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Cases Need New Case Suggestions [Air Cooling]

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Jasio, 17 Mar 2011.

  1. Jasio

    Jasio Made in Canada

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    Heya,

    For many a year (well 2.5 really) I've been using an Antec P182 for my system. It is an awesome case, quiet, non-intrusive, and doesn't draw the eye. The design of the case is excellent and I've always been fond of it. And I don't really want to replace it but I've been running into a bit of an issue lately.

    My initial system:
    Core i7 920 3.4Ghz
    6GB DDR3 RAM
    2 x 1TB HDD's
    1 x nVidia 280 GTX 1GB
    Corsair HX620 Watt PSU

    My system after ~2.5 years of minor upgrades:
    Core i7 980 Extreme 4.2Ghz
    6GB DDR3 RAM
    3 x 1TB HDD's
    2 x 120GB SSD's
    1 x nVidia 280 GTX 1GB

    And as of two days ago:
    The nVidia 280 GTX 1GB was replaced with a pair (2) MSI Geforce 560Ti 1GB Twin Frozer II's, swapped the PSU for a newer Corsair AX750 (750 Watt), and dropped in an Asus Xonar Essence ST sound card.

    The problem? It's one hell of a tight fit in the P182. I pretty much cannot see the motherboard given the large Noctua cooler, the two cards, the sound card, the larger PSU, and all the cabling. The end result is that my ambient case temperature is much higher than usual and I am not convinced that my current fan setup is properly pushing enough air across the GPU and CPU.

    I am cooling the CPU using a Noctua UH-P12 in a push-pull config with P12 fans pushing air out the back of the case. An additional P12 fan is pulling air out of the case on the rear. There is also a pair of P12 fans on the two front intakes, one pulling air into the case, and one running air over the HDD cage. A final P12 fan pulls air out the top of the case.

    But with all the hardware, it's beginning difficult to fiddle around with the case and its cabling so I am considering going up one size. While the 800D is a great case, I hear it isn't ideal for air cooling because of its large size (low pressure) and it's built around water cooling. I do not like the look of the HAF cases, nor am I a fan of any color'ed LED's. Silverstone has several nice cases but they're over priced for the most part, and Lian-Li cases are plain ugly.

    So what would you folks suggest? Price range would be ~$150-$300 ideally under $250 but not necessary.
     
  2. Silent_Raider

    Silent_Raider What's a Dremel?

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    Have you looked at the Antec Twelve Hundred? It will run you $159.99 plus $19.99 S/H. I have the Antec Nine Hundred Two as one of my cases and it gets very good airflow, especially when with all the mesh on the front.

    The one downside is that the PSU does not have an intake on the bottom of the case so it pulls hot air from inside. You can fix this but making a hole in the bottom, but you also have to get new case feet to raise the case enough to be able to draw in air from underneath.
     
  3. Jasio

    Jasio Made in Canada

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    Good suggestion, but two problems with that particular case:
    - Color LED's: Yes, these can be replaced with Gentle Typhoon's but it's an added cost, it's more of a gripe than a "negative".
    - Side window: Not a big fan of these, while I could live with one, the Antec 1200 is particularly ugly with that window. Once again personal preference but definitely not a case I would consider. The reason I bought the P182 originally was because it did not stick out at all.
     
  4. Fingers66

    Fingers66 Kiwi in London

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  5. thetrashcanman

    thetrashcanman Angel headed hipsters

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    silverstone rv02? I know it has a window but it still has quite supple looks and is considered one of the best case for air cooling or theres the corsair 700d, the problem with the large corsair cases was the crappy stock fans. So just replace those and your away, hopefully, hope that helps
     
  6. sonicgroove

    sonicgroove Radical Atheist

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    Last edited: 17 Mar 2011
  7. Ficky Pucker

    Ficky Pucker I

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    what about atcs 840 ?
     
  8. Bloody_Pete

    Bloody_Pete Technophile

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    +1 for the ATCS 840, it's an amazing case :)
     
  9. trig

    trig god's little mistake

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    as mentioned above, the atcs 840 and the rv02...i am in the same boat as you in terms of loving the P182, but with the front usb ports not working am considering a move to the rv02
     
  10. Jasio

    Jasio Made in Canada

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    Both the ATCS 840 and Fractal Design Define XL look like potential candidates.

    I am trying to strike a balance between noise, and heat but my main concern is noise. Of course I am well aware that by going SLi and Frozer II's am choosing a louder GPU but I would like to minimize noise, particuarly when the GPU fans ramp up. As it is right now, when the system idles it is very quiet but when the fans on the GPU start hitting 55-60% the noise is both clearly audible and a bit annoying.

    I would be curious as to how the Fractal Design Define XL and the ATCS compare noise wise. Bit-Tech doesn't post dBA for cases.

    EDIT:

    After some thought I am still considering the SilverStone FT02R. Any owners around with some thoughts on this case?
     
    Last edited: 17 Mar 2011
  11. sonicgroove

    sonicgroove Radical Atheist

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    I think when you watch this, you may be persuaded which way to go. i'm currently trying to find out just how much i'll get for my granny!!

    it is almost inaudible!! 7mins 30 in the video
     
  12. markbrett64

    markbrett64 thanks to denial I am now immortal

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    +1 for ATCS 840... or if you want to be slightly controversial (and lose friends) Coolermaster HAF-X.
     
  13. Jasio

    Jasio Made in Canada

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    HAF-X is out of the question (they all look... bleh). The Silverstone is simply in contention because of its size (not very tall, but deep instead) while the ATCS is vice-versa. But both are still in strong contention. I'm a bit surprised simply because the ATCS has been around for 2-3 years and I thought there would be more competition given its age.
     
  14. Fingers66

    Fingers66 Kiwi in London

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    I would suggest the FT02 over the ATCS simply because various tests of the case have inferred that it is so big that it is hard to cool the internal hardware - everything is so far away from the fan airflow. It would be a shame to have to put noisier fans in it to keep your kit cool.

    I also am a fan of the innovative layout of the FT02 so maybe I am biased. :D
     
  15. Bloody_Pete

    Bloody_Pete Technophile

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    I can confirm that the ATCS is quiet and cools very well, only a couple of degrees hotter than my HAF. It's a good watercooling case too, if you feel the want to do this in the future :)
     
  16. Jasio

    Jasio Made in Canada

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    Sorry for late bump.

    Bit the bullet, put down a $10 deposit on the Silverstone Fortress FT02B. They're in huge demand here so I had to put $10 down to be guaranteed one within the next 3-4 weeks from NCIX. I'll also more than likely ditch the Noctua UH-P12 cooler and replace it with a Corsair H70 with a Scythe Gentle Typhoon 1400rpm pull fan (exhausting out the top of the case).

    Thanks for the suggestions - the ATCS 840 was a close contender but after seeing up one close and personal - it's just too big to sit comfortably under my desk.
     
  17. bdigital

    bdigital Is re-building his PC again

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    Lovely choice of case. Either that, or the Raven RV02 would have been my suggestion
     

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