I am looking for a very good case not one that look good

[mononcle]

(French speaking, trying to do my best here. Sorry for any mistakes left!)
Hi,
I am looking for a very good case that I could keep for years. It doesn't need to be nice looking at all, and doesn't have to be light as it will remain at the same place for ever, hiding underneath my desk.

What I need is something that would stay cool no matter what I put in it. It has to be well made, without sharp edges and enough places to work in it. It should have, at least, these possibilities:
-Big enough for two dual-space video cards;
-4 x 5.25 drives
-4 x 3.5 internal drives
-2 x 3.5 external drives
-Upper/Front USB/Audio/Firewire

Outake fan on the top instead of on the side and I/O on the top half of the front panel are welcome.

I read many threads which suggest Thermaltake or Lian-Li. What do you think about these.

Thank you!!!

 

[hannibal]

Maybe Antec P180 is for you?
Drive Bays
- External 4 x 5.25"; 1 x 3.5"
- Internal 6 x 3.5" for HDD
Front Ports
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire®, i.Link®)
- Audio In and Out
(So a little bit too few drive bays?)
It can have 5 case fan so it should run cool enough. I have normal 3 installed and it's ok.


http://www.antec.com/ec/fr/productDetails.php?ProdID=09181

 

[shata]

Ok if you have the money these options are really nice.
Thermaltake makes good solid cases with good layouts.
Ive owned the Armor and its real nice case
These will set you back about ~120-200$

OK Lian-Li is like a Porche there premium,Expense,Excellent hardware layouts, and solid even using alumium.
There good hardware layout cases are going to set you back 250$

Now if your on a budget and you need a case with all the stuff you mentioned you can go with this case. Chenming builds it, same case alienware used to startout back in the day.
I own the 901 chenming, its solid, black, and very good airflow its great for passive video cards in sli cause the 2 front 80mm's blow right on them. I got passive cards that idle at 52c thats pretty kewl.

Anyways here is the link to the cheaper way of going. This is the 601 a bit smaller.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811125438

 

[baladorr]

For me, the best type of case is one that is sturdy, well built, requires minimal tools in order to add, remove, and move components around, and has ample room in which to work. Gateway has a nice clip on disk rail system where the rail assembly simply clips on to the drive with positive pressure on the plastics then the drive slides into the rails on the chassis. An easy to use, integrated cable management system would be great too. I also like to see an emphasis on efficient air flow.

 

[kamel5547]

Maybe Antec P180 is for you?
Drive Bays
- External 4 x 5.25"; 1 x 3.5"
- Internal 6 x 3.5" for HDD
Front Ports
- 2 x USB 2.0
- 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire®, i.Link®)
- Audio In and Out
(So a little bit too few drive bays?)
It can have 5 case fan so it should run cool enough. I have normal 3 installed and it's ok.


http://www.antec.com/ec/fr/productDetails.php?ProdID=09181

I second this suggestion. It has room, keeps cool, and is fairly quiet depending on the fan settings. It also has a rail mounting system so component removal (if needed) is a snap. It also gives you significant options, although you need to make some compromises (i.e. if you use the "external" 3.5" slots you cannot have one of the five fans)

 

[mononcle]

Thanks to all of you.

I like Hannibal's suggestion. Even though I am not a fanatic of front doors, this case is what I've been looking for.

If someone else has other suggestions, feel free. For now, Hannibal's is the best thing I've seen and by far. Thanks!

 

[RichPLS]

Here is a case that meets those specs, but is a bit more compact...

http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/Middle_Tower/Classical_Plus_S/M_C_PS_PC-60plus_2.htm

Here are some models at newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Category=9&N=2010090007+50001375+1054808287+1309321157+1309521183&Submit=ENE&Manufactory=1375&SubCategory=7&Description=Lian+Li&Ntk=all

 

[dmantech]

I would recomend the Lanli Porche or the Coolermaster Paeritorian which are
are both all aluminum and no plastic materials in these cases and both will
will keep you machine cool and quiet because noise is also another factor here.

 

[Sefk]

Matrix vx

fits all your needs and cool the system pretty well. actually my system alert me each time at startup that the cpu fan spin not enough fast but it's just because that the case cool so much that te cpu fan dont need to spin that fast to keep the temp at idle at 28 degree

http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Chassis/midtower/matrixvx/vd3000bwa.asp

 

[mononcle]

First of all, thank you!

Someone sent me an URL to a Tom's Hardware review that I missed. I thought I should post it here so that other could benefit this opportunity.
Coolmaster Stacker (~150.00 US$):http://www.tomshardware.com/2005/12/06/either_way_atx_or_btx_cases/page6.html

I think that it is perfect for me. That's what I'll probably buy.

Again, thank you everyone for your help!