Cases with 120mm fans

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Devonavar

rickyman
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where to buy Coolermaster Centurion 530 (RC-530-SSR1) ?

Post by rickyman » Mon Apr 11, 2005 11:19 am

Coolermaster Centurion 530 (RC-530-SSR1)

where to buy this case in USA?

ckamc
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Re: where to buy Coolermaster Centurion 530 (RC-530-SSR1) ?

Post by ckamc » Mon Apr 11, 2005 12:24 pm

rickyman wrote:Coolermaster Centurion 530 (RC-530-SSR1)

where to buy this case in USA?
Cooler Master Forum Thread

Accoring to that it says
Probably the same time I said before, May-June. Newegg, SundialMicro, ZipZoom, and all the others that sell current Cooler Master products.

scinju
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Post by scinju » Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:16 pm

Lian Li PC-7 Plus

frankgehry
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Post by frankgehry » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:54 am


Katana Man
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Post by Katana Man » Fri Apr 15, 2005 1:41 pm

Please do not post new cases to add to the list unless it:

1. Is a mid tower case.
2. Has room for 120mm fans in front AND back
3. Is widely available for sale.


I will not add it to the list unless the above criteria is met. Thank you.

CeeJay
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Post by CeeJay » Sun Apr 17, 2005 11:12 pm

The Antec SLK3000B is not on the list.
It's steel and there is a review of it on this site.

Also I suggest you sort the list in alphabetical order (but keep the seperation of aluminium and steel cases)

cyberman
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120mmx38mm?

Post by cyberman » Wed Apr 20, 2005 9:52 pm

Anybody know if any of these cases can accept 38mm thick fans in the front? (I'm assuming no case would have any obstacles to putting a 38mm fan in the back, but I've seen thats not true for the front of all cases.)

CeeJay
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Post by CeeJay » Thu Apr 21, 2005 11:47 pm

SCORE! .. lots of "Cases With 120mm Exhaust Mounts"

http://nforcershq.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=58165

ImJacksAmygdala
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Post by ImJacksAmygdala » Fri May 06, 2005 12:15 pm

Hello, I've been lurking here for a while, but today I finally registered. From what I have read the Antec Sonata and Antec SLK3700BQE have some of the best airflow with the option to mount 2 quiet 120mm fans. I plan on building a "quiet" gaming rig for the HDTV in the living room, but I want something that will stack with the rest of my home theater components.

My question is has any company made a HTPC case that is basically a Antec SLK3700BQE on its side with 2 120mm fans and the option for a ATX power supply?

Has anyone thought of taking a Antec SLK3700BQE and modding the front 5.25 bays to be horizontal behind the door, taking out the hard drive cage, adding a front 120mm fan, suspending the harddrives horizontal, and moving the rubber feet to the side wall?

Basically making a Antec SLK3700BQE a HTPC case that can stack with other Home theater components. The door is a bit awkward, but even that could be modded or removed with stealthed drive trays.

Why hasn't Antec made a horizontal HTPC case with the SLK3700BQE design? It seems to me that for HTPCs two 120mm fans is the way to go for noise and airflow and it wouldn't take much for Antec to take the popular designs of the Sonata and SLK3700BQE and use it to improve upon their Minuet and Overture cases. I know I would buy it today if they offered such a case.

If you look at this link to the Sonata sticky in this forum and scroll down a bit you can even see a picture of a Sonata on its side. Looks to me like the bottom is nice and shiny like the rest of the sides.

http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewtopic.php?t=7720

Has anyone tried this? Any owners of the Sonata and SLK3700BQE think its feasible to mod? Does such a case already exist?

Katana Man
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Post by Katana Man » Fri May 06, 2005 12:26 pm

Well for starters, the Sonata and BQE are NOT the best designed for air flow. They are better than the average case, but you'll notice the restrictive design for the hard drive cage due to them being positioned 90 degrees from normal. This design is not well thought out when it comes to airflow.

The SLK3700AMB, or any other case based off of the CompuCase LX-6A19 has a much better design for airflow.

As for the cases designed horizontally, I have not seen any that are well designed. Almost all of the HTPC cases are 80mm fans or smaller (Yuck!). I own some 4U rack mount cases that do have 120mm up front, but not in the rear. For years I've been keeping my eyes open for a 4U rackmount case or HTPC case with dual 120's but so far, I have not seen any.

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Post by sundevil_1997 » Fri May 06, 2005 12:37 pm

ImJacksAmygdala wrote:Hello, I've been lurking here for a while, but today I finally registered. From what I have read the Antec Sonata and
Welcome to SPCR!!

And also welcome to the wretched life known as "waiting for a decent HTPC case to come out that doesn't cost more than my TV". I've been at it now for only 3 months, and it sucks! :x

ImJacksAmygdala
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Post by ImJacksAmygdala » Fri May 06, 2005 1:08 pm

Wow I didn't expect such a quick response. Thanks for all the info guys.

I searched Newegg for any HTPC cases using the 120mm fan search filter and none are offered. I think you guys are correct that there is nothing on the market for what we are looking for.

Have any modders out there tried to take a SLK3700BQE and mod the front 5.25 bays to be horizontal behind the door, take out the hard drive cage, add a front 120mm fan, suspend the harddrives horizontal, and move the rubber feet to the side wall?

Any owners of the Sonata and SLK3700BQE think its feasible to mod this?

I guess maybe the best option for us is to go to Antecs suggestion page and tell them we want a case like this for the HTPC crowd and link this 120mm thread and the http://nforcershq.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=58165 120mm thread so that Antec can see that we want a 120mm HTPC case and there just isn't one on the market yet.

Antec could be the first to release a 120mm HTPC case with a design that is already popular and more functional than Antecs other HTPC cases.

http://www.antec.com/us/info_suggestionForm.php

If a case like this interests you maybe we should let Antec know about it.

sundevil_1997
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Post by sundevil_1997 » Fri May 06, 2005 1:52 pm

ImJacksAmygdala wrote:Any owners of the Sonata and SLK3700BQE think its feasible to mod this?
Have you checked the "Sonata mods" thread stickied at the top of this forum? maybe it's already been done, or if nothing else, it's a thread full of people who aren't afraid to cut into that case.

As for an HTPC case for a 120mm, I BELIEVE there is a Silverstone case where the motherboard is actually mounted on the "roof" of the case, and the intake air fan is on the bottom of the case. Perhaps that is, or could easily be made, big enough for a 120mm.

If all you're looking for is a 120mm intake, then perhaps that would be it. I'll see if I can find it.

Edit: I found it. Meh...not quite what I thought it was. Big opening on the bottom, but wasn't meant for a fan. Heck, it almost looks too big for a fan. Oh well.

GameManK
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Post by GameManK » Mon May 09, 2005 12:49 pm


Paragon
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Post by Paragon » Sun May 15, 2005 11:43 am

Katana Man wrote:Please do not post new cases to add to the list unless it:

1. Is a mid tower case.
2. Has room for 120mm fans in front AND back
3. Is widely available for sale.


I will not add it to the list unless the above criteria is met. Thank you.
Well you can take the Chenbro Junior off the list, Chenbro is currently not exporting them anymore and Jim at Cool Cases is uncertain if they ever will again. He feels they're probably going to stop production of this case :cry:

ssmokee
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Post by ssmokee » Thu Sep 01, 2005 12:59 am

Does anyone know of any resellers of Compucase cases located in Canada? I want to get a 6A19, but I havent been able to find anyone selling it using google.

minktoast
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PCICASE PC-8601BS

Post by minktoast » Tue Nov 08, 2005 2:55 pm

I've just built a nice machine with the above case. It has similar layout to the Antec 3700BQE from a cooling point-of-view.

Available for £37 fro eBuyer in the UK (Quickfind code: 90899).

Photos from the manufacturer here:

http://www.pcicase.co.uk/extraimages.ihtml?pid=591

Pros:
1. Excellent intake for front 120mm fan (lots of air gap - the big grills on the front are hinged so you can open them right up.)
2. Washable dust filter
3. Good value
4. Well made
4. Easy to suspend HD's with elastic in 3.5" cage.
5. Nice position of USB and firewire ports (top front)

Cons:
1. The big intake vents could let out noise out (but I don't notice with 2 suspended spinpoints, nexus 120mm fans and the box on the floor)
2. Only 1 external 3.5" bay which has a floppy cover over it :-( quite annoying - but I managed to squeeze a card reader behind the floppy facia!

I'm really pleased with this case. I've taped up the side vent (thermally advantaged hole) and am running a nice quiet system.

Tom

----------------
PCICASE PC-8601BS
Athlon 64 3000 Venice
Abit AN8 Ultra nForce4 Ultra
Seasonic s12 430
Freezer 64
2 Spinponts
2 nexus 120's
Passive Radeon 7000 PCI

Mccoyness
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Post by Mccoyness » Sun Dec 11, 2005 10:39 am

Gigabyte Aurora 3D
http://www.giga-byte.com/Peripherals/Pr ... S(ANB).htm (phpbb doesn't like the brackets)

2x120mm rear exhaust + 1x120mm front intake = interesting!

Felger Carbon
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Post by Felger Carbon » Wed Dec 28, 2005 3:10 am

I'd like to introduce you to the first (AFAIK) _true_ miniATX tower case with a 120mm exhaust fan - the Ever Case ECE3505 (Newegg). I'm using one now. I define _true_ miniATX as a 14" high case, 16" deep. Most of these are about 7" wide; to make room for the big exhaust fan this unit became 7.5" wide. As a side benefit, there's room for some tall tower HSFs. According to my measurement, there's 6.3" from the top of the CPU to the side cover. That's exactly 160mm, so an HR-01 should fit, assuming the 160mm height is slightly overstated, as is usually the case (the "150mm" Ninja is actually ~146.5mm high). I already have my second 3505 on its way to me. My first case arrived without the Intel-specific TAC internal duct, but this is not a concern for AMD folk. Everything else was fine.

Ralf Hutter
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Post by Ralf Hutter » Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:12 am

Felger Carbon wrote:I'd like to introduce you to the first (AFAIK) _true_ miniATX tower case with a 120mm exhaust fan - the Ever Case ECE3505 (Newegg). I'm using one now.
Link for the lazy.

Felger Carbon
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Missing Intel TAC internal duct on ECE3505

Post by Felger Carbon » Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:10 pm

Thanx for the handy link, Ralf. Not lazy, just haven't learned how to use that feature yet. But I took a peek, and Newegg always includes a shot showing the accessories that come with the case. And there is no internal duct shown! So, although one side of the assembly instruction sheet explains how to mount the duct, apparently a decision was made to leave the duct out of the case, period.

As I said, not a concern for AMD folk. But Intel people take note.

Thomas
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Thermaltake Mambo & Swing

Post by Thomas » Mon Jan 09, 2006 1:09 am

http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Chas ... 000bns.asp

http://www.thermaltake.com/product/Chas ... _index.asp

Both comes with a fan, which according to the Big Typhoon users, are very quiet. Some claims it's comparable with a Nexus.

On the Swing, the HDD cage is easy to remove.

http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... ht=typhoon

http://forums.silentpcreview.com/viewto ... ht=typhoon

Felger Carbon
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Post by Felger Carbon » Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:32 am

There are now two true uATX cases with 120mm input and exhaust fans. Joining the Ever Case ECE3505 is the Silverstone Temjen TJ08, which jjr just brought to our attention in the PC Cooling forum.

Sizzle
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Post by Sizzle » Sat Mar 25, 2006 5:57 am

Sunbeam Tech Silent Storm

http://www.sunbeamtech.com/index-2.html

jaganath
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Post by jaganath » Sat Mar 25, 2006 6:08 am

Silent Storm
Completely off-topic, why do PC parts manufacturers insist on naming their products after extreme weather phenomena? Storm, Hurricane, Tornado, Typhoon, it seems no cyclonic weather system is safe from their naming conventions. A "Silent Storm", for example, is an oxymoron. :roll:

(to pedants, yes I realise watching a storm from a long way away you will not be able to hear it, but that's hardly the point is it).

Felger Carbon
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Post by Felger Carbon » Sat Mar 25, 2006 6:30 am

Sizzle wrote:Sunbeam Tech Silent Storm

http://www.sunbeamtech.com/index-2.html
What about the Silent Storm? Surely you're not putting forth that monstrously huge full ATX case as a "true uATX" case, are you?

It's to be expected that monstrously huge full ATX cases have a couple of 120mm fans. Some have six or seven, and some have a 250mm fan and a 140mm fan, among others. :lol:

Sizzle
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Post by Sizzle » Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:13 am

Felger Carbon wrote:
Sizzle wrote:Sunbeam Tech Silent Storm

http://www.sunbeamtech.com/index-2.html
What about the Silent Storm? Surely you're not putting forth that monstrously huge full ATX case as a "true uATX" case, are you?

It's to be expected that monstrously huge full ATX cases have a couple of 120mm fans. Some have six or seven, and some have a 250mm fan and a 140mm fan, among others. :lol:
No, but the title of this thread is "Cases with 120mm fan's." Not just "wee cases with 120mm fans."

Felger Carbon
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Post by Felger Carbon » Sat Mar 25, 2006 1:35 pm

Sizzle wrote:...the title of this thread is "Cases with 120mm fan's." Not just "wee cases with 120mm fans."
Good point. The original InWin Q500 case, I believe, depended on just the 80mm PSU fan for cooling. A later version added an actual 80mm exhaust fan, hooray! :D

Still, the industry has arrived at a point where the presence of one or two 120mm fans on a full tower ATX chassis is no longer news. In fact, their absence would be news! :wink:

Howard
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Post by Howard » Sun Apr 23, 2006 11:44 am

Is the Lite-On FS020 still available for purchase?

gbass01
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Post by gbass01 » Mon May 29, 2006 4:55 pm

I think I bought one of the last FS20's from Newegg about 5 years ago.. Will gladly buy another if anyone has any.

Love the dual exhaust - I have a 4 inch drier duct running from XP120 to the upper exhaust fan.

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