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njenabnit
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Looking for a specific case

Thu Oct 06, 2011 8:58 am

My current sits inside of an Antec 300 that I have modded pretty heavily. I have removed the HDD rack completely to allow my 2x120mm radiator to blow out the front of the case. I have also cut up the motherboard tray to allow for better cable management (although there isn't much room behind that tray). I have also cut and installed my own side panel window and cut the ground between the front panel audio and USB (which causes a feedback loop and buzzing for the headphone jack).

I recently took out my entire loop and switched to a corsair h50 for the CPU and back to stock cooling for the GPU. Part of this was because the case felt overly crowded and seemed to gather dust like no other. I have since started looking into buying a new case that would better fit what I want.

Here are a few of the things that I am looking for:
    Either full or mid tower
    Dedicated (atleast) 2x120mm radiator support via mounting (either on top, front, side, bottom)
    Decent cable management with a dedicated 24pin connection hole
    Painted Interior

I am not too concerned with large number of HDD support or 5.25 drive cages. I will only have 1 or 2 HDD's at the most and only one 5.25 drive. A side window would be nice, but is def. not a deal breaker.

I have been looking at the CM HAF series and I like them, but it seems like only the top level one is available with a painted interior. There is also the issue of budget. I would like to keep it under $100 if at all possible.

Do you guys have any suggestions?
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Walkintarget
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Re: Looking for a specific case

Thu Oct 06, 2011 9:08 am

A bit over your budget, but take a look at the NZXT Phantom. I had this case on my short list based on its quality and layout, but ended up getting a Tt Level 10 GT instead. It comes in an assortment of colors as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146067

Also, to help lower the price, 15% off w/ promo code NZXTOCT1, which ends 10/10. Ohh, and FREE SHIPPING to boot :)

Edit: Ohh, I forgot to mention the budget CoolerMaster HAF912 Advanced. Advanced is the key word here, as it updates the 912 with a painted interior and a side window. I see Newegg does not carry it, so hit up your favorite search engine for more details on the HAF 912 Advanced.
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njenabnit
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Re: Looking for a specific case

Thu Oct 06, 2011 9:57 am

Thanks! I will check into the NZXT cases. I haven't looked at them before.

My luck searching for an HAF912 Advanced has been pretty unsuccessful (well, finding one with a decent shipping rate). Maybe a trip to Fry's would help.
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Walkintarget
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Re: Looking for a specific case

Thu Oct 06, 2011 2:11 pm

Yep, I had no luck in my search for you for the 912 Advanced. CM made a limited run of these back in '09 I think, and they sold out in a hurry.
A second run of them sold out just as fast, so it would appear they are like HP, they make a nice product that everyone buys, then they abandon it and move on to another product.

Even so, the CM lineup is pretty solid, so I have no qualms recommending them to anyone lately. Not sure how well this one supports your 2x120 setup, but it is worth a look as well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216
AMD Ryzen R5 2600x, Asus Prime x470 Pro, Sapphire Nitro Fury 4GB, HP EX920 512GB NVMe SSD, 16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro, 4TB WD Red HDD, Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Ed, Win 10 Pro
 
Waco
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Re: Looking for a specific case

Thu Oct 06, 2011 6:40 pm

Walkintarget wrote:
Yep, I had no luck in my search for you for the 912 Advanced. CM made a limited run of these back in '09 I think, and they sold out in a hurry.
A second run of them sold out just as fast, so it would appear they are like HP, they make a nice product that everyone buys, then they abandon it and move on to another product.

Even so, the CM lineup is pretty solid, so I have no qualms recommending them to anyone lately. Not sure how well this one supports your 2x120 setup, but it is worth a look as well:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216

Top: 1 x 140 mm fan(supports 120 / 140 mm fan x 2)


If it supports dual 120 mm fans I'd be willing to bet a decent sum that it'll handle a 240mm radiator.
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njenabnit
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Re: Looking for a specific case

Thu Oct 06, 2011 8:49 pm

That is another nice case. It looks like it will support a top or bottom radiator (according to the newegg page). I would still be afraid that it would be pretty tight in there. I have one of the larger pumps that takes up a lot of space, even when I put it in the empty space left by my lack of hard drives.

I don't know though....
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njenabnit
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Re: Looking for a specific case

Fri Oct 14, 2011 2:43 pm

Take #2. After the new case article on the Corsair Carbide, I became a believer. I am thinking the white 500R.

From Amazon, the case is $129 AR. It looks to have everything I want and then some.

My next question would be this: My PC currently sits on carpet. To use the bottom fans, I would want to elevate it or sit it on something flat. I was thinking about getting a smaller sheet of the plastic that you buy to put under your computer chair, but my google-fu is failing me on finding any sort of mats like that. Any suggestions?
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videobits
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Re: Looking for a specific case

Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:29 pm

The simple utility way is to simply slap down a piece of 1/2" plywood under your machine. That's what I'm using on one of my boxes.

If you care how it looks, black spray paint turns cut plywood into....a device. :)

If you must have plastic, I'd suggest looking for a large cutting board. You can pick them up from the store for pretty cheap and they cut down to size easily. I've not used them in this way but for other electronics mounting solutions they've worked out fine. Finding one large enough to slip under the front to back distance of the feet of the case might present a problem. In that case head to McMaster-Carr, http://www.mcmaster.com/ , and get some plastic. Part # 8619K462 for example is a 12 x 24 x .25 inch piece of HDPE for $12.45. They have plenty of other sizes/colors/materials too.
 
njenabnit
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Re: Looking for a specific case

Mon Oct 17, 2011 7:47 am

come to find out, a Wii Fit is exactly the size of my case and fits perfectly. My wife and I don't use it, so why not?
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