Case Suggestion

[StuG]

I will probably be building a partly-new computer come AMD Bulldozer and I am scouting the market now. Will be hanging onto my graphics cards, so the case must be able to accommodate such lengthy cards. Also, I would like it to have much of the characteristics of my now aged and beaten Antec P180. I will be fitting somewhere between 4-6 HDD's in it, and a full length motherboard. Primarily speaking that:

A. Fully Filtered! This has become something marked as "must have" on my PC list. Having filters on the case makes life so much easier.

B. Silent. It has to be pretty silent, or at-least make some attempts at noise canceling features. I like my PC's to be as silent as possible and a quality case does help with this.

C. Pro. I want the case to look rather professional. So stay way from anything that has crazy lights or windows on it. Looking for functionality here.

D. Quality. I want something that is on par or greater than the build quality of my Antec P180, or in other words "pretty good".

Budget would be something between $100-200. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!

[DancinJack]

This seems to fit your criteria.

e: Here you go, good sir.

[insulin_junkie72]

Fractal cases don't seem to be the deal in North America (due to limited distribution, perhaps) that they seem to be for Europeans, who apparently get them much cheaper.

They were designed to be sort of cheap, decent Antec P18x type knockoffs (and SPCR reports indicate the build quality isn't nearly as good as the Antec P18x - steel is much thinner, sound damping material is so-so), but they don't seem to be priced much lower in the US than the real deal.

[rogue426]

How about this?
I realize it has 2 white fan lights but maybe they can be switched off.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811139003


Edit: maybe not , didnt see anything about it being filtered

[StuG]

I love all the Corsair cases but sadly, I do not see any filters on them. The Fractal Design would have been win, if it were not for the build quality. I suppose they are a runner up, if my P180 was in better condition....at this point I think I would just reuse it.

Edit: I went and looked over some of the Fractal Design cases, and they actually seem pretty good. You can tell they are of lesser build quality, but they offer quite a bit more sound reduction features than the P180. It looks as though they have also integrated the P180 Filter System, or something very close to it. This is a huge plus, but it also lets you expand to more fans than the P180 ever did (doubt I ever would though). The XL looks the best IMO. Does anyone have any hands on experience with this minus SPCR? I like that site, but sometimes they can be overly critical.

Edit Edit: Nobody even comes close on Antec's P180 HDD mounting system

[rogue426]

I reread this last night, Corsair does come with filters except for top exhaust fan, I'm going to verify at my local CompUSA , if they do think I'll pick one up for myself.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/19638

[StuG]

Hmm, please update me on what you find. I really do like that case, and Corsair makes good stuff. Though I'm not sure about those really huge fans, I feel as though that might be too much air and/or hard to replace later.

[just brew it!]

Since you seem to like your P180, how about an Antec P183?

Edit: Hmm... looking at the customer feedback on the P183, it seems to be a mixed bag. Perhaps you should keep looking elsewhere.

[flip-mode]

A. Fully Filtered! This has become something marked as "must have" on my PC list. Having filters on the case makes life so much easier.

I used to be super anal about filtering but I gave up. Dust filters still let a bit of dust in - the super fine particulate dust - and they reduce air flow so you either end up with higher temps or louder fans or more fans.

All dust problems can be eliminated with
http://images.orgill.com/200x200/2906048.jpg

Yes, I have that exact model and yes, I use it to blow out my computer and no, I'm not worried about hurting anything. The air pressure can be regulated so I can choose whether to blow with 20 PSI or 120 PSI.

Those little air canisters are worthless.

[StuG]

How much did that run you? I would love to get me one of those things. Still, the reason I like filters so much is because the fine particles take longer to build up, and so your heatsinks stay dustbunny free for longer. It is a pretty hard thing to maintain though, I do agree with you there. Also, how often do you usually clean your computer you think?

[riviera74]

This may be outside your budget, but take a look at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163162&cm_re=ft02-_-11-163-162-_-Product

[pwheel]

This is what I use to blow my case out
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW

I take my case out to the balcony and do it each Spring and Fall or when I have to open it up for a serious upgrade.

[flip-mode]

How much did that run you? I would love to get me one of those things. Still, the reason I like filters so much is because the fine particles take longer to build up, and so your heatsinks stay dustbunny free for longer. It is a pretty hard thing to maintain though, I do agree with you there. Also, how often do you usually clean your computer you think?

It was $200 and included a finish nailer

I don't have to blow out my case very often. I might blow it out every 6 months, but not much dust builds up in 6 months. We don't have pets and there's no carpet where my computer is and then the fact that I keep it up on the desk counts for a whole lot.

Here's an air compressor for $70:
http://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Hausfeld ... 460&sr=8-1
and you should consider getting
http://www.amazon.com/Campbell-Hausfeld ... y_hi_img_b
with it.

You should also check our Home Depot. That's where I got mine and they still have the same kit I got with the nailer in it, but I think it runs $240 regular price. I got mine during Christmas season.

What is great about air compressors is that they are useful for so much more than blowing dust out of you computer! Obviously they fill tires with air, but there's also blowing out your refridgerator's coils (and fan if applicable), blowing off the work bench, pneumatic tools, blowing up whatever balls are around, and even blowing your clothes off if you've managed to get particularly dusty. As useful as it is, it does go for two-to-three month stretches without getting used sometimes.

[flip-mode]

This is what I use to blow my case out
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW

I take my case out to the balcony and do it each Spring and Fall or when I have to open it up for a serious upgrade.

Hey, that looks ideal. How much air does it push? Nevermind, after reading some of the reviews at Amazon that thing sounds perfect. The only reason I'd still get an air compressor is for all the other stuff it can do. The downsides of an air compressor are noise, weight, and size.

[rogue426]

A. Fully Filtered! This has become something marked as "must have" on my PC list. Having filters on the case makes life so much easier.

I used to be super anal about filtering but I gave up. Dust filters still let a bit of dust in - the super fine particulate dust - and they reduce air flow so you either end up with higher temps or louder fans or more fans.

All dust problems can be eliminated with
http://images.orgill.com/200x200/2906048.jpg

Yes, I have that exact model and yes, I use it to blow out my computer and no, I'm not worried about hurting anything. The air pressure can be regulated so I can choose whether to blow with 20 PSI or 120 PSI.

Those little air canisters are worthless.

I have and use the same thing, I make sure that I drain the tank first and leave it running for 15 seconds before I close the petcock on the drain before blowing out my cases.

[Ryu Connor]

http://www.amazon.com/SILVERSTONE-RV02B ... B002M78KZG

IIRC there is a model of the RV02 without a window. Not sure who stocks it. Short of that this thing meets all your other criteria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFmbodtTq1o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l3al-eskoo

[Flying Fox]

This is what I use to blow my case out
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW

I take my case out to the balcony and do it each Spring and Fall or when I have to open it up for a serious upgrade.

Wow, looks pretty powerful. Did you use it in blower mode all the time or you keep buying bags for the vacuuming mode?

[flip-mode]

This is what I use to blow my case out
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW

I take my case out to the balcony and do it each Spring and Fall or when I have to open it up for a serious upgrade.

Wow, looks pretty powerful. Did you use it in blower mode all the time or you keep buying bags for the vacuuming mode?

If you look more closely, you'll see that the brand name is "Metro Vacuum", but the product itself is not capable of vacuuming at all - only blowing.

It took me a minute to realize that myself.

[Flying Fox]

This is what I use to blow my case out
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J4ZOAW

I take my case out to the balcony and do it each Spring and Fall or when I have to open it up for a serious upgrade.

Wow, looks pretty powerful. Did you use it in blower mode all the time or you keep buying bags for the vacuuming mode?

If you look more closely, you'll see that the brand name is "Metro Vacuum", but the product itself is not capable of vacuuming at all - only blowing.

It took me a minute to realize that myself.

Amazon links the bags together with the item, it must been fooled too.

[pwheel]

You are correct in stating the Metro "Vacuum" is really only a blower. I think someone at Amazon mistyped the word vacuum into the product identifier because the label on it says Electric Duster.

It is very powerful for its size, pushing plenty of air to clean out a case, and feels very solid (made in USA). However, keep in mind it is best used outdoors as it will disperse the dust into a large cloud. It is well worth the money spent if you do not have the space or need for a small compressor. Metro also sells a vacuum on Amazon with the same sized motor, but the customer reviews on it are mixed.