Guidance on a Case and HDD

[Oobie-]

Hello,
I know you guys see a plethora of these, but I just cant make my mind up! Help'a hexite out

Because I need a new HDD (running out of space quickly) I need a new case as I cant fit all the HDD's I have (yes I have 4 atm) as my P150 can only fit 3 (6pin gfx adapters block the 4th bay)
This case has to be future proof (read: Big enough) in the sense that it can adequately and comfortably fit a new build in 2 years or so....whatever preceeds the i7 in 2 years I guess ;D

So, with that in mind :-

Case:
I'm highly leaning towards the Corsair 600T graphite, love the colour, overall space, reviews Ive read- but I am concerned about its depth; at only 3cm deeper than my p150 it doesn't seem like a whole lot, considering my 4870 just scrapes past a HDD - I have a GTX 275 sitting behind me which is a good inch and half longer than it, and it doesn't fit in my current case...
The other concern is that fan/space at the top - I've wanted to try watercooling and I thought my next build might do this, but in the hexus review it stated that with the limited space it would be a tight squeeze, so thats swaying me away from it.

Here is a quick XLS file I made for comparison on the cases Ive seen recommended. The LanCool k62 was an option till I saw it only had 4 3.5" drive bays.
(blue highlight is my current case)


(One thing that annoys me: Why do manufacturers still insist on having more than 2 5.25" bays? The avg user never needs to use more than 2! Why dont they free up that space for air flow or more HDD bays! ARGH..) The fractal R3 has the right idea.

Needs:
Tool less side panel
Adequate Space for future build
5/6 3.5" drive bays
<£110 where possible (Ive seen the graphite come down to £117 so I'd be willing to go up for that case)
Watercooling capacity
Bigger than my current case (its so fiddly, and messy!)


HDD:
Now I've been thinking about getting a good ol' fashioned 7200rpm 2tb drive but there dont seem to be many about which arent raid editions or £100+ unless Im missing something. I would love to go for the new samsungs but so many people around me have had their samsungs die I dont feel lucky
The other fear I have is with the WD EARS drives (the 4k byte clusters;requiring the WD align utility) - a family member's 20EARS died after 5 months, but we couldnt tell if it was due to him being on XP64bit or not.

If anyone can douse my fears with some outside perspective that would be great.

Needs:
I'd ideally like a 2tb drive as its the best pence/gb.
Dont really mind about heat/noise, latter within reason.
<£85

Phew, I tried keeping it short but I do ramble a bit, sorry.

Any additions/pointers/suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

[Consfearacy]

I just done a build using the Coolermaster Storm Scout, It has provisions for 5 HD, nice bit of kit Im happy enough with it.

[Pob255]

One thing to understand about all the cases you've listed it that the hard drive cages are rotated 90 degrees to face side ways not front to back, this greatly reduces the length of the cage and increases motherboard and gpu space.

As to the length of card the 600t can take, well BIG, with the two hard drive cages inplace there's room for a 5970 with an inch to spare
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum...eo-review.html (4min in)
Also you can remove the top cage and remount it on the floor of the case next to the other drive cage so you can use almost the full length of the case for a graphics card.

Any case that can take an EATX motherboard will fit almost any graphics card you can find (only so of the older seriously long work station cards which could go over 12" would pose any issues)

My only issue with the corsair 600t is the price tag, if you're willing to spend £130 on a steel case then it's great case.
A dual 120 rad fits in very easily, the fans go on top between the top of the steel frame and under the mesh section. (as that hardwarecanucks review shows)
Of all the cases you've listed (even the lancool k62) the 600t has the best toolless side panel, the latch system is great, and even better than thumb screws (I wish it was more common)
The other feature the 600T has going for it over the others is the extra width, that extra width gives you far more room behind the motherboard tray which makes cableing that much easier

One issue with the fractal R2 & R3 is there's not much space behind the motherboard tray, esp with the sound damping material, you can still get cables behind it, it just take more time and planning to make sure they are all carefully routed and flat as possible, so you can get the panel back on without struggling with it.

Width is one thing I've been far more aware of ever since I got my relatively narrow Casecom 6788, getting the left side panel back on is a real 3 hand job.

[Oobie-]

Ah thanks Pob255, I thought I was missing something obvious, D'oh!

I see the 600T on TO for £123 hopefully I'll see it drop back down.
Anyone else got some HDD guidance?

Thanks.

[shakerist]

NZXT Tempest evo is a good case 6 hard drives and I think it would be water cooling friendly two 140mm fans at top not sure about graphics card though but there is a lot of space

[Cozwin]

cant beat antec 900/1200 (depending on your needs) perfectly made cases for money.

[Oobie-]

Im not a huge fan of how the antec 900/1200 looks.

Good shout on the NZXT - Not overly taken by its looks but its not horrible.
Just reading a review on it.

All still need to look at the Q - is it good enough to house a future build? (looks like it might!)

[Pob255]

Here's a wild card for you, the Sharkoon rebel 12 economy
http://www.sharkoon.com/?q=en/node/1134
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/rebel...wless-mounting

Simular size to the antec 1200, it can take 6 hard drives as well as having 11x 5.25" bays which can used for hard drive cages and is very large inside


That image is on it's side, but you can see the space in there, about 15" for card length if I remember correctly.