so ... right now my rig is

Antec neopower 650 psu
asus p5w dh deluxe (covers removed from chipset heatsinks, and thermal pads replaced with AS5)
e6600 @ 3.0 (x9 multi, 1333fsb, zalman 9500 cooler @ 2600 rpm, as5)
xms2 ddr2 800 @ 667 3.3.3.9.2t 2.2v stable...1/1ratio with cpu clock, or id have tried for 800mhz.. but its FAST
7900gt (oc'd 600/900 w/ volt mod, zalman vf900, as5 ) ...probably going up to a 8800gts revision in dec.
2 dvd drives
fan controller (5.25 bay)
2 seagate 160gb in raid 0
in this case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137

the thing about that case, is that it seems to trap heat. intake airflow isnt very good at all due to the sideways placement of the hdd cage... and while outflow is decent, it seems that hot air likes to circulate right above the cpu, and right below the vga even with good aftermarket coolers in...
@ 3.0ghz my e6600 idles at about 37c, and loads under TAT @ 62c in a 72 degree room
i know that these are safe temps... but they seem high to me, and i have always wanted to get a bit higher clock (3.6 hopefully) but with temps this high already i dont see it happening yet.

so i intend to switch cases, in hopes that superior airflow will = lower core temps and more oc headroom.
if you think that this may be a decisive factor in getting cooler temps...
here are the cases i am interested in...both come out to same price on newegg (just one has to use mir to get there)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021 antec 900
i have heard good things about this.. and it seems pricey, but shipping is free, and the mir is good.. comes out to about 30 dollars less than you can get it ANYWHERE after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137 CM 690
what can i say im a sucker for coolermaster... but wont get this unless someone can vouch for aiflow.....

regardless, i am most interested to hear your thoughts on whether upgrading to a case with better airflow will actually impact temps...
btw i am NOT interested in a full tower, and i am NOT interested in water cooling on this rig... i have a build in progress for that...
thanks everyone!

the second case seems better

I've seen and handled both the Antec 900 and the CoolerMaster 690 and my vote goes to the Antec 900. The 200mm top fan and 3 x 120mm fans move alot of air without being too noisy. Get the Antec 900!

Another vote for Antec 900. That's a great price for it

do you think i should see a temp drop with that kind of airflow?

The 900 is a far better case but as for lowering cpu temps by as much as you want id doubt it. You might be looking at 0-5c drop... My best suggestion would be to give a Thermalright 120 Ultra a go with a Scythe fan which is probably the best air cooling solution for the C2D, although i dont think it will fit in current case... it does in the 900 though.

If you want to reduce your temperatures, take a look at your coolers, particularly the vga cooler. The zalman coolers do a good job of transferring heat from the chips to the air inside the case, and they are beautiful, but do not help to remove that hot air from the case. For the cpu, a cooler like the thermalright 120 ultra, the fans push the heated air towards the rear exit fan. I think you can get a NV silencer cooler that is more effective for the 7900GT. The new 8800GT will be cooler because of the die shrink, so you may be ok there. Alternatively, you may be able to get a 8800GTX at a good price by then, and the stock cooler is very good. I will be reluctant to upgrade to a hotter vga card unless it has an OTES type cooler.

To your original question, the antec 900 should be very good.

i forgot to mention that i have a 120mm 80cfm exhaust and intake...
and the 9500 zalman is a sideways fan setup, working positively with the overall front to back airflow in the case.
as a matter of fact, the 9500 exhaust right into the exhaust fan.
my 7900 idles at 32-35c ALWAYS, and never loads at over 60 (and that was in crysis&3Dmark 6)
generally loads in the 52c area.
my main concern is the cpu temps, because i want more ghz
in any case, the cpu cooler is not the issue. aside from what i have already stated, (which you could check on yourself), i have seen the exact cooler im using, cool an e6600 clocked higher than mine, MUCH more efficiently.
im talking a good 5c less idle&load, @ 3.6....
so im hoping that i didnt just get a shady chip or something....

To test what a better case might do, remove the side cover, and direct a house fan towards the innards. You will be guaranteed high airflow. Also, you might remount the cpu cooler if you have any doubts that it might not be on properly, or that the tim might have deteriorated over time.

Your temps seem good, and chips do differ, perhaps you got a hotter one. The vga card seems particularly good. But...where does the heat extracted from the vga card go? Right past the cpu heat sink. If you could find a way to duct some of the vga heat outside directly, it would help the cpu temps. Perhaps a slot cooler for the vga card? They are cheap, and do work.

For the best air overclocking, nothing is better than the thermalright ultra 120 extreme.

what if i lap my heatsink / cpu?
i have never even heard of this technique untill today...
i see people getting 0-5c temp drops...

Wow your gpu under load is cooler than mine idle!

Give the side off+ large fan a try... this will show you about how cool your cp can get short of water cooling. Lower temps don't always= further oc's there are limits to how far chips will go other than heat.

Lapping is risky, give the side off+ fan a try first, personally I wouldn't consider lapping.

so it turns out... that bad airflow was the problem....with flow, temps dropped another 4c in a 72 degree room..
now im sitting at something like 33c idle , 53-54 load under orthos small fft's , 60 under TAT
and i was just about to go buy the antec 900 , when i noticed that ******* newegg raised the price on the case another 12 dollars or so, which is something they are notorious for doing to popular items... so out of principal i decided to investigate other options...
ended up doing some HEAVY DUTY interior modding of my case.
hid all cables in the VERY tight space behind mobo tray... removed hdd cage, consolodated optical drives, and rigged hdd cage out of the way, after all of this i could honestly say you could even fit a resovoir where the cage used to be, and back-mount a 120,, rad & fan making a successful mid size liquid rig lol. not gonna do it though.
at any rate, prob WAS airflow and its no longer a prob any more... my card reader just broke , but i have one on the way from newegg, and when it gets here i will post some pics if youre interested.
thanks everyone for all of your help!!

$124.99 less $35 rebate on antec 900 with free shipping at egg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021

Seems like a great price to me, particularly with shipping.

Glad you fixed the problem.

I might be a bit late to the game, but my machine is very similar. e6600 operating at 3.0 with a Zalman 9500 and 1:1. Different mobo, thoug. I'm using a Bad Axe 2. According to TAT and Speedfan, my machine idles in mid 20's and 50-52c under load with TAT. Not sure what the room temp is, but I'd guess around 70 F. While I know Tweaky said that he does not want a full tower, I'm using a TT Armor with the two 80mm fans disabled. Whether that accounts for difference in temps, I don't know. BTW I am running at stock voltages.

Fry's has the antec 900 in today's ad for $75 with no rebate. It may be priced similar next week at Fry's.com.