# [SOLVED] Please - need recommendation for a case



## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

First off, let me tell you I'm not a gamer, I don't do LAN parties, and I'm not looking for a fancy or expensive case for the new computer I'm building. I'm an old retired aerospace engineer/PC enthusiast looking for a utilitarian, but good, PC case for my new machine. I've been searching NewEgg and AxionTech, but I'm becoming quickly confused (is that a sign of old age?) by the plethora of cases available. Most seem to be for gamers and not what I'm looking for.

I figured you young, computer-savy folks might be willing and able to teach an old fart like me something. So, I'm asking for your help and advice.

Here's what's going into my new machine:
MB:	GIGABYTE GA-K8N Ultra-9 Socket 939
Proc:	Athlon 64 3000+ Venice
RAM: 4 Corsair DDR 400 (PC 3200) 512MB modules
PS:	Antec NeoPower ATX 480W
Video Card:	Radeon X300
Sound Card: (don't know which one yet)
Network card
Fax/modem card
2 Hard Drives
Floppy Drive
CD R/W drive
DVD ReWriter drive
USB 2.0 Multi-Plus Bay Card Reader/Writer

I think that's pretty much it--for now. Obviously, I need a case that will hold all this good stuff. Price isn't a major consideration, but I don't want to spend a small fortune. I'm more interested in quality construction, a case that opens easily without tools, and room for future expansion.

I don't care if it has lights, windows or doors. Hey, I'm talking about a PC case here--not a house! (Sorry if I just offended anyone. Please beleive me, no offense was intended. I just couldn't help myself!)

I'm also not particular about the material--either steel or aluminum is okay. But I guess aluminum might be a nice touch though--as long as it didn't break the bank. (Did I tell you I'm retired and on a fixed income?)

Lastly, please bear in mind that I'm fully capable of doing any required case modifications, like cutting out holes for fans, adding brackets, or pretty much anything else.

Can anyone point me in the right direction.... Please?

Thanks,
FloridaPapa :4-dontkno


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## v-six (Sep 12, 2004)

whats the budget for the case?


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## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

I'd like to keep it under, let's say, around $50 or $60, or so. But I don't know how realistic that price limit is. So, if you recommend one that's a real winner, but a few bucks more than that (say, in the $70 to $80 range), I'd be more than willing to consider it.

FloridaPapa


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## jonharris (Apr 30, 2005)

Factors to consider:
- Removable motherboard tray (very handy when building)
- Removable & perpendicular harddrive rack (handy for organization)
- Well vented front-intake, rear-exhaust, and possibly side (over cpu and videocard) blowhole.
- Fan size (90 and 120mm fans spin slower and quieter but move the same amount of air as their louder 80mm cousins.)
- Noise reduction (some cases feature noise reduction methods like insulated fan mounts, sound insulation on panels, etc.)
- Cable management (extra space in behind motherboard tray, clips, etc.)
- Weight (if planning on moving around)
- # of drives (how many hard drives do you want inside the case, do you want a floppy, zip drive, card-reader, multiple optical drives)
- Drive mounting (rails, screws, tool-less, etc.)

There are others for sure but generally those are my big items when looking at cases. Each one brings up the price a bit but you know best what you want and therefore can eliminate certain items.

Once you've considered what you are looking for in light of those factors, take a look around newegg, tigerdirect, or anywhere else and check out the cases available to you. Posting a list of your specific preference will let the TSF residents give you a more informed suggestion.


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## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

Hmm.... in fact, I can go higher for a REALLY good case. Let's put the upper limit at about $100, but please don't go too crazy with my wallet!

FloridaPapa


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## v-six (Sep 12, 2004)

A few to look at.
These are not end all's just some cases to look at. If you fall in love with one, great, if not, we'll keep looking.
apex
It may take alittle TLC to get good airflow in this, but its one of the only decent cases out there at that price.

rosewill 
This is probably more flash than what you want, but its a solid case, and very handsome in person. I only recommend it because I've done a build with it before, and everything went very smoothly.

thermaltake
I don't have personal experience with this case, but its a very clean simple design, which seems like what you'd prefer. Also, 2 120mm fans, which is a plus. It comes in black also. (it doesn't come with a power supply.)

an Antec, must I say more?
*Edit, be aware, this is a mini-tower

If a little birdie gives you a couple bucks to spend, this is a very nice case.

Anyway, wait for others to post some of their recommendations too, hopefully people will be able to share their opinions on the cases I posted also.


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## Guest (Jun 28, 2005)

Hello Floridapapa : D Might be out of the budget range but if you would like to have a genuine case you may consider a wooden case. They look nice. Like a fancy piece of furniture. Not a gamers choice at all : ) 
Check these out :
http://www.exoticwoodcrafts.com/
http://www.coolcomputercases.com/wooden-computer-case.htm


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## v-six (Sep 12, 2004)

jonharris said:


> Once you've considered what you are looking for in light of those factors, take a look around newegg, tigerdirect, or anywhere else and check out the cases available to you. Posting a list of your specific preference will let the TSF residents give you a more informed suggestion.


Florida, a very good suggestion.


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## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

Thanks, I'll do that then get back to the forum. Looks like I've got a lot of stuff to look at.

FloridaPapa


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## v-six (Sep 12, 2004)

FloridaPapa said:


> Looks like I've got a lot of stuff to look at.
> 
> FloridaPapa


You most certainly do, I've been case shopping for about two weeks now :smile:


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## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

A quick question....

What's the proper forum ettiquite here -- when I figure out what all my requirements are and find a case to ask y'all about, do I repost into this thread or start a new thread?

FloridaPapa


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## v-six (Sep 12, 2004)

It would be better to keep it all on this thread. Although it would be a tangent from this, some might consider it a double post, which is against TSF rules.


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## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

Okay, I must have looked at a few hundred cases now and I'm ready for you guys. So, here goes...

First, my wants and needs:

All the cases I looked at have sufficient bays and slots, so that doesn't seem to be an issue. (For the record, as a minimum I need 3 ext 5.25" bays, 1 ext 3.5" bay, 2 int 3.5" bays and 6 expansion slots).

Cooling: I want the best and most I can get. (I'm a retired reliability engineer--used to design guidance systems for NASA spacecraft--so I'm intimately familiar with the necessity of adequate cooling for electronic components).

Noise: Not as much an issue for me as cooling, i.e. I don't mind a little fan noise (but my wife might be a tad upset if my new computer sounded too much like an F-15 on afterburners).

Convenience: I definitely need a removeable MB tray and HD tray.

Other stuff:
1. I don't need a PS. I have an Antec NeoPower ATX 480W I'm gonna use. So, to me, an included PS is a negative. I'd rather put the $ into the case by itself.

2. I don't like doors that cover up the floppy, CD and DVD drives. I consider them an inconvenience. I don't mind if there's a door to get to the front mounted USB or audio connectors though.

Material: At first I thought anything would be okay. I may be having second thoughts. After looking at Lian-Li, I've decided that aluminum is REALLY nice! (but feel free to recommend steel if that's your preference).

Aesthetics: I LOVE a sparse, utilitarian but high-tech look (like I found in the Lian-Li cases).

Oh yes... my budget. I used $100 as my upper limit while searching NewEgg. That seemed to give me lots of options, so let's leave it there.

Okay, here are the two cases I've zeroed in on:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112022
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112022

I think I'm ready for your comments/suggestions/recommendations/rantings. Please, fire away...

FloridaPapa


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## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

Oops....

I think I put in the same link twice! Sorry.

Here are the correct links:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112211
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112022

FloridaPapa


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## jonharris (Apr 30, 2005)

I'm a big fan of the Lian-Li products.

I'm torn between those two cases you posted (don't have time to search for more right now). The 120mm in front of the hard-drive cage looks very nice but so does a 80mm blowhole on the top. Now admittedly, someone with your experience probably wouldn't be afraid of a hole-saw and a dremel (so many people are) so a top-side fan wouldn't be hard to install.

I'll look closer when I get home (coffee-break at the moment) but I imagine there will be many opinions from the rest.


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## v-six (Sep 12, 2004)

Lian-Li makes some great cases, I think you'll do well with either one.

*Edit, nevermind everything I've said in this whole thread, I just re-read your first post, I didn't catch that you already had a power supply. Was thinking you needed one with your case :3dunce:


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## twajetmech (Jul 1, 2004)

I'd personally reccomend the Lian-Li 6070 built like a tank...as a fellow aerospace tech, I think you'd apperciate its build quality, gernerally anything by Lian-Li will be excellent....or if budget is a concern the Antec Sonata II, an excellent case, quiet and easy to use.


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## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

Okay, I think I've made up my mind. 

First, the Lian-Li 6070 looks great, but it's a bit beyond my price cut-off, so it's out of the running.

Next, after close scrutiny, it appears that the Lian-Li PC-7A Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112211
doesn't have a removeable mb tray, so it's out too. Too bad 'cause the 12 cm intake fan is nice. (I don't think I am, but please, let me know if I'm wrong about this).

So, it looks like I'm going with the Lian-Li PC-60USB B2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112022

Even though they're probably a little noiser, and probably not quite as effective as the 12 cm fan in the PC-7A Plus, I'm guessing I'll be more than satisfied with the 80 cm fans in the 60USB. Everything else about this case looks just perfect for my use, and at $95 it's just within my budget (before shipping, of course).

Once again, thanks to everyone at TSF for the help.

FloridaPapa :grin:


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## v-six (Sep 12, 2004)

Does anyone think there's room to cut holes for a 120 mm exhaust on that case? Every once in a while you get a day where cutting through a piece of metal just makes everything better.


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## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

SixShooter said:


> Does anyone think there's room to cut holes for a 120 mm exhaust on that case? Every once in a while you get a day where cutting through a piece of metal just makes everything better.


I'll let you know when I get mine. I should be ordering it within the next day or two. I don't think I'll get around to doing any mods on it or building my new machine for a while though. My wife asked me to finish a few other projects around the house first.

One of the rules for a happy marriage is that the wife's projects sometimes must move to the top of the priority list. :grin:


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## FloridaPapa (Nov 16, 2004)

*I got my case...*

My Lian-Li PC-60USB arrived two days ago. I've had some time to examine the possibilities for mods, answer a few questions and throw in my opinions.

First, this case is BEAUTIFUL! The workmanship is excellent and the design is very well thought out. The mb tray and hard drive cage are both removeable. The drive tray will hold up to four 3.5" hard drives vertically or three horizontally, and it is located directly behind the two intake fans. That should provide excellent cooling for the drives.

The four fans it came with are ADDA 80mm fans and are supposed to be fairly quiet (23dBA each), but they don't move a lot of air (22.5 CFM each, max) (I'm guessing the noise spec is at the lowest of the three speed settings). I'm considering replacing them with four Silverstone FM82 fans. The FM82s will move much more air (72.48CFM each, max), and they'll be quieter at low or mid speed but a bit more noisy @ max speed (17dBA @ 1800RPM / 40dBA @ 3800RPM). The FM82s should be a direct fit. I'll have to research that a little more before I order them.

Also, the ADDA fans only have speed controls for the two intake fans. The Silverstone fans each come with a speed control mounted on an aluminum panel that will go perfectly with the case. I should easily be able to mount all four controls onto one 3.5" panel.

Someone asked if this case can be modified to replace the two 80mm intake fans with one 120mm fan. The short answer is, "NO." There isn't enough room.

There is lots of room to modify the top blow hole for a larger fan, easily up to 120mm. I don't think I'll bother to do that though. I don't like the idea of having much more exhaust flow than intake flow, so I'm planning to keep the intake and exhaust somewhat balanced.

The only other mod this case is begging for is to enlarge the fan vent holes in the front panel, front filter cover and top blow hole. In my opinion they are wholly inadequate and much too restrictive, especially in light of the fan changes I'm planning to make. It's too bad the designers opted for sleek looks instead of functionality in this area. The good news is that the remedy should be a simple drilling, cutting and filing procedure.

Thanks, everyone, for helping me choose this case.

FloridaPapa :sayyes:


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## boji (Jul 14, 2005)

i just wrote quite a lengthy response that was lost because i lost my loggin what a bummer. anyway. NEARLY ANY CASE WILL DO. i have worked over many old pent.1 and pent.2 cases. they require connetion plate cutting sometimes if it is really old. otherwise the plate should pop right in. next, will the poer supply allow room for the cpu and fan?
forget about the motherboard tray, they ar as much a pain to use as just putting the board in alone. i have found it jammes up the installation an the connector side.

i would recommend zipzoomfly.com they are the best. i once ordered a cpu fan that got here in less than two days on a two day free shipping feature. tiger direct.com is also well stcked but i have gotten a case with a bad power supply once. i just replaced it with
a good quality antec and no worries. i have seen cases that would work for you in the $30-$40 price range. just be sure to add an extra fan for cooling.


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## boji (Jul 14, 2005)

*cooling*

i am no expert but here is a thought. if you make a negative pressure by exhausting more than you intake via fans, you will still intake air through "cracks" and holes. exhausting the heat, especially in the area right next to the cpu works better for me. i have seen folks argue the placement of fans before. i have seen no "expert advice" really. it all conflicts. do what works. if exhaust idea doesn't work, turn the fan around, lol. i do like the hole on top idea. i have done this once and that case never gets hot.


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