Hey, My current rig is in my signature, but it's soon going to be sold for the princely sum of £1000, coupled with money I'm getting for a summer research project I have a budget for a new PC of 2-2.5k. This isn't a check my build post, that's coming in a few months when Intel 6 core and Fermi has settled down. Anyway my current rig is in a ATCS 840 which I like but is gargantuan, and is so heavy! I dont know if it feels heavier because of the size and I can't get a grip but man I hate taking it too and from uni every summer, Christmas and Easter My next rig I want something more portable, but with the same good lucks, build quality and thermal goodness Which is where I need the help of the hive mind The next rig I build will either be a P6TD + 5970's in QuadFire, Classified + 5870's in TriFire or Classified + Fermi ??? in TriSli, so heat dissipation and space is a must. The one's I'm looking at are Corsair Obsidian - Similar size, but plastic not aluminium so will be lighter? Antec 1200 - Will everything fit? Antec P192 - Will everything fit, and will it keep it all cool? Verdict on these for such a ludicrous rig, or any other suggestions entirely? Oh and watercooling is not an option from me, I hear the best seals there are resent being knocked 8-10 times a year, which is what will happen with uni travelling, so don't factor that in when recommending. Cheeeers
So that means heavy then I spose I'm looking for too much, high build quality and low weight, there mutually exclusive :/ What about the 1200, how does that do on the weight front. And what about some of these silverstone cases, they do so many I don't know what's good
Have you not considered the Cosmos S? I have one and its appropriately sized for the rig you are describing.
Yes sir. I can't speak to the Antec cases, but the Corsair weighs a TON. If you found the ATCS 840 to be unwieldy, the Corsair is definitely not what you're in search of. -Tuthmose
The two words you are looking for are "Lian" and "Li." All-aluminium (so lighter weight) plus incredible build. Any of their full-towers will be roomy enough, or if you'd rather carry something more compact the midi-towers are still plenty spacious (might be a bit warm with Tri-SLi, though). They're even affordable in the context of £2.5k! Something like a PC-A71FB will swallow an eATX motherboard, five optical drives, 7+ HDDs, Tri-SLi, and the PSU you'll need to power this beast. There are more portable alternatives too...
Thanks for all the help guys With the cosmos s what's the dust like inside with a grill for a side? It is certainly a looker though, very slick looking. And it has more than enough room inside for what I need. Ill have a look at the lian li range later on, I'm on a train and the site disagrees with the browser on my nexus one. Thanks again for all the help so far.
After looking into it a bit more so far I have: * The 1200 seems like my best option with it's "wind tunnel" cooling. But will my rig all fit in it comfortably? * I googl'd reviews for that Lian Li one you linked and people mention airflow as an issue * The Silverstone FT02 doesn't support EATX so it won't fit a Classified board(?) * Obviously the ATCS 840 is out * The obsidian is too heavy Any more suggestions to hurl at me?
If size and weight are the main reasons for switching out of ATCS 840, I urge you to think twice before going for 1200. I had 902 which has practically the same structure than 1200 minus the height of three 5.25 drive bays. 902 weighs 13.1 kg, which is just 150g short of ATCS. I couldnt find the weight for 1200 but I'd guess it's somewhere around 15-17kg. And there really isn't anything to grip the case properly, either, so it's PITA to carry around. Sure, cooling might be world-class out-of-the-box, but one can always buy some fans. And IMHO, 2k+£ rig should be properly housed in suitably expensive looking case. Sure LianLi has something to cater for your needs?
Hurrm thanks for the head's up :/ @M7ck That armor suit one is even more enormous than the ATCS840, can see me trying to lug that up all the flight's of stairs to my uni room, us computer scientists aren't a strong breed I'm quite liking the look of the of PC B70B or the PC A77B from Lian Li. Anyone had any experience, or can offer any advice on either? I was also eyeballing the PC B71B, but it looked like there wouldn't be a massive amount of airflow getting past the HDD's It might be big, but the X1000B is on pretty looking case. Shames it's so enourmous I just find there choce so overwhelming, and reviews of them never seem to agree
the Classified board is bigger than E-ATX i believe (XL-ATX) - only a few cases can hold it without modding or it hanging off the back tray.
Lian Li has a new case out - the X900 - a wee bit smaller than the uber good X1000, but same excellent cooling, looks and build quality. And it looks super sexy. Sadly if you want EATX, you'll have to buy anb extra big case, which means either heavy, ugly, or in the case of the 1200, both.
Did you check out the Lian Li PC-A77F? Normally, I'd suggest the Lian Li PC-P50 as well, but the one thing it won't hold is an E-ATX mobo.
I was fed up of my Mountain Mods case hogging the floor space, so switched it for a Lian Li PCA70 case, its huge light and fits sli 295's P6TD Delux & two 360 rads and two pumps & sep res's ... etc .. Its a big ole unit mind you .. but if you're cramming all that gubbins in there you'd need the space.
Why go Eatx? doing some sort of thread heavy computing? And if you think Lian-Li's have airflow issues then your are reading some messed up reviews
Dont even consider the Cosmos S!!! ive got one and its far from being easy to move around, and quite bulky. Personally if it were me id go with a Lian Li
@Omnituens The new Classified 4x SLi is XL-ATX, but the slightly older 3x one is only EATX. However I've been looking at Motherboards today and the Gigabyte UD7 is looking to be rather tasty, and that's standard ATX @Everyone else There's a lot of Lian Li love going on in this forum, so I just need to try and select from those. The A77F look's nice but isn't around yet. The A70F looks really nice, and the review's seem beaming. Thanks for all the help guys, expect the "Rate My Build" post in a few days time
If you can spare the EATX and truly want a build that is easy to move with very high cooling performance, I highly recommend the PC-P50 really light case with absolutely the best features and excellent fan layout.
