I'm looking for a nice case..

nektar · Post by **nektar** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 3:12 am

to fit my system. I prefer silver and desktop case. I would say maximum $300

Any suggestions?

Intel Core 2 Duo 6600
Asus P5W DH Deluxe
Ram 1GB KIT (2x512M) DDR2 800 MHz Platinum
ATI SAPPHIRE 1950PRO 256MB PCI-EXPRESS V-OUT DVI
ZALMAN VF900
Samsung 500 GB (7200rpm, 16MB Cache, SATA)
Seasonic S12-550 550W ''Energy +''
THERMALRIGHT Cooler Ultra 120
NEC AD7173 Labelflash

Thank you!

PopCorn · Post by **PopCorn** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 4:18 am

P150 or the P180

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 7:06 am

PopCorn wrote:P150 or the P180

He asked for a desktop case.

It depends on what you're after. Do you want flashy gimmicks like VFD/LCD screens? Or just a regular nice desktop case. 1 or 2-5.25" drive bays? How many HDDs do you want (just the one you have or do you want room to add more)?

PCAlchemy has many silver HTPC cases that might fit the bill. I have the OrigenAE x11 (which the Zalman HD160 is based off of). They are good cases and both come in silver. Silverstone makes some decent cases too.

However, you'll have to check with the internal specs to see if your heatsink will fit. It's tough to fit tower heatsinks in HTPC cases. Most use heatsinks like the Zalman flower coolers (7000-series) or the Thermalright XP-series.

Ethyriel · Post by **Ethyriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 7:23 am

Lian-li PC-C31

You'll probably need to do some dampening on the top panel, but it has 120mm fans.

Shaman · Post by **Shaman** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:53 pm

Ethyriel wrote:Lian-li PC-C31

You'll probably need to do some dampening on the top panel, but it has 120mm fans.

That case only fits mATX motherboards, nektar has an ATX board he wants to use. So a case like the PC-30 would better suit his needs, or the Zalman and Silverstone line of desktop cases. The problem is that none of the ATX desktop cases have 120mm fans, or at least I haven't seen one yet. The ones that I've seen ususally have two 80mm or 60mm fans at the back.

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:27 pm

You'll find the biggest problem is fitting the Ultra-120. Would you consider switching to a lower-profile cooler? SI-128 will fit in some of the Silverstone cases (I have the Grandia GD01MX). Based on the recent SPCR review, it looks like the Scythe Andy will also.

Ethyriel · Post by **Ethyriel** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 4:06 pm

Sorry, I missed that.

At least 80mm isn't so bad, you used to have trouble finding anything with bigger than 60mm slots. If you're adventurous you might even be able to hack a 120mm into the top of some cases.

ronrem · Post by **ronrem** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:50 am

Check out the Chenming 501 AWBU-F It uses a heavy 1.0 gauge steel.thicker than the Antecs,has a removable HD cage you could suspend with 2-3 drives in it. Could easily be modded to be quieter than the Antecs-and it's $50. They make a slightly bigger one with similar features,$60, 601 AEB-0 Neither has a PSU,each fas a 120mm fan in back.

The 1.0 steel will suppress sound better than the usual 0.8 cases.

Sooty · Post by **Sooty** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 5:06 am

ronrem wrote:Check out the Chenming 501 AWBU-F It uses a heavy 1.0 gauge steel.thicker than the Antecs,has a removable HD cage you could suspend with 2-3 drives in it. Could easily be modded to be quieter than the Antecs-and it's $50. They make a slightly bigger one with similar features,$60, 601 AEB-0 Neither has a PSU,each fas a 120mm fan in back.

The 1.0 steel will suppress sound better than the usual 0.8 cases.

Which Antecs? The Antec P150/Solo are 1mm throughout, and come with hdd suspension as standard. Btw, if you didn't notice, the op would prefer a desktop case.

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Sat Mar 03, 2007 9:07 am

nektar · Post by **nektar** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:40 am

Sorry for not having replied to all of you that spent your time helping me.

After a research and listening to you I concluded that all desktop cases might have trouble accommodating my components.

So I thought going for the P180. This will fit everything. Right? I know it is not desktop but I don't mind having it in my living room because of its silver look.

nektar · Post by **nektar** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:46 am

Pardon my ignorance but because of the Ultra-120 cooler I have to go with a case that can have 120mm fans?

To be honest I haven't look into this! Is this the only thing that doesn't allow my components to get fit in a desktop case?

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:54 am

The case itself doesn't need to have 120mm fans, but you do need enough vertical clearance for the Ultra-120, including the motherboard, standoffs, CPU, and mounting brackets.

nektar · Post by **nektar** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:06 pm

Guys I'm really tired looking for a case. First it was the video card, then the cooling part now the case

I prefer to have something fit all my components than start from the beginning based on the case. If I get the case I mostly like I probably will have to change some of my components to fit

So, Please let me know what you think! I'm desperate

I like P180 if this is a solution. If there is a desktop case to consider then I will glandly do!

Thank you for helping me out

Shaman · Post by **Shaman** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 1:47 pm

nektar wrote:I like P180 if this is a solution.

Sure, everything will fit in the P180, but the P180 is kind of an absurd alternative for someone that was looking for a desktop case.

nektar · Post by **nektar** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 2:09 pm

Shaman wrote:
nektar wrote:I like P180 if this is a solution.
Sure, everything will fit in the P180, but the P180 is kind of an absurd alternative for someone that was looking for a desktop case.

Well, I have realized that the desktop cases do not fit in my TV stand so I will have to go for something that stands next to it!

I like the fact that P180 doesn't look like a pc. I like that everything is hidden. The only thinking I have to do now is, take P180 or Lian Li PC-101 which also doesn't look as a computer system.

Another dilemma

Shaman · Post by **Shaman** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 2:33 pm

nektar wrote:Another dilemma

I would choose steel over aluminum anytime, so that would not be a dilemma for me.

IMHO no matter how quiet the PC-101 is, the P180 will always have the upper hand and will be easier to make it even quieter.

ktriebol · Post by **ktriebol** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 3:14 pm

As another alternative, you could have a look at the Rosewill R6A34-SL. This is a mid-tower case. It is black with a silver front panel. Door on the front hides all your external drives. There is plenty of room in this case for all of your components. There is a hole in the door so you can access the power button without opening the door. I think the look of this case matches nicely with a typical home theater setup that has a silver and/or black color scheme.

Ethyriel · Post by **Ethyriel** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:26 am

Have you looked much at Silverstone desktops? The GD01, CW01, LC20, and LC17 all stand out.

The 120mm fan isn't related to the Ultra 120, but rather 120mm fans are just quieter for more airflow.

crispyfish · Post by **crispyfish** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:09 am

Ethyriel wrote:Have you looked much at Silverstone desktops? The GD01, CW01, LC20, and LC17 all stand out.

There's no way the Ultra-120 will fit in any of those cases.

Ethyriel · Post by **Ethyriel** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:38 pm

So is the Ultra 120 really worth a complete paradigm shift here? You seem like you'll be a lot happier with a good desktop case, but you're moving to a rather large tower for the sake of a heatsink. That seems backwards to me, usually I'll choose a case and then find a heatsink which fits into it's cooling system well.

z3r0 · Post by **z3r0** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:08 pm

Unfortunately its not available in silver but what about a CM Media 281?
It uses a 120mm fan(s), its a full sized ATX chassis, and can be used as a desktop or tower.
http://www.coolermaster-usa.com/Product ... ?catID=633
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811119123
Its the closest thing to your desired solution I can come up with.