Need case suggestions to replace P180

ThatOldDude · Post by **ThatOldDude** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:07 pm

Well I'm in search of a case with these qualities in mind:

-Aluminum: For weight...OR something in steel that is lightweight

-Black finish: Matches decor!!
-Good cooling: Not an overclocker, just heavy gaming
-Quiet: Not necessarily silent but don't want to sit next to a jet either
-2x120mm fans: OR 120's and 92's if it has good cooling
-Easy to swap out parts: Anything easier than the P180!!!
-No windowed panel: I gave up case modding. Not into bling!!

Okay maybe I'm asking too much. I'm currently using a P180 and although it is a nice looking case and cools well, it is very heavy to move and a nightmare to work in. I do swap out parts frequently for testing, benching, boredom, etc. I've seen a couple cases that would satisfy my little list and they are:

Thermaltake Tsunami Dream (W/O the Window)
Antec Sonata II

Has anyone out there used these cases and have experiences they could share? Any other cases I should consider? Would like to keep the price range in the $100-$130 area.

My main components consist of:
MSI K8N Neo4 SLI Platinum
AMD 3700+
Zalmon 7000 HSF
(1) WD 74G Raptor HDD
(2) Hitachi 7k80 HDD's
eVGA 7800GT PCIe Video card (Looong card)
Fortron 500W PSU, so case with PSU isn't necessary.
I'm using YateLoon DSL-12's in my P180 hooked to a Sunbeam Rheobus.

TIA for advice and suggestions.

moritz · Post by **moritz** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:52 pm

Any Lian Li. A black one if that's what you need, although the silvery ones are more easily available. Lightweight, excellent to work with. You will want to replace or at least undervolt the case fans though, at least I did with my admittedly old PC60something. They're not cheap, though.

ThatOldDude · Post by **ThatOldDude** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:24 pm

moritz wrote:Any Lian Li. A black one if that's what you need, although the silvery ones are more easily available. Lightweight, excellent to work with. You will want to replace or at least undervolt the case fans though, at least I did with my admittedly old PC60something. They're not cheap, though.

Yes the Lian Li's are very nice. I actually gave up a PC7B Plus for my P180

***What was I thinking*** Actually considered going back to the Lian Li but the HD setup would be kind of limited. IIRC I could only fit 3 HDDs in my Lian Li cage and they were sort of sandwiched. Hoping for a little more breathing room for the drives. But that is another case for consideration, thanks.

dddibley · Post by **dddibley** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:24 pm

Compared to the Sonnata II, the Thermaltake Tsunami Dream looks pretty good. The dual door system and sideways removable HDD cage are really nice features. Side fan.. not so much (escaping noise).

Sonata II is OK too. Sideways HDD cage makes it very easy to swap IDE drives (get a 24" IDE cable and molex extension). Not sure about SATA connectors, being bent at a right angle like that. PSU is solid, although requires removal of HSF for swap. Might come out the front too. No removable right side panel.

Another to consider is the Antec 3000 series.

3000BQE

ddd

ThatOldDude · Post by **ThatOldDude** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:34 pm

ddibley-I had looked at the P150 but with it being a white case.....nah. I don't think I could stand the brightness of it and plus my OD and fan controller are black. Yeah I've read the same points in reviews that you brought up. Both of those cases are nice but each has it's own advatage/disadvantage. I did look into the 3000 series but it only has USB ports on the front and I would like USB and Firewire as I use Firewire for external backup. Guess I should have put that in my list...ooops!! But thanks for the recommendations.

ThatOldDude · Post by **ThatOldDude** » Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:15 pm

How about the Akasa Eclipse 62??? Seems like a nice little case. Doesn't have Firewire ports but does have a PCI slot in fornt where I could put a PCI Firewire card if really needed. Any experiences out there with this case?

Oh and the reviews I've seen it in, it was a beautiful case.

Sizzle · Post by **Sizzle** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 5:54 am

Silverstone has nice cases as well in aluminum with 120mm fans. I am suprised it's not a sticky, but if you search on this forum there is a thread on cases with 120mm fans.

ThatOldDude · Post by **ThatOldDude** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:22 am

Yeah saw the thread. That's kinda how I got my leads. Thanks though.

ThatOldDude · Post by **ThatOldDude** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 6:22 am

Ooopppsss....double post.

spolitta · Post by **spolitta** » Fri Jan 27, 2006 9:04 am

P150 will meet all your requirements except that its not black, however with its glossy white color it will defiantly match with black or dark furniture.

rs_1089 · Post by **rs_1089** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 12:14 am

You could check out the Gigabyte Aurora 3D. It has 2 - 120mm exhaust fans that spin at around 1000-1350rpm, and one 120mm intake with a filter. Also, theres room for several hard drives (although theres no silencing methods implemented) and comes in black. Theres a version without a window (comes with a side panel that has a mesh grill) and one that does have a window. I think it has everything you want.

kkzz · Post by **kkzz** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 1:20 am

I've got an Akasa Eclipse and I'm happy with it. The black all aluminium construction has a brushed finish that's VERY durable, there's a removable motherboard tray, the hard drive cage is removable (I floor mounted my HD in a Zalman cage), there's an extra hard drive cage that can be installed near the CPU, 2x120mm fans and the sheer size of the case-I haven't found a wider one and the depth means your wiring is easy to work on, the top panel is removable which makes working on the PSU and front bays easier. I had a 180 for a while but the poor finish and the 5C temp rise I got (putting the PSU at the bottom is a great idea but it needs better thermal insulation) means I went back to the Akasa. The only other case that's interested me lately is the Coolermaster 830 but I suspect the mesh side panels would cause a dust problem. Downsides to the Akasa, The plastic front is slightly annoying to remove (to clean the foam dust filter), some people don't like screw mounting drives but I prefer them to flimsy clips.

_____________________________________________________________
Asus A8N Sli Premium, 2GB Dual Channel OCZ Platinum, AMD 3500+, Thermalright SI 120 with Nexus fan, Seasonic 600w, Hitachi SATA 2 in Zalman cage, Creative X-fi Elite Pro, Asus 7800GTX Top, 2xAcousti Dustproof 120mm with gaskets, Akasa Fan Control Pro, Akasa Eclipse case, PLextor Premium CDRW, Samsung DVD

ckolivas · Post by **ckolivas** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 6:01 pm

Downgrade to the SLK3000B. It seems to fit the description you have posted. This is only a half serious suggestion, but not far from the truth...

ThatOldDude · Post by **ThatOldDude** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 9:40 am

kkzz-Yuppers, that's what I settled on. Saw the reviews and pics of the case and really liked it's potential. It pretty much met what I was looking for except the firewire ports up front BUT it does have the nifty PCI slot at the front so I could probably put a firewire adapter there I think. I like the look and finish of the case and the removeable mobo tray. It seems roomy by measurement and should cool well I believe (hope). I picked up a couple of the Akasa Amber 120's as well. See how they compare to my Loonies (Yate-Loons). I should get it this week so hopefully I'll be able to post back some positive reviews of it. Thanks to everyone for their input/advice/suggestions.

oldabelincoln · Post by **oldabelincoln** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:56 pm

ThatOldDude-

Where did you get the case? I can't find it in stock in the US.

How is it working out? Vibration? Noise?

Spill the beans...

TomZ · Post by **TomZ** » Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:07 pm

I would look at the Lian-Li PC-V1100B. It is a quiet case with inverted design (power supply on the bottom). I have one and I like it a lot so far.

Pros:
- Nice looking / excellent quality
- Acoustical foam on inside panels
- Plenty of space inside, incl. PSU area
- Quiet fans / good cooling concept
- 6 HDD bays, plus all those available on the front panel
- Convenient HDD mounting system
- Nice casters, with locking feature
- Toolless
- Light weight

Cons:
- Quiet, but not silent. HDD seek noise does transfer to the case
- No filter on back panel chassis fan intake
- VGA cooler design ("plus" version) is ineffective, IMO
- A little expensive

Has a front door, which is either a pro or con, depending on your preference (pro in my case).

I decided to get this instead of Antec P150 (didn't like the color, mainly, and the included 430W supply wasn't enough) and Antec P180 (scared off by all the reported quality problems).

It is a little pricey, but I think it is worth it.

niceguy · Post by **niceguy** » Sun Apr 30, 2006 2:41 pm

Try mCubed and it looks cool... www.elgo-tech.com

cptsean · Post by **cptsean** » Sun May 14, 2006 5:31 am

TomZ-

Glad to hear about someone who has and likes the 1100; I've been considering it for my next build. The acoustical material and sealed front door really intrigue me.

I don't understand why with all the silent PC enthusiasts on this site, this case isn't talked about too much. Granted, everyone will probably replace the fans w/ pabst or other quiet ones. And everyone shops for quiet components in the first place, so I just don't get why this case hasn't gotten the attention it probably needs. Price? That's a sorry reason...

Looks are pretty important, and the PC-V1100 is a beauty.

monosound · Post by **monosound** » Wed May 17, 2006 11:14 am

As I have V1100 and v1000 , I did compare V1100 to V1000.

If you just install your system to new blank chassis , v1100 will be quieter than v1000 of course. V1100 has less open space than that of v1000.

But it is not silent as mentioned by TomZ , hard drive seek noise does transfer to the case. Randam seek noise is terrible. So I don't use prepared HDD bay but use HD case. Further when we use HD cases we need more cooling air than when they aren't in those. HD temp rise very high in the HD case as everyone know.

And also the system cooling ability of v1100 is lowered by its (solid fancy

) front door , we need more high rpm to cool as same as v1000 or some other chassis. The shadow bay is same condition.

About v1000, it can cool its system with more low rpm of fans. And you can close open holes where you want to sound proof. And this mod also makes certain airflow you want. The vibration noise is in same condition as v1100 because of same internal construcition v1000 and v1100.

Therefore , I found my conclusion that if you merely transfer your system to another chassis , V1100 will suit your needs ; if you can do a little mods like seal sound proof sheet , damping sheet or other such things , v1000 will give you more freedom to customize your quiet or silent PC.

I also recommend to use other way to mount HD in these chassis.

Sorry for my bad English

Those thread will give more info
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=31310
http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?p=207760
or search forums by words "v1000" or "v1100"

Need case suggestions to replace P180

Need case suggestions to replace P180

mCubed HFX case

1100