Need help picking a case

[googlebuddy]

Hey everyone,

I'm a newbie trying to put together a new computer next month. I'm thinking of trying out a watercooled setup although, since i have never done it before, am a little nervous. Could anyone recommend a good case which can be setup with watercooling and would run close to silent? (I'm not sure if watercooled computers run 100% silent or not)

I have budgeted a reasonable amount for a case so any suggestions would be great.

Thanks!

 

[TSIllusion]

depending on your ending budget, most people would recommend the THERMALTAKE ARMOR.

this is because it is really roomy, enough for space for watercooling!

 

[qwazzy]

depending on your ending budget, most people would recommend the THERMALTAKE ARMOR.

this is because it is really roomy, enough for space for watercooling!

I would really, really recommened the SUper LANboy by Antec. It is pretty small but runs really quiet with 2 120mm fans. I'm not sure if you'll have enough space for water cooling though.

 

[googlebuddy]

If I'm not planning on overclocking, is watercooling really worth it?

I currently have a case that has way too many fans. It sounds like a jet engine every time it starts up. I want somethine much quieter (which is why im thinking watercooling)

 

[sweetpants]

When I buy a case the first thing I look for is aluminum, I love the aluminum cases. From experience they tend to stay a bit cooler but at a higher price they may not be for you. I wasn't looking for a case with a power supply or space for watercooling so I picked this one. It works pretty well for me.

For affordable, spacious, reasonable cases might want to try here of course there are other places to buy these cases, may be cheaper too

 

[pengwin]

ok.


1.) liquid cooling is useless if u dont overclock.

2.) Something like the Super Lanboy would be a good choice. Thermaltake Tsunami, Gitabyte Poseidon. A mid tower.

3.) aluminum is light, as far as it being cooler than a steel case, that has yet to be proven.

 

[sweetpants]

well I guess it will remain unproven until you can get the exact same case with the exact dimensions and cut outs for fans and vents made of steel and aluminum... but as far as that goes I've taken the exact same system (internals) put it into a steel chassis, and and alminum chassis, the aluminum was cooler by about 8-10 degrees.

 

[pengwin]

well the amount of fans, and how air is flowing in the environment also depends. so you will never get your answer.

 

[sweetpants]

well the amount of fans, and how air is flowing in the environment also depends. so you will never get your answer.

when push comes to shove, which dissipates heat better? steel or aluminum? (granted equal thickness)

 

[TheMaster]

well the amount of fans, and how air is flowing in the environment also depends. so you will never get your answer.

when push comes to shove, which dissipates heat better? steel or aluminum? (granted equal thickness)

The heat dissipation will have a minimal effect.
All the hot air trapped inside the case is the problem.

 

[googlebuddy]

ok.


1.) liquid cooling is useless if u dont overclock.

2.) Something like the Super Lanboy would be a good choice. Thermaltake Tsunami, Gitabyte Poseidon. A mid tower.

3.) aluminum is light, as far as it being cooler than a steel case, that has yet to be proven.

Doesnt liquid cooling allow for near silent operation?

 

[CptCpu]

Yes as long as you have quite hard drives and a quite pump.

 

[pengwin]

Yes as long as you have quite hard drives and a quite pump.

u can stick anything into an Antec P180 and it'll be quiet.

 

[CptCpu]

True I guess, but I have never used one before :lol:

 

[clue69less]

well the amount of fans, and how air is flowing in the environment also depends. so you will never get your answer.

when push comes to shove, which dissipates heat better? steel or aluminum? (granted equal thickness)

The heat dissipation will have a minimal effect.

That may well be true but I haven't seen a controlled study. The full size Armor is available in steel or aluminum so there's a possible test case.

But to answer the dissipation question, aluminum dissipates heat better than steel.

All the hot air trapped inside the case is the problem.

Well, if the case dissipated heat well, the inside air wouldn't be so hot!

 

[clue69less]

Yes as long as you have quite hard drives and a quite pump.

u can stick anything into an Antec P180 and it'll be quiet.

I have a compact sub that will make that sucker get loud!

 

[clue69less]

well I guess it will remain unproven until you can get the exact same case with the exact dimensions and cut outs for fans and vents made of steel and aluminum... but as far as that goes I've taken the exact same system (internals) put it into a steel chassis, and and alminum chassis, the aluminum was cooler by about 8-10 degrees.

TT Armor - available in steel or aluminum. Mucho vent space, with stock blowhole.

 

[pengwin]

anyways, for a budget case.

Centurion 53x series (x is a variable)

Low End thermaltakes are dececnt, but i'd rather have a centurion.

Thats all i can think of. Some of the Antec cases are around 70 bucks are good. The P150b aka Antec SOLO.

 

[clue69less]

anyways, for a budget case.

Centurion 53x series (x is a variable)[/quote

I have heard people dis the Centurions but they look great bang per buck to me too.

 

[waylander]

I'd say IF you are going to water cool then get either the TT armor or the Coolermaster Stacker. Both full size cases but you'll appreciate that when it comes time to set up the tubing. You can also put the radiator inside the case, doesn't run as cool but will run a little quieter, plus it's neater (as in not messy).

You can either water cool because of noise or performance. If noise then reduce the number of case fans to 2-3 and use only 2 fans on a 2 x 120mm rad.

 

[yourmothersanastronaut]

Lian Li = teh r0x0r. Check out the PC-60 plus II. Lots of room, quiet fans, and a quiet, classy elegance. Or the Antec P180 is good, it'll be quieter for sure. Heavy steel, don't plan on carting it to LAN parties all the time.

I recommend a case without a drive door, however. It'll get in the way of any fan control devices you want to put in (handy if you want a near-silent computer) and it just gets annoying to have to open and close it every time.

Major things you want to look for are 120mm fans (best air flow:noise ratio) and a removable motherboard tray. Made my first build infinitely easier than it could have been.

And forget watercooling. If this is your first build, you really don't need the complication of fluid near your pride and joy. And it makes testing more difficult, because there are so many more things that could go wrong. If you want quiet, get Zalman aftermarket HSFs and put them on silent mode. They'll void your warranties, but you probably knew that if you wanted to WC your parts in the first place.

 

[clue69less]

Lian Li = teh r0x0r. Check out the PC-60 plus II.

Mine arrived last week but it may be a few months beofre I build it up. It will house a Conroe and a huge wad of big HDs. I'll wait for all the rabid Intel lovers to get theirs and buy when prices drop or at least get a mobo/CPU combo deal. Mean time, I'll be watching 500GB HD prices.

 

[JohnWeldt]

But to answer the dissipation question, aluminum dissipates heat better than steel.

Compared to steel, aluminum:

* Has a four-fold increase in thermal conductivity. In molding operations, this reduces the required cooling cycles and also minimizes local hot spots that could lead to part distortion. Aluminum also allows for the design of simpler cooling systems, which require less design and machining time.

* Is lightweight. Aluminum has roughly one-third the density of steel. This makes handling of the tooling and molds easier, allowing faster opening and closing of molds and tools due to reduced inertia. In addition, lighter weight tooling results in less press wear and reducing maintenance and downtime. These benefits are particularly relevant to large tools and molds.

* Can be machined and polished more rapidly. Depending on the specific aluminum alloy, machining rates are three to ten times faster than that of steel. This reduces the time required for production, particularly for large molds with deep cavities.

* Exhibits high electrical conductivity. This, along with a lower melting point as compared to steel, enables the use of electrical discharge machining of aluminum at a rate four to five times higher than steel.

Google is your friend.

 

[pengwin]

i prefer steel. its a sturdier metal. I've had dealings with .8mm aluminum, too thin for me :

 

[yourmothersanastronaut]

That's why you get thicker aluminum. .8mm is very flimsy, no wonder you went back to steel.