Case recommendations for my new build?

[WhiteGiant]

I was thinking of getting the Antec 900, but I've gone off that idea due to the possibility of things falling into the case via the large fan at the top, so I'm looking for a case with the following :

NO door!
No window or flashy rubbish (LED fans etc).
Excellent build quality and durability.
Excellent cooling potential (noise isn't too much of an issue).
Plenty of space.
Decent modding potential.
Preferably plain black.

I'm still not sure if I want a mid, or full tower. I've been spoilt by my cube case for the last 4 or so years, but after moving around as much as I have its beginning to look a little battered and scratched.

Not sure of a budget, but lets keep it below £150 to start with. It'll be housing 3 harddrives, 2 DVD drives and a floppy, along with a card reader the usual gubbins from a gaming system.

Suggestions greatly appreciated!

[staffsMike]

While I wouldn't get the Antec 900 I wouldn't worry about anything (other than dust) falling into the case via the top fan.

Personally I'd go cheap and cheerful with the Coolermaster CM-690. Very much like the 900 but with better cable and drive management.

I also like the antec P182 but that has a door so thats out.

The Akasa Eclipse has a lot of modding potential and good cooling.

Given the budget and requirements though I suggest checking out the new lian li stock that scan have. I'm sure lots of those will fit the bill

[Oobie-]

Ive seen a coolermaster RC1000 v2 in action and its pretty sweet.
Loads of space and easy fit hdd enclosures.
Ample cooling, and is pretty damn quiet too.

I've been REALLY tempted to get one but its dimensions are mammoth size!

[Behemoth]

Antec 300 would be ideal

[Oobie-]

I wouldnt recommend the 300 - its dimensions are pretty much the same as the p150 (which I own) and its depth is less that the p150 (according to the specs on the antec website) and if he has a new gen gfx card which is faily long, its gonna be fiddly, as I have found.

[matty-hodgson]

I wouldnt recommend the 300 - its dimensions are pretty much the same as the p150 (which I own) and its depth is less that the p150 (according to the specs on the antec website) and if he has a new gen gfx card which is faily long, its gonna be fiddly, as I have found.

well i had 2* 4850s in my Antec 300 with 3 HDs and it was fairly easy to fit it all in..
cable routing isn't the best, but it's still very good.
plenty of space, plain black with a nice paint finish.
no LEDs or anything stupid like that on it.

good all round case for £40.

my Antec 300 with an 8800GT

another angle

[format]

What about the silverstone fortress?

[Oobie-]

well i had 2* 4850s in my Antec 300 with 3 HDs and it was fairly easy to fit it all in..
cable routing isn't the best, but it's still very good.
plenty of space, plain black with a nice paint finish.
no LEDs or anything stupid like that on it.

good all round case for £40.

my Antec 300 with an 8800GT

another angle

ahh I take it an 8800GT is a pretty long card?

I dont like that they dont have rubber gromets for the hdd's and if you had to put a hdd in parallel with the gfx card, you wouldnt be able to, is what I was getting at.

Also matty, do you have a shot directly from the side - no angles, just perpendicular to the case?

[WhiteGiant]

Thanks for the replies, I'm gonna see whats on offer in January, but the Antec range is definately looking good.

[matty-hodgson]

ahh I take it an 8800GT is a pretty long card?

it's pretty long, yeah.

Also matty, do you have a shot directly from the side - no angles, just perpendicular to the case?

straight on.

[Pob255]

ahh I take it an 8800GT is a pretty long card?

The 8800GT is basically the same length as the motherboard, but has the power connector at the back (as can been seen in matty's pic's)
It will fit in most mid tower cases the problem will arise if you try to put a hard drive directly in front of it.
In matty's pc he could move his top HD up one slot (so it's in the slot below the 8800gt) wireing can get a little tricky and tight, but he could get another 3 hard drives in that case.

What about the silverstone fortress?

If you have the money to spend I'd vote for that one, I think that's my next upgrade target although by the time I've saved up it'll probably be no longer made or something else will have come out.

[matty-hodgson]

i would just like to add aswell..
if the HDs aren't reverse mounted then they don't sit that far out of the HD cage..
but i still don't think it'd be possible to get a HD behind the 8800GT.

[Jay]

I have a Thremaltake Kandalf and it fis an 8800GT with loads of spare room. In fact you could fit an 8800GT and then a HDD in the cage infront of it and still have loads of space!

[admur]

I have the a Lian-Li PC-A05b - comes in Black.

It's a midi case, but houses everything you need.

Clever design puts PSU at the bottom, and has quiet fans installed. It's very classy

Very easy to fit everything in, has rubber grommets for mounting HDD for quiet running.

I would highly recommend this case!

p.s. You can pick it up for about £60 + £15 for the matching black CD Bezel.

[Frank Lee]

I was thinking of getting the Antec 900, but I've gone off that idea due to the possibility of things falling into the case via the large fan at the top, so I'm looking for a case with the following :

NO door!
No window or flashy rubbish (LED fans etc).
Excellent build quality and durability.
Excellent cooling potential (noise isn't too much of an issue).
Plenty of space.
Decent modding potential.
Preferably plain black.

I'm still not sure if I want a mid, or full tower. I've been spoilt by my cube case for the last 4 or so years, but after moving around as much as I have its beginning to look a little battered and scratched.

Not sure of a budget, but lets keep it below £150 to start with. It'll be housing 3 harddrives, 2 DVD drives and a floppy, along with a card reader the usual gubbins from a gaming system.

Suggestions greatly appreciated!

Hi WhiteGiant,

Sounds like the 900 would be a great case for you to look at. We haven't had any issues with items falling in the top fan, if that's your main concern .

As for other suggestions, the Performance One Series is always a great alternative to the Gaming lineup.

[vmong]

i cant recommend the antec p182 enough. it has cooling that is very efficient. and noise is lower but you mentioned the door, think how much you will need to use it and then you will see that you only have to really open it to turn on ... or put in a Cd benefits outweight cost