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Im after a ATX case but I cant find one that meets mu requirements.
Looking for something thats not flashy, has at least a top 120mm fan, bottom mounted PSU and holes in the Mobo tray for Cable routing and not to tall, i.e Antec 1200.
The hard drive cage must have the drives facing to the back of the case not sideways (Blocks to much airflow) and preferably with a black interior as well.
Suggestions lol
Antec P182/P183 quite tall.. but ticks the other boxes. Shame it has to be full ATX else the P180 mini is perfect.
Got the P180 Mini atm, want to go back to ATX when I get Core i7 for some SLI + Descret sound card loving :D
Coolermaster Centurion 590:
Double dual slot graphics cards, PCI-E sound card, front/rear facing hard drives, bottom mounted PSU, un-flashy, not that tall and holes for cable routing but clearly I didn't use them very well. However, doesn't have black interior, can of paint shouldn't set you back too much though.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...h_IMG_0698.jpg
Alternatively the CM 690, very similar internal layout to the 590.
Just saw this: http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums...ic.php?t=55140 I have a P180 and am tempted to change to this case when it comes out.
wow that case looks really good!
i own the antec 1200 and i have to say it's by far the best case i've ever had. top 200mm fan, 3 120mm front with speed throttle, two rear, one side, removable triple bay, easy clean dust filters, holes for cable tidying behind back panel. and black. ticks all the right boxes for you.
Lian Li PC A17 which is what I have, has:
HD Cage that points backwards, with rubber mounts
140mm Top Fan
Water cooling holes as well as Cable management holes
Very high quality Black Aluminum
Bad points for you is that the PSU is at the top and the inside isn't black, PSU cables are hidden behind the mobo tray with ease though.
I'm sure noone saw this coming but ....
I'm with DDY on this one. I've built 4x CM590 based machines now and it's certainly what I'd choose again. It's a mid-range case that is significantly better than budget boxes (size, layout, features) but is not flashy and doesn't have the most robust paintjob known to man (good paint just easily scratched).
Cable management consists of slots for cable ties alongside the motherboard and hole in the tray above and below the board. The case cabling for usb/buttons etc will fit through these tray holes for tidy management if carefully routed. Very deep PSU's may partially obsure the bottom hole however the Corsair's TX650 and HX420 I've used both fit perfectly (as DDY demonstrates :))
The CM690 is also a good choice but it has the side-on drive orientation you're trying to avoid.
Reminds me I should really post my build gallery at some point! :)
The Antec 300 ticks alot of those boxes. Its not got a black interior, but other than that, it meats most of them.
Really like the case. And, on the plus, its cheap. About £45
CM590 is the beasty you want :) although remember that the side panel fans have the same issues as the CM690
Namely, you cannot use the higher fan slot if you have a 120mm fan based tower cooler and the grills add a load of noise to and fan put on the side panel
Although the Antec 300 is also in for consideration
as is the SliverStone Precision PS02
http://www.silverstonetek.com/produc...=PS02&area=usa
I think the PS02 is much overlooked as a very good, cheap, basic case.
Although no holes for cable routeing.
As I've found makeing the insides of your case black is very simple and not too costly, get yourself a can of black spray paint + clear coat/lacquer
Cost is about £5 per can, you may get some chipping but as it's inside it's not that big an issue, esp at edges/metal-on-metal joins (eg where you put the case panel on, drive bay screw holes, etc)
What about an Antec 900-2?
A good shout for a decent case but it'll be budget dependant. With the Antec 300 @ £45 and the CM590 @ £54 the 900-2 (http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=963034) needs to do much to justify it's £82 price. Especially as that price point has all sorts of stealthy looking cases that would be more subtle.Quote:
Originally Posted by watercooled
My CM590's were all bought at around £50. It's not uncommon for Scan to have Coolermaster kit on Today Only at weekends so have a peek :)
902 is good, but i still think all the antecs are ugly. 590 looks good.
lian li pc-p50
silverstone fortress ft01
front rear and top fans, not too flashy and maybe you can find a black interior edition. The fortress has hard drives sideways but with the middle drive bay removed you have half of the front 140mm fan blowing straight through to the graphics card(s). Non windowed fortress is available at scan and is acoustically foam lined.