Recommendations for a new midi tower case needed

[Prosequimur]

First post! Woot!

I've had my current system since 2003 and it's starting to show its age. I am looking to upgrade to a new midi case. I am a gamer but it will probably end up being used more for work.

What I'm looking for is a smart midi-size tower. I did the whole bling show-off gamer case with my current one and this time I would much prefer something quiet, as the huge window on the side of my current case doesn't exactly kill sound. I am not planning on overclocking so it doesn't need to have super-good cooling, just standard air flow. I do not like the many cases available at the moment which are all metal grill at the front. I don't want lots of lights or things like that. I don't mind paying a premium if the case is right.

I was extremely enamoured with the Coolermaster Cosmos - basically it would be ideal for me except that I really don't want a full tower case, it would take up most of the room! If only they did it in midi-size...so that's the kind of thing I'm looking for.

I have looked at the Antec 900 - but it wouldn't be suitable for me due to the window and grill at the front.

Any and all recommendations would be gratefully received. Thanks for your help!

[Queelis]

I personally have the Antec Sonata Plus, which really is an old case (same as P150 which came out when, 2003?), but with suspended HDDs and the back fan hooked on silicone fan mounts, the only thing I can hear is the air flowing. Though if you don't need a PSU, this is not for you

Then the other option I was looking at was Cooler Master Sileo, which looks great (for me, at least), and it supposedly is quiet, as well as having decent cooling (120mm fans front and rear).

[scaryjim]

The original Antec Sonata was a grand old case - I've built into several with no issue. The latest version is avaiable on Ebuyer for £75 without PSU. Unfortunately they've done away with the internal air guide that drew cold air in at the back of the case and directed it onto your CPU and Graphics Card, but it should provide more than adequate airflow and has a very reserved, sophistacted appearance... definitely one to consider.

[Prosequimur]

Hey, thanks for the replies. I have considered both the Sileo and Sonata cases, probably the Sonata would be my preferred option. However, I am now moving towards having to accept a full tower size case - the reason being that I have read (on this site I think) that the internal layout of the Sonata limits the physical length of the graphics card to about 10", maybe less with hard drives in there. I am planning on shoving one the latest (and thus massive) NVidia's in there, so don't really want to risk not having the space. It seems that this is a problem with most midi-size cases and modern gfx cards, so I may well have to resign myself to have a case larger than my desk itself. I've been looking at the Silverstone TJ-09 as a possible full tower, but I'd still like to avoid getting a huge one if possible!

[Pob255]

For a mid tower, elegant design, with good cooling and layout
Lian Li PC-7Fb

not the cheapest case going, but high quality under £80
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Lian-...luminium-Black

If you've got the cash then Silverstone Fortress FT01b
a bit larger, but better cooling and you can remove one of the drive cages to give a graphics card the full length of the case.
for some reason the windowed version is cheaper
non window ~£150 http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Silve...-PSU-or-Window
window ~£135 http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Silve...Window-w-o-PSU

[lost eden]

I'm a Sonata III owner & highly recommend it as a quiet mid-tower, however for gaming it is far from ideal because of the limited length that you have for graphics cards. I think the longest card you could fit in a Sonata III with the optional 120mm front fan (which you would need) was an 8800GT & it was a very tight fit!

I don't know how the internal layout of the Sonata 550 differs though, so it may no longer be a problem, but it is well worth checking before you buy anything.