# Cheapest inverted motherboard case



## tkpenalty (Dec 13, 2006)

Recently i have been desperately in need of one of these uber-cool inverted motherboard cases, but to my dismay they are so rare and expensive. Anyone got any suggestions? The case should come with a PSU and have a seperate drive bay like the lian li cases do.


----------



## p-jack (Dec 13, 2006)

i would suggest this (nice look, good airflow, affordable imo)... it doesn´t come with a psu though.


----------



## tkpenalty (Dec 13, 2006)

How much would it cost though?


----------



## Deleted member 24505 (Dec 13, 2006)

or a lian li v1000 in black,shweet.(not cheap tho' )else thats what i wudda got.


----------



## p-jack (Dec 13, 2006)

in the link it says 72.99$, retailers here in germany list it for around 70€.... no idea about the UK...


----------



## Carcenomy (Dec 14, 2006)

That's one of the most pointless ideas for a case I've ever seen.


----------



## p-jack (Dec 14, 2006)

Carcenomy said:


> That's one of the most pointless ideas for a case I've ever seen.



if you don´t like it, don´t buy it.


----------



## Namslas90 (Dec 14, 2006)

Thermaltake Armor Jr with BtX Suport Retention Module.


----------



## tkpenalty (Dec 16, 2006)

Carcenomy said:


> That's one of the most pointless ideas for a case I've ever seen.



w/e, then don't post here.


----------



## tkpenalty (Dec 16, 2006)

Namslas90 said:


> Thermaltake Armor Jr with BtX Suport Retention Module.



uh... thats opened on the left side.... thats not an inverted case.


----------



## tkpenalty (Dec 17, 2006)

I wish that Generic manufacturers should look into this; all these options are far too dear.


----------



## Athlon2K15 (Dec 17, 2006)

you want my old gateway btx case? i got it in the garage ill sell for 10 bucks plus shipping....its black and opens on the right side


----------



## tkpenalty (Dec 17, 2006)

AthlonX2 said:


> you want my old gateway btx case? i got it in the garage ill sell for 10 bucks plus shipping....its black and opens on the right side



lol, i dont even think my motherboard would fit.


----------



## Athlon2K15 (Dec 17, 2006)

what kind of board you have?


----------



## Carcenomy (Dec 17, 2006)

tkpenalty said:


> w/e, then don't post here.


Okay, how about I explain it a little better for you by giving a reason that's bad in one sentence.

VIDEO CARD OVER PROCESSOR.

You're just asking for problematic cooling, and for what? Having your motherboard flipped to the other side of the case? Where's the benefit in that?

Truly classy would be a hinged dropdown motherboard frame, Mac style. But of course, that's not NEARLY as silly and 'uncommon' as a motherboard that causes heat to rise from the CPU into the already-hot videocard. Sometimes, the road less travelled is less travelled for a damn good reason.


----------



## tkpenalty (Dec 18, 2006)

Carcenomy said:


> Okay, how about I explain it a little better for you by giving a reason that's bad in one sentence.
> 
> VIDEO CARD OVER PROCESSOR.
> 
> ...



Its not stupid, the Video card is facing upwards so there is no problem. The heat meanwhile is being removed by a fan in these cases. Thats why I want to buy an inverted ATX case. However they are god damn expensive (i think). If anyone has any instructions on modding a stock generic case to be Inverted, that would be great. I might think about trying it myself if it is possible (have to remove the bolts that are punched in though; that would definitely be a pain in the arse. 

Im assuming that you use one of those PSUs with one huge 120mm fans; am I correct?


----------



## Carcenomy (Dec 18, 2006)

No, I use an Antec SmartPower 2.0 550W, it's a dual 80mm fan setup.

It's backheating the card that becomes problematic in an inverted design. On top of that, a large number of them that I've seen have the power supply up the traditional way - if it was a PSU with a bottom-mounted fan, that would totally nullify its cooling system too.

It's just not worth it, there are many other considerably better avenues that can be pursued before going down a mediocre path like inverting.

If you were that worried about inverting, you'd start with a standard case, whip the base out of it and weld it into the top, and flip the entire outer skin over. Done and done... but it's still terrible for cooling, and relying on fans to push the heat out is like relying on a Symantec product to remove virii from your machine.


----------



## tkpenalty (Dec 18, 2006)

Carcenomy said:


> No, I use an Antec SmartPower 2.0 550W, it's a dual 80mm fan setup.
> 
> It's backheating the card that becomes problematic in an inverted design. On top of that, a large number of them that I've seen have the power supply up the traditional way - if it was a PSU with a bottom-mounted fan, that would totally nullify its cooling system too.
> 
> ...



ROFL  Thats so true. 

Meh, better just stick to my TSUNAMI ARISE AR Series (out of production) Case, although I don't have the green frontpanels anymore.


----------



## vrm4 (Jan 1, 2007)

I just got this one for my HTPC (3700+ @2.4 ghz, 1gb drr400, 300gb Maxtor sata 150, MSI K8N Neo4-Fi, 500w Viomax PSU, Sapphire X1900gt) mostly left over parts except vidcard, mobo, case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811166031
I like it alot and the price is right. Also it stays cools and includes 3x120mm fans!


----------



## Wile E (Jan 1, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> No, I use an Antec SmartPower 2.0 550W, it's a dual 80mm fan setup.
> 
> It's backheating the card that becomes problematic in an inverted design. On top of that, a large number of them that I've seen have the power supply up the traditional way - if it was a PSU with a bottom-mounted fan, that would totally nullify its cooling system too.
> 
> ...



In a standard ATX design, the much hotter video card heats the CPU, it's all a trade off. A properly designed inverted ATX case is great for air cooling, just ask the editors at CPU mag or Maximum PC. They both ran tests on inverted vs standard ATX using the same components in each. The inverted ATX cooled better in an air cooled setup. Standard ATX won in a water cooled setup, because of the placement of the exhaust fan. This was in the Lian-Li V1000 chassis, which is a very open case, with many holes for airflow. Results may definitely vary with the Tuniq chassis.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 1, 2007)

vrm4 said:


> I just got this one for my HTPC (3700+ @2.4 ghz, 1gb drr400, 300gb Maxtor sata 150, MSI K8N Neo4-Fi, 500w Viomax PSU, Sapphire X1900gt) mostly left over parts except vidcard, mobo, case.
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811166031
> I like it alot and the price is right. Also it stays cools and includes 3x120mm fans!



Nah, not silverish, I'm not into that battleship grey styling. It doesn't have a soul to it.


----------



## Wile E (Jan 1, 2007)

I personally prefer the clean look. It's kinda like the sleeper of the computer world. lol


----------



## vrm4 (Jan 1, 2007)

the soul is Inside! I will agree it's not flashy or anything but it's not a bad looking case at all in person, much better than the pictures show.


----------



## bcracer220 (Jan 1, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> That's one of the most pointless ideas for a case I've ever seen.



well the dude does bring up a good point... y would u need to invert the motherboard?


----------



## cdawall (Jan 1, 2007)

if you set it up right it cools just fine EITHER way but the inverted ones are diff. so therefore better


----------



## pt (Jan 1, 2007)

http://www.teccentral.de/galerie/files/5/8/0/5/HPIM12222.JPG

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811196011

aerocool baydream
in the us they have other name (masstige)


----------



## Wile E (Jan 2, 2007)

cdawall said:


> if you set it up right it cools just fine EITHER way but the inverted ones are diff. so therefore better


They also make it easier to reach your expansion cards. My G5 is basically a reverse ATX, and hooking up audio, video, and external drives is much easier. So much so, the I'm seriously debating switching my Stacker 830 over to Reverse ATX. An added benefit for me is that it will make accessing the internals of my computer easier, as it sits on my left side, under my desk. That would allow my to reset the cmos without having to pull it out from under the desk. It definitely has advantages in more than one way, depending on your situation.


----------



## Carcenomy (Jan 2, 2007)

How does turning everything upside down and allowing heat to rise from the hot CPU into the videocard (as though it doesn't make enough of its own) make installing parts that much easier? This I'm quite curious about... doesn't the G5 have the drop-side motherboard mounting anyways?

Apple have been doing EVERYTHING different for years (until now with the Intel thing n' all) and know how to do it, but do you think your average case manufacturer who deals with sweatshop produced SECC cases that are direct knockoffs of more legitimate parts is going to have even the slightest clue how to build an flipped ATX case? Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken, and duplicating a PowerPC based system's case using x86 parts doesn't always make a good idea.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 2, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> How does turning everything upside down and allowing heat to rise from the hot CPU into the videocard (as though it doesn't make enough of its own) make installing parts that much easier? This I'm quite curious about... doesn't the G5 have the drop-side motherboard mounting anyways?
> 
> Apple have been doing EVERYTHING different for years (until now with the Intel thing n' all) and know how to do it, but do you think your average case manufacturer who deals with sweatshop produced SECC cases that are direct knockoffs of more legitimate parts is going to have even the slightest clue how to build an flipped ATX case? Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken, and duplicating a PowerPC based system's case using x86 parts doesn't always make a good idea.



Aah Geez, Might you need to learn Physics 101? Heat is TRAPPED Usually with a Video card because of convection , if there is nothing blocking it, the cooling potential is improved. The PSU is at the bottom and CAN be configured (usually) To suck the air out of the CPU, downwards, though not being as effective. However, one must note, inverted ATX cases usually come with vents so these problems are effectively removed.

Look man, Inverted ATX is basically just a case with the motherboard tray, Expansion slots, PSU and I/O panel flipped around. The Lian Li (OMG EXPENSIVE) ones are very very (2000000 very's later) elegant. Usually Inverted ATX has extra drive bays UNDER the Motherboard in a seperate compartment. 

Inverted ATX case with a "Soul"; aka: something that doesn't use battleship grey + Water cooling + Transparent side panel = sexy. I tried to flip my case 180 around lol, funny, the GPU could do much better while the CPU was the same, no heat from the GPU (From the sides of the slot) going onto the CPU. I have to admit, it was scary because it was impossible (obviously) To put a CD In >_>

Cheap inverted cases please?


----------



## Carcenomy (Jan 2, 2007)

Ever wondered why fans are located in the lower-front position on a standard case?

Go read the ATX spec.


----------



## pt (Jan 2, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> Ever wondered why fans are located in the lower-front position on a standard case?
> 
> Go read the ATX spec.



'cause heat rises


----------



## Carcenomy (Jan 2, 2007)

Cool air doesn't though - especially at the velocity that most decent fans these days can produce.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 2, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> Ever wondered why fans are located in the lower-front position on a standard case?
> 
> Go read the ATX spec.



Omg >_>... seriously the Inverted ATX case has the fans at the BOTTOM.. >_>

http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/Middle_Tower/V_Cool/M_V_C_PC-V1000plus.htm

I'm asking for an INVERTED ATX Case not an argument, something cheap.


----------



## pt (Jan 2, 2007)

tkpenalty said:


> Omg >_>... seriously the Inverted ATX case has the fans at the BOTTOM.. >_>
> 
> http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/Middle_Tower/V_Cool/M_V_C_PC-V1000plus.htm
> 
> I'm asking for an INVERTED ATX Case not an argument, something cheap.



do one yourself?


----------



## TXcharger (Jan 2, 2007)

why the hell do they make those? my moms dell xps410 is like that...its gay


----------



## Carcenomy (Jan 3, 2007)

Now explain to me why in gods name something like the LianLi V1000 needs a fan at the bottom in the damn-near sealed compartment?

You're talking about building cases in a very ghey way that is not beneficial in any way, shape or form UNLESS you use horrendous amounts of ducting (see that big aluminium duct aimed at that 120mm fan on the LianLi?). That's total bollocks and unrequired.

Get a standard case and learn how to duct. Save yourself hundreds of dollars.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 3, 2007)

w/e I do use ducts, this is just for looks dude. Drop the idea, close this thread kkthxbai (lol)


----------



## TXcharger (Jan 3, 2007)

Wile E said:


> I personally prefer the clean look. It's kinda like the sleeper of the computer world. lol



lol ya i have my rig in a dell dimension 3000 case, small but efficient


----------



## Wile E (Jan 3, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> How does turning everything upside down and allowing heat to rise from the hot CPU into the videocard (as though it doesn't make enough of its own) make installing parts that much easier? This I'm quite curious about... doesn't the G5 have the drop-side motherboard mounting anyways?


Because it's not allowing heat to rise from your hot video card to your CPU. It's not so much a problem with my case anyway, I have 8 120mm fans. And no, the G5s don't have the drop down side with motherboard (I wish it did, tho. lol) You're thinking of the G4 PowerMacs.


----------



## Greek (Jan 3, 2007)

kandalf for the win boys, although it does cost a lot, but thats for a reason 

also the coolmaster 830 sli version.


----------



## Wile E (Jan 3, 2007)

Greek said:


> kandalf for the win boys, although it does cost a lot, but thats for a reason
> 
> also the coolmaster 830 sli version.


Win for personal preference, or win for cooling?


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 3, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> Now explain to me why in gods name something like the LianLi V1000 needs a fan at the bottom in the damn-near sealed compartment?
> 
> You're talking about building cases in a very ghey way that is not beneficial in any way, shape or form UNLESS you use horrendous amounts of ducting (see that big aluminium duct aimed at that 120mm fan on the LianLi?). That's total bollocks and unrequired.
> 
> Get a standard case and learn how to duct. Save yourself hundreds of dollars.



w/e, for you it will be useless. Your P5B uses a heatpipe. I don't want to repeat myself, heat RISES, even if the rear of the GPU gets warm it doesn't matter! GPUs these days have more than six layers! I need this kind of case especially because im using the Accelero X2 cooler on the X1950 PRO, the heat WILL get trapped where the PCI-E to Motherboard slot is. Have you ever wondered why they made BTX? The card is facing upwards dude. The Lian LI ducts are useful if you haven't noticed. I have even tried to emulate this by flipping my case around, then moving the 80mm fans to the optical drive bays, removing the covers. All I know is the system ran much cooler (Using my old system in case anything broke). The PCB of my Radeon 9550 did not heat up as much. The case seemed more stable; PSU at bottom, duh.


----------



## wazzledoozle (Jan 3, 2007)

Lian-Li G50B

Dont ever use a PSU that comes with the case.


----------



## Greek (Jan 3, 2007)

Wile E said:


> Win for personal preference, or win for cooling?



both, kandalf is gd for w/c and coolmaster for air cooling

they look good and shud perform well, i no the kandalf does but dunno about coolmaster.


----------



## Wile E (Jan 3, 2007)

Greek said:


> both, kandalf is gd for w/c and coolmaster for air cooling
> 
> they look good and shud perform well, i no the kandalf does but dunno about coolmaster.


Stacker 830 cools like a monster. I have it and love it. But mine isn't the nVidia model(if that's the one you were referring to). Both models cool the same, however.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 4, 2007)

wazzledoozle said:


> Lian-Li G50B
> 
> Dont ever use a PSU that comes with the case.



Obviously ... I had three PSUs die because of capacitor faliure
 to the ultra-crappy generic PSU!!!

EDIT: When buying a case these days I decide to not have the PSU with it, cutting down the cost of the case and giving the Dealer some more stuff to sell.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 4, 2007)

Anyone have any recommendations for an inverted ATx case? The cheapest one possible PLEASE!


----------



## Wile E (Jan 4, 2007)

The cheapest 2 I have found so far are listed on the first page. The Sunbeam and the Tuniq.


----------



## Carcenomy (Jan 5, 2007)

tkpenalty said:


> big annoying speech, The case seemed more stable; PSU at bottom, duh.


36° across the board on a heavily modified superATX in traditional form. Turned it upside down just to see if you were full of crap... and you were. CPU temperature rised ten degrees.

Now unless you can come up with some NEW argument that goes against the ATX specification (which IS the spec we're dealing with, not BTX, which flopped) just give up and build a GOOD standard ATX, and do yourself the favor of not spending hundreds of dollars on bollocks.

EDIT:
I'll concede and stop being an argumentive bastard. I might strongly disagree with the idea, having worked on hundreds of types and styles of computer in fifteen years makes for a pretty tight outlook. I guess I just like going by Intel's old case design manuals. If it ain't broke, don't fix it... and ATX clearly ain't broke.


----------



## Wile E (Jan 5, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> 36° across the board on a heavily modified superATX in traditional form. Turned it upside down just to see if you were full of crap... and you were. CPU temperature rised ten degrees.


That might be with your particular setup, but like I said earlier, both CPU mag and Maximum PC tested one of the reverse Lian-Li cases versus a standard Lian-Li case, and the reverse provided better cooling on air than the standard case. Standard case won in a water cooled rig, however.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 5, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> 36° across the board on a heavily modified superATX in traditional form. Turned it upside down just to see if you were full of crap... and you were. CPU temperature rised ten degrees.
> 
> Now unless you can come up with some NEW argument that goes against the ATX specification (which IS the spec we're dealing with, not BTX, which flopped) just give up and build a GOOD standard ATX, and do yourself the favor of not spending hundreds of dollars on bollocks.
> 
> ...



Doesn't that have a heatpipe??? Explains a lot doesn't it?
You start arguing and then call me argumentive 

Note: I could report you for calling me that by the way...




Wile E said:


> That might be with your particular setup, but like I said earlier, both CPU mag and Maximum PC tested one of the reverse Lian-Li cases versus a standard Lian-Li case, and the reverse provided better cooling on air than the standard case. Standard case won in a water cooled rig, however.



Yeh the placement of the radiator really matters >_>. But air cooling in a Lian Li is better.


----------



## Carcenomy (Jan 6, 2007)

You COULD report me yes. Be my guest.

When it all boils down you can make a straight ATX system cool brilliantly well, heatpipes or not. There's no reason to blow twice the cash on a case that's upside down - it's all gimmick that can be compensated for with good design.


----------



## Wile E (Jan 6, 2007)

Carcenomy said:


> You COULD report me yes. Be my guest.
> 
> When it all boils down you can make a straight ATX system cool brilliantly well, heatpipes or not. There's no reason to blow twice the cash on a case that's upside down - it's all gimmick that can be compensated for with good design.


In all fairness tho, there are a lot of pricey standard ATX cases as well. The Lian-Li inverted case keep coming up, but a lot of their standard ATX cases cost just as much. Hell, my case costs more than the Lian-Li V-1000. You pay a pretty penny for cases of that quality, regardless of formfactor. As long as your cooling needs are met, you should just go with what you like best in your price range. It doesn't really matter what's "better", as long as it gets the job done.


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 6, 2007)

Wile E said:


> In all fairness tho, there are a lot of pricey standard ATX cases as well. The Lian-Li inverted case keep coming up, but a lot of their standard ATX cases cost just as much. Hell, my case costs more than the Lian-Li V-1000. You pay a pretty penny for cases of that quality, regardless of formfactor. As long as your cooling needs are met, you should just go with what you like best in your price range. It doesn't really matter what's "better", as long as it gets the job done.



Suggest me a cheap under 50 AUD ATX Case plox that at least has more than 45mm distance between the motherboard and the drive bays.

OFF TOPIC: I like DFI Motherboards for one thing; rounded edges.


----------



## Wile E (Jan 6, 2007)

How many USD = 50 AUD?


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 7, 2007)

Wile E said:


> How many USD = 50 AUD?



Currency converters?


----------



## Brother Esau (Jan 7, 2007)

I use the Silverstone TJ06 Full Tower case and that inverts the motherboard and is a great case!


----------



## xylomn (Jan 7, 2007)

I use the aerocool coolview, it inverts the mobo and has a separate little bit for 2 hard drives, does me well


----------



## tkpenalty (Jan 7, 2007)

xylomn said:


> I use the aerocool coolview, it inverts the mobo and has a separate little bit for 2 hard drives, does me well



They seem dear....


----------



## Carcenomy (Jan 8, 2007)

TK - that dimension will change slightly depending on the motherboard... but from my experience, cases that are narrower are longer to compensate, and should meet the dimension you want.


----------



## niko084 (Feb 2, 2007)

It's very simple physics here, not rocket science..

An inverted ATX board WILL COOL BETTER if you have HOT CARDS!

My processor at full use for 14 hours hits 50c, my video card at IDLE sits at 50c. I opened my case and looked at that when my video card was getting too warm for my taste and said to myself.. "Hmm this design is stupid"

The heat rise off a decently cooled processor is next to nothing compared for a hot video card. With good air flow the heat from your processor wont even stay there long enough to affect your video card in the least of ways.

But with your heatsink and fan upside down on your video card, it really just fights itself. It's  a very simple concept. Yes if you have enough fans and just dream like cooling it wont really matter all that much, but if you don't have the right case, and/or don't want all the fans inverting your board is a GREAT idea.

I took the cd's out of my drives and flipped my case for the heck of it to see what happend.. My idle Vid Card Core temp dropped for 50c to 38c... Thats 12c, pretty damn good for just a flip huh? Processor actually ran a bit cooler also because of the locations of my 2 120mm fans, 1 near the bottom in the front *intake*, 1 near the back in the center *exhaust*, put my processor about dead in line with fans, it also helped keep my northbridge cool, and my ram is no longer warm to the touch.

Now my chip and chipset running cooler is pretty much because of my fan locations, but it literally put my video card above my fans and it STILL ran cooler.

I am looking myself for a inverted case, and thinking about making my own. Yes it can be done either way, but stop denying pure logical sense. Because if you really want to talk about it the ATX design period is bad for cooling...


----------

