Best Air Cooled Cases?


Thanks :).

I own the R2 and would never have guessed it was actually so poor. I assumed totally the opposite!

EDIT - Just re-read the review and they test with only the stock cooling options provided with the case. They don't test with all of the various fan mounts used for example. I feel slightly vindicated ;).
 
E-ATX case means longest possible graphics cards fitting easily because E-ATX motherboard's width (33cm) is greater than biggest allowed length of PCI(e) cards (~31cm) and normal long graphics cards looking small:
http://www.pc-experience.de/Bilder-Reviews/Lian44/lian.32.jpg
Sure graphics cards aren't gonna keep getting longer and longer are they? Im still very happy with my 4870x2, I haven't come across a game lately that it cannot handle superbly :D It's just the heat problem i need to sort out.

Best air cooled cases are generally noisy, because the more CFM being pushed the more noise being made.
Except in the case of the FT02 it would seem: Very quiet given it’s cooling and virtually silent when fans set to “low”


Well, i think i have decided, quite a bit out of my price range, but i have fallen for the SilverStone Fortress FT02 :p
It just looks superb in every way and according to the 20 odd odd reviews ive seen, does an excellent job cooling and whilst remaining quiet!
Just had a thought... no more getting on my hands and knees under my desk to fiddle with connectors i cannot see, they'll all be on the top of the case :D
So much about this case just makes sense, i wouldn't be surprised if more manufactures started using the rotated motherboard idea.

Oh and it has the added bonus of being a heater in the winter... hands a bit cold? Just put them over the case.... ahh nice and warm LOL


Once again thanks for all your replies, appreciate it ;) All i need now is an extra 100 squid to buy this beast!
 
I moved my system from a 800D to a Silverstone Fortress FT02 last weekend all nice and cool, plus the cooling fans on full are nice and quiet.

My case temps have been lowered by 10 degrees in the Silverstone, you wont regret getting one :)
 
I moved my system from a 800D to a Silverstone Fortress FT02 last weekend all nice and cool, plus the cooling fans on full are nice and quiet.

My case temps have been lowered by 10 degrees in the Silverstone, you wont regret getting one :)
Can i ask you a question regarding the 5.25 bays.

Are they the same as any other bays apart from the obvious difference with the screwless button thing?
The reason i ask is, I have one of these:




I probably don't need this if i get the FT02 seeing as how the drives are right above one of the massive fans at the bottom, but just out of interest, do you think it would fit?

Cheers
 
To be honest I dont think it would fit as it looks like the outer black bezel would clash with the small protruding metal lugs that the individual drives rest on when going into the 5 1/4 bays in the FT02.

Out of interest what is it?

Is it a cooler?

Also the black portion at the back may clash with the motherboard when its fitted in the case, remember its turned around by 90 degrees.

All I am using in the case is the 3 stock fans (180mm) in the bottom & and a H50 with 2 apaches fitted in the top 120mm fan outlet in the case, pulling air exhausting air out.

Hope this helps?
 
Raven V2 which OCUK have listed is incredibly similar to the Silverstone FT02, with the only real difference being different top/front design/led's and the hard drive cages are different.

The FT02 is like a marginally improved Raven with a facelift, and in Alu. The difference is the Raven is £100, steel and probably quieter as in my experience steel kills case vibrations, better insulates against noise aswell as being cheaper. Even Alu case I've used has been louder.

I was very close to buying a Raven but its a little too small.

Really I just don't understand it, under my desk I just have so much room its ridiculous, saving a couple inches here and there makes no sense to me at all. A Raven that was 2 inches longer 2 inches taller and 2 cm wider would give you a larger area for the mobo to sit in, let it support basically any mobo you can buy, and give that much extra room to stick cables out the way on the other side of the motherboard tray. In every case I've fitted because molex connectors aren't small and you've ofter got lots of connectors on cables stuck around the back it just becomes more ackward, 1 or maybe 2cm extra in width would mean plenty of space and make cable management that much easier.


Why won't anyone build the perfect case damn it :p


Seriously though, the Raven V2 is probably the best air cooling case around, quiet, simple, smart design, still plenty of room around the mobo, just that their could be a bit more.

E-atx is only wider, not longer, atx-xl(not sure its an actual standard or made up) is longer and wider, usually offering a 8-10 pci expansion slots. Look up EVGA, Gigabyte and maybe Asus top end ridiculous boards, Gigabyte has something coming out at £450!!!!!! Its got a simply ridiculous number of pci-e slots.
 
To be honest I dont think it would fit as it looks like the outer black bezel would clash with the small protruding metal lugs that the individual drives rest on when going into the 5 1/4 bays in the FT02.

Also the black portion at the back may clash with the motherboard when its fitted in the case
That stripe on its side is slot for those lugs between 5.25" bays so unless they're abnormally long they aren't problem.

That black part in back is fan which would surely protrude above motherboard considering normal optical drives are very close to doing that.

Lian Li Pc P80
Geez... Why is that bling bling always popping up when its design doesn't have much good.
 

I would allso highly recomend this case for air cooling, but if you can wait. The V3 versions of the FT and Raven are being released/shown at Computex which are promised to have the very nice and new 'Air Penetrator' 140mm fans that are incredibly powerfull (no really, they are amazing)

Silverstone Raven RV02-E The revison version not the V3 that is to be released still. But they will be similar with the new features

The only problem i can see with the V3 / V2-E are that the AP fans are so powerfull it will create far too much positive pressure that with only a single 120mm top to exhaust. But i belive it is rather well vented at the top so it could be ok.



Edit: allso TJ11 in June.... oh year... :D
 
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Just bought the FT02 .... Mmmmm come to papa :p

Also looking forward to having some filters on the fans as i have just plucked out a golf ball sized glump of dust from the cpu cooler :eek:

Raven V2 which OCUK have listed is incredibly similar to the Silverstone FT02, with the only real difference being different top/front design/led's and the hard drive cages are different.
I liked the innards of the Raven 2 but was quite repulsed by the design of the outer shell. Yes its half the price of the FT02 but i just don't like the look of it :(

Im not one for 'chaving' up my case, i like a computer to look like computer, not a spaceship :D

I just want nice looking, good performance case which should last a long long time ;)
 
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Nothing more than buzzwords and built in extra impedance lowering airflow/increasing noise per RPM.

I fail to see how Air Penetrator fans are just a buzzword.

They dont seem to lower airflow or increase noise over other similar fans.

Linky about the new silverstone AP fans

These look like they will be the perfect fan for new rad set-ups, pushing a massive amount of air in one direction rather than just pushing it everywhere and lowering its static presure.
 
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And snake oil heals everything...

Airflow being more directed doesn't increase amount of moved air in any way and neither can marketing clowns change laws of physics.
Anyone who has paid attention to the behavior of fans knows that a physical obstruction (impedance, in the fan jargon) close to the fan blades causes turbulence noise. The greater the impedance, the greater the noise and the lower the airflow.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Case_Basics_and_Recommendations

And when mounted to radiator airflow doesn't even need to be any more directional because radiator's structure itself directs airflow.
Adding that extra obstruction between blades and radiator just lowers remaining static pressure available for actually pushing air through radiator!
 
Lancool Dragon-Lord PC-K62 picture on OcUK:

CA-007-LN_27578_400.jpg



Coolermaster CM-690 II review (2nd down):

The only problem I could find is that it wouldn't fit a Radeon HD 5970, whereas the CM690 first edition would. Kind of a step back. Other than that though, awesome case!

Epic case is Epic. I have this in black, the cable management and tooless parts are a god send! :)
 
I just bought the Xigmatek Utgard & i'm extremely pleased with it.

It has a lush black powder-coated interior, great tool-less mounting systems, 2 fan controllers built into the front-panel & other great features.

More importantly it looks great & is only £68 on OcUK!

Look at some reviews on the internet if you want to be sure. ;)
 
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