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As the title indicates, I am in the market for a new case, and am getting half tempted to build one myself. Before I go to that extreme route, I figure I'd cast my line and see what nibbles, so to speak. My specs that I am looking for can't be searched (at least, not on any site I've been to). I need...

• Dimensions no larger than...
• 19" Length
• 10" Width (9" if side ventilation is present, fan or otherwise)
• 24" Height (obviously doesn't really need to go anywhere near that)
• Side-Mounted HDDs, by this I mean I do not want the power/data connectors pointing at the back of the case, I want them pointed to the side.
• Good ventilation
• Decent Cable-Running options

Reason for these specifics is that the desk I have has a tower enclosure (that I intend to use) that allows for a case depth of a MAX of 19". This constitutes a problem, as I have an SLI system running 2x 260GTXs, and those cards are very long. I cannot use half of the HDD bays in my case because they would touch the edge of the video cards. My current case is the Antec Nine Hundred, and it is still perfectly functional, but cord management in this system is too messy for the aforementioned reason. Any suggestions on this dilemma are welcome.

get a new desk? put the case someplace else? do you really need all of the hdd slots? how many do you need / want? how much are you looking to spend?

nzxt beta evo at 19.75" deep. i dunno how firm that depth requirement is. i've seen this go with free shipping before. i know the older version usually ships free (and typically costs less).
nzxt panzer box if you want an oddball case to play with. 17.25" deep. has slots below the 5.25 bays, and side-facing slots below those on the floor. free shipping and $20 mir now.
cooler master storm scout at 19.25". might want to keep an eye on this; it was on sale during black friday with free shipping; could go on sale again who knows.

if you plan to do any overclocking with new processors in the future be sure to find a case with a hole behind the mother board so you can change the heatsink easily
sadly, my antec p182 does not have one

demel tool. 'nuff said.

Cyco-dude: Desk stays, it was a gift, and is still new. If I could put it somewhere else, I wouldn't have this dilemma, I am a little short on location options. I am looking for a total of 5 HDDs. Price is not really a concern, but the more bang for the buck the better. and lastly, the 19" L is as long as it can be, unless I remove the door to the tower enclosure, which then I have 22" of room to keep the front of the case flush with the desk. My friend got the Evo case for his new system, If it comes down to removing the door, I will definitely consider this.

potatochobit: Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't OC anymore, so the only time I change a CPU Fan is after Failure, or when I get a new CPU. I will keep it in mind though.

Any other suggestions, I like to have a large pool of choices to look at.

Byte Storm wrote:

and lastly, the 19" L is as long as it can be, unless I remove the door to the tower enclosure, which then I have 22" of room to keep the front of the case flush with the desk. My friend got the Evo case for his new system, If it comes down to removing the door, I will definitely consider this.

that would certainly give you a few more options; if it can be done and still look good with the rest of the desk i'd try that. it would give you easier access to your cd-rom, power button, front panel usb ports etc.