Computer Case Choosing?

[Jdm240sx]

http://www.thinkcomputers.org/index.php?x=reviews&id=557

theres a review on there but it doesnt state if its a good case to overclock in

im trying to decide to buy a computer case that has good airflow it would be combined with a scythe ninja to overclock an core2duo e6600

some other cases that i was also looking at

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133023

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119094

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208021

my question is which case is the for airflow/pricing?

Thanks and Advance!

 

[TMSter]

I like this one: first one
And this one:second one
Sorry i didn't choose from yours ,but these would be my picks.

 

[medeamajic]

http://www.rackmountmaster.com/4u-rack-mount-cases.html

I like rackmount cases.

 

[bastion]

For the money this one is hard to beat for all around cooling.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146029

 

[Jdm240sx]

thanks so much for the replies! i have made my choice now

 

[ZOldDude]

I now only use CoolerMaster cases becuse of the way the airflow works.

Even this case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068 will drop the temps on a AMD XP with stock cooler 25F (vrs a OEM case) and that is an old case!

For those people I build for who want the best cooling and do not care all that much about how "pretty" the case is next to others....I use the CM Stacker TO-1....not the 800* model.

If you use this case place the HD cage (with its fan) so it is inline with the exit fan on the case....the air will go in over all the hot parts of your MB and out in a DIRRECT PATH with full cooling effect.

You can even get an optional "crossflow" fan that draws cool air from the MB side of case and moves it as a "wall" over the length of your MB.

Also the rear fan cover can be removed with only 4 screws for a boost in air flow 70% (I always take those off).

This is a large full sized case that has 11 drive bays and they are all wire messed fronts...has TWO places to mount PSU's and adaptor plates to put dual 90mm fans in place of a PSU if you wish.

 

[ZOldDude]

For the money this one is hard to beat for all around cooling.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146029

That is a nice looking case but it is the same price as a CM Stacker and no place near being in the same class with it in either cooling or function.

 

[Travisty2012]

Antec Nine Hundred all the way!

I've been doing some testing...

I have my E4300 overclocked to 3.0 GHz. I have the Scythe Ninja with all the case fans set to the lowest setting (the 900 has 3 speed adjustable fans on it). Under full load with Prime95 the highest I see my temperatures is 50 65 65 which is normal according to the sticky. It's QUIET. Plus I can turn them up to medium and get the temps down another 5 degrees or so and it's still pretty quiet. The fans on high are too loud for my taste but even at medium it's very acceptable.

 

[ZOldDude]

Those temps are high.
The CM Stackers I have set up with Optron 146's OC to 3 Ghz (50% OC and no volt boost) using Thermalright SI-120 coolers only run 2C over room air temps.

To be honest it is more than just the case or CPU cooler or ANYTHING alone...it is all about proper forthought in reguards to enginiering proper airflow,*PSU*,parts selection AND the pre-install prep of those parts along with the correct application of TIM.

Do a search for my posts on cleaning parts and how a SMALL tube of AS5 lasts about 100 builds (posted this same date).
Note the exit fan mod as well.

Try it and see how much lower your temps drop...it may shock you.

 

[Travisty2012]

Those temps are normal for a Core 2 Duo. I can get them much lower with a little more noise but everything works perfect the way it is.

 

[chuckshissle]

The COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW is the best case for it's price range. Very popular. But if you want good cooling then you need to look up Antec 900 and Thermaltake Armor.

 

[Jdm240sx]

ok guys im totally lost

the cases in my price range are

NZXT Zero

ThermalTake Jr

Antec 900


how do they compare to each other? il be using core2duo e6600 with this case! and i would love to have it overclocked to 3ghz or 3.2 at the max

thanks

 

[TMSter]

Not sure about the other 2 but the antec 900 has 3 120mm fans one rear, two front and a 200mm fan on top. In my opinion that should be decent cooling, but i am far from an expert. So just research them and make your best judgement. That is what i did. As far as the ammo one i suggested, i like that for ease of use etc. just remember if you get the antec 900 the power supply is mounted on the bottom, so make sure if you have a fan on top or bottom of your power supply it will face the right direction for proper cooling. Also remember these are just suggestions, might not be the best choice for you.

 

[plguzman]

The Nine Hundred is an awesome case for cooling. My temps dropped 5 degrees from my older case (a thermaltake matrix). That monster fan in the top of the case is wonderful.

 

[Jdm240sx]

ok it looks like i have a budget crisis

from these two cases which has better airflow ? or are they neck to neck

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119106

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

 

[bn_hot]

I just bought two of these cases ($54 + s/h), one for me, one for a friend. Using C2D E6300 that I plan on OC'ing:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147038

 

[plguzman]

ok it looks like i have a budget crisis

from these two cases which has better airflow ? or are they neck to neck

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119106

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068

They look pretty much the same to me. The Centurion 534 should have better airflow because the intake fan is 120MM (the other case's intake is 80MM). Both looks like "regular" cases, so if you are aiming for a high OC you should think of another one. The price is good tho.

 

[hashbrown]

I am using the Centurion 5 and am loving the air flow. I have the 80 up front and 120 in back with a freezer pro 7 on the E6300. but also am only using one optical drive, so i took out the middle two metal gates in the 5.25" bays and mounted another 120 right there which took my temps down another 5 degrees C. It's pretty damn nice if i may say so myself. The only thing, it makes your computer an air filter, but I have no problem cleaning the front of my computer once a week. It does an excellent job of keeping dust from getting through, so I don't mind.

 

[bastion]

NZXT Zero @ $119.00 FTW, lol @ cooler master stacker stamp steal junk.

NZXT Zero
Cooling System
80mm Fans 1 x 80mm top fan
120mm Fans 4 x 120mm side fan
2 x 120mm rear fan
1 x 120mm front fan

 

[rammedstein]

Any case, just stick some of the fans in it from my sig and you'll know what i mean.

 

[jay2tall]

Dude you can make "almost" ANY case have good air flow. You just have to make sure you set it up correctly. I've noticed some cases are starting to chamber the PSU at the bottom and keep it seperate and also puts the weight at the bottom. I like this design.

I also read somewhere someone did an EXTENSIVE test as to fan placement and which fans provide the most cooling. It showed that the BEST combonation is a top rear with top blow hole. It did not show any difference having in intake fan. NOT saying you shouldnt ahve one because usually the Hard Drives are positioned directly behind it which is a good spot for them. EVERYONE should have a nice exhaust fan, this is the #1 place to have one. Some don not have the option of a top fan but there wasnt a hug difference in temps. Side fans are really used to cool components like expansion cards and such and really do not add anything to cooling your system. Then BEST thing you can do to dispure heat is to have an good heatsink. You can't dispure heat if it is not on a surface to blow air over. This is why larger cooelrs with more fins and heat pipes do the best.

I actually proved this on my VGA card. I have an x1900xtx OCed. It has an arctic cooler Accelero x2 with fan at 100% a 80mm fan blowing over it, and an add in cooler that consisted of 3 60mm or 70mm fans positioned around it. So basically thatis 5 fans blowing air all over this thing. I replaced the cooler with a thermalright vga cooler with the single 80 mm fan and my temps dropped from 82C to 62C on full load. That is 20C just because of a better cooler.

that is more than you were probably looking for but when you are building. Keep in mind to get a GOOD cooler and just have adequate airflow. As long as the air is kept moving and the hot air is being blown off the coolers and out of the case, you will be good whether you have a $30 case or $300 case.

I personally have the Cooler Master Ammo case. It's a big FAT heavy pig.. but it has a cool handle adn i can take it to my monthly Lan party and only have to make one trip to the car.

 

[industryguy]

Check http://www.chassis-plans.com for rackmount cases. Some of their designs are very well cooled. Also, check http://www.chassis-plans.com/white_paper_cooling_and_noise.html for a paper on cooling fan physics.