowteckh has this bad habit of something... something that i dunno y it requires that many toilet paper... i wonder why... itz still a mystery...



LOL j/k! i dunno y but i didnt notice there was a toilet roll til danny mention it lol
 
You could also get an antec nsk2400 or fusion..those would fit your criteria. In terms of volume it is a small case and the cooling is very good.
 
He could also get an Antec 900, 1200, P182, P180, Cooler Master Cosmos, Cosmos S, Lian Li X500, X2000, A05, Armorsuit, TT Shark, Shark+, V1000, V2000, NZXT Rouge and yabadabadoo.
 
lol
i totally understand lowteckh's feeling now
ppl just dont like to read every damn details about a thread lol
 
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