Which case do you like most?

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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JEN
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Which case do you like most?

Post by JEN » Wed May 28, 2003 9:10 am

I'm interested in finding out which computer cases you guys like most. I am trying to find out the following:

1. What kind of exterior do you prefer?
2. What kind of interior do you prefer?
3. Which case is your all-round favourite

And what you don’t like about your chosen cases :)

OK, I will start:

1. I love the look of the ATC-500, but its look will be spoilt by optical drives :(
2. I like the GMC cases because of there interior
3. So far, I like the GMC Cyber Cool as an all-round favourite case

[edit] Now I can't decide between the NeoClassic and the CyberCool [/edit]

So, which cases do you like and why?

Vector
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Post by Vector » Wed May 28, 2003 9:32 am

Well my D8000 just arrived yesterday from Jim at Coolcases.com and it is absolutely beautiful. I haven't transferred my PC components over to it yet, but from an initial reaction, it looks to be the best case I've ever owned.

rpc180
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Post by rpc180 » Wed May 28, 2003 11:48 am

That GMC case with the slim mirror front and the temp gauge seems awfully nice.

1) simple exterior, with a door if possible
2) spacious interior, drive cages bolted so they don't rattle
3) aluminum instead of steel, cause its easier to mod

Once again, that GMC case is nice, but I'm sure its somewhat pricey, priced at $149? (source, Tom's HW Review).
http://www.gmc.co.kr/english/good_e_x21.htm
The one I use is through Newegg, the Foxconn TU-150, $70 shipped, nice door, subdued design.http://www.newegg.com/app/Showimage.asp ... 013-10.JPG
And then there's Windy out of Japan, the sleekest tower case is their MT Pro-3000II (retail $700 US :shock: ) http://www.soldam.com/case/3000/lineup.html

halcyon
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Post by halcyon » Wed May 28, 2003 2:54 pm

+ = like
- = dislike
() = reason


1. What kind of exterior do you prefer?

+ front door with that covers 5.25" bays and has enough clearance to fit both dampening material inside the front door and still close properly with a fan controller knobs protruding out of a 5.25" bay (for blocking optical drive and suspended HD noise in 5.25" bays)

+ thick steel construction all throughout the case (less vibrating, although harder to work and cut holes into)

+ enough depth and width in the case (see internal requirements)

+ feet to raise the case off the floor and decouple vibrations

+ I'd prefer a uniform look and form language with a choice of several colors

- trashy plastic front bezels that don't fit the rest of the case and are not attached properly

- wobbly and thin aluminum (a real pain to dampen properly)

- holes in sides/roof (I can make them if I want, but they are harder to fill/dampen properly if they are already there and propably in the wrong place)

- see through side panels (I want as good EMI emission/resistance as possible and I don't look through the side panel of my computer every day)


2. What kind of interior do you prefer?

+ internal 3.5" slots that fully decouple the hds from the metal chassis of the case with rubber/elastic materials (for decoupling vibration from drives to the case and cutting down noise), placement near the 120mm fan hole level.

+ 2 x internal 5,25" bays with rubber/elastic decoupling from the case (for suspending 5.25" devices or hanging SmartDrive type hd casings inside the ATX case in a decoupled manner

+ 4 x external 5.25" bays with rubber/elastic decoupling from the case and with spring loaded bay opening slot doors (2 pieces) for optical drives with padding/absorbation material inside the bay doors

+ 120 front intake fan hole with fully cut hole, not a mesh that blends into the case metal (for proper fan size and unrestricted air flow at low audible volumes)

+ 120 back exhaust fan hole with fully cut hole (as above), below PSU slot at about the level of a cpu socket (for easier ducting between exhaust hole and cpu fan)

+ standard fan screw placement holes (absolutely no plastic fan caskets as they do not decouple properly and have problems with some fans fitting inside them + the mounting holes are non standad for fans)

+ enought room inside on all sides to fit vinyl/lead combination vibration damping and absorbation based materials worth of 25-30mm thickness (for obvious reasons)

+ enough room to place absorbing/damping material in the 5.25" bays so that the optical drives sides are also blocked and as much of the sound is absorbed as possible

+ enough room to run wires behind or out of the way of the motherboard and away from fans

- vertical mounting of HDs (I have bad experience with those, although some like them)

3. Which case is your all-round favourite

+ Right now of the ones I've tried: Antec 1080, but I know there are better - I just haven't had the chance to try them out

+ Of the ones I haven't tried out, probably Antec SLK3700 (more room than Sonata, door is not deep enough, has problems with fan attachment, does not provide decoupling for all drives and has some other minor letdowns. Still the best I've been able to find, although I don't really like the looks that much)

- AOpen HQ-08 (way too many separate panels, hard to work with, vibrates a lot, can't fit damping materials easily inside and fan slots are wrong size and in the wrong places)



There's more, but that's a starting point.

Does such a case exist? Not that I know of.

Finding even a decent front door on a good case these days seems quite hard.

regards,
Halcyon
Last edited by halcyon on Thu May 29, 2003 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

NeilBlanchard
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qualities I want in a case

Post by NeilBlanchard » Wed May 28, 2003 8:28 pm

Hello JEN:

First and foremost: the PS has to be quiet! It usually is easier to buy a case without a PS and put in your own choice of a quiet PS. My fav is the Fortron/Source 120mm aka Sparkle.

Secondly -- the fan grills have to be low restriction. Unless you cut them out, this eliminates about 19 out of 20 cases... 120mm fans are nice, but 80mm are easier to find quiet models, and there are about two cases that I can think of that have 120mm fans with low restriction grills: the Sonata and one other that escapes my sleepy brain. :oops:

Third, the case has to hold enough drives for your needs; current and future. :P Three or four HD's are good, a minimum of three 5.25" and two external 3.5" are nice if you need both a floppy and a Zip/LS-120. This eliminates another 75% of the cases

Fourth, I hate getting cuts! :twisted: So, rolled edges are a requirement. Decent rigidity is nice, as are quick release drive cages, though these are a luxury. And I like black rather than beige...

Where do I end up? A black Evercase 4252. The price just jumped up from $23 to $49 at New Egg, but it still is a good deal; just not an awesome deal anymore.

fmah
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Post by fmah » Wed May 28, 2003 9:21 pm

I like how the Coolermaster cases look.

http://www.coolermaster.com/case/p201a.htm

Liquidated
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could care less

Post by Liquidated » Wed May 28, 2003 10:49 pm

the actual looks of the case outside of function are very much insignificant to me within reason.

I don't want needless details like windows, decorative side vents, lights, or cool black finishes that will clash with the predominance of beige colored pc gear.

That said, I savor function.

First and foremost it need to be easy to work on with removable panels and mb tray. Even peoples' pcs I build that are not mine need an open area to work in so that the invarible fixes I need to perform for them are not hampered by saving $10 on a cheap case.

I like aluminum for basic contruction because the overall weight is lower than steel. As far as the look of aluminum goes, I'd rather have a beige plastic bezel that doesn't blind me in strong light. Cheap AL cases leave a bad taste in my mouth because they generally are flimsy. Keep in mind that overall cost does not make a cheap case cheap, bad design makes even $$$ cases cheap.

Overall expansion needs means 4 external 5.25 bays. From the two optical drives the one controller and 1 wildcard, that's the minimum. Size needs to stay in the mid tower range as I don't need the extra air to push. At the same time, mini towers just annoy me as I want acess to my pc when I want to tinker, not have to take time to remove drive cases to add memory.

This site has really made me change my outlook on caes. First and foremost is that I can mount large fans for intake and exhaust. 120mm stock is much preferable to me haing to cut them out myself and it's easy to swap out the loud fans that come stock.

The next area is the ability for fans to breathe. Vast majority of steel stamped grills are screaming "killme" and almost all bezel designs are far too restrivtive for me, requiring I get the dremel and jig out.

The other main difference is that I look now at how much room there is on the mb tray side with regards to acoustic foam.

All told I perused katana man's post that collected 120mm fan cases and discovered the Globalwin YCC-61F1. This case is a sleeper when it comes to looks but open it up and it's a stunner. It's near perfect for me after a minor amount of tweaking and to be honest, I want to be the one to install the acoustic foam.

My major complaint about the case was the less than lian li standard edge finish (30 mins of dremeling banished that) and the less than perfect bezel design that uses the stock wheels to allow the slot at the bottom for proper airflow. I merely jigged the offending bezel and it's fixed.

I'll install the foam this weekend and after I swap out the fans + isolators the case itself will be ready to get a new mb and cpu.

Cheers!
-Liq

bondiablo
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Post by bondiablo » Wed May 28, 2003 11:19 pm

I liked the Lian-Li PC-61 before they added the top fan to it, I guess the next best would be the PC-7B but you have to give up the slide out motherboard tray. I really like the 2 front filtered intake 1 rear exhaust fan arrangement, hate the side and top fans. One thing I really can't understand about those cases is why they were including 4 front USB ports when few motherboards supported that many and now that just about all motherboards do they only have 2 front USB.
Last edited by bondiablo on Mon Jun 02, 2003 10:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

yaz
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Post by yaz » Fri May 30, 2003 2:16 am

CoolerMaster ATC-410-SX1 is a wonderful case, both as for the looks but also the interior.

problem is that I cant find where to buy one and that such case will probably cost a fortune... =/

Riffer
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Post by Riffer » Fri May 30, 2003 3:19 pm

Pretty happy with my ATC-110.

Lots of room and easy to work with.

Unfortunately, there is no room to put anything with knobs behind the door. Hopefully, the new Coolermaster Aerogates will fit.

modman
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Post by modman » Fri May 30, 2003 9:45 pm

yaz wrote:CoolerMaster ATC-410-SX1 is a wonderful case, both as for the looks but also the interior.

problem is that I cant find where to buy one and that such case will probably cost a fortune... =/
Newegg has it for $265 + $18 shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.a ... 010&depa=1

I think it has too many fans for a silent pc IMO.

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Post by LushMD » Fri May 30, 2003 9:52 pm

Riffer wrote:Pretty happy with my ATC-110.

Lots of room and easy to work with.

Unfortunately, there is no room to put anything with knobs behind the door. Hopefully, the new Coolermaster Aerogates will fit.
Riffer: in case you are interested, I have the ATC-111 (very similar to the ATC-110) and I managed to fit this Enermax fan controller behind the door. Take care.

Riffer
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Post by Riffer » Mon Jun 02, 2003 3:14 am

LushMD wrote:
Riffer wrote:Pretty happy with my ATC-110.

Lots of room and easy to work with.

Unfortunately, there is no room to put anything with knobs behind the door. Hopefully, the new Coolermaster Aerogates will fit.
Riffer: in case you are interested, I have the ATC-111 (very similar to the ATC-110) and I managed to fit this Enermax fan controller behind the door. Take care.
Thanks, that's good to know, in case the Coolermasters end up crap.

I looked at them, but was worried about reports that the LCD is hard to read.

ghowarth
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Post by ghowarth » Tue Jun 03, 2003 12:28 am

rpc180 wrote:That GMC case with the slim mirror front and the temp gauge seems awfully nice.

1) simple exterior, with a door if possible
2) spacious interior, drive cages bolted so they don't rattle
3) aluminum instead of steel, cause its easier to mod

Once again, that GMC case is nice, but I'm sure its somewhat pricey, priced at $149? (source, Tom's HW Review)
That is a miserable price. I have tracked it down in Korea for $75 using my modest language skills (I am an Englishman in Korea). Here is a link, but sorry guys, it's in Korean:

http://www.toolcom.co.kr/product.asp?nNum=3118

I wouldn't like to speculate on international shipping costs, though. If anyone is interested I could investigate...

Benj
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Post by Benj » Tue Jun 03, 2003 3:47 am

yaz wrote:CoolerMaster ATC-410-SX1 is a wonderful case, both as for the looks but also the interior.

problem is that I cant find where to buy one and that such case will probably cost a fortune... =/
Where does the 120mm fan go on that one? Is it in front of the two 80mm?

SZ
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Post by SZ » Tue Jun 03, 2003 7:41 am

YeongYang YY-B0221 black is the best! :) Nice cube, one 120mm front fan, two 92mm back fans, one 92mm side fan, a lot of free space for everything you need.

Riffer
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Post by Riffer » Tue Jun 03, 2003 3:32 pm

GMC is the OEM, and their products are sold under several differnt names - for example Nikao / Tradex in Canada, and Ahanix in the US:

http://www.tradexinfo.com/case/computercases.htm

http://www.ahanix.com/

I am not sure if it was a GMC, but I did put a system in a Nikao "Millennium" case. It was quite good, but they typically have the front air intakes blocked by some sort of "Feature".

jdunning
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Post by jdunning » Wed Jun 04, 2003 12:53 am

Riffer wrote:Pretty happy with my ATC-110.

Lots of room and easy to work with.

Unfortunately, there is no room to put anything with knobs behind the door. Hopefully, the new Coolermaster Aerogates will fit.
I have the ATC-111, and it's actually possible to fit the Sunbeam Rheobus behind the door, with a little modding. I thought I'd be able to simply push it farther into the case than normal, so that the fronts of the knobs would be even with my CD drives, but the edges of the Sunbeam aren't perfectly flat, as you can see here:

Image

Those wider areas of the case prevent it from being pushed back more than a couple millimeters. But it's fairly thin aluminum, so after unscrewing the PCB from the case (you have to remove the knobs as well), you can just cut away those wider areas with a nibbler. You'll end up with 3 separate pieces: the two sides and the faceplate.

The faceplate connects securely to the PCB, since there are nuts behind the knobs (you Brits can stop sniggering now). The two side pieces connect to the PCB with one screw each, which means they can swivel a bit. But since the Rheobus is so lightweight it's not really a problem. Also, while I was at it, I made the mod MikeC suggested, pushing the LEDs behind the faceplate. That way I'm not blinded when opening the case door.

Anyway, I've been pretty happy with my black ATC-111. The front looks great, although the sides are powder-coated aluminum, which was disappointing. Not as clean-looking as anodized aluminum. It's also a real hassle to access the front fans, which I did this weekend in order to install two Panaflos and EAR grommets. It made a huge difference in the noise, but I wouldn't want to repeat the process.

Wedge
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Post by Wedge » Wed Jun 04, 2003 10:53 am

I'm building my first. Looking about the forum I noticed NeilBlanchard mentioned this Chenbro Junior.

Does this one look appealing to anyone else in terms of silencing?

Riffer
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Post by Riffer » Wed Jun 04, 2003 2:29 pm

jdunning wrote:
Riffer wrote:Pretty happy with my ATC-110.

Lots of room and easy to work with.

Unfortunately, there is no room to put anything with knobs behind the door. Hopefully, the new Coolermaster Aerogates will fit.
Those wider areas of the case prevent it from being pushed back more than a couple millimeters....
I had the same problem with the Vantec Nexus NXP.101
jdunning wrote:...It's also a real hassle to access the front fans, which I did this weekend in order to install two Panaflos and EAR grommets. It made a huge difference in the noise, but I wouldn't want to repeat the process.
Tried that also, took me hours.

Thanks for the heads-up on the Sunbeam. That's the one I really like.

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