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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: aldo_14 on August 04, 2004, 04:36:49 pm

Title: Good PC case?
Post by: aldo_14 on August 04, 2004, 04:36:49 pm
Any advice?  

I'm looking to chuck out my (going on 5 years old) crap-as-hell case.  Laregly because my PC is overheating a lot, it seems, and I have no space to add a case fan.  Also because it'll only get worse if I add a second HD, which I desperately need to do.

I'm looking at http://www.dabs.com/uk/ProductView?quicklinx=2SJT or http://www.dabs.com/uk/ProductView?quicklinx=3179 at the mo*, but this is completely new to me..... I'm hoping to spend less than 70 quid  (ideally much less).

*yeah, I know they're the same company, but I don;t have a brand preference of indeed any knowledge to form one.  The latter was on special offer ;)
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on August 04, 2004, 04:42:02 pm
Chieftec Dragon. I got one, and my system temps dropped by about 20 degrees.

Hold on, and I'll get a link.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=1141261860&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=55549

There y'are. You'd need a seperate PSU, and (tries to remember)... four 80mm fans, but Ebuyer sells them for about 50p a throw.

And AFAIK, this is basically the same case with a different fascia, but is a damn sight cheaper
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=1141291844&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=55649
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: aldo_14 on August 04, 2004, 04:46:53 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Petrarch of the VBB
Chieftec Dragon. I got one, and my system temps dropped by about 20 degrees.

Hold on, and I'll get a link.

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=1141261860&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=55549

There y'are. You'd need a seperate PSU, and (tries to remember)... four 80mm fans, but Ebuyer sells them for about 50p a throw.


Seems a good shout :)
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: redsniper on August 04, 2004, 04:57:11 pm
Antec 0wnz...
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Genryu on August 04, 2004, 05:34:26 pm
I've got an Antec Sonata Case, which I'm damn too lazy to find a link for. If you want a case for OC, this isn't for you, but if you want noise reduction, this baby is a godsend.

Edit : just cause i'm in a good mood, here's a link (http://www.procooling.com/reviews/html/antec_sonata_case_review.php).
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Martinus on August 04, 2004, 06:59:40 pm
[color=66ff00]Also have a Dragon, a nice purple one, built like a tank and brilliantly designed, I was so impressed with it.

My mate bought one soon after. :)

BTW if you do buy one get them to send you accurate colour pics as the new ones aren't quite the same colour. THe old black ones were pitch black, the new ones are dark grey and it doesn't look as good IMHO.
[/color]
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: aldo_14 on August 04, 2004, 07:00:54 pm
To be honest, it could be cherryade vomit pink for all I care....it sits under the desk :D
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on August 04, 2004, 07:08:04 pm
Transferring all me bits into the Dragon was hell, though.

Some twat (i.e me) had stripped the heads on the HD mouting screws...
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Grey Wolf on August 04, 2004, 07:18:40 pm
Antec SLK3700AMB or Antec Sonata.
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Kamikaze on August 04, 2004, 07:22:54 pm
I have a Chieftec Matrix, kinda like a Dragon with lots of slits in the front for ventilation and more places to mount fans.
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: aldo_14 on August 05, 2004, 05:06:25 am
Hmm...one thing, though - and this will seem a daft question to 90% of people :) - how are the fans connected to the power, because the only piccies I've seen use the PSU connectors.... and I only have about 2 of those free, so can you get a splitter?
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on August 05, 2004, 05:17:26 am
Yup.

Although, iirc, the fans I got had splitters attached.
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Turnsky on August 05, 2004, 06:00:05 am
Lian-Li's a good sturdy brand of cases.
most have a separate hard-drive bay, just behind the twin fans that have in the front of the case.
and they're quiet.

oh, and there's another outlet fan near where the CPU usually is.. so it keeps my athlon reasonably cool.
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Fury on August 05, 2004, 06:07:36 am
Antec 1080AMG, I've got two. :)
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Gloriano on August 05, 2004, 06:16:55 am
I have Chieftec Matrix and it's pretty quiet
and nice....
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on August 05, 2004, 07:21:14 am
Quiet is not something I bother about, and just as well.
Having... nine fans in here means it sounds like something Frank Whittle would be proud of.
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: aldo_14 on August 05, 2004, 03:36:57 pm
Balls.  I just discovered that I have no free power-out-cables in my Pc (once you factor in the HD I need to add)....'
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Grey Wolf on August 05, 2004, 04:41:53 pm
Get a new PSU. Antec TruePower or NeoPower.
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: aldo_14 on August 05, 2004, 05:23:55 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Grey Wolf 2009
Get a new PSU. Antec TruePower or NeoPower.


It'd be the 2nd in less than a year, tho.... and my cupboard is overflowing with junk.  And I'm just a stingy bastard. :)
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Sandwich on August 05, 2004, 07:26:57 pm
I heavily second Turnsky's Lian-Li (http://images.google.com/images?q=lian+li) recommendation - they're widely accepted to be the sweetest cases out there - and they follow the less is more school of design thought. :D
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Turnsky on August 05, 2004, 10:39:49 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Sandwich
I heavily second Turnsky's Lian-Li (http://images.google.com/images?q=lian+li) recommendation - they're widely accepted to be the sweetest cases out there - and they follow the less is more school of design thought. :D


that, and they come with lots of thumbscrews as standards.
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Vertigo1 on August 06, 2004, 01:41:53 am
click me (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=property&catalog=7&propertycodevalue=0,%203615,%200,%200,%200,%200,%200,%200,%200,%200,%200&minprice=&maxprice=&mfrcode=1516&DEPA=1&order=PRICE&InnerManu=1516)

If you're going to spring for a new case, get one with a decent power supply.  Alot of times, its actually cheaper to get one WITH a power supply than one without.  Buying a case without a power supply is sheer stupidity unless you already have one handy.  Also, keep in mind to accept nothing smaller than 350 watts.  Thats with running a modern processor, motherboard, and video card combo.  Right now I'm running an Athlon XP 2800+, half a gig of RAM, a GF3 Ti200 (not exactly the biggest power hog in my system, I'll give you that), two hard drives (both 7200RPM), two burners (one CD-RW and one DVD +/- RW), one FDD (used sparingly), with six or seven fans running (counting power supply, video card, and CPU fans).  All of this off of a Fortron 350W power supply (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=17-104-966&depa=0) and it has absolutely no trouble at all handling this load.
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: pyro-manic on August 06, 2004, 09:17:38 am
Antec 1080AMG. Comes with a 430W PSU, I think they're about £80. Very good quality, and lots of space. :)
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Stealth on August 06, 2004, 10:11:50 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Turnsky
Lian-Li's a good sturdy brand of cases.


Without a doubt.  take it from Turnsky and get a LianLi case. ;)
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Turnsky on August 06, 2004, 10:44:24 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Stealth


Without a doubt.  take it from Turnsky and get a LianLi case. ;)


*speaks from experience* ;)
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Vertigo1 on August 06, 2004, 10:54:27 pm
Yes, but you pay out the ass for a Lian-Li case.  Some people don't have money growing on trees. ;)
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Stealth on August 07, 2004, 01:23:48 am
That is true.  And what makes a computer good isn't the case itself.  The case is the smallest component of a computer compared to the motherboard, processor, hard drive, RAM, etc.  but if you can afford a good computer case, the Lian Li is what you need to go for :)
Title: Good PC case?
Post by: Turnsky on August 07, 2004, 02:15:26 am
Quote
Originally posted by Stealth
That is true.  And what makes a computer good isn't the case itself.  The case is the smallest component of a computer compared to the motherboard, processor, hard drive, RAM, etc.  but if you can afford a good computer case, the Lian Li is what you need to go for :)


yeah, i shelled out extra for my Lian-Li 'cause i wanted it to last a fair while, it should do the job nicely until ATX becomes horribly obsolete ;)