Comparing Cases - Thermaltake v9, Lancool PC k62

[balthanon]

I'm looking at purchasing parts for the system build that I posted about in this thread. (The full template for asking for advice is in there, though I didn't get any on the thread.)

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This weekend
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: (none) COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: (United States)
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At the moment, I'm looking to start with the case and power supply, since those are my most urgent needs. I've found a few deals that I think are decent on cases I like, however, I'm not sure about how quiet the cases are and whether the lighting will cause problems in sleep mode. (Since I keep the computer in my bedroom.)

I'm looking at the following cases:
■ Lian Li Lancool PC K62
■ Thermaltake v9
■ NZXT Tempest Evo
■ HAF 922, ignoring price to some extent.

I like the Lancool best out of all the designs and it seems to have some of the best quality. I have two issues with it though-- one is the lighting, I read that the fan lights don't turn off when the PC is in sleep mode, and the other is the lack of hard drive space. 4 slots will just fit what I have planned for storage at the moment, leaving me no room to expand without an external hard drive enclosure or something of that nature. I'm planning on getting a tuner card as it is, so the newegg package essentially shaves 45 dollars off the price of the case.

The Thermaltake seems like an excellent price for the case, however, I've watched a few negative reviews on Youtube, so I'm not sure about it. My main concern here is really the noise (which is a concern on all of them) and possibly the power supply fan opening, which I saw a bad review for while researching.

If neither will work well for my needs, I'm willing to go to another case as well.

For the lighting, if I can just not plug in the led lights on the fans, I'm willing to do that. If they turn off while the computer is in S3 sleep mode, that would also eliminate them as a concern. Sound is another matter, and I'm trying to prioritize quiet with the case and power supply.

The deals that I'm looking at end this weekend, so any advice today would be appreciated.

 

[Silvune]

Well I have the Thermaltake V9. The noise comes from my video card, not the case itself. I have a noisy 4890. It has 4 harddrive bays as well. So not much better than the Lancool. The LED light on the power button is quite bright and flashes in sleep mode, but I'm pretty sure there would be an option to not use it. I didn't have any problems with my PSU facing downwards, it keeps cool enough to be quiet and haven't had any dust problems with it. Cable management in it requires some thought as well.

You can always replace LED fans for ones without, and during this process you might actually get superior fans.

I think that the NZXT Tempest Evo would be another good option to consider as it has plenty of room for harddrives.

You can also use some of the 5.25 inch bays if you get an adapter.

 

[tecmo34]

I like the NZXT case but out of the four the OP listed, I would go with the HAF 922.

 

[balthanon]

Well I have the Thermaltake V9. The noise comes from my video card, not the case itself. I have a noisy 4890. It has 4 harddrive bays as well. So not much better than the Lancool. The LED light on the power button is quite bright and flashes in sleep mode, but I'm pretty sure there would be an option to not use it. I didn't have any problems with my PSU facing downwards, it keeps cool enough to be quiet and haven't had any dust problems with it. Cable management in it requires some thought as well.

You can always replace LED fans for ones without, and during this process you might actually get superior fans.

I think that the NZXT Tempest Evo would be another good option to consider as it has plenty of room for harddrives.

You can also use some of the 5.25 inch bays if you get an adapter.

From the specs listed, I thought the Thermaltake had 5 hard drive bays actually (admittedly not much more than the Lancool). Do you have any LED fans on your Thermaltake (it looks like there are a couple)? If so, do they shut down when you put it into sleep mode? I may just have to take my chances and replace the fans like you suggested though, since almost all of the cases I've seen have the LED fans.

Taking a look at the NZXT Tempest, that does look nice as well and there is a deal on that right now at newegg for this weekend. As far as look and feel goes, I think I like that more than the two I had been looking at primarily and it certainly has more drive space. My only concern is the noise on it-- in the reviews I've been watching (3DGameMan), it was one of the few cases where I could hear the fans during the sound test. There are also more 120mm fans than the other cases I've been looking at, which have been using 200's and 230's instead. That said-- I've never actually had more than a 120 mm fan in a computer (and I think the one that has been bugging me so much in my current computer is an 80mm on my replacement power supply), so I'm not sure what kind of difference it makes in sound level.

Another option for the sound, if it is a problem, might be a fan controller-- I'm saving a bit on what I thought I would be spending on the case, so that could be an option for reducing the noise.

 

[Silvune]

Yea, my memory (the one in my brain) isn't as reliable as I'd like it to me, so it might actually be 5. The memory in my computer's much better. Lol, anyway. No none of the fans have LEDs on them. Altho when I bought I thought there would be. Turned out it only came with two exhaust fans. I am from the UK, so maybe buying from a UK site had an impact on it.

Yea a sound controller would be a good way to make sure that they don't spin too much and therefore reduce noise. I have a bunch of 120s (4) in my rig and they're all rated for around 20dBA max, most of them are at a constant speed and I don't find them noisy. The 200 in the Thermaltake I like a lot as it seems very quiet and has an impressive cooling ability. The case I'm thinking about for my next build is the Lian Li PC-50 and one of the downsides to it is that it doesn't have a large fan on the top.

Choosing cases can be a tricky business, that's why I'm going to take the next 2-3 years thinking about cases before my next build to choose one.

I don't know how much these cost, but the Silverstone TJ09 and 10 have 6 3.5in drive bays in a similiar configuration to the Tempest Evo. Maybe you'd like to have a look at those.

As for power supply I'd recommend a 750W one as it will give you plenty of options for single and eventually perhaps when it's needed dual graphics cards. A 650W would allow you to run pretty much any single graphics card, but might be more limited with what dual graphics solutions you could go with, so it's up to you.

 

[balthanon]

Well, first lesson in building a home PC learned-- buy when you see a deal you like. Newegg ran out of the NZXT when I finally went to buy.

 

[builderbobftw]

GEt the HAF-922 best case on that list in my eyes.

 

[balthanon]

I ended up going with the HAF 922 and an Antec TP-750, since the NZXT ended up sold out. Those should work with anything I select for the remainder of the build and between promotional codes and rebates came out to about 175 dollars-- slightly less than I had budgeted. Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[tecmo34]

Solid choices on both!!! You will be happy with your selections. The HAF 922 can fit any dual card setup & heat sink you throw at it