Mid-Tower Case Suggestion?

L

LittleMike

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
Messages
356
Hello [H],

I'm looking to build a new rig and I honestly have no clue about cases. I do know, however, that I don't have a lot of room and that my current rig sits under my desk, so it can't be too tall. This is what I'm planning to put in it (with other notes on possible future expansions):

eVGA 790i mobo
Q9550 Intel CPU
4Gig RAM (haven't decided yet, gotta check compatibility and prices, will be DDR3)
- For video, I'm still debating. 2x 8800GT's or 2x 9600GT's or a single 9800GX2, but SLI if it will improve performance and be cheaper versus a single card solution
- For storage, on my current rig I have 4x 300G Maxtors in RAID5. Honestly, nVidia's RAID controller has left me wanting, though it's been stable in this build for about 2 years now, finally. Went through 3 motherboards though to get it that way. Lifetime warranty FTW! So the point is, I may go a single Hitachi 1TB non-raid config. I know it's not ideal, but I prefer having a "single" drive solution for OS and storage alike. I have a 500G external if need be as well.

Anywho, I *may* go WC at some point. I never have before, but all my components seem to run hot. It could be the generic case I have with hardly any fans, and that's most likely, but WC will definitely resolve that.

So I'm leaning towards either a p180B/182 or the Antec 900. I have heard a lot of people on here trashing the 900 and I'm not sure why. I've been looking at it, and it looks like a nice solid case. I think it has a little more room than the p180 and it's actually a little shorter. Length isn't really my concern under my desk, but height is. A first gen (or maybe it was a second gen) Stacker 2 case just brushes the keyboard pullout tray. I need somewhere around 18-21" height max. I *could* squeeze a 22, or 23 inch chassis but I'd be more comfy with something shorter.

So, given my needs, anyone have any suggestions? I also like the look of the 900 over the p180, but as I said, I am leaning that route.

I should also note that I would rather do as little modding as possible, though I did see some amazing 900 mod with some extra holes punched in the mobo tray for cable management. I don't know if I'm capable enough to do that, though.

Anyways, thanks, gang. I know I'm rambling, but I hope you all can help.

-Mike
 
*sniffs armpits* Do I smell or something? 24 views and no suggestions? I feel unloved :p
 
Lian Li PC7.
P182.
See if you can find yourself one of the Lian-Li/Rocketfish cases. G50s or something.
CM 590.

That's in the $100 range.
 
@aznpxdd:

Isn't that case a bit small? Plus, it opens on the opposite side. No good. I need it to ope on the left side (standard side) because I have a partition on the right.

@Leman:

The G50-S has the same problem - opens on the opposite side. I can't seem to find any CM590's, though CoolerMaster left a really bad taste in my mouth anyways.

So why the P182 over the Antec 900? I kinda like that as well, which is why I asked opinions on one over the other.
 
LittleMike said:
So why the P182 over the Antec 900? I kinda like that as well, which is why I asked opinions on one over the other.
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It's simple: The P182 is a better quality and constructed case than the Antec 900 IMO. The P182 was made with sound dampening materials and has plenty of space behind the motherboard to hide or route cables. The number one complaint about the Antec 900, at least from what I can see, is cable management. Simply put: cable management with the Antec 900 is a bitch. Very little room to hide cables let alone route them.

After playing around with both an Antec 900 and Cooler Master RC690, I'd say they're both about the same quality and cooling wise. As such, the Antec 900 is kind of a bad deal since the Coolermaster RC-690 can often be found for $70 to $80 while the Antec 900 is around $90 to $110. So the Coolermaster RC-690 is very good alternative to the Antec 900.

With that said, here are some other cases you might want to look at:
Cooler Master RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $60
Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP ATX Case - $70
Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case - $80
Lian Li PC-7B Plus II Silver ATX Case - $90
AeroCool Masstige ATX Case - $100
Rocketfish Aluminum Full-Tower Case - $120

Also do you have a monitor with a resolution of 1920x1200 or more? If not, don't bother with going with an SLI setup. You won't see a worthy or justified performance increase at resolutions lower than the 1920x1200 with SLI.

If you do have a 1920x1200 monitor or bigger, I recommend two 8800GT SLI. Excellent bang for your buck value.
 
definitely the CM 590. I also have a tiny desk with limited room and it fits no problem and still room on the top and sides for air. I have a $20 walmart desk, eek. Its got plenty of room for all your needs, you may need to get another hdd rack to fit them in the 5.25 bays but thts no biggy plus thats another fan. If you plan on going WC later with this case its got a vent on top begging for a 2x120 radiator. I definitely think this case will exceed all your needs.
 
Wow great job, guys! Thanks!

As far as full towers go, they are out because of my space limitations. As I said, the rig is under my desk, and there is a partition to the right, so it needs to open the "standard" way (the case can't open on the right side).

With that said, you guys have given me a lot of choices. I did mention that the Lian-Li 182 was one I was considering, so it does seem like you guys feel that is a good choice. If the build quality on the 900 isn't nearly as good as the 182, I will definitely go with the 182 instead.

The A17 was something I was actually looking at last night. It's funny that one of you mentions it today. I think I'm leaning towards the either the 182 or the A17 now. :p Decisions, decisions.
 
LittleMike said:
I think I'm leaning towards the either the 182 or the A17 now. :p Decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...

Decide what is more important for you :
  • more space for watercooling in A17 (as you can see at the link i provided, you can put 360 rad at front when sacrificing all disk/DVD positions
  • A17 is lighter, but have less sound dampening and actually the whole front is full of holes. On another side it means better escape route for heat, so maybe you can run your fans at lower speed.
  • P182 have separate chamber for PSU and disks, that keeps them separate from rest of the case (in terms of heat)
  • And most important thing (for me) - P182 have the power and reset button behind the door, A17 have them on top (with front panel ports too).

It's the last point (power button behind door), which made the decision for me (A17 was the winner, ordering it tomorow).
 
@White:

Sorry, that's what I meant. I knew it was Antec, that was a mistake on my part.

@faugusztin:

I just found the P182SE on sale at Buy.com for $159.99. I have been eyeballing the 180/182. I like the looks. The black interior with the mirror finish on the SE is pretty cool in terms of aesthetics. Plus I like the fact that the separate chamber keeps the internals isolated from the rest of the case. Heat rises. If I chuck the PSU and drives on the bottom, I think it'll help temps. Plus with the removable cages, I have some options on where to place things.

The A17 is nice and all, but that still seemed like a lot of work getting that triple rad internal. Then you sacrifice drive space. The 182 has the holes cut in the back for WC already and it wouldn't take much effort to put a 120.2 or 120.3 outside of the case, while having everything else internal. As I said before, height is really my issue, not depth. My desk is deep, but not horribly tall. I'm going to go with the 182SE.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions. Maybe I'll start a worklog to show it off once I start building it. I have to wait till at least the next paycheck before I can get some more of the components :p
 
Most of the today cases have those holes anyway ;-). But it's your money and your decision, as i said, the power button behind the door was a showstopper for me :).
 
faugusztin said:
Most of the today cases have those holes anyway ;-). But it's your money and your decision, as i said, the power button behind the door was a showstopper for me :).
Click to expand...

This is true, but I do like the other aspects - the mirrored finish and the black interior. Though I might have a window kit made up for it too. I haven't decided. But as far as the power button goes, I leave my machine on 24/7 so that wasn't a dealbreaker for me ;)
 
Id say just get a full tower because with those specs only very few mid towers can fit them but you could try Antec 900, Coolermaster Centurion 590 or 690, Thermaltake Xaser MX9000SNS series. If your gonna get a Lian-Li case its not much of a price difference to a full tower case.
 
@jxaznxk:

If you look at the beginning of the thread, I mentioned that I can't go with a full tower because of space restrictions. I just plain ol' don't have the room under the desk for a full tower. That's why I'm going with a Mid-Tower chassis. I have a mid-tower rig now and it fits perfectly.
 
faugusztin said:
Now this is one of the problematic parts of P180/P182, due it's 3 layer panels (i mean not best for DIY window solution).
Click to expand...

Yea that I knew. If I can't find a pre-fab, I may just stick with the cool mirrored finish. Until it gets to be too much of a pain keeping fingerprints off of it at least :p
 
Xaeos said:
How about the new LianLi Armorsuit?
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A couple of reasons. The first one being price. It's $279.99 at NewEgg. That's a ridiculous amount of money for a mid-tower.

Secondly, clearance. There's only 12.5" from the back of the case to the drive bay. With 2x8800GTs that would be on the tight side. At least with the P182SE that I just picked up, I can take either the middle or lower drive cage out if I need more room.

The other ArmorSuits are full towers, and as I said above, I don't have the room for a full tower setup.
 
LittleMike said:
Until it gets to be too much of a pain keeping fingerprints off of it at least :p
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Buying a Lian Li would make your pain same in case of fingerprints :). I own 2 black Lian Li cases (PC-A09B, PC-V1000B Plus II), and fingerprints are clearly visible on black aluminum.
 
aznpxdd said:
A05B.
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This is a good one esp if youre concerned about space. Its shorter than most mid towers and looks nice and sleek too. Check out the thread in the Cases forum and you might be converted like I was :D The V series also looks nice but I think is pricier.

The Coolermaster Stackers are popular around here too.
 
Here's a thread that lets you get a good look at the CM 690: CM690 Mod @ xcpus.com. And here's a thread showing just what all can be stuffed into a P182: P182 mod.

I'm a big fan of my P182 and would be fine with sticking in an additional GPU if I had the need.
 
As I said, I did go with the 182SE. It should be here in a couple of days. Worse comes to worse, if I don't like it, I can return it or even sell it. From what I've seen, though, it looks really nice and should suit my needs.

That was a nice mod by the way. And yikes! I can't believe the drill bit went through that poor guy's foot!
 
CM 690. I've got similar hardware to what you're getting and the thing is only $75. Not the prettiest thing in the world, but like you, under a desk it goes not to be see much so aesthetics don't mean much to me.
 
All this mention of P18x cases and the first thing that comes to mind (and I don't believe anyone's mentioned it already) -

those cases are LARGE for a mid-tower. Throw out your mid-tower expectations when dealing with the P18x cases because they are by no means the same size as a regular mid-tower. They are halfway to a full tower size; definitely closer to full tower than mid-tower. 21.3" (H) x 8.1" (W) x 19.9" (D)

Only a few inches here and there smaller than a $47 Rocketfish. ;)
 
zero2dash said:
All this mention of P18x cases and the first thing that comes to mind (and I don't believe anyone's mentioned it already) -

those cases are LARGE for a mid-tower. Throw out your mid-tower expectations when dealing with the P18x cases because they are by no means the same size as a regular mid-tower. They are halfway to a full tower size; definitely closer to full tower than mid-tower. 21.3" (H) x 8.1" (W) x 19.9" (D)

Only a few inches here and there smaller than a $47 Rocketfish. ;)
Click to expand...

21" I can deal with. But not much taller than that. I could barely squeeze a full tower under the desk. So saying I can't wouldn't be true, it's just that I don't *want* to. And then again some towers I would not be able to even if I wanted to. The 182 should be fine. I have plenty of depth, so that's not an issue. Mainly just height.
 
I would recommend the Lancool PC-K7. Its a Lian Li built with a steel frame and aluminum sides, top & front. Typical Lian Li classy, simple looks and excellent build quality. Most standard Lian Li accessories should fit this case (drive bezels, PCI slot fans, etc).

Has dual 120mm intakes with filters, 5x HDD mounts with rubber damping, 3x 5.25 bays and 1x 3.5 bay. Removable motherboard panel that has wire management clips on the back, along with several holes for power cables & such. HDD cage can be rotated 180 deg, by default its placed to loads from the "back" so that the plugs are near the mobo & wire management areas.

Its actually very similar design to the PC-B25, only $150 cheaper thanks to the steel internals and lack of door.

product page:
http://www.lancoolpc.com/k7/html/k7.html

Currently on sale at Newegg for $100 shipped. (usually closer to $130 shipped).
newegg link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112154
 
Lian Li PC-7B Plus II or A if you like silver. another good one is the A05B also from Lian Li. quality cases that don't break the bank.
 
I think you guys are little late, LittleMike has already decided about case (6 days ago) and latest cases you suggested here were mentoined in 3rd, 5th and 6th post in this thread already :) :

LittleMike said:
I'm going to go with the 182SE.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions. Maybe I'll start a worklog to show it off once I start building it. I have to wait till at least the next paycheck before I can get some more of the components :p
Click to expand...
 
faugusztin said:
I think you guys are little late, LittleMike has already decided about case (6 days ago) and latest cases you suggested here were mentoined in 3rd, 5th and 6th post in this thread already :) :
Click to expand...

Haha, thanks faugusztin. But yeah. I got the P182SE in and it is sexxxxay. Now if I can decide what other components to put in it, I'll be happy. Tentative build list:

eVGA 790i mobo (I want to go SLI)
Q9550 Intel CPU
Corsair HX1000 PSU (Mmmm power and modular cables)
2x 2gb RAM (maybe the gSkill kit, still not sure yet, but I know it has to be DDR3)
2x 8800 GTS 512 (G92) in SLI
1x 1TB 7200.11 HD (I like everything to be on one drive, be it physical or logical and I'm not sure if I should go RAID again or not, so this may change).

That's about it for now. Still shopping around for good deals too. I usually buy from NewEgg, but I'm not married to them. Bought the case at Buy.com for $165 shipped, so not a bad deal. Any suggestions for this build are welcome. The idea behind this rig is this:

All purpose machine for gaming, DVD authoring, video editing, 6.1MP+ photo editing, basically some heavy work. In addition I like to have everything install to it's default paths (C:\Program Files\xxx), etc. No reason for it, I just like it that way. I have a 500gig external, but I use that for archiving. I have 4x 300gig Maxtors in RAID 5 on the current box. It's been running stable for a bit now, but I don't think nVidia's RAID solution has gotten any better in these newer boards, so I might just go non RAID. Thoughts, questions, comments, trials, tribulations, post them below. :)
 
I have a P-182 and just built a system with a P-180B and did the mod on the filter doors and also moved the lower hard drive cage back 1/2 inch and removed the metal bracket in front of it to install the lower chamber cooling fan to the front of the HD cage and attached it to the interior of the case with good 3m double sided tape cooled the hard drives great with a Scythe Sony Bearing 1200 rpm fan also used the same 1200 rpm fan for the upper intake fan and so far left the rear and top case exhaust fans the tri-cools. so far the case is quite and running cool 22c case temp and mb is 33c with a E8400 cpu running at 28c idle with a Zalman 9500 on low with ambient at 68F. Good luck with your build.
 
I know the OP has already leapt, but I always recommend the Rosewill R5600 series (the 5605 being my current favorite). About the least expensive case that covers all the bases. Check my review here:
http://www.techimo.com/reviews/ under Cases all the way down at the bottom of the list - Yeong Yang/Rosewill R5604. YeongYang is the OEM. The Egg is running deals on a lot of the Rosewill cases right now from instant discounts to free shipping. Most aren't worth looking at, but the 5600 and the R6A (and the R6X which has been OOS for a while) series are solid and the new RZS series for those looking for very small ATX (approx 14 x 17 x 7.5" HDW). Several are basically the same as (or identical to) some HEC/Compucase models as that is the OEM (similar to the legendary Antec SLK3000-B which was also a Compucase OEM job). The Thermaltake SViking was based on the 5600 chassis and the Tsunami on the R6A chassis.

.bh.
 
LittleMike said:
Thoughts, questions, comments, trials, tribulations, post them below. :)
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Just to let you know - my PC-A17 has arrived and while it is not complete (some things are coming from shops and from RMA this/next week), i'm pretty sure it would be a nice choose for you too, except few quirks :
  • Fans - 12cm fans are loud as usual, replace them at arrival. 14cm fan is less noisy, but due noisy 12cm fans i can't hear it :D. Btw, i'm happy that my fan/case/etc supplier informed me, that he can actually get Yate Loon fans (including the 14cm one), so i ordered one. This information (that he can order them) was a surprise for him too :D
  • Lots of cables - if i say lots, i mean really, really lots of cables from "front" panel (which is actually on top of case). 2xUSB cable, 1xFirewire cable, 1xSATA cable and the standard button/LED cables. Add PSU, SATA cables to that, and it gets pretty dense at back of motherboard tray :)
  • HDD mounting - it's one of the standard Lian Li mounting methods, but you must have disks with not very high vibrations to supress them with this solution

I added this here just for other readers who will be deciding about this case too.
 
faugusztin said:
Just to let you know - my PC-A17 has arrived and while it is not complete (some things are coming from shops and from RMA this/next week), i'm pretty sure it would be a nice choose for you too, except few quirks :
  • Fans - 12cm fans are loud as usual, replace them at arrival. 14cm fan is less noisy, but due noisy 12cm fans i can't hear it :D. Btw, i'm happy that my fan/case/etc supplier informed me, that he can actually get Yate Loon fans (including the 14cm one), so i ordered one. This information (that he can order them) was a surprise for him too :D
  • Lots of cables - if i say lots, i mean really, really lots of cables from "front" panel (which is actually on top of case). 2xUSB cable, 1xFirewire cable, 1xSATA cable and the standard button/LED cables. Add PSU, SATA cables to that, and it gets pretty dense at back of motherboard tray :)
  • HDD mounting - it's one of the standard Lian Li mounting methods, but you must have disks with not very high vibrations to supress them with this solution

I added this here just for other readers who will be deciding about this case too.
Click to expand...

No problem. :) Even though I already decided, this post is useful for others trying to find a good mid-tower case.
 
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