A stunning case to sit in the living room!

After doing a little research I've put the basic specs of my system together, but the one thing I just can't decide on is the case. I'd like something that really stands out, like the imposing and awe-inspiring z5500s. I'm hoping to have these on one side of the tv and the pc on the other. I've looked at the Lian Li Tyr X2000 and it looks big enough to strike fear and inspiration into anyone; but at $520 (probably end up being £300) they are quite an unwarranted stretch. What case should I buy if money was no problem? And what would be the best option if I didn't want to spend more than £200?

Out of interest, my current proposed build is this:

q6600 £125
corsair 4gb £55
asus p5k premium £100
hd 4850 £125
samsung 750gb £60
be quiet 650w £100
total - £565
case £?

max (hopefully!) <£800

So what you're saying is.. you actually think lian li are on to something with the X2000?

You strange person :D

Silvertone TJ-09 is very nice looking from the front, TJ-07 is a bit of a monster, looks a bit odd from the front as you can have 5.25" drives all the way down lol

Antec P182, might be nice but probably a bit understated if you want something bold like the X2000, Antec 1200 maybe, probably a bit cheesey though.

Lian Li sell a lot of other equally over priced cases :P I'm sure there is one to suit.

Don't go for the P5K premium board unless you can get it for cheap... its really old now, go for x38/x48/p45

Oops thought you had already bought this stuff, yeah as SIM says the P5Q (P45) has replaced the P5K :)

PC-A77.

I'm not convinced that a Be Quiet PSU is the best buy either.

Nice review of a nice case Clunk. Pity the smaller brother isn't built quite so nicely.

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Originally Posted by Clunk

PC-A77.

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QTF 1+

Thats the one to get

haha, yeah maybe i'm the only person who thinks the x2000 might be worth the co2 emitted producing it :P, my main gripe about the temjins is that they are generally all big huge rectangular boxes... the pc-a77 looks like an absolute monster i have to say, more than enough space, features and generally anodised aluminium than i need; definitely looking into that.

About the P5Q, I've heard various reports that they don't overclock well, and the only real advantage they give is 2 full width PCIe lanes. 4850 will keep me going for a long while, and by then I can just get an X2 card or even next generation; the P45 chipset just doesnt provide enough of an advantage for the price.

4 rails, every cable is modular and very quiet, the Be Quiet Dark Power seems like a perfect PSU :) if it really upsets you then I'll get a Corsair HX series since they advertise so much here :P

I'd try and pick up an X38 chipset, they're EOL and are just the early non-cherry-picked X48s. Shouldn't cost much more than the top-end P35 boards now.

I just love the Coolermaster Cosmos S...
It looks different, if not a little bit sporty(if sporty is the right word choice), and is well setup i'd say. Especially if you ever think of going watercooled. Lots of Space inside and you can easily mount a
240mmx 120mm Rad in the roof or the rear.
The intake fan vents have removable panels to install filters and if you're going for a Quad core then best go for Watercooled Mobo so ya can clock hell outa ya chip :)

I only have one thing against Be Quiet. No-one has one, including reviewers. You absolutely can't go by specs alone when choosing a PSU.

Is this for a HTPC or gaming? The title says living room, but its a gaming spec PC?

If you're looking for something to go under your TV then the Antec Fusion is an excellent choice. It'll take a few 120mm fans, as well as a Scythe Mini Ninja. Graet cooling and full PSU and full height cards accepted.

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Originally Posted by Thorsson

I only have one thing against Be Quiet. No-one has one, including reviewers. You absolutely can't go by specs alone when choosing a PSU.

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Which rock have you been hiding under?
http://www.custompc.co.uk/reviews/18...-pro-650w.html
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article677-page1.html
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/...ower/index.htm
http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/...000W/index.php
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/oth...u_6.html#sect0
http://www.***********.net/reviews.p...650w_atx_psu/1 oc 3d
http://www.ocia.net/reviews/bequiet700w/page1.shtml
http://www.burnoutpc.com/modules/sma...php?itemid=294

If you want something really imposing try and find a Mozart TX http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Produc...S=1134&ID=1415. I've seen a few knocking around on ebay shops (new) and such like.

WOW, that Mozart TX looks like some sort of stem cell cloning machine, except better; you'd be able to produce Grade A british beef with that. Yeah I'm gonna check out the price of that thing now: probably out of my reach...

The Antec Fusion was no1 on my list for a long while, until I realised that having z5500 on one side of your tv is gonna look wierd if you don't have something equally massive on the other side. Still, I'm definitely not ruling out the Antec, its a great looking case!

And yes, it is going to be a gaming htpc... if that makes sense :)

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Originally Posted by Zhaoman

WOW, that Mozart TX looks like some sort of stem cell cloning machine, except better; you'd be able to produce Grade A british beef with that. Yeah I'm gonna check out the price of that thing now: probably out of my reach...

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If you trust the fleabay vendors it could be yours for just under £140...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Thorsson

Pity the smaller brother isn't built quite so nicely.

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What's up with it? Got a linky? :)

What do you guys think of the z-machine gt1000, whats the difference between the gt900 and gt1000? That looks like an amazing case to put alongside the z5500, albeit a bit aggressive looking for a living room

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Originally Posted by Clunk

What's up with it? Got a linky? :)

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http://www.ocia.net/reviews/lianlipca17/page1.shtml

Nothing wrong with it per se, but it seems they cut the spec as well as the size in relation to the PC-A77. Hence the price being so much less. I would have liked 140mm fans and the controller, plus a little more width. 215mm is quite tight.

Not sure, it seems pretty damn good from that review?

The A77 has 120mm fans.

I thought it had 140mm. Perhaps just the one like the A17? Really only the width that's an issue then, but I know from experience that 215mm is too damn tight, at least for air coolers.

220mm for the A77 :)

Amazing how an extra 5cm makes all the difference. As the Actress said to the Bishop. ;)

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Originally Posted by Thorsson

Amazing how an extra 5cm girth makes all the difference to your tower. As the Actress said to the Bishop. ;)

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:crazy:

is increasing system girth lian li's cheap way to get more thrills these days; we could soon see pills... "Apply 2 hours before system power up"

Anyway, I just noticed the Gigabyte Aurora 3D, does anyone else think it's a great looking case (on paper at least). Should spare me some cash to get the q9450 or hd4870 too...

I was just looking at the Tyr X500. That looks a darn good case to me, basically a P182 made by Lian Li. And the "girth" is 230mm. Not sure what it'll retail for over here though, maybe ~&#163;210.

i might just get the PC-A70 case and drill holes in the mobo tray to run the wires at the back Like this.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/0b3a861e.png

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e1...a/9aa03979.png

wtf Josh! Where are the cables? SiM hands Mike's crown to Josh... :D

haha cheers. i had to look closely myself too to see where the cables are :P

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Originally Posted by SiM

wtf Josh! Where are the cables? SiM hands Mike's crown to Josh... :D

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That's not josh's computer is it?

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Originally Posted by kalniel

That's not josh's computer is it?

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nope. who said it was? lol i said i would get that case and drill the holes on the mobo tray myself like the above pic :P

easy to achieve the look of that picture though:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zhaoman

Anyway, I just noticed the Gigabyte Aurora 3D, does anyone else think it's a great looking case (on paper at least). Should spare me some cash to get the q9450 or hd4870 too...

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I had one of these for a while, it's a high quality case that looks good. However the airflow could have been a lot better (which didn't bother me at the time as I was water cooling anyway).

is the black version anodised aluminium or is it just painted black? you can't tell from the picture and hexus only covered the silver one