# A friend is upgrading to a new CASE mid or full tower...



## Sasqui (Oct 19, 2010)

Helped a friend build a rig about 5 years ago, he's currently got Core2 Extreme, NVidia based MB (don't know the model), 4 HDDs, optical drive, 7900's in SLI.  The case he's got is not particularly great and he want's to upgrade.

He's ultimately going to get a GTX 480, and fairly soon.

So first up for him is a case.  Myself, I'm a fan of CoolerMaster, looking for a sleek, understated, solid, sturdy, very workable case with great cable management and room to grow, also looking for great airflow.  He's not interested in H20, only air cooling.  He likes my HAF 932, but it's big and basically a giant screen door with fans. 

Budget?  Under $250.  Mid or full tower, prefer inside to be BLACK.

Throw me some reccomendations and links!  Cheers.


----------



## Techtu (Oct 19, 2010)

This appeal's to me alot recently, and has everything your friend should need 

Antec Dark Fleet DF-85











A quick description...



Spoiler



Product Description

The Advanced Gaming Force

Time to build a killer rig? Turn to Antec. The Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 the gaming case re-envisioned, with all the award-winning build quality that made Antec cases famous and plenty of airy, wide-open expandability with 14 total drive bays and 7 expansion slots. Fleet-Release™ front drive bays allow swift customization of front fan and drive configurations and easy access to tool-less, washable fan filters. A top-mounted hot-swappable SATA (SSD-compatible) drive bay plus Fleet-Swap™ SATA drive interfaces offer blazing fast throughput with superb convenience. With pioneering design and world-first conveniences, the Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 is the case of choice for your next flagship.



Specifications:
• Three Fleet-Release™ access doors open separately for convenient entry to drives
• Three washable fan filters allow for easy cleaning
• Top 2.5” hot-swap SATA (SSD-compatible) drive bay
• Bottom-mounted power supply isolates heat (PSU Not Included) - Mounts either a standard size power supply or an Antec exclusive CP Series power supply
• Lockable access doors ensure security
• CPU cutout allows for easy installation of CPU coolers
• 14 drive bays - Up to 9 x internal 3.5” - 3 x external 5.25” - 4 x external 3.5” Fleet-Swap™ drives (position changeable) - 1 x external top 2.5” hot-swap SATA drive bay - 1 x internal bottom-mounted 2.5” SSD drive
• Advanced cooling system - 2 x top 140mm TwoCool™ fans - 2 x rear 120mm TwoCool™ LED fans - 3 x front 120mm red LED fans with speed control knobs - 1 x side 120mm fan for graphics cards (optional) - Water cooling capable
• 7 expansion slots to support multiple graphics cards Maximum video card size: 12.5” / 318mm
Cable management ties help keep your case tidier Stylish blacked-out interior Windowed side panel
Front ports - 1 x USB 3.0 - 3 x USB 2.0 - Audio (AC’97 and HDA compatible) In and Out
Motherboards: Mini-ITX, microATX, Standard ATX Power supply not included Weight: 26.3 lb / 11.3 kg Dimensions: 23.5” (H) x 8.4” (W) x 19.9” (D) 596mm (H) x 213mm (W) x 505mm (D)


----------



## [Ion] (Oct 19, 2010)

CM692: COOLER MASTER RC-692-KKN2 CM690 II Advanced Black ...
600T: Corsair Graphite Series 600T Black Steel / Plastic...
HAF932 Black: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Black RC-932-KWN3 Black Stee...
LIAN LI PC-B25FWB: LIAN LI PC-B25FWB Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Com...
Antec 1200: Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Co...
If he likes the styling...Antec DF-85: Antec DF-85 Black Computer Case


----------



## assaulter_99 (Oct 19, 2010)

if he likes the 932, why not the 922 or the X? Would be great options on the cheap tbh. Or maybe some lian li's or obsidians, fits the pricing too.


----------



## Techtu (Oct 19, 2010)

assaulter_99 said:


> if he likes the 932, why not the 922 or the X? Would be great options on the cheap tbh. Or maybe some lian li's or obsidians, fits the pricing too.



True, his friend has got quite a choice with that budget in mind. I think the best thing the OP could do right now is probably just sit down with your friend and use a few selected websites and see what catches his eye, and then on a selected few of his favourite tower's, say 4 or 5, then post them here and let the guy's here pick at the little detail's and tell you which one will be best


----------



## Sasqui (Oct 19, 2010)

Tech2 said:


> True, his friend has got quite a choice with that budget in mind. I think the best thing the OP could do right now is probably just sit down with your friend and use a few selected websites and see what catches his eye, and then on a selected few of his favourite tower's, say 4 or 5, then post them here and let the guy's here pick at the little detail's and tell you which one will be best



That's pretty much the plan   Will be sending a link of this thread to him and then discuss.

I like the Haf 932 baby brother, but truthfully, I haven't been terribly impressed with the build quality, broked USB front panel port, drive tray latch busted, casters cracked.  Other than that the case has been a dream to work with.

I've been really impressed with Lian case quality, but the two that I've seen had terrible airflow.

Keep 'em coming.


----------



## sneekypeet (Oct 19, 2010)

Corsair 600T?


----------



## [Ion] (Oct 19, 2010)

The CM692 Advanced has great airflow, as does the HAF 932.  Probably better than the Lian Li I linked, the A1200 also has good airflow


----------



## Sasqui (Oct 19, 2010)

sneekypeet said:


> Corsair 600T?
> 
> http://img.techpowerup.org/101017/IMG_1598.jpg



That is one fine looking case...  I think he'll want a side window though.


----------



## sneekypeet (Oct 19, 2010)

Fair enough, aside from the window, in my humble opinion it is a far better case than the HAF series or the Dark Fleets.

Maybe you could shoot a email to Corsair, I would assume a windowed version is already in the works. If not it should be. With the white LEDs of the included fans it makes the inside look like a display case as it is.


----------



## [Ion] (Oct 19, 2010)

I agree, with the exception of the HAF 922 Blue, I think that all of the Dark Fleet and HAFs are ugly as ****.  They'd have to be presented at a very compelling price for me to buy one


----------



## Sasqui (Oct 19, 2010)

sneekypeet said:


> Fair enough, aside from the window, in my humble opinion it is a far better case than the HAF series or the Dark Fleets.
> 
> Maybe you could shoot a email to Corsair, I would assume a windowed version is already in the works. If not it should be. With the white LEDs of the included fans it makes the inside look like a display case as it is.



It looks like a stellar case.

Here's a mod on Corsairs forum:  http://forum.corsair.com/v3/showthread.php?t=90234

Not crazy about the size/shape of the window, but not bad.  No side fan.


----------



## sneekypeet (Oct 19, 2010)

There is no need for a fan in the door. The dual 200mm fans are enough, and at 3/4 power are near dead silent. 

The part I hate about cases is no matter how well laid out a case is, if it isnt aesthetically pleasing to the buyer, its out

I had the HAF922 as well, the red version IIRC. It was OK, but loud, and no control of the fans either


----------



## Sasqui (Oct 19, 2010)

sneekypeet said:


> There is no need for a fan in the door. The dual 200mm fans are enough, and at 3/4 power are near dead silent.
> 
> The part I hate about cases is no matter how well laid out a case is, if it isnt aesthetically pleasing to the buyer, its out
> 
> I had the HAF922 as well, the red version IIRC. It was OK, but loud, and no control of the fans either



The thing I like about a side fan is air being thrown right at the MB components.  Could argue that the rest of the fans do that, but most of the cooling to the MB chips and memory is a slow rush of passing air, not quite as effective, IMO.


----------



## sneekypeet (Oct 19, 2010)

I will retort with.....

In my findings with most, not all cases with door fans, you can achieve better internal temps without the side fan running than with it. They tend to screw with the fans flow from all the others. If you are cooling Fermi cards by all means get a side fan, but to me they not only can mess with the air flow, but they definitely bogart the view


----------



## assaulter_99 (Oct 19, 2010)

sneekypeet said:


> I had the HAF922 as well, the red version IIRC. It was OK, but loud, and no control of the fans either



Av to agree on this. The 922, whilst being a great case/price is a nuclear reactor. Especially at night. I never figured out if it was the airflow or the fans itself. Thankfully I've got my funds ready for a fan controller to quiet it when I don't need the cooling.


----------



## Sasqui (Oct 20, 2010)

Two cases that have been a hit:

DF-85
HAF X

The DF-85 doesn't have and eSATA port, but has quick-connect 3.5" SATA bays...  they call them "hot swappable".

I'd like to know if USB 2.0 MB connectors and cables are compatible with USB 3.0  ?


----------



## mastrdrver (Oct 20, 2010)

Since he is going Fermi I would suggest Silverstone Raven RV02.

Fermi proof


----------

