I'll try to keep it short. I am looking to upgrade to a new case, with a few requirements. 1 - Cable management/hiding is a must. My previous cases, a Lian-Li v2000 and a NZXT Phantom held my gear (4 HDDs, 1 SSD, 1 DVD, 1 hotswap HDD, 2x8pin GPU), but they would not hold all the wiring. Anything with lots of space behind the mobo, and management holes/spaces is good (especially for HDDs). 2 - 6x/8x HDDs spaces. Running 3x2tb and 1x1.5tb drives, and would like to install some of the other sata drives I have laying arround. Yes, the space is needed...never get enough. 3 - Not colorful/ricer design (not critical, but nice). I've done the super-led/painted cases before, and I am not planning on taking this thing to a lan, so I'd rather not have it look like something from Tron. Again, not critical, but nice if available. That's about it. Most will say my v2000 should be perfect, but there is ZERO cable space. Even with a modular PSU/a few dremel mods, cables sprout out of everywhere. I've thought about getting a Rosewill L4000 server rack, despite the lack of cable management, as the sheer size alone should do what I need. A Corsair 8000D or Lian Li D8000 would work, but I would need to wait months before dropping $300 on the thing. Thanks a ton guys!
Yes, that and the Rosewill Blackhawk-Ultra and the Enermax Fulmo GT would be nice. I've heard horror stories about build quality thought, any one know? The LEDs are not an issue, I'd just swap out the fans with my performance once.
I'd suggest the cm cosmos 2 (personal fav.) or a caselabs case as they're massive but quite plain looking.. What sort of budget are you looking at.
I don't really know which case would give you everything you need, but I do have one bit of advice about your decision, regarding build quality/looks - don't make the mistake of going from your Lian-Li to something a lot lower down the scale (even if it is more functional for your needs) like an Enermax or Antec. Don't take this as me slating these manufacturers, because they're two of my favourites. Every fan in two of my machines at the moment is an Enermax, and I own no less than 5 Antec cases. I'm just saying that having moved the other way on the scale, I know that I'll never go back again. My case choice has gone roughly like this with my main workstation over the years: Beige steel box (early 00's) Lian-Li PC-65B (Pre-2005) Antec P160 (2005) Antec 300 (2009) (second workstation) Lian-Li PC-A05 (2011) Silverstone FT02 (Current) The Antec 300 is the only one in there which stands out as being a budget case, but it was heavily modified and I had gotten quite sick of looking at the blue cathode illuminated P160 in my uni bedroom all week - I had both at that point, the 300 was at home for me to use at the weekends. I still have all of those cases, but I can easily say that the FT02 will be my main case for a long time. I haven't liked a case this much since the P160, which as you can see from the list, I had for a long time. I still have it, although there's no hardware in it at the moment, it's just sitting on a shelf in the workshop. What I'm saying is that you've had a very high quality case in the V2000. I'm afraid you'll be disappointed going for something a little more "plasticky". That's the reason I went for the FT02 over one of the new Fractal cases for example. I love how the Fractal cases look and perform, but for the sheer build quality, design and also looks, I went for the Silverstone. Of course, this could negate everything I just said
I think the Xigmatec Elysium will be my pick. Newegg has it for $165 right now. I am aware of the drop in build quality going from lian-li to xigmatec, but my v2000 is shot. Cut up, scrapped, missing screws/parts, and held together with tape. The Elysium would be a step up in looks and usability. As for the budget, I spoke wrong, sorry. $300 is too much for a case for me. The $165 deal is a steal, and a few dollars more for a better sata power cable/s (http://tinyurl.com/bbmnjhx) would make it even better. I am mainly worried about if the case itself is broken, as many newegg reviews list (window cracks, missing screws).
