Keep or sell my Coolermaster 201 atcs

Chabsy

Chabsy

Chabsy

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I going to ordering the bits to build my new rig soon. I just cant decide whether to keeps the 201.

The only cases i have seen that i like are a Lian Li PC7 or a silverstone Tj 04 everything else looks like a tarts handbag.

The only other option I have is to take the case apart and get the top and sides and front bead blasted, I know i can get the sides and front off no probs but the top is riveted on, I can drill the rivets out but im not sure I can get get small enough rivets to put it back together. i think the bead blasted finish will look good better than the metalic brown.

Will a 8800 gts fit in a 201.

What would someone pay for a 201

Thanks
 
Very interesting thread thanks

I was thinking of just bead blasting it and leaving it a that it would give it a flat matt finish.

Im into watches and have seen a few polished stainless steel watch bb'ed and they look tasty
 
Are you crazy? I have a 201 Black Widow under my desk as we speak and I say with no exaggeration that it is the greatest case ever built by a man. NEVER, EVER sell it. :D
 
SiD the Turtle said:
Are you crazy? I have a 201 Black Widow under my desk as we speak and I say with no exaggeration that it is the greatest case ever built by a man. NEVER, EVER sell it. :D
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If it was a black widow i'd be keeping it but its the poo brown colour. Also i'm worried that my new kit wont fit in it
 
I would definitely look into getting it repainted in some way then, regardless of colour the 201 is a very, very well built case.

Edit: I have no idea how big an 8800 is though, I'd get some measurements from someone who has one in case the card is so long that it will bump into the 3.5 inch bays.
 
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Chabsy said:
If it was a black widow i'd be keeping it but its the poo brown colour. Also i'm worried that my new kit wont fit in it
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I swapped my 201 for a 101 in the end as the new larger heatsinks simply will not fit in it

sid
 
I have a black praetorian and I must admit the build quality is second to none. Its superior to me Lian Li PC7+ in as much as panel thickness, internal fittings strngth, etc. The layout is a bit prohibitive for any large vid cards, etc though but I am cosidering "doing a number on it" and see if I can improve cooling (extra rear 80mm mounted fan and not difficult to do) but getting a 120mm in the front WILL be a prob due to the usb connector port. Still considering its age, its still one of the best cases around.
 
I'm still using my black widow. The only problem is you are limited to what heatsinks you can fit in. The tallest you can fit is 140mm so Thermalright Ultima 90i for example is ok. It is still a fantastic case. I do like the look of the Antec 182 but the quality just isn't the same.
 
201's are overrated imho, they were the pioneers of build quality and design but now sadly they are not well designed for modern cooling systems.

There will possibly never be a case with the same exacting quality standards as the original 201's at least never from coolermaster whom seem to have opted for cheap and cheerful these days.

Silverstone are now the only case manufacturer that would ever come close to design but alas not quality.

Soldam / Windy are basically the only choice as long as you are good at finding hens teeth or rocking horse poo.

Lian-Li are possibly the best compromise.

DeadMan
 
If it could house a P4 it could probably house a C2D, seeing as they are cooler.....GPU might be a problem...woudln't have thought so though.
 
I've got a Q6600 and a Ati 3850 in mine. Water cooled with the 240mm radiator in the roof. Yes I cut holes in the roof of my 201 :)

So you can have modern parts in one. Before the water cooling I had a Thermaltake BigTyp 120 VX in it, which with the dimensions: 122mm x 122mm x 103mm is no small cooler :)
 
Just got the Pc7 and while its a nice case and well designed it doesn't feel as solid as my 201.

Looks very nice in black overall I aint disappointed
 
I've got both the PC-7+ and the praetorian (both in black) and quality wise the praetorian wins hands down. Only prob really is the depth of the case doesn't allow the fitment of very tall coolers, also it needs a bit of work to get 2 x 80mm exhaust fans fitted (I did this in a c/m 200 rev 1 with no prob due to the position of the original fan allowing minmal cutting of the backplate to fit the second fan)
I still have the urge to butcher the guts of the praetorian to see if an up to date cooling solution can be installed and I have a few ideas regarding fitting a 120mm fan intake as well.:):D
 
My poo brown 201 houses my Media PC downstairs and I'll never sell it. It was the last line of stonking top cases from CM, before the ATCS team left. The card in that is a rather lengthy first gen NV 6800GT, so I'm not sure if that compares up to a 8800 card.
 
Chabsy said:
The only other option I have is to take the case apart and get the top and sides and front bead blasted
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Please don't do this, the Aluminium isn't thick enough and you will end up with warped pannels

Chabsy said:
Will a 8800 gts fit in a 201.
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The 8800GTX does fit in a 201, though not sure if there's a difference in length between the GTX and the GTS


Chabsy said:
What would someone pay for a 201
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Entirely dependant on who wants it and how bad they want it and how bad you want to sell it. Also the condition is a big factor. But a ball park Minimum would be £40 + delivery (unless it's really poor condition)
 
Chabsy said:
Will a 8800 gts fit in a 201.

Thanks
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It will, but its a very cosy fit with the power connector crammed right up against the HD connector...I had 2 in mine in SLi. I eventually changed to a full tower coz of coolin issues.

PS I wouldnt sell the 201...its a legend of case making. My new Lian-Li A70 has no where near the same build quality...
 
I dont know why you'd want to get rid - I still have mine and it quite happily houses my high end gaming system, including 8800.
 
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