Smaller Mid Tower case suggestion

T

thebrieze

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May 1, 2011
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Hi I'm looking for a mid tower case (ATX) that is less than 18" high. So it can fit in my computer desk.

Almost all the options I've looked at tend to be more than 18" high. I'm fine with a more expensive case if it meets my needs.. And I will not be stuffing it with more than one video card, or with extra long ones. So suggestions are welcome.
 
I have a similar constraint with the size of my desk, but my height limit is 19.5". My current case is a heavily modded CoolerMaster Centurion 5. Even the new versions of that are less than 17.5" tall. That case is being repurposed, so I'm replacing it with a Fractal Design Define R3, which at 17.32" is shorter than 18".
 
 
Oh man, this is tough, other than the Cooler Masters that Kain posted I can only find a few. The numbers in parenthesis are the heights.

Right at 18"
Antec 300
http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=MjQ=

In Win Track
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108380

APEVIA X-SUPRA G-Type
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144219


Under 18"
IN WIN fanqua (17.95")
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108194

Thermaltake SopranoRS VG7000BWS (17.32")
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133046

RAIDMAX SMILODON (17.75")
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156078

RAIDMAX AZTEC (17.75")
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156188

SILVERSTONE TJ04B-W (17.56")
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163125

ZALMAN EXTREME HYBRID LQ1000(17.70")
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235013

NZXT M59 - 001BK(17.68")
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146058

NZXT Apollo BLUE(17.24")
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146026

I mostly stayed away from "no-name" companies (not to say I didn't overlook any good companies/cases). There were a few others in the NZXT and Zalman camp. Hope this helps. Another thing to consider is where the main exhaust fan is located. If your case is up under an 18" high desk and you put in a case with top-mounted exhaust...it could get pretty dang hot and ultimately defeat the purpose of the exhaust :p

FYI: If something had less than a 3 egg review on newegg I didn't even look at it.
 
Would it be feasible to switch to mATX to get a better choice of cases?
 
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Connections wise, mATX should be fine for my needs, and visually I would prefer a case with clean lines, and no blinking lights.. (one of the joys of living in tiny NY apartments)

My only worry is the case would get too cramped inside while building or require too much planning. I'm also worried that mATX cases would compromise on features (mobo trays, sound dampening etc.)
 
thebrieze said:
Connections wise, mATX should be fine for my needs, and visually I would prefer a case with clean lines, and no blinking lights
Click to expand...
Don't connect the HDD Led then, that's the only blinking light in any case. :p
 
thebrieze said:
Connections wise, mATX should be fine for my needs, and visually I would prefer a case with clean lines, and no blinking lights.. (one of the joys of living in tiny NY apartments)

My only worry is the case would get too cramped inside while building or require too much planning. I'm also worried that mATX cases would compromise on features (mobo trays, sound dampening etc.)
Click to expand...

My choice would be a Lian Li PC-A04B . It looks to be quite roomy with some pretty quiet fans.
 
I was looking at the A05, and heard rumors about a new version due soon (with USB 3)

The others I looked at were Antec Solo, and the P 180 Mini (mATX) - Not sure if these are dated now..

What is the difference between the A05 and the A05B?
 
There are silver and black versioons. A05B is black and I think A05A is silver?
 
thebrieze said:
lol.. sorry meant to ask about diffs between A04B and A05NB
Click to expand...
A04B is mATX, A05NB is ATX.

You need to make up your mind. First you came here looking for ATX cases less than 18" tall, and a few forum members went looking for them and posted links to cases that fitted your criteria. And then you come out and say mATX cases also fit your needs? Not cool.
 
Shaman said:
You need to make up your mind. First you came here looking for ATX cases less than 18" tall, and a few forum members went looking for them and posted links to cases that fitted your criteria. And then you come out and say mATX cases also fit your needs? Not cool.
Click to expand...
I asked if a mATX should be considered, and the OP took my suggestion and is now considering it.
How is that "Not cool"?:rolleyes:
 
A04 and A05 are similar sizes. The A04 is matx, but has 7 hard drive bays. the A05 is atx, but has 3 hard drive bays. It's a tradeoff between expansion slots and hard drive bays, achieved by moving the PSU from either occupying under the short motherboard section (A04) or under the short drive rack (A05)
 
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Thanks for the explanation.. That really helped put it in perspective. As I would need 2 hd's + 1 system SSD, and network drives for anything else. The extra expansion slots is always helpful.

On another note, how practical is it to replace the mobo on any of these cases? Are some cases easier than others in this respect?
 
Thanks everyone for their suggestions on cases. Some good suggestions here. I'm liking the Fractal design case..
 
thebrieze said:
Thanks everyone for their suggestions on cases. Some good suggestions here. I'm liking the Fractal design case..
Click to expand...

I have now had my Fractal Define R3 on my desk for a week or so. It was quite easy to build. I'm really impressed with the noise mitigation and the airflow and temperatures. It fits well on my desk under my hutch. Every edge inside the case is rounded off and finished well. Cable management was pretty easy. The rubber grommets were not nearly as bad as I expected based on some of the reviews I read on here. It looks great, feels sturdy, and it's so, so quiet.

I did go a bit overboard on fans, perhaps. I put two Noctua fans at their full 1300RPM on the Venomous-X heatsink, which fits quite well in the R3. I also replaced the quiet (but slow) stock fans with Gentle Typhoon 1850 RPM fans. Two in the front bays, one in the bottom, and one at the exhaust. The temperatures, at full load with no overclock, were just a few degrees above my 76F ambient temperature. I haven't done much OC on my i5-2500K yet, only at 4.2Ghz so far, and at full load the CPU sits at 48F. I can't hear anything apart from the Radeon 5870 fan.

My only complaint about the build was, like a lot of cases, there isn't quite enough width behind the motherboard tray to be able to easily get the back panel attached. It took a bit of wiggling.
 
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