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Need Help With Case Purchase =)

G

Gillz

Weaksauce
Joined
Feb 19, 2007
Messages
116
Alright so I decided that my Antec P182 is pretty massive. Since I'm in college a lot, move back and forth and attend a few BYOC's, I thought I'd get a SFF case, preferable the cube type.

Right now I have..

Asus ATX mobo
AMD X2 4400+ AM2
7800GT PCI-E - This model - http://farm1.static.flickr.com/53/106139702_ac46984186.jpg?v=0
OCZ 450W PS
X-FI Extreme Gamer Sound Card - PCI

And the rest really doesn't matter. I know I'll need to get a mATX motherboard, I have no problem selling mine.

I started looking into cases, and I seemed to really like the shuttle ones. I like how small they are.

For example:
http://prime1.digitalwreckage.com/htpc/htpc9.jpg

I especially like this one - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/ctlaurin/IMG_0042-1.jpg (By the way, is this a shuttle, or a different case?)

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a264/biohazard_nz/comp.jpg


Now, I understand Shuttles are Barebones, so I can't just buy the case its self.

I looked into just a case, and found these.

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=888878190&vpn=VF1000BWS&manufacture=Thermaltake
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=23738&vpn=VF6000BWS&manufacture=Thermaltake
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=28973&vpn=SG02B-F&manufacture=Silverstone Technology

The SilverStone seems to be the smallest, so I want to go with that one. The Thermaltakes, despite being SFF, seem pretty big.

http://www.anandtech.com/casecooling/showdoc.aspx?i=2464&p=2

This one seems to be the smallest one I could find (case alone).

I'd prefer the Shuttle, because of its size, but I'm afraid of a few things.

- It comes with a PS, I already have a good one. I guess I'd have to sell it?
- Needs to fit my Video Card and sound card.
- It will cost more than just getting a case (I think?)

All in all, I'm pretty lost with this. I really like the Thermaltakes, but they just seem way too big. The Silverstone is smaller, and cheaper. The Aspire X-QPack seems to be a bit ugly in my opinion, but, seems to be the smallest out of what I could find. And the Shuttles seems like I'll need to sell a lot of stuff, and I'm afraid it won't fit my card.

Any advice?

Thank you =)
 
The Shuttle uses a completely different form factor, so unless you buy a barebones, don't expect your motherboard to fit. Also, PSUs that come with cases are generally bad, so keep the one you have, and don't go near the only with the case. Avoid it like the plague. Personally, I'd go with the SilverStone
 
Dimensions are in the Will-It-Fit FAQ. Whatever looks best to you. Volume wise the smaller cubes are almost exactly the same size, except for the Shuttles. Shuttles come with mobo and PSU (which is underrated) so you would carry over your CPU, graphics and X-Fi, unless you want to upgrade.
 
I would suggest checking out the Shuttle SN78SH7. You could drop in your CPU, memory, 7800GT and PCI Audio card. The Shuttle 300W PSU can easily handle your 7800GT or an ATI 4950 if you upgrade later.

Newegg has it for $280: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101073

This model also supports the new Phenom II quad and X3 CPU's so you can upgrade when you are ready. (Only limitation is single slot video card)
 
I'll check out the shuttle a bit more, but that seems a bit pricey for me. If I sold my mobo, PS, and case, I'd MAYBE get 200. It does look nice, but that almost seems like a downgrade. No offense, I'll look into reviews and stuff when I get home.

Alos, can anyone identify the case I liked in my original post? It was the one that I asked about in my OP. Stupid ipod doesn't have copy/paste, heh.

Thanks so far! I'll post more questions when I get home.
 
Gillz said:
Haha, nice! How much?
Click to expand...

no reasonable offers refused. we can discuss this and other details via PM if you're interested.

i'm looking to do the migration next week when i get my new case so it'll be available by then.
 
Gillz said:
I'll check out the shuttle a bit more, but that seems a bit pricey for me. If I sold my mobo, PS, and case, I'd MAYBE get 200. It does look nice, but that almost seems like a downgrade. No offense, I'll look into reviews and stuff when I get home.

Alos, can anyone identify the case I liked in my original post? It was the one that I asked about in my OP. Stupid ipod doesn't have copy/paste, heh.

Thanks so far! I'll post more questions when I get home.
Click to expand...

That modded Shuttle in the pic you posted is an OLD version from several years back and would not support AM2.

Shuttle's G2 case may be more to your liking - here's an AM2 version on newegg for $169 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101038

I have owned many Shuttle's and several mATX cases over the years and done some mods - check out my gallery for ideas here: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1024708
 
Alright well I found these.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144140 (I personally like this one better, front looks a lot nicer)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144162 (is one inch smaller in width)

Anything about either of these cases that has the "DONT FUCKING GET THIS CASE" characteristic?

The reason I'm liking these cases is because they seem a LOT smaller than the Thermaltake LANBOX's, mostly in depth.

Can anyone identify this box? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/ctlaurin/IMG_0042-1.jpg

Thanks =)
 
dworley said:
That modded Shuttle in the pic you posted is an OLD version from several years back and would not support AM2.

Shuttle's G2 case may be more to your liking - here's an AM2 version on newegg for $169 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101038

I have owned many Shuttle's and several mATX cases over the years and done some mods - check out my gallery for ideas here: http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1024708
Click to expand...

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101038&Tpk=Shuttle SN68SG2 (I live in Canada, so for me it would be $210 + shipping)

That's not bad, definitely more expensive opposed to buying a case and mobo.

But, it seems a LOT smaller. The only downside to that is that the motherboard and power supply might be pretty crappy. I like the other ones because if I ever get a better video card, I can upgrade the power supply too.

Hmmmm, this is tough! =D
 
That is a Shuttle XPC I believe. It's hard to tell, but I saw it in a post. I think his username is DRIFTER or something. Try looking in the SFF Gallery for ideas on cases.

Personally, I'd buy the Silverstone case, but if it's all looks, then the Lanbox Lite's front bezel is a keeper, but the cooling options in SS's cases are WAY better.
 
Mikonotsu said:
That is a Shuttle XPC I believe. It's hard to tell, but I saw it in a post. I think his username is DRIFTER or something. Try looking in the SFF Gallery for ideas on cases.

Personally, I'd buy the Silverstone case, but if it's all looks, then the Lanbox Lite's front bezel is a keeper, but the cooling options in SS's cases are WAY better.
Click to expand...

I'm considering the SilverStone, but the Thermaltakes seem WAY too big compared to all the others I'm considering. They're nice, but too big.
 
Sigh.. do I have to keep posting the comparison shots?
SANY0603_6f2da.Large.jpg
SANY0604_aa017.Large.jpg
SANY0601_8e42e.Large.jpg
 
Gillz said:
Well, is there ANY advantage to the Thermaltakes? I don't see the point in getting a larger case if there's no advantage =)
Click to expand...

Have no love in regurgitating the pros and cons. And the subject was that you were talking about how the Lanbox is SO MUCH bigger than the Sugo.
 
lowteckh said:
Have no love in regurgitating the pros and cons. And the subject was that you were talking about how the Lanbox is SO MUCH bigger than the Sugo.
Click to expand...

Well, maybe I was exaggerating, but I rather have something as small as possible.
 
as an observation, both the sg-02 and the lanbox lite use front covers made of plastic and the remainder of the case in steel. where they differ is how each case utilizes the contained space within the case.

the sg02 squeezes the same amount of hardware into less room, but leaves less free room to work with. on the other hand, the lanbox lite has more free/open room than the sg-02, making it a tad bit larger in every dimension.

also, the lanbox lite is "modular" - if you disassembled it, you'd end up with a few separate pieces (in order of accessibility): the removable top panel, the optical drive + 3.5" upright drive cage, a hdd cage below that (2x 3.5"), the PSU cage, the mobo tray, and the remainder of the case. iirc, the sg-02 isn't "modular", unfortunately.
 
Gillz said:
Alright well I found these.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144140 (I personally like this one better, front looks a lot nicer)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144162 (is one inch smaller in width)

Anything about either of these cases that has the "DONT FUCKING GET THIS CASE" characteristic?

The reason I'm liking these cases is because they seem a LOT smaller than the Thermaltake LANBOX's, mostly in depth.

Can anyone identify this box? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/ctlaurin/IMG_0042-1.jpg

Thanks =)
Click to expand...

the only thing about those cases are the PSUs.

i would ditch the PSUs in those cases in a heartbeat, and seeing as to how you already have a PSU that's of higher quality than those, you would too.
 
I owned a QPack, a LanboxLite, and an SG02. The Sugo is the pick of the litter. QPacks are very cheaply made compared to the SG02. The LanboxLite is poorly engineered and the tiny fans are LOUD.

Get an SG02 or an SG01-F, they are far better than the QPack or any of its clones.
 
I owned a QPack at one point too. I didn't like it at all. Everything about that case seemed really cheap. I moved to a Antec NSK1380 and I don't think I'll ever get rid of that case. I run it as my server and it's probably one of the most solid built cases I've ever come across. With that said, i've also never run into a Silverstone case I didn't like. You probably can't go wrong with that.
 
I'm not going to deny that the Sugo cases are better build than the Q-Pack clones, but hey can't hold a candle to the Q-Packs when it comes to cooling.
 
MassiveOverkill said:
I'm not going to deny that the Sugo cases are better build than the Q-Pack clones, but hey can't hold a candle to the Q-Packs when it comes to cooling.
Click to expand...

if you mean with the sides replaced by mesh and the insides hacked to make room for a taller HSF, I guess I would agree.

Not everyone buys a case with the intent to gut it though and stock vs stock I would take the SUGO over the others if I was in the market for cube style mATX case.
 
Okay I need help with this one please! =)

I just found this, and I'm thinking of getting it, but I cannot find ANY info as to how many PCI slots are in it, or if there's a PCI-E slot in it.

Any help would be great, thanks!

http://cgi.ebay.ca/SHUTTLE-SFF-COMPUTER-CELERON-3Ghz-512MB-RAM-80G-HD_W0QQitemZ200321529874QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDesktop_PCs?hash=item200321529874&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1215|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

EDIT: I found it it has a PCI and AGP slow in it.

Now, I did find this though.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Shuttle-XPC-ST20G5_W0QQitemZ260380626562QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_2?hash=item260380626562&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1215|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

I have a Socket 939 AMD processor and DDR RAM at home, so I could pop it into that, but I'd still need a HDD and opitcal drive, and potentially a video card to throw in there.

I'm lost, heh.
 
burnin8r said:
if you mean with the sides replaced by mesh and the insides hacked to make room for a taller HSF, I guess I would agree.

Not everyone buys a case with the intent to gut it though and stock vs stock I would take the SUGO over the others if I was in the market for cube style mATX case.
Click to expand...

I agree. I had to hack it to get Zalman HSF to fit. My issue was (in addition to the case being cheaply made) that it was really noisy as well from vibration - again due to the case being cheaply made.. :D
 
Even in stock form, the Micro Fly cools better than the Sugo........simply turning the 120mm around gives you even better cooling. Adding the mesh allows for extreme overclocking of the video card and CPU.

And I agree, the case is cheaply made. That being said, I travel ALOT with mine and nothing has ever broken. At $59 bucks, I could afford to replace the case every year. I use my case to house my computer components, not sit on it like a piece of furniture.

The Micro Fly is the coolest running case that you can take onto a plane with you, if there was a better one out there, I would be using it.
 
sparkie99 said:
I agree. I had to hack it to get Zalman HSF to fit. My issue was (in addition to the case being cheaply made) that it was really noisy as well from vibration - again due to the case being cheaply made.. :D
Click to expand...

I'm betting you cut the side rail completely out didn't you?
 
just got the sugo and I like it.

I'm a negative person so I only give cons.

80mm fans not too loud because of the ventilation holes. (remove the vents problem solved)........no 120mm fan spot........thats all I could find.
 
MassiveOverkill said:
I'm betting you cut the side rail completely out didn't you?
Click to expand...

Nah.. I just cut the inner part of the oval hole (hard to describe..). Luckily the Zalman barely fit because the CPU socket was located a bit lower on the motherboard.

I see that you mounted Ultima 90 in your rig. I'm planning on swapping parts in my micro fly in coming week with DFI P45 Jr with Ultima 90 as well. How far did you have to cut to get it fit?
 
Normally, on all my Micro Fly builds, I cut the inner oval all the way and then cut out additional material, moving the hard drive mount forward. Here is the post showing moving the hard drive cage forward:

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1031874453&postcount=11

The heat sink fit fine with this setup, but I can't remember how much extra clearance it had or if it needed the extra cutting for it to clear, other than just the oval portion. I only had the board in there for a day as it was too painful to overclock it and I threw my P5E-VM HDMI back in.
 
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