ok its soon time to order my new case which at the moment is going to be an nzxt vulcan but, before i go ordering is there another case i should consider as-well? my needs are these - around the size of the vulcan - at least 2 hdd mounts, wont need more but would be happy with more. - 2 external 5.25 inch drive bays - 1 external 3.5 would be nice but not important - decent cooling but not extraordianary - will not need to fit the longest gpu's - good cable management - budget absolutely no more than £60 - wont ever need a full atx sized mobo as ive said, ive currently got my heart set on the vulcan as it ticks all the boxes above, looks appealing and will -even though its not neccesary- fit large gpu's and from what ive heard will do a sterling job in terms of cooling also wondered what low peofile cpu coolers people would recommend, one that wont block the first ram slot. any help appreciated guys
At that price you have alot better chioces. The new Antec 100. Antec 300 Coolermaster 690II advanced Lite And the Coolermaster HAF 912. It would be a toss up between the HAF 912 or the Antec 100 for me.
+1 rep cheers for the reply, the only problem is they are all too big, the vulcan is the biggest i want(me being anal again) im basically after a micro atx case, not only that but i like the fact that the vulcan is painted inside as-well, makes it look that little bit better.
The Lian Li PC-A04 is a great case aswell. It's 70 pounds but the build quality is next to none. Think about how long you will be keeping the case for. you will also be looking at it ever day. So decide if it's worth the extra tenner.
lol i know what you mean, this one has been wracking my brain for about a month, id spend what ever i need to get the case i want hell, if it was me id get the antec mini p180 lol but its down to the missus this time so what she sais on this goes im amfraid edit: but that lian li is a very nice case, whats the cable management inside it like?
Ah yes. What you want to say is tha it's a piece of art. It's quiter than the other case and it won't stick out when friends come over
well ive just found a site with good positive feedback selling the mini p180 for £72 now im very very very tempted to bite the bullet and beg
People in these forums are generally anti-NZXT. To be honest I spent a long time looking at MATX cases and I found the Vulcan to be the best of the bunch in that price range!
ok the choices ive got so far - if i can strectch(not likely) antec mini p180 or Lian Li PC-A04 under 60 quid - nzxt vulcan (prefered) - inwin dragon slayer (not sure about inwin as never had one of their cases) - Silverstone TJ08 ( really like the look of but no cable management) - Silverstone SG02B-F Evolution (again no cable management and also a bit worried about cooling)
the one thing i will say is that whatever i get will be off the floor and on my desk as i prefer it like that, wont be getting moved and the kids know not to touch daddy's pc so it dosnt have to be bomb proof, just sturdy and capable
LIAN LI PC-V354 would be my top choice for a matx specific case, but probably beyond your budget. LIAN LI PC-A05N is a really nice case too. matx size but will take atx boards in case you ever want to use a full atx system in the future, you could use the same case. otherwise from the options you presented i would pick the nzxt case.
it is looking more and more likely that it will be the nzxt, ruled out the tj08 as there is no room for cable management at all and itll just be a complete mess
well all is done and ordered, the wonderful folks from scan will be sending me a Silverstone TJ08B-B, the vulcan wasnt in stock which left with the choice of sg02f or the tjo8b, in a way im kinda glad the vulcan wasnt in stock, the tj08 is a stunning looking case , the only thing im worried is hidding all those unused cables.
cheers for all your replies, ill update tomorrow just incase there is anyone reading these forums that are looking for a similar sized case
Well my silverstone tj08-b finally arrived this morning and i have to say im impressed. Right out of the box i could tell that this was a quality case, it looks and feels very sturdy and solid, the alluminium front, top panel and case is of good quality but the side panels are a bit of a let down and while they are still a lot more solid than the sides of my old elite 330, they could still be a bit better. inside -despite its size- it was extremelly easy to work, motherboard tray is removable (which is a must believe me) meaning easy install but if you are using an aftermarket cooler, this would have to go on after the tray has been re-attatched to the case, hdd instal is a bit whack but not too much of a problem and cable management is non existent although there is space between the 3.5" cage and the side panel to hide cables but i think a modular psu would be much easier here. 2 fans come with the case, both of which are 3 pin but, a 3 pin to molex is supplied (just in case), the fans are fairly quiet and shift a good amount of air and with both on, the cooling is more than adequate,. another good feature point for this case is support for 17.4cm cpu cooler and 11.8" gpu which seems very good for a sff case of this size. definately potential here to build a very powerful sff gaming rig which is pleasing. good points -good gpu size support -support for decent size cpu cooler -2 fans included -size -build quality -stunning looks -4 front usb ports -good cooling bad points -side panels could be slightly better -hdd installation not briliant but workable -no cable management not so much a review as i am rubbish at write ups but more of a quick summary of what i think of this case. if anyone reading this is looking for a sff case then i would definately recommend this case and at £60 its reasonably priced too.
