Has anyone one used this Enermax case?

[sgtpokey]

http://www.maxpoint.com/pc_cases/pccases_cs-10182.htm

I know at first blush it seems like not a good silent case but the 7 fan locations give you the ability to get airflow into the key areas that you need it. I'd probably use 4 1000-1500rpm fans: not use the top fan, keep one front fans, use one side fan and one rear exhaust (plus fan from psu).

Since I still overclock AND want reasonable quietness, for me I'm always looking for better airflow in the specific areas (CPU, Northbridge, Video Card, etc) that heat up.

Anyone have experience with this case?

[jinu117]

http://www.maxpoint.com/pc_cases/pccases_cs-10182.htm

I know at first blush it seems like not a good silent case but the 7 fan locations give you the ability to get airflow into the key areas that you need it. I'd probably use 4 1000-1500rpm fans: not use the top fan, keep one front fans, use one side fan and one rear exhaust (plus fan from psu).

Since I still overclock AND want reasonable quietness, for me I'm always looking for better airflow in the specific areas (CPU, Northbridge, Video Card, etc) that heat up.

Anyone have experience with this case?

I don't overclock the P4 but I do overclock my Radeon 9500 Pro. My case is Cooler Master 201 which has almost exact same fan configuration as case you mentioned above. minus those 2 nifty fan over the PCI/AGP slot. (Okay, I use Zalman 123 for it but the solution on enermax case is definitely more elegant).
I like the case over all. What I found was by keeping decent airflow with multiple fan at low speed, you can keep the temperature reasonable (my ambient temp vs temp inside case is only 2-3c off even with fans running at 5-8 v). With above case, most likely you will want front 2 fans at lower speed than rear one (front intake noise can get quite noisy if turned up since there will be significant airflow right in front of you vs back one)
PSU noise can be reduced (if thermally controlled) by giving its inlet cooler temp air. I would recommend against 2 fan design as those takes heat directly off from CPU. So the top fan can take moderate air in which will be feeded to PSU (5v) while cooling DVD-R or CD-R or what not. Also, this will keep the hot air rising up to stagnate before hitting the top of case which in turn gets pushed out by rear vent. (Rear vents are not terribly efficient if you suck it out at both rear and top... measuring temp with my hand, it used be so much cooler than PSU before making top exhuast as intake, now they are about even)
For me, it seems Vantec is better choice for such low voltage compared to Panaflo, but either fan probably will suffice.
I don't know the construction of case but most likely some acoustic mat will help with remaining high freq noise. (I looked at the reveiw for some acoustic mat but frankly, I can see those thick matt fitting in my case while covering everything I need to cover... and paxmate does great job with high freq noise... the reviewer should have included dynamet if the vibration was the most important factor for the review)
Also crucial is estoric fan mount which can further reduce vibration from fan (in fact, most low freq noise is generated by fan vibration or hdd vibration).
My recommendation on PSU is any of those silent PSU and if those sounds too loud, change the fan.
One thing to know is it seems to be never ending vicious cycle of purchase and install (took me 4 weeks of buying and swapping stuff with total of anywhere from $300-500... yes I do have many fans...)
Right now, I am quite done with my case (waiting for novibe 3 for my 180gxp).

How silent is it? During day time, I can't hear it at ALL unless within half foot of rear of the case (where it is most noisy). If I touch the case, there is almost no vibration you can feel unless you are touching the hdd enclosure section and rear panel. During the night time (this is when I can hear those cheapo $20 wall clock across the room tick), I can hear the air woosh up to about 5ft. The rest of noise I can hear about up to 3ft. At 6ft plus, I will have to concentrate very hard to even hear the rig at all. (at which point, my wifes & babys deep breathing in sleep is much much more audible)
I haven't done much with my athlon box (ran out of play money pretty much at current time) but that rig which is quieted down by 1/3 of where it was in stock sounds thunderous next to this. My main concern with Athlon was how the CPU fan was so loud... I couldn't really tune it down too much with fear of temperature rise. If SLK900 or other heatsinks are much better than Thermaltake Volcano 9 by 30-40%, I can see how athlon rig can get as quiet as my P4 one is.
Overall, I like the case you are considering. It looks very well designed. I would have gotten that if I knew it existed instead of my current case and spent that extra $100 somewhere else...

[jinu117]

Much more objective than my subjective opinion I guess (which doesn't seem to differ from what I thought).
http://www.tomshardware.com/consumer/20 ... se-10.html

[sgtpokey]

Yeah, I tend to agree with your points jinu, right now I have a Lian-Li PC60 case, which has basically the same fan setup as your Coolermaster ATC.

and:

Overall, I like the case you are considering. It looks very well designed. I would have gotten that if I knew it existed instead of my current case and spent that extra $100 somewhere else...

I too wish I saw this case before my lian-li purchase . the real reason I'm looking at a new case is not that I'd buy it right away, but it'll be something for me to keep in mind next upgrade cycle, since the side intake fans would seem to resolve any airflow issues with a zalman video heatpipe, and potential overclocking problems with the Northbridge.

Plus I also have a third goal for my system:
Besides high-performance and quietness, since this computer sits in the living room it also needs to be stylish enough to blend in with the rest of the decor!!! I do think this is a pretty elegant case.

thanks for your tips...