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Search for MY perfect case...

GilmourD

GilmourD

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Jun 17, 2004
Messages
11,185
The other night, the ambient temperature in my room spiked due to this insane heatwave we're having here (70 degrees in NJ in the middle of January???) and my temperature alarms actually went off in the middle of the night. Thus I've realized that my current case and cooling setup aren't sufficient for an OC'd Opteron 165.

What I'm looking for is a case along the same lines as the Antec Nine Hundred... But less expensive. Basically, I want a bottom mounted PSU and as many 120mm fans as the case can hold with a top-mounted blow hole. One thing I would like that the Nine Hundred doesn't have is a sideways mounted HD cage.

So... Anybody have any suggestions?
 
Actually the Centurion 532 is probably your best bet. Mod it with a top blowhole and you're good to go. Of course it doesn't have the PSU on the bottom, but i don't think that should make your decision go either way. At $39 after rebate, that case is hard to beat.

Ockie, he said LESS expensive...
 
Ockie said:
Stacker 810.

/thread.
Click to expand...

ScYcS said:
Actually the Centurion 532 is probably your best bet. Mod it with a top blowhole and you're good to go. Of course it doesn't have the PSU on the bottom, but i don't think that should make your decision go either way. At $39 after rebate, that case is hard to beat.

Ockie, he said LESS expensive...
Click to expand...

Yes... Less expensive. LOL I COULD stretch myself a bit and get the Nine Hundred... But I'm checking out my options otherwise.

The Centurion is almost there, but not quite. I want some kickin' intake flow. My room, for some strange reason, stays warm when the rest of the house is cold during the coldest days of winter, AND it's over the garage. Should be colder, but it's not. [shrug] I want as much airflow as possible.
 
You'll have a hard time finding that case. I'm looking for something like that for the last 6 months.

There isn't any case on the market for under $100 that sports multiple 120mm fans, a side blowhole and a top fan together with sideways mounted hdd cage and lower PSU cage. There just isn't.

I'm at the point where i just mod the 532 with a top blowhole and put another 120mm fan in the 5.25" cage.
 
ScYcS said:
You'll have a hard time finding that case. I'm looking for something like that for the last 6 months.

There isn't any case on the market for under $100 that sports multiple 120mm fans, a side blowhole and a top fan together with sideways mounted hdd cage and lower PSU cage. There just isn't.

I'm at the point where i just mod the 532 with a top blowhole and put another 120mm fan in the 5.25" cage.
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Well... The hard drive cage I could live without... And the side fan, too. My main concern is just blowing a lot of air from front to back to keep things cool. The 532's front fan seems tucked away and hidden behind the hard drives, so I don't know how much air it's really going to flow. What would be nice is if I could replace 3 of the 5.25" drive bay covers with a 120mm (or larger) fan since I only have one optical drive. At that point... I guess I could reduce my requirements a bit. :)
 
Yeah, believe me when i say been there done that.

I can't understand why there is no manufacturer that simply makes a nice low cost case (like i said under $100) that sports 120mm fans with a top blowhole (92mm-120mm) and psu on the bottom.

They'd make a fortune. it would sell like crazy.
 
ScYcS said:
Yeah, believe me when i say been there done that.

I can't understand why there is no manufacturer that simply makes a nice low cost case (like i said under $100) that sports 120mm fans with a top blowhole (92mm-120mm) and psu on the bottom.

They'd make a fortune. it would sell like crazy.
Click to expand...

So, what cases do have a bottom mounted PSU these days? I saw a post about it, but it was from over a year ago. I'm sure more have come out since, but it's not something that can be searched for easilly.
 
Well, if you don't hate rebates, the Antec P180 might work out. I've seen it after rebate for around $80.

BTW, i up the ante and say i also want a case WITHOUT door. I hate case doors. So the P180 is out of the question for me as well....on top it's a heavy bugger. Won't be able to put it on my table due to it's weight.
 
ScYcS said:
Well, if you don't hate rebates, the Antec P180 might work out. I've seen it after rebate for around $80.
Click to expand...

Well, the problem isn't the final price. It's the initial outlay of cash. No biggie. :) Just wanted to see if there were options that were basically a stripped down Nine Hundred.
 
GilmourD said:
Well, the problem isn't the final price. It's the initial outlay of cash. No biggie. :) Just wanted to see if there were options that were basically a stripped down Nine Hundred.
Click to expand...

I'm in the exact same boat.

If you ever find what you were looking for, please send me a PM and i'd be forever grateful....
 
The Lian-Li PC-60APlusII is the only one that came to my mind that's even affordable in this sector with some 120MM fans.

My honest recommendation is to just save up a little more and buy exactly what you want. Patience is a virtue, but having a case you really enjoy is worth it.
 
I just looked at the Masstige and it really comes very close to what i wanted in first place (only thing missing is the top fan but i can live without if the airflow is good anyhow). I just placed the order from zipzoomfly and it should be here shortly. I kinda like it more than the Antec Nine Hundred due to it's internal design, while i like the Antec's 20CM fan on the top. But i think the internals of the Masstige outweight the fan on the Nine Hundred.
 
I like the stacker and the p180 also, I too am looking for a new case for my new build this spring. I am kinda waiting to see the size of the new ATi Car'ds, If they will be bigger then the 8800's or not. Size is going to be a big factor in a new case. Getting it all to fit....
 
Nonsense said:
I use this:

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811196011

With 1 added 120mm fan in the front. And trust me, my CPU is Overclocked 450mhz (4400+ @ 2.65ghz) and it runs at 25 degrees celcius under load. 17 idle.

That case has TONS of air flow and if you wanted to, you could add 1-2 top fans.
Click to expand...

The only problem with that case is that it's the pseudo-BTX (upside down) style and my abit AN8 32x has a heatpipe cooler on the NB and SB. Upside down no workie. However, the Aerocool site shows a Masstige that looks different and seems to have the standard ATX setup. However, I can't find it for sale anywhere.
 
The heatpipe problem with BTX cases is really not as bad as many want to make you believe. I don't remember which website it was but there was someone who tested this theory and the temps were completely unaffected by the reversed heatpipe. Kind of makes sense because the copper in the heatpipe releases the heat no matter which direction it's mounted.

Just food for thought.
 
ScYcS said:
The heatpipe problem with BTX cases is really not as bad as many want to make you believe. I don't remember which website it was but there was someone who tested this theory and the temps were completely unaffected by the reversed heatpipe. Kind of makes sense because the copper in the heatpipe releases the heat no matter which direction it's mounted.

Just food for thought.
Click to expand...

In either case, the Aerocool website has the Masstige-25 that looks pretty sweet. But... Where is it? LOL Everybody has the same Masstige that the egg has pictured.
 
I think you're looking at the taiwanese site. The us site from aerocool doesn't have those models listed and that makes me believe that those are not sold in the US....
 
ScYcS said:
I think you're looking at the taiwanese site. The us site from aerocool doesn't have those models listed and that makes me believe that those are not sold in the US....
Click to expand...

Good call. The US site doesn't picture the same case that the Taiwanese site shows. Hmmm... Weird?
 
ScYcS said:
The heatpipe problem with BTX cases is really not as bad as many want to make you believe. I don't remember which website it was but there was someone who tested this theory and the temps were completely unaffected by the reversed heatpipe. Kind of makes sense because the copper in the heatpipe releases the heat no matter which direction it's mounted.

Just food for thought.
Click to expand...

I found this.
Bbq said:
upside down heatpipes do NOT decrease performance. Period. Fullstop. The way a heatpipe works, is there is the fluid, and there is a wick in the middle. All the way up, all the way down. Now if you reverse the heatpipe, it sitll evaporates, it will still go down the wick. The only issue, is that the chipset will absorb all the heat from the mosfets. Not exactly fun.

The only exception to this, is the heatpipes with a partial wick. The wick stops part way through the pipe. It will only work one way.
Click to expand...

It makes sense that the heat would now be pulled towards the chipset, even if the pipe is indeed functioning. If I did go upside down, I'd get a different cooling solution... However, that increases the budget even more. LOL
 
With 1 added 120mm fan in the front. And trust me, my CPU is Overclocked 450mhz (4400+ @ 2.65ghz) and it runs at 25 degrees celcius under load. 17 idle.
Click to expand...

How can you stand keeping your house so cold? Those temps don't help anyone at all unless people know what temperature the house is at....
 
2uantuM said:
How can you stand keeping your house so cold? Those temps don't help anyone at all unless people know what temperature the house is at....
Click to expand...

You know... I glazed over those temps for some reason...62.6*F at idle? 77*F at full load? My room was hotter than 77*F ambient the other night. I usually try to keep it under 70*F. No way your idle is that low unless you live in an igloo.
 
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