Gaming computer case?

[washburn3]

I hope to be building a gaming computer soon, I have selected all the components but I am still unsure about what case to get
I was originally going to get the " CiT Vantage Midi Mesh Gaming Case " I thought it looked quiet nice and I'm a big fan of
blue LED's but im not sure if it will be spacious enough, considering I am going to be using an aftermarket cooler,
the " Coolermaster Hyper 212 evo ", would you reccommend this case? If not, which case ( I'm On a tight budget so under £50 )
- Thanks

Side note: It must have some element of blue LED's to it If its helpful here's the link for the original case: http://www.amazon.co.uk/CiT-Vantage-Gaming-Audio-Reader/dp/B0071KZNUY/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1356272656&sr=1-1

 

[washburn3]

EDIT: I did also find this case, which has nothing but good reviews and includes a LED fan display: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zalman-Z9-Plus-Midi-Tower/dp/B004FPQL0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356273043&sr=8-1

 

[ScrewySqrl]

cases are very subjective. most of them do the job you need, so its just whichever appeals to you.

 

[washburn3]

Yeah I suppose, I think il be going with the zalman Z9 plus though, I would go for the CiT Vantage but I think it lacks space, especially when it comes to Fans, PSU and CPU cooler. - Thanks for reply!

 

[tiny voices]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

I have this case and I like it. Nothing special but it comes with 3 fans. (one blue LED one)

 

[washburn3]

Its nice, I think Il go for the Zalman still though, it costs £45 which is a really good deal, I especially like the feature that it has a fan temp LCD Display option, and allows you to control the temperature. - Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

[washburn3]

Just a question though, On the Zalman Z9 Plus, there is a 120mm fan on the side door, to me it looks abit out of proportion, would it be possible to move this fan somewhere else without effecting the cooling of it?

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Nope, by the law of causality,
you move something it affects something, in this case your airflow
but in the case of sidefans, removing it often improves the cooling, sidefans can disrupt thins quite badly, but they can help cool graphics cards well,
swings and roundabouts
Moto

 

[washburn3]

So, can I move the side fan or not? I noticed on similar Zalman Z9 model that is exactly the same as this one, apart from the side panel is a complete transparent window pane instead of the honeycomb/transparent/and fan design. Surely removing it would make it similar to the other, therefore not affecting anything?

If it helps to compare the two, here they are, like I said, they are virtually identical.

The one I will be getting: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235027

The similar one with a complete transparent side pane: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235036

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Yes, you can move it if you wish,
Moto

 

[washburn3]

Thanks, do you think it is possible to move it next to the psu?, or above the motherboard?

 

[sincreator]

Its nice, I think Il go for the Zalman still though, it costs £45 which is a really good deal, I especially like the feature that it has a fan temp LCD Display option, and allows you to control the temperature. - Thanks for the suggestion though!

I have the Zalman Z9 myself, and for the price it's a steal. I actually populated all 7 fan slots, and put 2 high RPM fans on the fan controller thats included in the case. Even with 7 fans, the case is very quiet. Well until I crank the high RPM fans to full speed that is. lol

The case is actually really well built, and the features are crazy good for a case of this kind of price. Fan controller, temp sensor, space for 7 120mm fans(4 can be 140mm), pre drilled holes for water cooling, side mounted HDD instalation bay, room for full sized GPU's, large mobo cutout so you dont have to remove the motherboard to install aftermarket cooling, room for 2 SSD's and 5 HDD's, and decent cable management. I have a non modular PSU and I had no trouble getting the cables neatly put away. It even came with ties to anchor the cables to the back of the motherboard tray. I'm sure you will like it.

PS: When you first get the case you will have to remove the front panel to connect two cables together in order to get the power button, and reset button to work. Alot of people spend alot of time tring to figure out why the buttons don't work after installing everything, so this is just a heads up. The cables that need to be connected are on the top right of the front panel itself, and on the top right of the front of the case(with the front removed).

 

[washburn3]

Thanks for the heads up! I previously mentioned if it was possible to remove the side fan, I just think it looks abit disproportional really, is this perfectly possible seeing as you have the case?

 

[sincreator]

Thanks for the heads up! I previously mentioned if it was possible to remove the side fan, I just think it looks abit disproportional really, is this perfectly possible seeing as you have the case?

All the fans can be removed if need be, but I wanted both on the side since one is aimed right at the memory modules and CPU. My CPU fan throws the air toward the back and the upper right fan supplies cooler air to that fan directly which worked out well. I also wanted the bottom left fan to supply cooler air to my PSU and GPU directly. The intake for the PSU are only small cutouts on the bottom of the case, so I figured it definitly wouldn't hurt to have some cooler air being thrown at it. Basically the upper right fan is pointed right between the RAM and CPU, and the lower left fan points right between the PSU and GPU. If I had 2 GPUs it would be pointed right in the middle of the lower left fan. I bought 2 high RPM 120mm fans and placed them on the top for better air exaust as well. Those are on the fan controller that was supplied with the case so I can lower them to be quiet if I want.

Everything is overclocked in my system and the ambiant temperature never goes above 29 degrees celcius, and it sits at 22c idle with the fans all at low(my room temperature). North bridge, CPU, RAM, and GPU are all overclocked in my system, and the case keeps everything nice and cool. The GPU never goes above 50c, and the CPU never goes above 44c. I placed the temperature sensor in the extra dvd bay so that no fan was directly pointed at it as well to get a more accurate reading from it.

 

[DarkSable]

Throwing this out there, any mid-tower or larger case will fit a large CPU cooler just fine.

 

[washburn3]

Thanks sincreator for the useful insight, il bare that in mind when building my rig! I am most likely going to overclock mine aswell, to atleast 4.2GHZ or 4.4GHZ using a fx-6300, I was told this was better than the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition and that I should get it, I won't be using watercooling but I will be using a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo cooler, I've read good things about it and apparently it fairs well when overclocking. Back to the fans, im sure I can configure the side fan to make it seem more appealing to look at, do you think its worth it? I was considering placing the fan either at top, or next to the PSU if possible? - Thanks for your help

 

[sincreator]

Thanks sincreator for the useful insight, il bare that in mind when building my rig! I am most likely going to overclock mine aswell, to atleast 4.2GHZ or 4.4GHZ using a fx-6300, I was told this was better than the Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition and that I should get it, I won't be using watercooling but I will be using a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo cooler, I've read good things about it and apparently it fairs well when overclocking. Back to the fans, im sure I can configure the side fan to make it seem more appealing to look at, do you think its worth it? I was considering placing the fan either at top, or next to the PSU if possible? - Thanks for your help

You can place the fans where ever you want. Just make sure the rear and top are all exaust fans, and the front, side and bottom fans are intakes. That's the best setup for this case IMO.

PS: here are some case mods made with the Zalman Z9 plus, to maybe give you some ideas: http://www.overclock.net/t/1247301/tekitou-zalman-z9-plus-mod-log

 

[washburn3]

^^ theres some crazy stuff going on there, I dont think i'd be capable of doing any of those mods I think l'll move the side fan only and leave the mesh, that'd look pretty good in my opinion