jackel

Im going to order new parts for a machine, but i dont have a case yet. ANyone have some suggests for a case? I am looking for something not too expensive, nothing silly like water cooled, nothing really above mid 100s. also, it is sort of hot and humid here being summer. I dont have AC so maybe there is a case that is better for this sort of weather..?

Apophis

I bought a Lian Li PC82 a couple years ago and still absolutely love it. It's not quite as good in the fit & finish category as the CoolerMaster cases, but it's easy to work on and does the trick nicely.

Unfortunately the images are currently broken, but here's a review I did of it after I got the case.

Lian Li PC82 Case Review

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Most cases will be fine for hot weather if you place fans in the correct areas. You could get a really cheap case but place your fans well and get sufficient cooling. So, I would recommend you get a case that you like and cool it well. You might want to read up on case cooling so you know where to place fans. Generally, you want intake from the front-bottom and exhaust at the back-top. If you find something with a side-panel fan or a top-panel, make use of it.

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flux

To me this is key. I've seen a lot of cases that do not have enough of an opening for intake at the front. Most I've seen have just a small opening at the bottom of the front bezel. The problem with this is if put the case on carpet you've effectively cut off your intake flow.

As Sarc said most cases are fine, but if you find the case you like doesn't have sufficient intake flow as I pointed out above, mod it

Syn

I have a Lian Li PC68. I 'll never go back to the el cheapo steel kind I used to buy with every upgrade. I'm so glad I spent the extra $ to get a good case, it will outlast any other upgrade.

I also laced mine with heat-reflective material (on the inside) so more warm air is moved through the case, and not absorbed by it. This reduced my internal temps by a few degrees.

The Lian Li's are designed very well (mine came with 4 fans), and well worth the money if you want a solid physical platform to build from.

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wwwMEMORYnet

check out this one http://www.xoxide.com/tttsunami1.html seems like it would be good for cooling and its a nice looking case IMO

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=Sarc=

That's a nice looking case. Although the side intake seems to be for the CPU. I like side intakes for the video card.

The Lian-Li cases are really nice. They're also expensive. One thing that people forget when getting a case is user-friendliness. I've read reviews about Lian-Li cases and how the inside is made so you don't cut yourself. I've done it plenty of times while fiddling around with the insides. I now have a case with rounded edges by the drive bays and anywhere else that could cut you.

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Quarath

Speaking of cases. I hope tobuy me an airbrush in the next couple months and one of thing I wanted to do to practice with it is paint some computer cases with custom airbrushed graphics. I don't know how good they will be to begin butI can always paint overthe bad ones.

Does any hear think their is a market for cases or moded cases with custom painted themes? I also though I could do a series of TG ones if people were interested. I would need a good stock decent used or cheap cases to start with. I planed to start withacouple ATX ones I have laying around with no PS in them. One is a full tower about 3.5-4 feet tall with 6 full size bay and 3 smallones.

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TheFeniX

Ahem.. what's so silly about having a consistent CPU temp of 28C and a PC that makes almost no noise when running?

I will agree that the price isn't exactly nominal ($300). But I've never been more satisfied with a case. No more dust-clogged fans (the ones it does have are easily cleaned without opening the case), no more high-temps in my restricted desk enclosure or high noise when I leave my PC running to DL over-night.

I can offer you one bit of advice: don't skimp on the power supply. It'll only cost you more in the long run (down-time and shipping costs) to replace a cheap one.

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Syn

Amen to that, my current Enermax power supply weighs 3 times as much as the cheap ones. Quality pays for itself over time.


and speaking of water cooling, Just how noisy IS it, because aren't the radiator(s) cooled externally? I'm assuming you must have case fans, just for circulation purposes (video card, hard drives, etc...) So it's not totally noise-free (which I would -love-, but can't seem to justify the many hundreds for a good water cool setup....)

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Sniper

Lanboy from Antec. Alunimum case, and with all my parts in it, it is still EXTREMLY light. It's lighter with all my parts in it than my other case without anything (comes with 2 fans, 1 front (in) 1 back (out). Good circulation. Also comes with carry straps for going to lan partays!!!!!

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TheFeniX

No, the radiator is mounted at the top of the case and it draws air off of it by the way of three 8 CM fans. At the lowest RPM, I have to look at the front lights to tell the PC is on. When I'm gaming UT2k4, I can crank the fans up to full-speed with a button press, but it's still quiet (I can't hear it from more than 4-5 feet away).

I have two extra panaflow 8 cms on the back which are also controlled by the water cooling system. They get up to speed only when I want them too.

And my Video Card and Motherboard chipset are also linked to the watercooling system. No more dust caked fans overheating my card.

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CingularDuality

I'd use the cases you have as practice/demo models to show people your work, but if you're going to do custom work, I'd be willing to order the case that your client wants if I were you. If I'm gonna shell out an extra $50 for custom art, I'd want it to be on my preferred model of case... 'Course, this would mean that you'd need to get paid at least partially in advance.

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jackel

wow, thanks guys, some really great suggestions/ideas.
The pieces game today.. one fan, 512ram, mobo, amd athlon 64 2800+

I've never really modded a case out, but i'd sure love to try, so maybe i'll see if i can find a cheap, nice one and figure out what i can do to it.. any tips on modding them?

And fenix, i'd love to try a water cooled, but i dont know if i'll exactly have that sorta cash for a case like that.. i might be able to pull something off, but i'd have to wait a while.

jackel

what do you guys think about this one?
http://www.xoxide.com/seahawk1.html
doesnt exactly have side to top vents :\
but two in the back and one in front