Case Conundrum...

[Exille]

First things first, im running a Raidmax Sirius case its pretty but it doesnt do well in the cooling area..it has 2 120mms and a 80mm..120s front and rear and the 80 is a side fan that barely pushes anything. The front fan is severly choked and doesnt push anything past the poorly designed HD rack and makes my 7600GT's in Sli get hotter than they should..basically what im asking is can anyone suggest a good case, preferably that holds at least 3 120s, is aluminum and wont break my wallet..i know im asking alot but please?

 

[chedrz]

What kind of budget are you looking at? Most people here will probably recommend the Antec P180. It has great airflow and looks pretty nice, but it will cost you around $100-$120, depending on where you look. I think the Thermaltake Tsunami also comes in right around that price, which is what I have, and I'd have to say it keeps things pretty cool. If you're looking cheaper than that, for around $70 I'd consider the NZXT Apollo. It comes with two 120's, rear and side, so you'd probably be wise to add another 120 up front. But it's a good looking case, and also should keep your temps down. Plus, it currently has a $25MIR on Newegg. Hope that helps you a bit.

 

[Exille]

Im looking to spend no more than $150 which i know limits my selection greatly...i dont mind looks really, just would like to to be light and have superior cooling.

 

[eric54]

I recommend the antec 900. Has room for 2 front, one in the hd racks, one side, a top 200mm fan, and a 120mm exhaust. Pretty much the coolest case you can buy. Its cheaper than the p180, and is a bit easier to cable route. It comes with the 200mm top fan, 2 front, and 1 rear. These are antec tricool fans, so on low rpm they are pretty quiet (but they are no nocua's tho).

 

[Exille]

I was seriously considering the 900...but i read alot of bad reviews on it so im kinda weary about it now...

 

[sailer]

Im looking to spend no more than $150 which i know limits my selection greatly...i dont mind looks really, just would like to to be light and have superior cooling.

Two cases that I own and like are the Apevia X-Navigator ($129.99 after mail in rebate) from Newegg and the Chieftec Dragon, which came with my Alienware. Cooling on both has been good and are very similar to each other.

Anandtech did a review on the Aspire (now Apevia) X-Navigator on Oct 26, 2004 and found the cooling very good. Just don't reley on the Apevia psu that comes with the case.

Overclocker Cafe did a review on the Chieftec Dragon ($77 for solid panel/$99 with windowed panel). It does very well in the cooling department also, and in some ways I like it much better than the X-Navigator. No psu is provided, but that is probably just as well, as few psus that come with cases are much good anyway.

 

[No1sFanboy]

can anyone suggest a good case, preferably that holds at least 3 120s, is aluminum and wont break my wallet

The 900 does not meet you're aluminum criteria. If you can get over that, the 900 really blows, I mean sucks, I mean moves a lot of air. Seriously if you're concern is airflow it doesn't get much better. For an SLI setup it would be worth adding another 120 to the side of the 900.

 

[chuckshissle]

Antec 900. Low cost, great airflow and cooling. Looks nice too.

 

[Exille]

I agree that it most likely has awsome cooling capabilities, but i would rather it be aluminum...just for the wight reduction and that aluminum is cooler (temperature wise) than steel....i actually own a chieftec dragon case as well, i just prefer the usage of 120mm fans to 80mm becuase you can use less and push more air...also less cables to have to try and hide out of the way...

 

[Exille]

Another thing im not really fond of about the 900 is that my hot powersupply would be right below my already toasty SLI setup....although i could probably add 1 or 2 120mms' to the window...

 

[croc]

coolermaster 832...

 

[Exille]

While the 832 is a awsome case..it is quite a bit out of my price range......

 

[Exille]

I goto alot of LAN party's, plus i just like the less weight of aluminum and that aluminum doesnt retain as much heat as steel.

 

[packerfan]

Check out lian li cases on newegg they are basic lookign but are great cooling from what i have heard.

All of those are under 150 they are a little more expsensive but good quality.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...Desc=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=150&Manufactory=1375

 

[fatcat]

Thermaltake Armor is a pretty good case as well, there is a newer version with a 250mm side fan. I have the previous version with a 120mm in front, 120mm + 92mm back exhaust and a 92mm blow hole on top. Plenty of cooling. There is also an aluminum version of that case.

 

[Exille]

My buddy has the Armor case with the 250mm in the side...it barely pushes any air...

 

[Exille]

Read a review on the Antec 900 that the top VGA slot has card mounting issues..anyone that ownes of these confirm this?