Which Case? PC-K62/3 CM HAF 922 CM 690 II

[wannabgeek]

Hi looking to upgrade from my Soprano to something that has better cooling and has better cable managment, it must also be easy to build from, ie plenty of room. I am hoping some of you guys can give me advice on the sound levels and quality ps? The 4 i've narrowed down to are all under £100 mid towers. The first is the Lian-Li or rather the Lancool's PC-K62 or hopefully the newer k63 which i understand has the USB3 sockets and only just come out in the UK. Second and third is by cooler master. The HAF 922 and the 690 II Advanced. My 1st choice is the Lancool as they are made with aluminuim. Many thanks

Edit:Lian Li PC-7FNWB looks nice too?

[nibbler]

Wide enough to fit the cpu? :?

[wannabgeek]

Sorry i meant is it deep enough to fit a Xigmatek cpu cooler.

[c.ruel]

lancools are made with steel, that was the idea of the lancool brand, lian li quality but at a lower price point due to steel.

[nibbler]

xigmatek HDT-S1283? Most cases will take that, my uATX P180 mini fits it.

[c.ruel]

p180 mini is about the size of most mid towers though (very nice case btw ). Why not just get a antec 300, not had one myself but it is quite a good looking case has decent ventilation ... is suppose to be fairly quiet and has some cable management features.

If quiestness is your main goal you can do that with any case. Have a look at SPCR. I made my crappy CM elite 341 case very quiet by swapping some fans out and using a fan controller and some cheap sound proofing material. But if you want all of that done for you out of the box look at the fractal design cases, they have really good cable management plus thick sound dampening material already in them and they aren't bad looking cases either plus under £100. If quietness and cable management are you goals and you want that out of the box for under 100 pounds that definately looks like your case.

Fractal design R3 £83.99 (updated version with improved ventilation, noise absorption and cable management) This week only

[wannabgeek]

Thanks guys.
Are any of the CM's Alu?
Noise is not so much of a problem, its more quality and looks really...Oh and ease of fitting mobo and components.
p180 and 300. How much ps?

[kalniel]

I've just gone for a HAF912 plus. I had similar criteria - cable routing, motherboard cut out. Space for large graphics cards, SSD mounting brackets. Could let you know what it's like when I do the build in a week or so.

[wannabgeek]

I've just gone for a HAF912 plus. I had similar criteria - cable routing, motherboard cut out. Space for large graphics cards, SSD mounting brackets. Could let you know what it's like when I do the build in a week or so.

That will be great thanks.

Also the Lian Li PC-7FNWB looks like a nice one too?

[nibbler]

Antec 300 is ~£40 and the P180 mini is ~£70 but it's uATX

[wannabgeek]

Antec 300 is ~£40 and the P180 mini is ~£70 but it's uATX

No thanks jus looked at the pics and dont really like them.

[barker967]

I own a coolermaster HAF922 and really like it. Plenty of room for anything you would need to fit in it and there is a cut out at the back so fitting a backlate for a cooler is a doddle. Very open design so cooling is very good.

[c.ruel]

The Lian Li PC-7FNWB is a really nice case. The only cheapish coolermaster mid towers that are aliminium are the centurion cases i think, have a look on their website.

Another aliminium case in your price range is the panzerbox, also comes with the option for watercooling out of the box, although cable management isn't best on that case. Boils down to what you want most:

Brushed alminium/build quality/ quietness/ looks/ dont' care about watercooling / expensive? -> lian li

Don't care about looks/ don't care about noise / don't care about looks / happy with steel/ very good airflow/ decent watercooling support/ value/ sturdiness -> HAF series

want good cable management/ build quality / silence / not great ventilation out of the box / good looks?/ value for money for what you get -> fractal design r3.

water cooling support/ amazing ventilation / aliminium (not brushed though)/ noisey/ ok build quality/ ok value for money --> panzerbox (basically a good looking haf almost with better watercooling support).

This is based on the reviews I have read. TBH personally I would get the lian/ fractal design/ or panzerbox. But lots of people love the HAF series ... i just think they are so ugly lol.

[wannabgeek]

Wow thanks that sums it up in a nutshell!

[nibbler]

IMHO the panzerbox is noisy, poorly designed, ugly and poorly performing
I would get the fractal design r3 (although if you didn't like the look of the antec P180 then you won't like that) or the CM 690II but that's just me.

[wannabgeek]

I think the R3 looks to be better quality than the p180! But still damn well undecided?

Does the Lian Li PC-7FNWB have a top fan ps and whats the difference between the others the PC-7FN?