does anyone have experience with coolermaster cases? I see lots of talk about the lian li, but not much comparison to coolermaster regarding suitability for quiet PCs... <BR> <BR>the atc-200 series look pretty similar to the lian li cases (there's a fan on top, but no fan speed control), and the <!-- BBCode Start --><A HREF="http://www.coolermaster.com/products/atc/atc100.html" TARGET="_blank">ATC-100</A><!-- BBCode End --> has a 120mm fan for a fan duct which goes over the cpu. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>
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I have Lian Li and a Coolermaster cases. I particularly like the newer Coolermaster cases that DONT have fan mounting locations on the front. I would never use a front mounted fan anyway in a quiet PC so front fan locations are simply holes for noise to escape directly at me as far as i'm concerned. Were I to buy a Coolermaster case today it would be the ATC-101 or ATC-210. The ATX-100 was Coolermaster's first attempt at making a case and as such is not as refined in its details as later cases. <br> <br>Jonathan
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This is my first post here. Its great to finally see a BBS dedicated to silent PCs. Yahoo has just started charging me for pop access, so it looks like I'll be here a lot more often instead of Yahoo SilentPC. We are an import and distribution company located in Australia specializing in products to make PCs quiet. <br> <br>Lian Li and other Al cases are great for a few reasons. They are really light, they look nice and they are made well. There is a lot of hype about how they reduce temperatures inside the case and while this is true, it is by a *negligable* amount. <br> <br>In reducing noise we often have to increase the weight of our cases (heavier PSU, CPU coolers, noise dampening material etc.). It should be called the "noise vs weight tradeoff" <IMG SRC="modules/phpBB_14/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">. So to buy an aluminium case because it is light is a waste of money in my opinion. Sorry I dont have experience with Coolermaster. I have a Chieftech case. Its all steel, very heavy and made extremely well. And MUCH cheaper than an aluminium case. <br> <br>I would probably buy an Al micro ATX case if I went to LAN parties often. <br> <br>regards
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Thanks for the replies.. <br>Does anyone else have an opinion on this? <br> <br>Is there any consensus on a case that is recommended for quiet PC's? I don't think I want to add noise-dampening material that may make the case warmer.
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>>Thanks for the replies.. <br>>>Does anyone else have an opinion on this? <br>>> <br>>>Is there any consensus on a case that is recommended for quiet PC's? I don't think I want to add noise-dampening material that may make the case warmer. <br> <br>I actually don't think the case matters so much, unless the holes for the intake and outtake fans are fairly obstructed. In that case, I'd just cut them out and put a wire fan grill over them. <br> <br>I have both an Antec and Lian Li case ... noise levels were about the same I'd say but my memory may be foggy. I got the Lian Li since I'm into case modding. The real key is to have quiet components in your system.
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I got a Coolermaster ATC-200, and it's pretty cool. It looks nice, the motherboard tray is easy to work with, and all my stuff fit in pretty well... I got rounded cables that were too long by mistake, but i just stuffed the excess length into an unused drive bay and it looks like the airflow should be pretty good. <br> <br>My only problem with it is that I can't figure out how to remove the 2 fans in the bottom front of the case. <br>I also swapped out the fan on the top of the case for a vantec stealth, which is emitting a relatively loud hum (i don't believe it's 21dB as advertised, at least). I will do some more tests with the setup to see why the fan is so noisy. <br> <br>It would also be nice if the drive bay cage was removable, but not a huge problem.
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I have a Coolermaster ATC-201C and an Lian Li PC10, as well as 3 Antec SX cases. All are excellent cases. I think the Coolermaster has better build quality than the Lian Li, although my Lian Li is pretty old, so it's possible they've improved. My Coolermaster came with really buzzy YS Tech fans which I replaced with PCP&C Silencers. For a case that's nearly $200, I think they should've done better. I really appreciate the light weight of the aluminum cases and once you get used to slide out mobo trays, you can really get spoiled. As far as performance goes, Antec SX cases do just as well for a lot less money, but the Coolermaster is really a nice indulgence.
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how did you get the front fans out of the case?? everything in the front is riveted in, so i don't see how to get to the screws to take out the fan <br> <br>hrm maybe i'm missing something simple <br>
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Sorry, Conroy, I haven't been in the forum for awhile. You need to remove the six screws on the front with a hex wrench, then remove the fan grill. You can then get at the screws that hold in the fans. If it's not clear, I found out how to do it through a review listed at Hardware-one.com.
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