I am building an SSI EEB system: 2 Nehalem-EP CPU's and at least 2 video cards. As you can imagine, given the forum section in which I'm posting this, I could use some case recommendations.

Note that I don't need hard-drive cooling or vibration dampening, as I'll exclusively be using SSD's and already have 5.25" bay adapters. So, I'd like to focus on getting airflow on video cards, which will be using (ideally passive) after-market cooling, and on the CPU heatsinks.

SSI EEB is the same size as E-ATX (12" x 13") but has different motherboard mounting holes. Most mainstream cases don't have these holes, and I don't wish to do minor modding it make it fit in an E-ATX case. Silverstone seems to be the only non-server-case manufacturer that has a wide selection of cases which do have these holes - from Raven 1 to many of the aluminum towers.

The problem I have with the Raven 1 is with its awful front door and supposedly poor cable management, possibly due to the motherboard's unusual orientation within the case. The aluminum cases are mostly out, simply because they're aluminum, unless I hear some positive reviews from SPCR folks. And that leaves only a couple steel cases: TJ05 or KL03. They just don't have ideal designs for good airflow, it seems to me.

So, my top candidates for now are Chenbro SR10769and SR10969. They seem like solid enough cases, and I like that the mid 120mm fans would be blowing close to the video cards and CPU's. Obviously, I'd change out all the fans for some quiet ones.

So, I was wondering if I could get opinions on the following questions:
1) Do the Chenbro cases seem like decent enough choices? Does anyone have other suggestions for SSI EEB cases?
2) Would it make sense to put 38mm-wide fans in as the mid-case ones in the SR10769? I think they would fit, but are there even any particularly quiet or quiet-able ones (i.e., by undervolting) that would outperform the popular 25mm-wide choices?
3) Does the double-fan thing in the middle of the SR10969 make sense? That and its seemingly more airy front door make up the only real advantages of the SR109 over the SR107.

Thanks for your opinions!

Since you "don't wish to do minor modding it make it fit in an E-ATX case", your choices are narrow and the Chenbros seem inevitable.

1) yes, they seem fine, probably very solid.
2) don't touch 28mm depth fans -- way noisier 99% of the time. scythe is the brand of choice for quiet 120x25mm fans
3) only if you want a tornado/cyclone effect -- in sound as well as airflow

Since there are no HDDs, the anti-aluminum bias can be dropped -- it's mostly HDD vibration that makes au cases hum so badly. Slow fans usually don't do it nearly as bad.

In the Chenbro case, btw, the biggest noise issue could be PSU fan ramp-up. There will be a fair amount of heat from the CPUs, I presume, close to the intake of a typical 120mm fan psu. If you think this could be an issue, you might consider using a high quality quiet 80mm fan PSU (like an Antec Signature) with a duct to the front like in Quiet PC for Torrid Thailand

Yay for Mike personally responding!



I'm actually not necessarily completely opposed to using E-ATX and putting little "bumpers" in strategic locations. I was under the impression that the holes are completely different, but I guess MOST should match up with EATX... right?

If I choose to go with that route, what good case options do I have, besides something like P193?



Will do. (or rather - won't do)



Figured as much, but needed confirmation. I do still like the SR109's front, though, hehe.



Hmm... Should I maybe then look into something like Silverstone TJ10? It has a mid-mounted 120mm fan, which I like, and I might also be able to fit in a Scythe KAMA bay (with or without a fan).



Well, I've already ordered a PSU that has a 135mm fan, and I'd like to stay away from 80mm PSU fans, anyway. But I agree that it might be somewhat of a problem. The mobo that I'm using is Tyan S7025, which has one CPU a little higher and towards the "east" side of the board, while the "west" CPU is a little bit lower and hopefully very close to any rear fan that the case of my choosing will have. Plus, the CPU's will be X5570's, and I understand that they're not especially hot CPU's... as far as uber server/workstation-grade CPU's go, at least.

I don't really know. You should consult the mobo manual and examine the mounting hole pattern carefully to compare against EATX, etc, or even better, the manuals of the cases you're considering.

Which 135mm fan PSU?
Which video cards?
What's the system for anyway?

In any case, if you are willing to do this kind of modding, then I think it's worth reconsidering case options that provide discrete airflow for the PSU, as this could be a significant noise issue w/ two 95W CPUs and 2 video cards. The cases I'd consider...

-- Antec P193 -- EATX explicitly mentioned. This is an obvious choice, esp w/ Antec CP-850 PSU. Pretty cheap, too, considering.
-- Big Silverstones -- TJ9,TJ10... there's a handful that support EATX and SSI, and have the PSU on the bottom.

And if you're looking at those, you might as well also look at the Coolermaster options like the Cosmos, HAF932, etc (tho these explicitly state "does not support Dual Xeon Nocona")... and big LianLi too.

Will do. I have plenty of time before I actually NEED to get a case. Just figured I'd just start my research early. In the meantime, I have an old modded Chenbro Genie (SR104) that I can use; I don't think it supports SSI EEB, but it's at least EATX. Heck, if it wasn't beige and didn't have a couple quirks, I would seriously consider just using it and not getting a new case.

ABS Majesty Series 1100W... I felt like experimenting, since it's 80+ Gold certified... ABS is just Newegg, which means it should be a high-quality OEM manufacturer of some sort. I just needed a PSU ASAP so that I could test the main components, in case I need to return them (note the "good deals" I mention a little later in this post).

I'll start off with a GTX285 that I have already (+ HR-03 GTX) and see what ATI has coming up in the very near future. But for now, I have my eye on a couple HD 5850's for Crossfire, which I can later upgrade to 3 or even 4 cards in the future.

Mainly, a combination of video editing and gaming on my 30" monitor (thus the video cards), along with other lighter workstation duties, and also as a home server. I saw a good deal for the CPU's and mobo, so I had to snatch them.
Speaking of video editing, I might have to get a FireWire card, but that's something I'll think about much later.

I don't like the relatively low height limit for CPU HSF's - 140mm - cased by the giant side-fan. I don't like Antec's excuse that this limit is not a problem because all of those fans they have in the case mean that you don't have to use a big heatsink... Also, there are no fans (other than the side fan) too close to the video cards.

Yeah, TJ10 is one of the top candidates, especially considering its "native" SSI EEB support. Still a little suspicious of aluminum, though, unless someone wants to mod a Mac Pro case for me . And is it me, or would cables not really fit between the motherboard tray and the "left" side of the TJ10 (for cable routing / hiding)?

Yep, will do. Lian Li PC-A7110B might be an option, if I were to go with aluminum. There are only a couple places where I can still order it, unfortunately.

As for the cases that say things like "does not support Dual Xeon Nocona," I BELIEVE that's only because of certain CPU back-panels, which Nehalem motherboards don't need (they're built onto the motherboards).

I currently have a cosmos S with a gtx 295 and a gtx 275 in it, they fold constantly, and they've been running for a couple weeks with no extra cooling consideration. In terms of silencing, it really seems to help having the side panel with the foam padding on it, the noise with the panel off and panel on is really night and day. There's fan at the bottom of the case that pumps air toward the video cards, and it seems effective, although you may want to take some time with the cable management and make sure you have clear flow paths. At the top you have dual 120/140mm fan mounts at the top and a 120mm rear fan mount, so cpu cooling shouldn't be hard, I have a quad core with a mugen 2 on it, and it runs very cool with a slow fan on it. Definitely switch out the included fans or put them on a controller, they don't usually run quiet at high voltage. The only real downside of the case is that hard drive cooling isn't spectacular, and if you're using ssds, you'll be fine. My system also runs off on ssd, and I've had no problems with that.

Now if you're going to be overclocking heavily, then you may want the cosmos 1000 or something else with the big open grills in the front, but that is going to be noisier. You probably know the pros and cons by now, I guess it's just going to be your level of trust.

Yeah, I was actually looking into Cooler Master cases last night, and I decided that I might like the standard Cosmos. I like the two top 120/140mm fan design, and I can put in a KAMA bay in the front for a little extra ventilation (and possibly an extra intake fan); just not sure if that really makes sense, considering that there are no holes in or around the front door in the standard Cosmos. Cable routing was my main concern, but I guess there are ways of carefully arranging it. And I'll also consider the aluminum Cosmos models.

Silverstone TJ10 is still looking like the other not-unlikely candidate, in which I can put in some melamine foam, if need be.

I'd never thought I'd say this, but I think that a Thermaltake case might be a good option - Xaser VI.

I found it while checking out cases with 8+ expansion slots, since I realized that I'm unlikely to fit 4 video cards in only the 7 standard slots. Not that I'm particularly likely to get 4 cards, but my motherboard can at least theoretically accommodate them, and I got curious.

Positives:

* A crapload of 120mm/140mm fan slots in good locations - 2 on the bottom, 1 in the rear, 1 on top, and 1 in mid-position for the video cards
* A seemingly steel construction (despite the fact that newegg calls it aluminum; maybe that's the front panel or something).
* 10 expansion slots (overkill, but interesting)
* Might fit SSI EEB without much modification, since it officially fits SSI CEB

Negatives:

* TOO much airflow and too many vents; should be fixable with strategic vinyl and/or foam and/or other material placement, and removal (as opposed to just replacement) of some of the fans; might also have to put in 2 KAMA bays or other filters in the front
* PSU on top. Might not be a big problem, since there's also a vent above it and a fan slot nearby, at the top of the case.
* Thermaltake reputation + styling. Meh, I can swallow my pride.

What do you guys think? Obviously, I'd change out all the fans for better ones... Probably 140mm Scythes in the vertical slots, and some kind of ball bearing fans for the horizontal locations (that makes sense, right?).