New Case: Experiences or Opinions Wanted

Oh man, there are lots of excellent cases out there depending on your budget. Kinda depends on what look you want as well. I will only speak about experiences I've had with cases because I don't want to speculate about others.

I currently have the Coolermaster Wavemaster case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119023

And I also have the Thermaltake Armor Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811133154

They're both great cases, but the Thermaltake Armor is the bomb. Vents VERY well and seems very quiet to me. It's a full tower, but I like the room it provides--which also helps with ventilation.

BUT, I've also seen excellent reviews for the Antec P180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129154

And the Antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021

Can't go wrong with any of these, but the most quiet will be the Thermaltake Armor and the Antec P180.

Yes, you can, within limits. I use an Antec Solo which I am pleased with, and it is quiet with the fans on low. If you plan on using a 8800GTX, be aware that the card is extra long, and will require removal of a bit of one drive cage to fit. I found a nice review of the Antec 900 with a comparison of the solo, 900, and lian-li G70. http://www.bjorn3d.com/read_pf.php?cID=996 . It shows the trade-offs between fan speed, noise, and temperatures(cpu, gpu, case).

If you want the quietest case with acceptable temperatures, then you probably can't do better than the Solo. dba=40.

If you want the maximun in air cooling, then you can't beat the 900 on high fan speeds. dba=58.

For a compromise where the dba=46, you could pick the solo on high, the lian-li at medium, or the 900 at low.

derf get the p180, i got it and it pwns all.

Have 4 units at home. Kandalf - Really Big, reasonably quiet good airflow.
P180 - somewhat of a pain in terms of cable management - especially with big psu. Very solid sound control. Airflow adequate but stock fans are real loud. replaced with scythe s-flex 1600 for max air and still took about 10 db off the sound.
TJ09 (latest) Big- great cooling but more than modestly loud due to the center fan open to the side air vents. I still need to get some sound dampeners for all the peripherals and fans - maybe even line interior walls. Last is Armor Junior...no help for your issues because it is only used for a mid level general duty pc. Might want to look at the specs of the new Coolermaster 832. Reviews are very good for noise and air flow. Good luck.

Depending on what you want, you could look at the Thermaltake Tsunami. It's pretty quiet. Also, take a look at the Gigabyte Poseidon. Good ventilation, and it's silent.