Cases, cases

[Phage]

I've started putting together the stepson's box which is a Mini p180. I can't help but notice that the case is substantially quieter than my 300. Possibly due to the thicker side panels and better construction. I'm now tempted to get a better case for my machine and was hoping that you lot could offer some suggestions.

Budget - £100-150
Must be large enough to hold the hardware on the left. I'd need good airflow, and I really like the Power and front panel connectors to be at the top, as the case will be on the floor.
I don't want any windows, LEDs or other bling, just a plain box with good cooling.

Any recommendations ?

[Kumagoro]

The bitfenix colossus would have matched but for the LED thing.

There is the good old Antec P180 I think its now a P183 V3 but the connectors are not on the top

I tend to find ones with vents in the side noiser but they seem more common nowadays

how about corsair 600t that looks sturdy

[Phage]

Had a look at the 183 today - it's so close !
Googling the 600t now...

[Phage]

Anyone know anything about the Fractal R3 ?

[zpiders]

Corsiar 600T is an awesome case. Corsair have also just released the Obsidian 650D which is also very nice.

[jim]

Anyone know anything about the Fractal R3 ?

Bit-tech have done quite a lot on the Fractal cases IIRC

[cigbunt]

shopping trolley.. only costs a £1

[ik9000]

Have you considered either the Silverstone FT01 or the Antec P183 mid tower?

Also, it's fairly easy to fit noise-damping foam to side panels of most machines. eg http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...ise-absorption so even cheaper cases can be made quiet. I'm running the BitFenix Survivor and it is incredibly quiet even with its default fans - though i guess it depends on the components you put into it. I did try and pick mine for best performance with as low noise as possible.

Edit: sry - just seen the P183 posts above.

[Pob255]

Corsiar 600T is an awesome case. Corsair have also just released the Obsidian 650D which is also very nice.

That will be because they are the same inside

@Phage, I'd start off by looking at your fans, yes the thicker panels on the mini p180 help deaden sound, but the low noise bigboy top fan also helps a lot.
So does the door in reducing front fan noise.

You might find it a bit fugly but the HAF 912, very good for the size and with 200mm fans fitted front and top it will be quiet
If you hate the HAF look and can wait then coolermaster are bringing out a new case in their Storm range the enforcer, I mention it because it's the same internal frame without the HAF looks
http://www.******.net/articles_pages..._gsirus,1.html
Although if it is £80 then it's over priced as the HAF 912 is only £60ish

Fractal design has also brought out a new case the Arc http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=...gory=2&prod=57
Internals simular to the HAF 912, with the extra width, but better anti-vibration hard drive trays, doesn;t have the sound damping material of the R2 and R3 but ups the fan size to 140mm to improve cooling and reduce noise 140mm fans (although the low rpm fan fractal design uses noise difference will be minor)
And it's got a pretty Aluminium bezel.

You could also look at the BitFenix Survivor, although that's got some issues

The NZXT Phantom, with it's nice multi channel fan controller you can easily adjust it for noise or airflow

How about the Raven 2 evolution? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/silve...-ap181-w-o-psu
Although I'm still waiting on the Raven 03

[ik9000]

You could also look at the BitFenix Survivor, although that's got some issues

The issues being??

I can think of but two - to get the side panels off you have to remove two brackets on the rear top+bottom which requires use of a screwdriver. A bit annoying, but fine for me as I'm not going inside the case regularly.

It is supplied with two 200mm fans which are brilliant - nice and quiet. However to get best cooling out of it you need to install a rear 120mm fan too - not all reviewers bothered to add this, and then whinged about the cooling.

Apart from this I haven't come across anything I would call an issue - provided you don't want more than 3 external 5.25 bays. (The case comes with a convertor to turn one of these into a 3.5 bay if required.) Plenty of room inside even for large coolers.

Personally I find the Survivor a lot better looking than the Raven which I think is a bit ugly IMO. When you see the two side by side the Raven looks plasticy whereas the Survivor has this nice matt, almost rubberised, finish. Looks a lot more pleasing to my eye. Now the Fortress FT01 (and FT02 - though that's out of your price range unless you can find a bargain in which case snap it up) are even better, with their brushed aluminium finish. Absolutely brilliant quality IMO - but then they cost 2-3 times as much for the FT01, nevermind the FT02.

[Pob255]

Yes the removal of the two rear sections is the main issue.
The other thing is more something to be aware of, namely that the actual case is not quite as large as the dimension numbers would suggest because they include that rubberise trim.
numbers including trim are 230 x 502 x 510 (WxHxD mm) the actual numbers from the frame is actually around ~200 x ~450 x ~460 (WxHxD mm)
Which means the insides are actually around the same or slightly smaller than his current Atnec 300 at 205 x 458 x 465 mm (WxHxD mm)

Not that this is a bad thing I might add but something to be aware of, esp if you're looking for a slightly larger case.

Must admit that with my current casecom 6788, which is about as small as possible for a mid tower and still function well for cooling, I have been made more aware of case size, esp in width.
As width is a key number not just for cpu cooler height but also when it comes to cable management, the more gap behind the motherboard tray the better it is when you are trying to hide cables there.
It's why I've really taken to the HAF 912, it is 230mm wide and 30mm of that is clearance behind the motherboard tray.

Would you be willing to get a tape measure out and give us the actual numbers for the case?

[theoldgaffer]

shopping trolley.. only costs a £1

and you get it back when your done...

[ik9000]

Would you be willing to get a tape measure out and give us the actual numbers for the case?

yes no problem - I've got to go in it this week to fit a new HDD and install some washers etc anyway so will happily measure it. If there's anything anyone wants me to check/photograph then let me know and I'll stick it all in a new FYI thread.

[Singh400]

What about the Antec 1200? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/antec...window-w-o-psu

Best. Case. Ever.

[Phage]

What about the Antec 1200? http://www.scan.co.uk/products/antec...window-w-o-psu

Best. Case. Ever.

How quiet is it ?
With that window and all those holes, it looks like it wouldn't contain the fan noise.

[Singh400]

How quiet is it ?
With that window and all those holes, it looks like it wouldn't contain the fan noise.

Fairly quiet IMO. When I first got it (Aug2008), I could barely hear it. It was whisper quiet.

But it's been a while since I've did a complete re-build and clean up. So it is a bit noisy now.

The fans can all be set to lo, med & hi speeds.