Cases, Cases, Cases! ARGGGH...

[a4mula]

New Build, New Case, Endless research.

i5 750, 5870x2 CF, Megahalems with 2x Gentle Typhoons in Push/Pull

Primary Concerns listed in order:

Cooling Properties > Dust > Cable Management > Painted Interior > Removable Mobo Tray

Budget: Max 300, prefer sub 200, but will spend for the right case.


Cooling and Dust Management are the two must haves here. If it weren't for dust I would have picked the 932 weeks ago and this never ending struggle would have been over.

I'm leaning towards the Antec 902 right now. I have some concerns over ripping out the central hdd bay to fit the 5870's, and I'd really like a full tower... but hey, nothing's perfect right?

Maximum cooling, minimal dust. Must have clearance for the Megahalems with 2 fans, and 2x 5870.

Really leaning towards mid-tower at this point as they seem to have a significant edge in air cooling over full towers.

Lian Li PC50
Antec 902
CM Haf 922
CM Storm Sniper

Thoughts, suggestions, advice is welcome.

 

[mac_50]

http://www.corsair.com/products/800d/default.aspx

 

[huron]

For me, the corsair case listed is probably wonderful, but it does cost about $280. I'd be much happier with something cheaper myself - the Antec 1200 is a bit bigger than the 902 and has fan filters as well (and cable management, etc).

 

[TheOnion]

The CM storm scout fills your needs. I have it an love it

 

[a4mula]

Love the 800d. When I was contemplating a watercool build it was at the top of a very short list. Aircooling however... I have my doubts. Performance is my top concern as I'd like to rival the temps of a wc'd rig. Maybe not match, or beat, but rival at least.

ATCS 840, TJ07 were really the only other two that I gave any other consideration.

The 1200 got ruled out fairly early on as it just didn't perform as well as the 902. Those extra 3 bays of height don't do the case cooling justice and the one added 120mm fan didn't seem to make up the difference. It's been really really tough to find a full tower case that cools like their smaller cousins.

These are my concerns with the Scout, perhaps you can clear them up for me TheOnion. Low clearance under the case, does this force you to install the psu upside down drawing hot case air? Also having to buy a 120mm for the side, while not a huge deal is somewhat annoying considering the other cases come with it. I do like the fact that it has room for 10.5 inch video cards w/o hacking away though.

I did come across the Thermaltake Spedo last night. From the review it lists it as rivaling the 932 in performance, but give it low scores due to cheap build quality. I can live with build quality, I don't fiddle around with my builds once they're put together. Anyone have any first hand experience? It's the first Full Tower (besides the 932) that seems to perform as well or better than the mid-towers.

 

[Msixteen]

I too also have a storm scout and love the hell out of it. Build quality is fantastic. I have 3 120mm fans, one on the side, one in the top 3 drive bays, and one in the back (bought two of them, no biggy) all of the bay covers and the PSU vent come with filters, I also have the 2 stock 140mm fans, I use a manual fan controller for the side, exhaust, and the bay fan.

My PSU is upside down because I had the same thought as you a4mula but the ambient temp in my case stays nice and cool, due to the fact that I have the case set up right, by that I mean I have the flow of air all going in the same direction, in from the front of the case and out of the back/top of the case, even my CPU cooler.

every case you look at is going to have some draw backs, but even though this case does not have a side fan it does have two 140mm and 1 120mm stock which is about the same amount of fans as most cases come with stock.

On the note of dust, I have had my mobo in that case since Oct and it still looks brand new, I have only ever cleaned the CPU fan once (cm v8, which looks cool as hell with the scout)

P.S. remember the scout is in a totally different price range than other cases that have been mentioned, coming in at $89.00-$100.00

 

[eikone]

Look at this one. I'm seriously considering it myself for my new build or I may try building my own case too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133080

 

[Msixteen]

lol it has headlights, and tooooo much chrome. imo.

 

[hell_storm2004]

Lian Li or CM Storm or Stacker!

 

[a4mula]

Storm Scout won't hold a 5870 =/

Stacker doesn't have the air performance

Love the Lian Li PC-50 but can't find it for purchase anyplace.

At the end of the day I've yet to find anything that competes with the 902 performance wise (other than the HAF 932). I'm not a huge fan of its aesthetics, size and lack of WC support, but this was about performance foremost and everything else secondary.

It does meet my criteria for dust, wire management, and painted interior. It comes closer to the 932 than any other case I could find testing for. Who knows, maybe the look will grow on me.

Thankyou everyone for the time and consideration put into the thread. If any last minute thoughts pop up that have test validated performance results that get near the 902 let me know.

 

[potoroo]

Cooling and Dust Management are the two must haves here. If it weren't for dust I would have picked the 932 weeks ago and this never ending struggle would have been over.

You're a man after my own heart. I too was quite keen on the HAF 932 until I found out it lacked dust filters. I'm currently leaning towards the Silverstone Fortress FT02. It seems to have the balance of space (it will take 5870s with ease), cooling (designed around the apparently novel observation that hot air rises, its 3*180mm fans are at the bottom of the case), dust management (the 180mm fans have dust filters and the case is a positive pressure design), and ease of installation I am looking for and you seem to be too.

According to silentpcreview its case temperature is comparable to the Antec 1200. I'm not sure how that compares to the 902 as I've gone off Antec these days.

 

[abdul89]

The CM Storm Sniper Black Edition is exactly what you need. three 200mm fans included. Fan controller with support for 5 fans included. All black, including the interior of the case. Dust filters EVERYWHERE. Even where there aren't fans, there are dust filters. (eg. the front of the case - unused bays are a mesh like metal, but have dust filters) There are watercooling holes as well. And you will be able to fit 2 5870's or maybe even 3.

Also, you can fit cpu coolers with a size up to 180mm - something quite rare with mid-towers.

Comes with 4 fans standard, 3x 200mm, and one 120mm. You can replace any of the 200mm fans with two 120/140mm fans (or a radiator if you ever go with watercooling). Theres also space for a 140/120mm fan at the bottom of the case, which is situated directly below the graphics cards. I have a coolermaster 120mm fan pushing 90cfm of cool air right up into my 5870 and it only makes 19db!

Its a mid-tower, thats basically the size of a full tower. Check it out, but make sure you look at the Black edition. It costs about the same as a haf932, but in my opinion its way better. And it seems like its exactly what you need.

If you want fotos or more info let me know.

Oh and the side panels of the case widen, allowing for great cable management. Okay that probably doesn't make sense, look at some pics and youl get what im saying.

 

[a4mula]

I have looked at the Storm Sniper Black. Great looking case, but I'm not thrilled with the built in fan controller. The wiring harness on that thing looks like a beast to work with.

I ended up going with a CM 690 II advanced. It'll require a few Yate Loons as it ships with a few optional fan slots (that should have been filled, Shame on you Coolermaster) but at the end of the day it fit my requirements better than any of the others I've looked at.

On a side not the Lancool K-62 came in at a VERY close second. I leaned towards that due to it's great aesthetics and best tool-less design I've personally seen. The major caveat was it's lack of any watercooling support.

The CM690II can internally house 2 2x120 rads with no modding. While I will not be watercooling initially it might be an upgrade path I eventually take.

 

[abdul89]

Its not actually that bad to work with! But yes, many people have complained about it and had some difficulty.
Thats a nice case you ended up choosing! Looks really smart, I quite like it.

All the best, enjoy!