Case recommendations

[Master_G]

I am soon going to be building a new computer for my parents as the current one (P3 750 GF3) doesnt quite cut it anymore, and so i am looking for a new case.

This is proving more difficult than i had thought. I am looking for:

Midi case (PC60 or a bit larger)

ATX not BTX

120mm intake and exhaust (intake has decent airflow, not having to draw up from the floor to keep the front fascia clean from holes)

Decent looking

Fan filters preferred by not necessary (can always stick some tights over the fans)

Cases i have already looked at and rejected:

Lian-Li PC7 PLUS - 80mm exhaust

Coolermaster Wavemaster - 80mm fans all around

Coolermaster Cavalier 3 - 80mm intake

Silverstone Temjin TJ04 - No decent intake for front fan

Silverstone Temjin TJ05 - I REALLY thought this was the case for me, looks great, 120mm fans, filters but then i looked at the dimensions and for some crazy reason it is 617mm deep! (a good 12cm deeper than a PC-60) so i cant fit it under the desk without it sticking out too far.

I didnt think my list of desired options was that crazy but my searcing is proving me wrong,.

So, long story short, can anyone recommend me a case that will suit my needs?

G

 

[jellybeard999]

PC7 plus has been updated, and all should now be 120mm front and rear

 

[chris_ah1]

I would say Lian-li V600 or a silverstone sugo SG-01.

I realise that these aren't perfect for your requirments, but are small and rather nice imo.

PC7 plus II is perfect for your needs - and is nice and light.

The antec sonata II is a good case too albeit slightly cheapish with the plastic front - but it is heavy too.

I don't think that you really need massive airflow if you are going for a budget system - won't a micro-atx X2 4400+ with onboard 6150 GPU be enough and 2GB of cas3 ram? Then at least you can go for PCIe gpu when the time comes for Vista.

 

[jellybeard999]

I would say Lian-li V600 or a silverstone sugo SG-01.

I realise that these aren't perfect for your requirments, but are small and rather nice imo.

PC7 plus II is perfect for your needs - and is nice and light.

The antec sonata II is a good case too albeit slightly cheapish with the plastic front - but it is heavy too.

I don't think that you really need massive airflow if you are going for a budget system - won't a micro-atx X2 4400+ with onboard 6150 GPU be enough and 2GB of cas3 ram? Then at least you can go for PCIe gpu when the time comes for Vista.

that would be a bit tooooo much tbh 8)

 

[welshtom]

pc7+ matey

can get them for 50 quid nowadays. 120mm fans throughout

 

[Gangster]

pc7+ matey

can get them for 50 quid nowadays. 120mm fans throughout

ditto great value cases, and good looking too

 

[Master_G]

Ah, a PC7+II sounds great, i didnt even know it existed, everywhere i have seen lists the PC7+I with the 80mm exhaust. I will email the sites and see if they have replaced the +I with the +II and just havent changed the listing.

I really wanted the 120mm fans for their combination of noise and airflow, im looking to build a powerful but pretty quiet system, some parts will be overkill (PSU should have plenty of headroom, case has more airflow than strictly necessary etc) but i know i will be upgrading it in the future so overhead is useful, im not really going for budget.

When i build the system (hopefully soon once im sufficiently recovered from my ankle sprain to have decent mobility) i'll make a thread on the system.

Thanks a lot for the help guys, greatly appreciated

G

 

[Firelord]

Akasa Eclipse 62 is a fantastic case but might be a touch wide for your needs.

Personally an Aspire X-QPack with a 6150 board would be a great system for parents and is nice and compact. Plus being mATX is upgradable

 

[Mindless-Moron]

pc7 plus se has intake and outake 120mm's.

 

[justin]

why dont you wc it? can put it in a smaller case...?

 

[Master_G]

The case doesnt need to be any smaller, it's going under the desk, so it just needs to be unobtrusive, so not too tall and not too deep, and the PC-7 matches the PC-60 ive got on top of my LS.

I dont want to WC it because it would put the cost up, and put the amount of effort in building it up, and could also require more upkeep than an aircooled system.

I may however consider switching to this watercooling once it is released as it should be reasonably cheap and require no attention, and with the 120mm fans in the PC-7 it should be pretty easy to fit:

http://www.vapochill.com/nyhederPro/visnyhed.asp?nyhedid=452&DatabaseID=1

G