Looking for a new case, it's a minefield out there!

BloodyL

BloodyL

BloodyL

Soldato
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Hello there,
My old graphics card has died and I've ordered a replacement in the form of a Gigabyte 7950 Windforce 3, the problem is that it won't fit into the Antec Sonata case I have now.

I've spent hours looking at different cases but I cannot seem to find anything that matches my needs, which are:

1)No LEDs or any other extraneous fluff like that, this is a case that will live under the desk in a bedroom, so the quieter it is in terms of noise and light pollution the better.
2)Obviously must be able to hold a 7950 (285mm) without sacrifice
3)Must be able to hold 6x HDDs, 1x SSD and 1x Bluray writer.
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4)No top mounted fans or controls please, I have two cats that like to explore, one of the cats has a massive bushy tail, I don't fancy the thought of what would happen if the two met.
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Price range would be max £100.

Can anyone please recommend some cases for me to check out?

Many thanks for any help recieved. :)
Cheers.
 
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Fair point on the LEDs, it was that most of the cases I looked at had glowy things all over the place!

I did forget to mention that top mounted control panels or fans are out of the window as I have 2 cats that like to explore, one has an extraordinarily long tail... top fan+long tail=a scene from a horror movie!.

Thanks for the input. :)

So, I'm looking for an E/XL-ATX class case then?
 
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fan guards are a cats best friend ;)

i only went for the E/XL - atx because you have a fair few drives, also if you buy big, you can always upgrade, if you buy something that will *just* accommodate what you have now, next time you want to upgrade you will need to look around again!
 
Okey dokey, I've got my eyes on the Antec 1100 and the Antec P280 at the moment.

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The P280 is winning right now as:
1) It doesn't have a window. (helps contain motherboard LED light splashing into room when left on overnight)
2) The fans don't have LEDs. (again, helps fight light pollution)
3) It is engineered for silence over ventilation. (one of the reasons why I bought a Sonata, it runs hot but quiet.)
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Well, I've had enough of looking at cases now, the P280 has been ordered.
Thanks for your reply davido, you have reassured me about the top mounted fans.
Cheers.
 
Well the case arrived and it is great, the only fault I can find right now is that the SSD tray is too short for my Crucial M4.
Otherwise it was a pleasure to work with.
Cheers all.
 
Also looking for a new case and any advice would be appreciated.

Was thinking of the Corsair Carbide 400R, but then realised my motherboard only has 2 chassis fan connectors, its an Asus P8Z77-V LX, and I have no idea if the 400R's 3 fans are mobo connector type or powered from a case controller.

So I am looking for a case thats good on cooling but also is quiet and not too mega expensive and has the following criteria:

Front Panel USB 3 support with the 20-1 pin connector that my motherboard has

Front panel audio support that would also work with my mobo (this is less important than the USB but if I am buying anew case would prefer it to have audio support than not)

If fans are mobo connector type then I guess only 2 fans as that's all my mobo can support (So probably ideally a case that has a fan controller instead and more than 2 fans)

Ideally the fans have dust filters, my current case is a pain for dust

Room for long graphics cards, my current card is a Asus GTX560 Direct CU I, but i'd like to know the case has the room for future cards I may buy/upgrade too

My PSU is a corsair CX750 if that's any help in determining case size for cables reaching stuff

Been many years since I bought a new case, as i just kept building new components into my curent case, but think the fans and/or fan controllor in it are getting a little old now, and also it really has terrible front panel usb support, and no front panel audio

Anyway, any help would be appreciated
 
i have the 400R and the back fan is a pin connecter and the front two are one molex connector.
 
BriT said:
i have the 400R and the back fan is a pin connecter and the front two are one molex connector.
Click to expand...

So do those front fans have a speed control switch or similar built into the case or are they just running at a fixed speed, and if so how is the case overall for noise..?
 
No theres no speed control over the two front fans. Its not a very noisy case, i mean you can't hear it over the tv etc. Overall im very happy with it.
 
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