SPCR

There are now 4ea announced cases with a 360mm side fan. One is due to go on sale this month - that's the Xclio A380-alike with the bigger fan side and some trim changes - an octagon shape replaces a circle on the front panel, for instance. More manly!

Here are three more: The "3060 plus", the "6030 plus", and the "Propeller".

The latter is the CS-188AF case with the 220mm fan replaced by a 360mm. This creates some interferences with the PSU and disk drives etc, so the larger fan is mounted in a 40mm-thick "wart" on the side of the normal case.

This is also true of the other two cases; a 40mm wart has been added. This has 3 important (to me at least) consequences: First, the cases are unchanged except for the side panel. I have two cases that can be easily "upgraded" by simply substituting the side panel. Second, the 220mm fan which now limits the height of the HSFs because it protrudes 1.4" total into the case is now gone! Third, this means I can use a Ninja for passive cooling in a big-fan case (a really big-fan case!), at least in the 3060 plus and the 6030 plus: the HSF headroom is north of 165mm.

This has been what's been missing, for me: the ability to couple the Ninja with a big fan. So I'll be sure to try at least one of these fans in one of my existing cases... with one of my 3 original Ninjas!

awesome
solution to only 2 fans for the entire computer (PSU and this)
although it looks humungus

And where are you supposed to find a replacement for when the little motor powering those big ass blades dies.

So.. why don't they sell these things seperately yet? I want to build an HTPC with one of these. Even if the Fan takes up an entire U

Rustafur wrote:And where are you supposed to find a replacement for when the little motor powering those big ass blades dies.

The very same question was asked when the first 220mm-fan cases appeared. There are now 5 sources of the 220mm fans, one of which is available thru multiple outlets as a bare fan.

The 360mm fan is just becoming available as a production part. Congratulations on your foresight, looking the future 30 or 36 months from now then the first of those fans wears out.

Man, you're a maniac .

I wonder if those things will be quiet, cause if they are, I'd get one.

lion1750 wrote:I wonder if those things will be quiet, cause if they are, I'd get one.

There were dire predictions, when 220mm fans first appeared, that they would shake cases apart; fling blades; fill cases with dust; eat pets and toddlers. It turns out that when 220mm fans are used to produce the same CFM formerly obtained by 120mm fans, that the 220s are much quieter, and (in the sleeve versions) vibrate less.

I have no idea what the 360mm fans will be like. But I'm willing to experiment once.

There were dire predictions, when 220mm fans first appeared, that they would shake cases apart; fling blades; fill cases with dust; eat pets and toddlers.

anyone reminded of the Stephen King story "The Mangler"? This time instead of a laundry press,a carnivorous PC!

Newegg has 2 different versions of the 360mm fan cases in stock now.

One is the Xclio 3060Plus, called "fully black", but the wart on the side is 50% silver. $100.

The other is the Xclio 6030Plus, called "silver" but the photos are for a black case. $90.

What I want is the 6030Plus, but I want it in black and not silver. I think I'll hold off for a bit and see when - and where - a black version will appear. If Xclio is shipping, Newegg won't be the only vendor.

Interesting. The 3060 was $35 with a 220mm fan. The 3060Plus is $100 with a 360mm fan. Both no PSU. Lotsa profit margin on 360mm fans, it would seem.

Froogle "Xclio 3060Plus" or "Xclio 6030Plus".

edit: added the "froogle" line

Felger Carbon wrote:The 3060 was $35 with a 220mm fan. The 3060Plus is $100 with a 360mm fan. Both no PSU. Lotsa profit margin on 360mm fans, it would seem.

Boy, did that price adder come down fast! The price is now $75 at Newegg and $80 on Froogle, not $100. You can probably safely hold your breath until the next price drop.

The expensive part of the "Plus" is the wart, not the 360mm fan. The fan is cheap to make. The wart is amortizing the design costs over sales, and at $100 sales were gonna be real low!

Of the four cases, only the Xclio Propeller has not shown up in the marketplace. Makes sense, it's the "wart" version of the Aplus CS-188AF that I bought two of for $25 each, and is now for sale again at Newegg for $30. The non-big fan Aplus CS-188A is also for sale for $30, proving them big fans are cheap to make!

The problem with the "wart" version of the CS-188AF is that when you remove the 220mm fan from inside the case, there still isn't room for a tall tower HS such as the Ninja or U-120. So what's the point?

edit: The Propeller is now available at Newegg for $80?? Five bucks more expensive than the 6030Plus or 3060Plus, but still won't take a Ninja?? If you're interested, price and availability of these 360mm-fan cases are changing fast. Keep your eyes open and your hand on yer wallet.

36cm fans are an interesting idea, but am I the only one that thinks those cases are hideous?

samuelmorris wrote:36cm fans are an interesting idea, but am I the only one that thinks those cases are hideous?

AFAIK, I'm the only one to call that appendage a "wart", but warts that size usually are not considered works of art. Their one saving grace is that if you have the case sitting to the left of your monitor where it belongs, you can't see the wart.

A more direct answer: Yes, I think they're hideous too. But us SPCR types will go to any length to get a really quiet PC, right?

It looks like some predictions of whole side of the case becoming a fan were accurate...

Look.....It doesn't have to be an "ugly wart". That's just what you're seeing right now. If/when these big fan cases go main-stream, there are plenty of other options. An add-on side something like the attached picture, can make your std case like this Antec 4400, into a big fan case with a filter, and with a quieter rear intake. I did it in my work-shop one afternoon....

the trend is for 45w cpus, 2.5'' hd, more efficient psus, lower power motherboards, and better integrated video. but I suppose its the way of the future for HP systems....