PC case - curreont one is a tight fit!

[dannyboy83]

Hello all,

I currently have a Collermaster Centurion 5 (black) case and have been very happy with it.

My new graphics card came on Tuesday, a Sapphire PCI-E X1950Pro. It's an incredibly long card and only just fits in because there is no hard drive directly opposite it.

If I was to go SLI, I don't think it'd be possible because the hard drives obstruct the space the longer graphics card would go into.

Basically, space is limited. I've always heard Lian-Li cases were the best, although expensive, but was wondering if any of you could give me some advice on what to get and wher to get it. (Didn't see any Lian-Li oneso n Scan).

Cheers

[tinners]

Ive got a PCV1000 and am really happy with it.

Very cool running and plenty of space (sep. PSU & HDD bay) as you can see



Also plenty of space for a watercooling radiator and pump should you go that way.(just remove hard drive cage on the left bottom and your pump goes there, and the radiator can fix under the top of the case with 2 holes cut in the top for the fan exits.)

One thing I would say is you might need some USB extension cables for the front panel, as on my motherboard the cables were not long enough. Got mine for about a tenner from these people who also do free shipping.

KustomPCs carry the Lian Li cases or European resellers like PC Cooling or obviously fleabay

[kalniel]

I don't have a problem with that case and a x1950xt.. which I presume is a similar length? But have you considered sticking the hard drives in the floppy bays, or getting a bracket to fit them in the 5 inch bays?

[dannyboy83]

Looks nice, good link for the review.

I do like the curves. I'd get it in black as my current case and drives, floppy etc are all black.

[Clunk]

The V1000 is a great case, but hardly spacious, in fact, One you start getting a scond card and watercooling in there, it becomes positively cramped, and the airflow is gone. One of the other problems with the V1000 is the lack of space between the back of the optical drives and any long pcie cards that you might have. If you were to put an 8800gtx in there, then you would struggle to unplug your optical drive cables etc.

If you want that kind of design, the larger models are your best bet (V1200, V2000 etc).

There is also the G70, which is a full tower, with plenty of room for pretty much anything. Hers a pic of my G70 (pics arent the best sorry)

[beachboy]

dannyboy83, what I am going to recommend will probably do severe harm to your credit card but as the saying goes, "You will remember the quality long after the price has been forgotten".
Without a doubt the Akasa Mirage 62 is one of the best computer cases ever made, in any price bracket. It is enormous, being 460 high x 240 wide x 560 long. It has a steel frame with aluminium panels. Virtually every panel and drive cage is removable. To make pc building a much simpler task the motherboard tray is also removable.
The large size combined with the aluminium panels mean that this case has superb heat dissipation. It is advertised as the Coolest Case Ever after a particular magazine described it as such.
My cpu (x2 3800 am2 65watt) and system temperatures are 22 and 24 degrees C respectively!
I probably don't need them but when I ordered all my new parts from Scan I decided to include two Akasa Amber Ultra Quiet 120mm fans. As the name implies they are Ultra Quiet, in fact I cannot hear any noise from them at all. They are totally, utterly silent!
I did consider another aluminium case, the Lian-Li PC-7B Plus, but in the end I decided, as a first-time builder, that the advantage of the removable motherboard tray and complete case disassembly was worth the extra investment. I have never regretted that decision for one second. The build went like a dream.
I should also point out that I purchased the OEM (no chipset cooler) version of the X2 3800 and then added a Scythe Mine. What a fabulous piece of kit this is! I bought it as a result of a PC Pro review of CPU heatsinks (December 2006). The Mine absolutely thrashed its opposition and brings a whole new meaning to "Cool & Quiet".
Even with the removable mobo tray I thought that I would need to install the huge Mine in situ. After a quick check on the available width dimension I was delighted to find that I could mount the Mine on the cpu with the tray outside the case. This where the Mirage's 240mm dimension really comes into its own.
There are plenty of reviews of the Mirage if you care to Google for them. Happy case hunting.

[DratUK]

If your after a Lian Li in particular and want to have the mobo the "proper way round" then the Lian Li A10 is the way to go. Expensive £186 from X-Case £156 from Kustom PC. Dual PSU fantastic quality,Yep I own a Lian Li A10B , mines currently fitted with a 8800GTX and i still have a few inches to spare in length.
But dont listen to me have a look at thses reviews and judge for yourself.
http://www.overclockercafe.com/Revie...-A10/index.htm

http://www.overclockercafe.com/Revie...-A10/index.htm

http://www.ultimateoc.co.uk/index.ph...d=76&Itemid=32

http://www.caseclosed.co.uk/review_lianli_pca10.htm

Happy reading.
There is however the cost. Here the Mirage is unbeatable excellent cooling, good build quality at an affordable price.
Good luck in whatever you choose.

[excalibur2]

Just picked up my Antec p180 for a nice price £70 exc biggest case I've had for a long time and is 20" high and back to front 21"...looks enormous along side my other two computers, but the width is similar.

[spooney]

i have the antec p180 also and its an extremely large case and also very quiet... the separate psu compartment is a nice touch also....

[amjedm]

The Akasa Eclipse/Mirage have more space than the P180 IMO (I have both - Eclipse & P180)

[ExceededGoku]

I have the TJ07 here and its the best case I've ever had, fits a lot of stuff in side it. Not cool unless you have a good config of fans but otherwise its brilliant. Good for watercooling...

[tinners]

The V1000 is a great case, but hardly spacious, in fact, One you start getting a second card and watercooling in there, it becomes positively cramped, and the airflow is gone. One of the other problems with the V1000 is the lack of space between the back of the optical drives and any long pcie cards that you might have. If you were to put an 8800gtx in there, then you would struggle to unplug your optical drive cables etc.

If you want that kind of design, the larger models are your best bet (V1200, V2000 etc).

There is also the G70, which is a full tower, with plenty of room for pretty much anything. Hers a pic of my G70 (pics arent the best sorry)

yeah thats a good point re the PCIE card. I only have a normal size one so hadnt thought of it really. Theres a v2000 for sale on avforums at the moment.

[excalibur2]

The Akasa Eclipse/Mirage have more space than the P180 IMO (I have both - Eclipse & P180)

The P180 case needs a few mods otherwise my first impression is, it's very good.........after installing the corsair PSU (crappy idea of using a metal saddle clip to hold the PSU, the holes didn't line up and had to change to very small self tapping screws to hold it in place) there isn't much room between the cables and sockets on the PSU and an inbuilt fan. And I can't see why the fan can't be on a sliding tray to move out of the way.

[YorkieBen]

remeber if you get a v1000 or v2000 you cant use a mobo with heatpipes because of the inverted layout