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Another Case Question...

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2003 12:35 pm
by abcb
I've been reading the articles on here as well as the recommendations but still haven't been able to find a case that I like.

I'm looking for a mid-tower case - 17"-20" high, that will be suitable for building a quiet PC. Some of my preferences are:

1) To have a door/cover over the drive bays. I normally don't use them that often, and I really like the look of having a clean front of the case. Either that or I need a case with 'stealth' drive bay doors.

2) No existing PSU. Since my computer is very close to my bed, I'm looking to make it very quiet. And since I'm not especially handy, I prefer not to mess around with a PSU. It seems that the best bet would be to get a Nexus NX-3000 or a SilenX PSU from what I've read. I really like the idea of getting a PSU that would also control the case fan. I know this isn't the PSU forum, but if you have any other suggestions I'd appreciate them.

3) I'm also looking for all the normal case goodies: thumb screws, no sharp edges, easily opened hinged doors, 120 mm (preferred) or 80 mm fan holes, etc.

4) I'm hoping to spend less than $100 for the case so I can get the case and PSU for under $200.

I'm hoping to put the ASUS A7N8X motherboard and an Athlon XP 2400+ or faster chip in it. Thanks for the advice!

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2003 12:49 pm
by Katana Man
Sounds like the Antec Sonata, SLK3700, and Lian Li 6070 would be candidates.

Here's a list of cases with 120mm fans:
http://forums.silentpcreview.com//viewtopic.php?t=3606

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2003 1:44 pm
by abcb
Katana Man wrote:Sounds like the Antec Sonata, SLK3700, and Lian Li 6070 would be candidates.

Here's a list of cases with 120mm fans:
http://forums.silentpcreview.com//viewtopic.php?t=3606
Yeah. I've looked into all of these. The two antec's come with PSUs already and I haven't been able to find anyone who will sell them without a PSU. I've found other antec cases without PSUs, but not these two. I'd rather not pay for a case with a PSU if I'm planning on getting another PSU.

The Lian Li is a nice case. But I've seen it listed at $200 without a PSU. Considerably more than I was hoping to spend.

I guess that's a reason why I decided to look at non 120mm fan cases as well. Any other ideas?

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2003 1:49 pm
by Katana Man
The D8000 from coolcases.com is nearly the same case as the Antec SLK3700, but it does not have a front door cover. It comes without the PSU and is only $52.

Spending money on a good case solution is well spent money. It will outlast your internal components.

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2003 2:07 pm
by GamingGod
The slk3700 is only $70 shipped, and you can just throw away the power supply if your really insistent on not using it.

Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2003 4:28 pm
by miker
Get the Sonata or the SLK3700 and sell the PSU on ebay as new/unused. It will probably sell for 35-40 on there. That covers half the cost of your nexus

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2003 4:39 am
by Ralf Hutter
miker wrote:Get the Sonata or the SLK3700 and sell the PSU on ebay as new/unused. It will probably sell for 35-40 on there. That covers half the cost of your nexus
That's what I did with my SLK3700. I sold the SmartPower SL350 for $40 so the case only ended up costing me about $40 including tax. If you do something like that you end up with a great case for $40 and plenty of $$ left in your $200 budget for a high quality PSU and other quiet PC accesories.

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2003 11:43 am
by fmah
This probably doesn't quite match up to the Antec, but I think this has cool style and 2 spring loaded stealth doors on it.

http://www.nexustek.nl/istyle.htm