New System - Which Case

[billythewiz]

Hi

I'm going to be building a new system for 3D gaming. I've chosen most of the important items, but can't decide on which case. Here's what I'm planning so far

+ Asus A8N-SLi Premium £116 (scan)
+ AMD Opteron UP 144 Retail with AMD Heat Sink Fan 3Yr £115 (scan)
+ 1Gb (2 x 512 Mb) Corsair TwinX, DDR, PC3200C2PT, Cas 2 £75 (scan)
+ PSU Seasonic S12-600 £100 (KustomPC)
+ GFX 256MB XFX PCI-E *Extreme* GF7800GT £244 (scan)
+ HDD 250GB SATA300 Samsung SpinPoint P120S £80 (scan)
+ DVD±RW LiteON 16x Lightscribe DVD±RW Dual Layer OEM with Software £33 (scan)
+ OS Windows XP Home Edition SP2 OEM Single £60 (scan)

That adds up to about £820 + delivery.

I've got a monitor, but I can't decide on a case. I'd like something stylish and/or fun. I'd like my system to be (reasonably) quiet and I would like to do some overclocking, so I want it to be able to keep itself cool.

I'm tempted by the Antec P180 for £88 from Overclockers. Obviously a nice case, but £90 and 16Kg
Then there's a couple of Thermaltake's to consider. The VA3000SWA Tsunami Dream or VB1000SWS Soprano for £75 or £50.
Then at a more sane price is the CoolerMaster Centurion 530 at £46 from overclockers.

Anyone care to warn me off about any off these cases, or suggest alterations to my spec.

I'd be particularly interested if anyone has any advice about RAM. It seems a bit of a mine field with dozens of different options that seem only to vary in price

[maranatha]

I just bought a P-180 from Kustom PC's and it is definately a very cool case. I certainly recommend it if you don't mind coughing up the cash.

[billythewiz]

Thanks for the recommendation. I was hoping that someone would put me off

[manwithnoname]

I just bought a P-180 from Kustom PC's and it is definately a very cool case. I certainly recommend it if you don't mind coughing up the cash.

P180 case question, any comments on the front door of the case (I need the case to be on the floor on a carpet will it open O.K?) I have read a few reports of it been a bit shonky.
(I've been trying to get some info on that on another thread http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?p=672374 Sorry if cross posting is a no no)

[ultim8um]

Hi,

Given the CPU you have picked you are of course going to clock this puppy till something catches fire!

You dont mention a heatsink n fan other than the one included in the PIB bundle... So Scythe Ninja would be my pick with a slow spinning 120mm fan. Failing that the Thermalright XP120 would be a very good alternative. If on the other hand you dont want to set the world on fire, then the Arctic cooling 64 pro would be a good choice...

As for some of your other picks... Why not a DFI motherboard? the Lanparty NF4 Ultra can be picked up fairly cheaply and is known to be a very good overclocking and stable platform.

Memory wise, why not consider G.Skill or Patriot as both do really decent quality ram that is rated to PC4300+

Don't see a problem with anything else you've picked... As for a case howabout the Antec Sonata II or the Gigabyte (which would be a good choice if watercooling is even vaguely lurking at the back of your mind).

Good luck.

[Noni]

Go for a Lian Li PC7+ SE .

Great case.

[maranatha]

I just replied in the other thread.

[amjedm]

The P180 is a very nice case.

I'm using a case identical to an Akasa Eclipse and think it's great. The Gigabyte does look nice but not sure how quiet it is with the side holes.

I'm sure the Seasonic 500W will power all the kit but you may want to check when Scan have stock of the 600. You can save postage (I don't have anything against Kustom).

[RavenNight]

I have a Gigabyte 3d Aurora Case and it is awesome. Large without being silly, light (completely aluminium), it looks great without being silly. It has dual rear 120mm fans, a front 120mm and a large side grill so cooling is no problem. Its really easy to use (tooless design). Its great!

On the Ram I use the RAM you've specced in there, its awesome stuff. Have mine clocked at 2-3-3-6 @1t. and it runs like a dream.

Cooling, I'd go for a Zalman CNPS9500 its awesome, cools my OC'ed 3700 to sub 30C with no trouble.

[billythewiz]

Given the CPU you have picked you are of course going to clock this puppy till something catches fire!

I may stop short of it catching fire

My initial intension is to run it unclocked. Then at some latter point do all OCing research and see how high it will go with stock cooling (2.6-2.8 ?) I'm not just concerned about performance. I'd like my system to be reasonably quiet and I don't want to be baked in the summer

When I get to that point, I'll investigate extra cooling as and when it's needed.

I've thought long and hard about the Asus vs the DFI and it's been a difficult choice. There both very good cards. Having thought about it a bit more I'll let my case choice decide. If I get a case with a side window I'll go for the DFI. Otherwise I'll get the Asus.

[billythewiz]

I'm sure the Seasonic 500W will power all the kit but you may want to check when Scan have stock of the 600. You can save postage (I don't have anything against Kustom).

I'd preffer to get the 600W for peace of mind. I plan is to go to 2x 7800GT SLi at some later point and along with some over clocking, I feel that 20% more power for 15% more money is a good deal. Who knows, maybe that PSU will last me for a while longer than the CPU/Mobo/Memory/disks/Gfx, which will all be obsolete in 3-4 years

And more great news. Scan now have them in stock
That should save me ~£5 in delivery.

I feel the urge to put in an order. Perhaps I should post a few more helpful posts (for free delivery) and see if tomorrow's Today Only brings a better harvest

[davidstone28]

I'm really suprised how exceptional the CPU cooling is on the P180 due to the presence of 2x120mm fans (one at rear, one at top of case) and take the PSU away rfom the CPU area. CPU temps dropped from 58C idle to 44C idle in my rig. You'll need it since that Operteron/Motherboard doesn't support Cool 'n Quiet.

Build quality is a bit suspect though - flimsy door, warped panels - and the interior can get very cluttered. GPU cooling bracket is pretty useless.

[amjedm]

What case are you going for then?

[billythewiz]

that Operteron/Motherboard doesn't support Cool 'n Quiet.

Well spotted. I didn't notice that. Now I have to rethink my CPU choice

Perhaps a 3700 San Diego would be a better choice.

Knowing my luck if I go too far down the OCing route I'll end up blowing things up

Still not decided on a case. There's just too much choice

I will go for 2Gb of ram though, if scan have it in ( I prefer to get the MoBo, CPU and Ram from the same suplier if at all possible.)

[TheBuZZard]

Ive got a P180 it is very heavy indeed but very very quiet, so worth going for if PC noise bothers you at all but avoid if you do a lot of LANs.

[RavenNight]

I'm really impressed with my 3700, its great chip for the money and it OCs great too.