Silverstone TJ06 or Antec P180B

S

sld72382

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Nov 7, 2006
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Figured I might as well get a new case when I upgrade my components in a couple of months.

I've narrowed it down to these two:

Silverstone TJ-06

Antec P180B.

Both fit my budget of $150 for a case. The Silverstone has the advantage of being slimmer (lengthwise) so I don't have to take the door off my desk to fit it in there. Now, here's a question: anybody know if the Zalman 9700 Fits the TJ-06? 'Cause if I choose it, I might have to go with something else if it doesn't fit. Other than that, which offers the better airflow?
 
Both are great cases.

The P180 can be had for nearly half the price of the TJ06 if you shop around.
 
The TJ is a far easier case to work with than the P-180 and IMO, far better looking as well.
The Zalman should fit ( I don't have one, so can't be certain) but will certainly require ditching the "windtunnel"- or at the very least, modifying it considerably.
I never used the tunnel at all, so I don't think it's any great loss.
 
I like the TJ, but it's a bit cumbersome for taking to lan parties (which I've done quite frequently lately), so I'll probably be selling it eventually (plans for building an aluminum case from scratch). It's been a great case for me, though I had to lengthen my ATX 12v wiring to plug it into my mobo. For a while I ran just a factory 3500+ AMD cooler on my 4200+ with the wind tunnel on, with the case fans in the tunnel blowing towards the front, and it typically idled under 30ºC. I've since moved to a Scythe Ninja, so I don't use the tunnel anymore, but it's still a good idea from Silverstone IMO. I also know a few guys with the P180, and some said their setups were a PITA to install. Just all depends on the board, etc. you get.
 
sld72382 said:
Any issues after taking off the wind tunnel?
Click to expand...
My PC was watercooled from the git-go, so I don't know.
I do have two customers using air in their TJs...neither of them installed the windtunnel due to conflicts with the coolers but I have no idea how their temps are.
I think the concept of the windtunnel is good but there is no way that SS can accommodate the variety of board layouts and heatsink choices available to the end user.
If you really want to use it you'll have to search and see what combinations folks have found to fit.
EET said:
I also know a few guys with the P180, and some said their setups were a PITA to install.
Click to expand...
Yeah, when the P180 first came out we did two builds into it and both were a real nightmare. I think there have been a few minor changes (not just the door problem) since production began that may have helped but we were so turned off by the initial experience that we never tried one again.
 
I'm considering the TJ-06 as well, along with the Casetek CK-1022-5 and the Stacker STC-01, but the TJ-06 is currently at the top of my list. I'm also concerned about the wind tunnel and large heatsinks, in particular the Thermalright Ultra 120, Apack Zerotherm BTF-90 and of course the Zalman CNPS9700.

Apart from that, I've read reviews which also highlight a few more issues about the case, such as
- ATX power cable for many PSUs not long enough to reach the mobo connector(Silverstone recommends at least 550mm, and my Epsilon is apparently only 520mm.
- Some motherboards not compatible with the case(there's a mobo compatibility list on Silverstone's website but it's not really updated)

Does anyone with experience with the case have anything to say about these issues?
 
There are extensions available for the PSU cables that can solve that issue should it really be a problem.
AFAIK, the "motherboard compatibility" list is for use with the windtunnel...if you don't need to use it (and I've read mixed reports about it's efficacy), then any board will fit.

I bought the TJ for it's looks...I still think it's one of the handsomest cases around but the original Stacker is my absolute fave all around case in that price range.
So many options, you can do anything in a STC-T01.
 
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