Subtle alternative to Antec 183

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:28 am

Could anyone recommend an alternaive case for me, I am planning an i5-750 ATX build with a vapour-x 5750 and wanted a case to fit a Prolimatech Megahalems (see: viewtopic.php?p=503660#503660)...

I like the inside aspects of the Antec 183, but think from the outside it appears to have been beaten with an ugly stick...

COuld anyone recommend any alternative with a similar approach internally, but without its singular external looks please?
Something more akin to the monolith in 2001 would be preferrable (if such a case exists).

psyopper · Post by **psyopper** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:28 am

Find a P180. Same case, no vents on the face/door. Some minor differences internally, see the SPCR review.

psiu · Post by **psiu** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:32 am

Or the P182, will have cable management improvements definitely included.

edit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811129154 <--p180, and according to neweggs pics it has the revised cable management. Definitely a great case.

ces · Post by **ces** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:46 am

accipiter wrote:Something more akin to the monolith in 2001 would be preferrable (if such a case exists).

If simple black elegance is what you are looking for, look at the Lian Li line.

funklizard · Post by **funklizard** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:47 am

Have you looked at Lian-Li's mid-towers? Several of them sport a similar internal layout with the PSU on the bottom; the PC-9 and PC-B10, for example.

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:55 am

I'm also particularly concerned that it is good at cooling and dampening internal sounds.

I am a little confised about the p183... is it silver, or black. If its most of the web pics I have seen make it look shiny, so is difficult to identify as being either....

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:58 am

I really liek the look of the Lian Li PC-B10 though.... shame its so expensive....

ces · Post by **ces** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 11:10 am

Take a look at their whole line. Below is just a small part of it. Unless you need more than 6 bays, the LIAN LI PC-A05NB can't be beat. It will take any size heatsink I am aware of, and it's very compact. It has 6 bays. That's a lot of bays to fill up.

1. LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58 $69.99
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K58 Black CECC Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811112237
With Power Supply: No
Power Supply Mounted: Bottom
External 5.25" Drive Bays: 5
Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 4

2. LIAN LI PC-A05NB Black Aluminum ATX Mini Tower Computer Case - $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811112218
It is small, packs all you would reasonably want it to, and runs cool.
Does both ATX, M-ATX.
If you are going to put a large thermal load into it, you can get the optional top with a 140mm blow hole.
This thing is so light, you wouldn't believe it. If you buy it, you will never go back to steel cases.
External 5.25" Drive Bays: 2
External 3.5" Drive Bays: 1
Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 3

3. LIAN LI PC-7B plus II Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811112099
With Power Supply: No
Power Supply Mounted: Top
With Side Panel Window: No
External 5.25" Drive Bays: 4
External 3.5" Drive Bays: 2
Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 3

4. LIAN LI PC-7FN Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $119.99 Free Shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811112249
Power Supply Mounted: Bottom
External 5.25" Drive Bays: 5( one for 3.5 inch convertor)
Internal 3.5" Drive Bays: 4

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 11:33 am

ces, thank you somuch for that. I havent heard of Lian-Li before now, but I really like the understated but classy loo of some of their cases.

Do you think I could fit a Prolimatech Megahalems into a PC-A05NB ?

ces · Post by **ces** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 11:41 am

accipiter wrote:Do you think I could fit a Prolimatech Megahalems into a PC-A05NB ?

Yes. Go confirm it by searching and finding a picture of one installed. I believe you will find pictures of the very largest coolers that exist installed in the A05NB.

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 1:05 pm

yes, it would seem you can:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/sho ... ost4155021

My gut feeling is that a smaller case would be more difficult to cool as all components are closer to each other... wat do you think ?

ces · Post by **ces** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 1:15 pm

accipiter wrote:My gut feeling is that a smaller case would be more difficult to cool as all components are closer to each other... wat do you think ?

I think that there is a lot of variation from case to case. And generally it is easier to design a cooler case if you don't have to worry about size.

But in the end, it is a question of how much air you are moving in and out of the case. And how much of that air is reaching the spots you want to cool.

I would stack the LIAN LI PC-A05NB with the 140mm blowhole against anything out there. The hard drive cage is well cooled (far better than the huge Coolermaster Cosmos case I have). It is designed with a reverse case fan that direct cool outside air right to your heat sink. The other place you need to worry about, the video card, should be well taken care of by the 140mm blow hole.

In fact if you aim the hard drive fan inward instead of outward, the case fan and the hard drive fan will force all the exiting air past the video card out the blow hole. Those two fans together should generate a lot of air current even at low rpms. And it will all flow past the video card.

The two spots you most want to cool the CPU and GPU get good coverage in this case. The hard drives are cooled as well as any other case cools them.

In my opinion, by ignoring the outdated Intel design standards, they have produced an outstanding case. The only thing I would change would be to add some holes to the PSU mount so you can choose whether to mount it upside or down.

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 2:38 pm

I am considering the following build:
i5-750 & Prolimatech Megahalems Rev B
VaporXHD 5750
Seasonic X-650

..and want to run it cool & quiet, so like the top fans, but can't seem to see if they are standard. most sites pics of them helpfully dont show the top...

Is this the standard case top for the A05NB, or does it have to be sourced separately.

b_rubenstein · Post by **b_rubenstein** » Sun Mar 21, 2010 6:02 pm

That is not the standard top. Lian-Li makes an optional top for the case: T-LM14B-2, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811995063 it takes a single 140mm fan.

FWIW, I have an HTPC in PC-A05B case and my main PC in the Lancool/Lian-Li PC-K7B case, and it's easier making a cool, quite PC with the PC-K7B.

forester joe · Post by **forester joe** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 1:14 am

I just bought one recently.
I love it.

I can say that it does seem that the HDD soft-mount is not perfect, but does make a big difference.

and you need to check the lengths of the power cables on your PSU, if your moving to a bottom mounted PSU for the first time! (ooops)

ces · Post by **ces** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:29 am

accipiter wrote:Could anyone recommend an alternaive case for me, I am planning an i5-750 ATX build with a vapour-x 5750 and wanted a case to fit a Prolimatech Megahalems

Hurry up and get this one while you can:

Lian Li PC-101 Silent Aluminum Case [22509]
http://www.silverpcs.com/product_info.p ... baadc06849

It is a large Lian Li silence optimized case on sale for $145.00

ces · Post by **ces** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:39 am

b_rubenstein wrote:That is not the standard top. Lian-Li makes an optional top for the case: T-LM14B-2, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811995063 it takes a single 140mm fan. FWIW, I have an HTPC in PC-A05B case and my main PC in the Lancool/Lian-Li PC-K7B case, and it's easier making a cool, quite PC with the PC-K7B.

Newegg apparently no longer sells the top, but you can get it from Performance-PCs.com for about $30 if my memory serves me well.

The PC-K7B is a lot more case for about the same price. And has 3 fans instead of the 2 that the standard PC-A05B comes with. Still I have a soft place in my heart for the petite PC-A05B. It's just such a pretty case.

I have had no cooling problems with it in the least, though I don't put much of a thermal load on it. It has a known problem with the pooling of hot air at the top if you have a video card generating any substantial heat, but the optional 140mm blowhole should make short work of that. Especially if you turn the HD fan around and aim it inward.

ces · Post by **ces** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:41 am

b_rubenstein wrote:FWIW, I have an HTPC in PC-A05B case and my main PC in the Lancool/Lian-Li PC-K7B case, and it's easier making a cool, quite PC with the PC-K7B.

b_rubenstein

Is that with or without the 140mm optional blowhole top?

In your opinion, how would the PC-A05B with the blowhole top (with or without a 140mm fan) stack up against the heat handling capabilities of the PC-K7B?

b_rubenstein · Post by **b_rubenstein** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 1:59 pm

ces wrote: Is that with or without the 140mm optional blowhole top?

In your opinion, how would the PC-A05B with the blowhole top (with or without a 140mm fan) stack up against the heat handling capabilities of the PC-K7B?

I don't game and have identical Saphire passively cooled 4670 cards in both systems and have no need for a blow hole in the A05B.

Assuming no one has any objections to a fan on top of the case (additional noise), it would probably make the A05B as cool running as the K7B. What I would try first is just a single 140mm fan on top (blowing out). Cool air in at the bottom and hot air exhausted out the top is the best configuration, and the fan would probably have to spin at under 1000 RPM depending on video cards and ambient temp.

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:39 pm

I think I'm in love:

Fractal Design Define R2

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/produc ... d-definer2

viewtopic.php?t=55473

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:50 pm

apparently cooling is not great (not enough stock fans), but as good with some added:

http://www.bit-tech.net/blog/2010/01/25 ... follow-up/

Antec_Rep · Post by **Antec_Rep** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:16 pm

Hello accipiter,

We're sorry that you don't like the look of the P183! As far as the aesthetics of the case go, the reason why the vent on the P183 are enlarged is because it increases the airflow and cooling of the case significantly.

Also, if quiet is what you're going for in your build, you're not going to find the P1 series' triple-layer paneling in any other case. It makes for some great Quiet Computing.

Have you checked one out in person, or just seen pictures? I think you'll find them more appealing once you check the case out.

Good luck in your hunt for the perfect case!

Thanks,
Antec

danimal · Post by **danimal** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 4:53 pm

those fractal design cases look really good, but they don't have the engineering behind 'em that the p183 has... no seperate bay for the power supply, etc... probably not the most optimal choice for high-performance overclocking and such, so it depends on what you are going to do with the pc.

i got a lian li 3-bay converter to plug into the top drive slots of my p183, and i was really impressed with the build quality that it has, plus, the included fan is pretty quiet... the soft drive mounts aren't made to work as well as antec drive mounts, but they are nice, in that it's a toolless design... the overall quality of the lian li cases is probably just as good as this bay converter is, but when it comes to serious computing in a big case, i'm a p18x kinda guy

funklizard · Post by **funklizard** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 9:37 pm

ces wrote:Hurry up and get this one while you can:

Lian Li PC-101 Silent Aluminum Case [22509]
http://www.silverpcs.com/product_info.p ... baadc06849

It is a large Lian Li silence optimized case on sale for $145.00

A word of caution about the fan over the PCI slots in that case. I have a PC-V1200, and I purchased this fan bracket as an add-on. It has a huge problem: the fan is practically irreplaceable. The supplied fan has brass machine screw receivers riveted into its mounting holes. It might be possible to rig an alternative mounting solution; but I don't think it's going to be easy. If the supplied fan were quiet, this might not be so bad. But it's not.

(It is nonetheless a somewhat better alternative to the blower fan that this fan bracket replaced in Lian-Li's designs. Those blowers would get really noisy after about 3 months of continuous duty.)

meridius · Post by **meridius** » Tue Mar 23, 2010 12:13 pm

sent 2 fractal design cases back becasue of bad build quality and ended up with the antec p183which i have a protech hs fited and love it apart from one thing which i am starting a new thread for here

viewtopic.php?p=504160#504160

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 2:47 pm

I think I'm sold on the Fractal case. re build quality... I watched a couple of vids on utube, which made them look okay... What was it about the build that was not up to par for you meridius ?

meridius · Post by **meridius** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:03 pm

accipiter wrote:I think I'm sold on the Fractal case. re build quality... I watched a couple of vids on utube, which made them look okay... What was it about the build that was not up to par for you meridius ?

there was 3 problems,

1 the top of the case on both where not flat they looked out of shape and did not look that good and looked very cheap.

2 the cut out for the hs inside the case was not lined up properly see link

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpo ... tcount=618

the other problem was the sound profing was coming of the first case was like this my picture by the way

http://www.imagebam.com/image/f1de5963432542

and another picture from aonther persons case

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpo ... tcount=727

when i did get a case that was ok the sound proofing stated to come off after a day of sitting in my room i was not impressed.

i would not buy this case but thats just me i sent them both back and got a p183

accipiter · Post by **accipiter** » Wed Mar 24, 2010 3:20 pm

oh dear, thats really crappy....

Subtle alternative to Antec 183

Subtle alternative to Antec 183

Re: Subtle alternative to Antec 183

Lian Li Lancool PC-K58

Re: Subtle alternative to Antec 183

P183

Re: Subtle alternative to Antec 183