Cases with 120mm fans

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Devonavar

Ralf Hutter
SPCR Reviewer
Posts: 8636
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:33 am
Location: Sunny SoCal

Post by Ralf Hutter » Fri Apr 04, 2003 5:02 am

GamingGod wrote:where? You found the 3700 without a power supply?
False alarm...at least here in the US. :)

For $74 you can get the 3700 with a PSU from Newegg, turn around and sell the PSU for $30-40 and be way ahead.

starsky
Friend of SPCR
Posts: 368
Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 5:41 pm
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Contact:

Post by starsky » Fri Apr 04, 2003 2:48 pm

It seems like here in Aus we are wayyy behind the 8 ball.

For example: Try and find a place where I can buy HDD grommets!

Choose anything from overseas and the shipping kills you.

I have been thinking that it may be easier to try and quieten my existing full tower Aopen case with a good P/S and replace the H/S Fan.. and then get another case later if I am not satisfied. This way my spending is also not wasted $

yaz
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2003 5:09 am
Location: sweden
Contact:

Post by yaz » Wed Apr 09, 2003 5:13 am

Compucase CI-6926

http://www.colorcase.se/datorlada_print.php?d_id=102

It seems to be a nice case building a system in. available in black, silver and blue.

AntecRep
-- Vendor --
Posts: 184
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2003 7:15 am
Contact:

Post by AntecRep » Thu Apr 10, 2003 2:09 pm

AFAIK know we're shipping the SLK3700 to Australia.

I'll check in with ISD

Edit: Yup Altech carries it, so any shop that buys from them should be able to get it for you.

AntecRep

Cyrix
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2003 2:07 pm
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Contact:

Post by Cyrix » Thu Apr 10, 2003 10:20 pm

Ok, since it looks as if 120mm fans are the king when it comes to performance and quiet. I'm curious to what everyones opinion on the best 120mm fan to use. I have a full tower and assume that most people are going to use a 1in and 1out configuration(when it comes to 120mm just cause they are so huge). I know in the 80mm range the Panaflo is king, although looking at MikeC's review of fans they might not win the 120mm throne (Choosing Fans for Quiet, High Airflow: A Scientific Approach) . I was looking at configurations for the 120mm fans and it looks to as if the JMC and NMB would be as to the best choice. Possibly I didn't look close enough at your recent assembly of your quiet PC Katana and what fans you used. Just looking for Pro's and Con's from anyone about 120's.

Ralf Hutter
SPCR Reviewer
Posts: 8636
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:33 am
Location: Sunny SoCal

Post by Ralf Hutter » Fri Apr 11, 2003 3:25 am

Cyrix wrote:Ok, since it looks as if 120mm fans are the king when it comes to performance and quiet. I'm curious to what everyones opinion on the best 120mm fan to use. I have a full tower and assume that most people are going to use a 1in and 1out configuration(when it comes to 120mm just cause they are so huge). I know in the 80mm range the Panaflo is king, although looking at MikeC's review of fans they might not win the 120mm throne (Choosing Fans for Quiet, High Airflow: A Scientific Approach) . I was looking at configurations for the 120mm fans and it looks to as if the JMC and NMB would be as to the best choice. Possibly I didn't look close enough at your recent assembly of your quiet PC Katana and what fans you used. Just looking for Pro's and Con's from anyone about 120's.
The quietest JMC that I've been able to find (the special one sold by Coolcases.com has about the same amount of air noise at 7V as an L1A Panaflo at 7V but it has more motoer noise. It also has more motor noise at 5V and puts out less air than the 5-volted L1A.

My vote would go to the L1A running at 5 volts. One is more than enough to keep my SLK3700 cool.

Katana Man
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 350
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:14 am

Post by Katana Man » Mon Apr 21, 2003 6:20 pm

You could say that I'm pretty much hooked on silencing computers. It's really an enjoyable hobby. I love reading this forum daily.

I've learned that cases with 120mm fans are the answer. I've done a D8000 project and that went well. I've learned how to cut holes with tin snips and will be starting a full tower project soon. Plus, Newegg just dropped the price on the Chenbro 611 (dual 120mm fan holes) to $41 shipped! I mean, that's unfair! How can a man resist that price? I certainly couldn't resist. I got a tracking number. :D


Image Image

aristide1
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 4284
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2003 6:21 pm
Location: Undisclosed but sober in US

Post by aristide1 » Tue Apr 22, 2003 11:35 am

I believe you're looking for modder's mesh. You can get it here:
It's steel, the honeycomb stuff looks cooler and easier to work with.


This case is so cool (I mean looks, right?)
http://www.mnpctech.com/GT.html

aristide1
*Lifetime Patron*
Posts: 4284
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2003 6:21 pm
Location: Undisclosed but sober in US

Post by aristide1 » Thu Apr 24, 2003 7:42 am

Here are the mid tower cases I've found
Why no full towers?

Katana Man, the wire mess on the front of your case looks pro.
Last edited by aristide1 on Thu Apr 24, 2003 7:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

Katana Man
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 350
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:14 am

Post by Katana Man » Thu Apr 24, 2003 7:47 am

Most people use mid towers, and a large portion of full towers have space for 120mm fans. It's the mid towers that are hard to find.

blueberrycake
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2003 2:39 pm

Post by blueberrycake » Thu Apr 24, 2003 2:42 pm

Do any of the better cases mentioned feature mounted wire grills over the rear exhaust or do they all have stamped grills that need to be cut?

-bbc

barry
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Feb 23, 2003 11:03 am

Post by barry » Thu Apr 24, 2003 3:54 pm

I'm going to attempt to build my first computer. Of the cases with 120mm fans listed I like the looks of the Global Win YCC-61F1 and the Yeong Yang 5412. Can anyone recommend one over the other? I really don't want to get involved in really modding a case. Thanks in advance.

Katana Man
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 350
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:14 am

Post by Katana Man » Thu Apr 24, 2003 4:50 pm

blueberrycake, I think they all come with grills. You can order case from coolcases.com, and they can remove the grills for you.

barry, I have no personal experience with those 2 cases, but I've researched them extensively, and read all the reviews. Let's just say I practically drool when I see the Global Win YCC-61F1. I'd love for it to be my ultimate case.

NeilBlanchard
Moderator
Posts: 7681
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 7:11 pm
Location: Maynard, MA, Eaarth
Contact:

Two more Chenbro cases

Post by NeilBlanchard » Wed Apr 30, 2003 11:40 am

Hello:

Here's some "sub-Entry Level Server' cases from Chenbro that have front & back 120mm fan grills in their stock form: the SR205xx and the SR207xx. The bezels with doors have hinges that allow the door to swing 270d to get out of the way.

http://www.chenbro.com.tw/product/product.jsp?p=2&s=205

Unfortunately, the images are small, with no links to larger ones. The front air intakes on the bezel look a little better than the 611...though it's hard to be sure.

[Edit] These are the cases that Coolcases.com sells as "Junior" -- $87 in stock form w/o a PS.

Katana Man
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 350
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:14 am

Post by Katana Man » Wed Apr 30, 2003 12:10 pm

Thanks Neil, the list has been updated.

nerotek
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:44 pm
Location: Escondido, CA

Post by nerotek » Sun May 04, 2003 12:18 am

im interested in the Antec SLK3700... from all the reviews, it sounds pretty cool...

question tho... anyone know the stats about the 120mm fan? how much cfm? dba? thx thx!

AndrewC
Posts: 174
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2003 7:16 pm
Location: Mobile, AL

Post by AndrewC » Sun May 04, 2003 11:53 am

Specs for Antec's 120mm fan are as follows:

Ball Bearing design
Volumetric Airflow 105 CFM
Fan Speed 2,600 rpm
Acoustic Noise 44 dBA

Hope that helps

Mr_Smartepants
Posts: 539
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2003 6:35 am
Location: Cambridgeshire, England

Post by Mr_Smartepants » Sun May 04, 2003 11:55 am

But when it's connected to the "fan only" connector, it's pretty quiet. Not as quiet as my panaflo L1A but pretty nice for a "gimme" fan.

nerotek
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:44 pm
Location: Escondido, CA

Post by nerotek » Sun May 04, 2003 8:57 pm

thx for the info guys... damn, it's loud at 44 dba... regarding the 'fan only' connector, does this mean it got some kinda rheobus/resistor control?

Mr_Smartepants
Posts: 539
Joined: Fri Apr 04, 2003 6:35 am
Location: Cambridgeshire, England

Post by Mr_Smartepants » Mon May 05, 2003 12:28 am

nerotek wrote:thx for the info guys... damn, it's loud at 44 dba... regarding the 'fan only' connector, does this mean it got some kinda rheobus/resistor control?
Yeah, the PSU has a thermistor somewhere in there and it feeds the same voltage that the PSU fan gets to the "fan only' connector. On mine, starting voltage is between 5-6V and stabilizes around 8V at full load (folding).

nerotek
Posts: 56
Joined: Tue Aug 27, 2002 2:44 pm
Location: Escondido, CA

Post by nerotek » Mon May 05, 2003 10:56 am

thx Mr_Smartepants for the update!

BadReligionPR
Posts: 19
Joined: Tue May 06, 2003 7:14 pm

Post by BadReligionPR » Mon May 19, 2003 6:31 pm

OCSystem Diamond Warp 10 Bay
Image

*Strong C-Framed Chassis Structure
*Keylock in Front Panel for Best Security
*Patented 3.5" Slide-in Cage and 5.25" Sliding Rails
*1 x 120mm Rear Fan and 1 x 120mm Front Fans for Great Heat Dissipation
*Removable, Washable Dust Filter for Easy Cleaning and Replacement
*Rail Collector to Keep Extra Rails
*7 Screwless Slots for Easy Assembly
*USB, Audio, 1394 PCB in Front Panel for Various Applications
*Shockproof Pads on 3.25" Driver Cage to Perfectly Protect HDD

Sorry no pics of the inside at their site, looks similiar to the Antec/Chieftec Server cases inside.

Finish looks to be similar to the Antec Sonata
The liquid diamond finsih is 6 layer paint process with high gloss mirror like reflective finish.

Katana Man
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 350
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:14 am

Post by Katana Man » Mon May 19, 2003 6:56 pm

Thanks for the update. It was already on the list since the OC System Diamond Warp is based on the CompuCase CI-6920. However, your link now provides a place to buy it in the USA, thanks! I've updated the list.

Once again, I'm impressed with Compucase cranking out the 120mm cases. Shockproof Pads on the drive cage is a welcome bonus as well!

Ralf Hutter
SPCR Reviewer
Posts: 8636
Joined: Sat Nov 23, 2002 6:33 am
Location: Sunny SoCal

Post by Ralf Hutter » Tue May 20, 2003 5:27 am

CAVEAT EMPTOR about OCsystem.com. They have a real low Resellerrating.

I've heard a lot of complaints about them over the past few years.

Katana Man
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 350
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:14 am

Post by Katana Man » Tue May 20, 2003 7:45 am

Yikes, that is bad. I'll take down the link. I'll keep the CompuCase CI-6920 link though.

NeilBlanchard
Moderator
Posts: 7681
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 7:11 pm
Location: Maynard, MA, Eaarth
Contact:

NewEgg has a Compucase CI-6A21 for only $63

Post by NeilBlanchard » Sat May 31, 2003 9:31 am

Hello:

I'm really curious to know if anybody has used a Compucase CI-6A21 like this one from NewEgg.com. The price they are getting -- $53 + $10 shipping, seems excellent especially since they raised the price of the Evercase 4252 up to $49 w/o a PS. The Compucase includes a 300watt HEC PS, which might even be quiet! The CI-6A21 has 120mm fan grills in and out, though they are probably restrictive and would need modifying/removing.

Even if the PS isn't quiet, this case looks to a wicked bargain! :D I'm going to be buying one for a system I'm building for a relative, but I'd still like to hear what you think of it

Katana Man
Patron of SPCR
Posts: 350
Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 11:14 am

Post by Katana Man » Sat May 31, 2003 9:43 am

All topics on the D8000, Antec SLK3700, Macase GALAXY II, and Compucase 6A19 apply. This case is the Compucase 6A19 with a different bezel, and rebadged as 6A21.

NeilBlanchard
Moderator
Posts: 7681
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 7:11 pm
Location: Maynard, MA, Eaarth
Contact:

answering my own post...

Post by NeilBlanchard » Wed Jun 11, 2003 8:01 pm

Hello:

Well, I've just finished building a system using the Compucase CI-6A21 that I asked about above -- and it is a decent case! I plunged right in and cut out the restrictive fan grills -- what's up with these?? You'd think that they could stamp bigger holes -- they are ~1/4" and they could easily be 3/8", or better yet, do a hexagon with really thin grills...

My cutting leaves a little to be desired, but the worst bits are because they punched some of the holes out beyond where I had to cut, so there are some edges that look unfinished.

The quick lock cams on the expansion slots would have been great if they were tighter -- so that gets tossed! Good thing that there are screw holes...ya' know -- both Evercase and Compucase should save themselves the effort and us the expense of their respective "quick" latches! :P

So, the good stuff is the grommets for the HD's -- that come with shoulder bolts! The Cuda 80GB (7200.7) is very quiet -- no whine and no seeks are audible above the fans. The steel is thicker than the Evercase 4252, and there's a bit more room inside. I'll see how some Enermax 120mm case fans sound, and the stock HEC PS is very quiet under low loads and cool case temps, though it does increase noticeably w/o case fans and the temps climb a bit. Very nice for a stock PS -- a little quieter (SOTP guesstimate) than the Fortron, but the HEC gets louder when the temps go up, whereas the Fortron 120mm just seems to sit there wooshing along...

The front grill is relatively low noise, though I can easily feel the air flow just in front of it -- and there is a nice screen-type filter included. It looks to be a good compromise between air flow and catching dust.

Oh, I was disappointed to find the case does NOT include any front jacks at all, though there is a little door with blanks for USB, Firewire, and audio -- anybody know where I can inquire about getting these?

Bottom line: ya' gotta cut out the fan grills, but they are 120mm fans, nice HD mounting, lots of drive space, no front jacks, and a decent and relatively quiet stock PS.

DougS
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2003 10:17 am

bezel question on the 6A21

Post by DougS » Thu Jun 12, 2003 1:27 pm

Thanks for the update Neil. Question for ya: how restrictive/well-designed is the front bezel for air flow? It looks like it might be more difficult to mod than the 6A19's bezel. Of course, looks can be deceiving.

Doug

NeilBlanchard
Moderator
Posts: 7681
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 7:11 pm
Location: Maynard, MA, Eaarth
Contact:

Re: bezel question on the 6A21

Post by NeilBlanchard » Thu Jun 12, 2003 7:12 pm

Hello Doug:
DougS wrote:Question for ya: how restrictive/well-designed is the front bezel for air flow? It looks like it might be more difficult to mod
It's not too bad with my one 5v 120x25 exhaust -- I'm getting the Enermax's tomorrw so I see how that differs. There is tiny bit of extra "whoosh" with it in place, but 98% is the fan noise itself. Please note that I have not "foamed" it yet either.

The lower part of the black grill area is NOT filtered -- from the top of the (USB -- except there is no USB plugs...) door and below goes straight through. Also. the slots in the black area are really narrow slits -- they actually taper down to less than what you see on the front. And yes, I have contemplated how it could be mod'd, though I will certainly wait until I get the intended fans installed. The bottom could be cut away, and the grills in the arced slots in the silver area could be cut out.

BTW, on this unit -- getting the front bezel off takes some serious effort -- a flat screwdriver helps save some pinched fingers while you attempt to pul it off. There are two "barbed" posts at about the midpoint that hold a little too well...

Another note, the right side panel is removable, and the left side cover is the easiest to reinstall that I have ever experienced. :)

Post Reply