suggestions for a good case

quantumisation · 24 Feb 2007 at 20:43

hi guys im new and its been some time since i dabbled in the mysterious and nerdy world of custom pc building. Ive been looking at cases to get for a new system and came across the antec 900 however there are 2 problems i have with it. 1 - ive read it gets dusty very quickly so does this need cleaned a couple of times a month or something? it is pretty dusty in my room. 2nd - more importantly is the front LEDs, while looking fantastic im wondering if theres any cases that come with a controller that allows you to turn the LEDs off while you watch a movie or something. It just seems to me if your watching a movie on your widescreen monitor those lights are gonna put you off it a bit. I know its possible to buy it and mod the case but in my mind it sort of defeats the purpose in buying a prebuilt case.

Any suggestions would be useful, ive seen loads myself but i just cant come to a decision, what im looking for as requirements are:

- PSU on the bottom, makes more sense to me
- HDD cages for easy removal
- vibration limiters for HDD, PSU etc are a bonus
- less than £100
- see though side panel

Cheers

geff_r · 24 Feb 2007 at 20:54

From what you say you're needs are i'd say the antec p180.
It has everything you just stated"including the hdd vibration thingy's and power supply anti vibration pads" except window but you can get them with windows or get it seperate.Also worthy of note is having the power supply at the bottom can make for cable management / tidying issues not to mention whether it will
reach make sure your psu can reach before clicking buy or get an extension cable.
I had same budget and got an akasa eclipse i don't think having the power
supply top or bottom makes any difference whatsoever personally.
I bet my eclipse is cooler than any other case in it's price range.
You'll no doubt get people recommending the eclipse and lian li pc7+
and possibly a coolermaster stacker.
But the antec p180 matches exactly everything you described.
The eclipse is good because it has great cooling is massive the width
is the reason it cools so well and is thus versatile able to swallow up anything you throw at it for example a lot of cases have trouble with the larger
more popular heatsinks these days but the eclipse it just eats everything.

quantumisation · 24 Feb 2007 at 21:05

yea the antec p180 was another 1 i had a look at. It seems very functionally sound internally but externally looks kinda plain. I suspect the front cover would get broken off at some point due to where i keep the computer and are you sure it comes side a see through side panel? every site ive seen it on doesnt have the option (OC seems to have just 1 black model for e.g). Its a good suggestion though and it might end up being the 1 i go for if it does have an optional side panel.

edit - the psu thing you might be right on too, i thought it would be better to have more airflow up the top of the case though. CPU is up there for 1 thing and heat rises so better to have a fan there right?

geff_r · 24 Feb 2007 at 21:06

Yes they are available but obviously i cannot post from where here.
I take the top off my eclipse it does'nt make a bit of difference to cpu temp
as long as you have a 120 mm front and rear and these days the heatsinks
for conroe etc are blowing on the heatsink towards the rear 120mm exhaust.

1337z0r · 24 Feb 2007 at 21:13

Thermaltake Armour

quantumisation · 24 Feb 2007 at 22:27

yea i had forgot about the way most new heatsinks are designed to blow the air to the back. So i take it theres no fan controllers or cases that have the ability to turn the LEDs off when you want? i do like LEDs all over the place but just not all of the time and i think it would be a cool idea if its not already out there

geff_r · 24 Feb 2007 at 23:11

If you dont mind the eclipse front
a lot of people dont like it i happen to think its very striking
id defo get that case around £70-80 + buy 2 fans
theres a reason why everyone recommends that case on these forums
and it has loads of owners.

quantumisation · 25 Feb 2007 at 00:56

well im thinking at this point after having a look through the forum and reviews etc either the eclipse 62 or antec P180. Almost everyone here seems to prefer the eclipse but id like to hear about the P180 and whether it turned out well or not. It seems like a really good design but as i said before just not sure about the exterior. If anyones got some pics id love to see them

simonnance · 25 Feb 2007 at 03:30

1337z0r said:
Thermaltake Armour

- PSU on the bottom
Nope
- HDD cages for easy removal
Yes, but not amazing
- vibration limiters for HDD, PSU etc are a bonus
dont think so
- less than £100
Nope
- see though side panel
Yup

so....... 2/5.... not a great match really!

Lian Li PC-7+ with extra side panel (total £78) is 4/5.... only has the PSU in the wrong place.

Nitram · 25 Feb 2007 at 09:09

The eclipse is good because it has great cooling is massive the width
is the reason it cools so well and is thus versatile able to swallow up anything you throw at it for example a lot of cases have trouble with the larger
more popular heatsinks these days but the eclipse it just eats everything.

I have been searching around for a new case that's just practical,cooling is the main concern now and I think you will not go far wrong with this one

quantumisation · 25 Feb 2007 at 18:01

i was just about to buy the eclipse 62 and had a look at the dimensions, it doesnt fit in my desk, the max length i can really have is about 50cm. Pretty disappointing since i had my mind set on this case now. The Antec P180 dimensions fit perfectly and it was my second choice, its just a shame the window doesnt seem to be a standard orderable part like it is with the eclipse

simonnance · 25 Feb 2007 at 19:06

Lian-Li Pc-7+, 490x420x210 (Length,Height,Depth)

geff_r · 25 Feb 2007 at 19:15

Yea i'd get the lian li anyday over an antec p180.