Which cases for i7 OCing?

[MrSloppy]

Hi. I've revised and revised yet again my lists of cases that I'd like to use for the i7 920 rig that I plan to get and I'm hoping to get some input on what to get.

My goal is to have a fairly silent case with great airflow due to my plans to overclock.

I plan to have 2-3 HDs, 2 4890s eventually, will be putting in a TRUE 120 heatsink, using a P6T Deluxe.

My choices thus far are the following, please also add in your opinion if you think there's a case that I've missed that I should get:

Antec 1200
Cooler Master Cosmos
Cool Master Haf
Antec P182
Antec P183
Antec P193


Please help!

 

[Arkangyl]

I've used P18x based cases before and they're a PITA to use due to tight spaces & forced cable routing.

The Cosmos line is fantastic, personally I love the look and the the cooling potential seems to be very good, I had a CoolerMaster 690 for a while (hacked it up in a failed WC mod), and it was really fantastic all around, kind of miss it actually. (U2-UFO ftw though :-D)

The Antec 1200 / 900 / 300 line are all very good too. Top notch airflow and open & easy access to everything.

I think the Antec will cool slightly better than the CoolerMaster, due to the more open from (the Cosmos' HD bays are a bit of an obstruction, especially for VGA airflow. Those Antec's are as open and airy as they get.

 

[Zero82z]

I'd go with the HAF out of those choices. It has excellent airflow as well as being very large and easy to work in due to the tool-less features.

 

[Mav451]

I'm an experienced builder, and I didn't like the P182 at all. I was fortunate to be able to put it back to sale on Craigslist for basically the same price I bought it at.

 

[criccio]

Lian Li PC-X500/2000

Why?

I want one dearly and its a BAMF.

 

[lkiller1231]

Of course the Lian Li.

 

[E.T]

Antec P193
Or if you like extra device bays and some work in installing of damping mats isn't problem then Lian Li A71. (that picture in end of post)
Then again 1500rpm fan is very noisy to me and in certain weather cars driving on road mile away sound horrible so you might not have as strict standards...

My goal is to have a fairly silent case...

While case fans create easily noticeable part of noise they're just half of the problem:
Thousand and one holes cheese grater cases allow all component noises to leak out directly.
Also case can't stop HDD noises (but amplifies them lot) if there's any kind contact to case through non-flexible material, including plastic trays.

1200 and HAF fail in lack of soft HDD mounting and lack any kind noise containing ability.
Cosmos has soft mounting and while lacking mass damping at least foam is thicker but it might struggle in cooling of those HDDs because of extremely restrictive HDD cage system with complex airflow.
Antec P18x is "standard" for quiet case but it's simply small in depth.
Side hole next to major noise sources compromises noise muffling capability of P193 compared to P18x but it's still better than cheese graters and P193 has at least E-ATX depth so while small in my scale it's probably big enough for you.

The Antec 1200 / 900 / 300 line are all very good too.... & easy access to everything.

You have hands of five years old or what?
Nothing easy to access when long cards are sticking directly into back end of 5.25" bays:
http://metku.net/reviews/antec-300-1200/1200_valmis.jpg
Also those 900/1200 style HDD modules are plain PITA. (both ease of use&acoustics)

This is what easy access to various components means:

 

[techpriest]

I got a cosmos s 1100 model from frys for 86$. Is that a good deal or should I get a 900? For an i7 system as well. Looking for silence/decent air flow

 

[ChronoDetector]

Coolermaster HAF 932. I like the airflow and ventilation, I have a Q9650 overclocked to 4Ghz and it does the job very well, and I'm talking about air cooling here.