PC Case recommendations

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Seeyou

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Hi guys

I've finally gotten fed up with my ancient, wire-tangled, noisy bastard of a PC case :)

I'm in the market for a new one, but browsing the various local sites and looking up reviews for the cases doesn't always tell the entire story, so I'm hoping some of you with experience in the field can help me out.

I'm looking at the +- R1000 price bracket, though I'd be willing to spend a bit more for something with a feature so spectacular I won't be able to live without it. My main requirements are:

  • tool-less installation, which seems to be a standard already
  • a decent amount of clearance between the motherboard and the PSU, or a bottom-mounted PSU (I have the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU cooler, which is massive, and I've currently had to jury-rig my PSU for some clearance between it and the fan, a major reason for the new case purchase)
  • a decent amount of clearance between the motherboard and the drive bays

I'm not looking for anything fancy. Spaciousness is the biggest requirement, followed by tool-less design and any other perks. I'm not looking at water cooling or LED lighting and a window/any other aesthetically-purposed feature isn't high on my list.

So, over to you guys. I'd appreciate any advice you have on potential cases.

Thanks in advance!
 
jay-co said:
coolermaster CM STACKER 830.

http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=14

nuff said.:D
Click to expand...

Too much talking and not enough reading;)
Seeyou said:
Hi guys

I've finally gotten fed up with my ancient, wire-tangled, noisy bastard of a PC case :)

I'm in the market for a new one, but browsing the various local sites and looking up reviews for the cases doesn't always tell the entire story, so I'm hoping some of you with experience in the field can help me out.

I'm looking at the +- R1000 price bracket, though I'd be willing to spend a bit more for something with a feature so spectacular I won't be able to live without it. My main requirements are:

  • tool-less installation, which seems to be a standard already
  • a decent amount of clearance between the motherboard and the PSU, or a bottom-mounted PSU (I have the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU cooler, which is massive, and I've currently had to jury-rig my PSU for some clearance between it and the fan, a major reason for the new case purchase)
  • a decent amount of clearance between the motherboard and the drive bays

I'm not looking for anything fancy. Spaciousness is the biggest requirement, followed by tool-less design and any other perks. I'm not looking at water cooling or LED lighting and a window/any other aesthetically-purposed feature isn't high on my list.

So, over to you guys. I'd appreciate any advice you have on potential cases.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
 
Hehe, beat me to it - that case looks incredible, but I'm not looking to spend R2400 on one :)
 
You could take a look at the coolermaster HAF-922, heard nothing but good things about that case. Was seriously considering getting one for myself, before my budget increased to afford the cosmos s.

http://www.ikonicit.co.za/index.php?target=products&product_id=2861

Seeyou said:
Hi guys

I've finally gotten fed up with my ancient, wire-tangled, noisy bastard of a PC case :)

I'm in the market for a new one, but browsing the various local sites and looking up reviews for the cases doesn't always tell the entire story, so I'm hoping some of you with experience in the field can help me out.

I'm looking at the +- R1000 price bracket, though I'd be willing to spend a bit more for something with a feature so spectacular I won't be able to live without it. My main requirements are:

  • tool-less installation, which seems to be a standard already
  • a decent amount of clearance between the motherboard and the PSU, or a bottom-mounted PSU (I have the Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU cooler, which is massive, and I've currently had to jury-rig my PSU for some clearance between it and the fan, a major reason for the new case purchase)
  • a decent amount of clearance between the motherboard and the drive bays

I'm not looking for anything fancy. Spaciousness is the biggest requirement, followed by tool-less design and any other perks. I'm not looking at water cooling or LED lighting and a window/any other aesthetically-purposed feature isn't high on my list.

So, over to you guys. I'd appreciate any advice you have on potential cases.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
 
CM690 seems to be extremely popular here and on the net in general, and judging by reviews and pictures, would also have plenty of clearance for my CPU cooler.

I take it things like removable motherboard trays are only present in the high end zone, in the CM Stacker price range?
 
Seeyou said:
CM690 seems to be extremely popular here and on the net in general, and judging by reviews and pictures, would also have plenty of clearance for my CPU cooler.

I take it things like removable motherboard trays are only present in the high end zone, in the CM Stacker price range?
Click to expand...

Yes, you will struggle to find a case with a removable mobo tray in the R1000 price bracket. CM690 is definately a good choice.
 
I am very happy with my two Antec cases, both running 'silent' PC's.

In fact, you might want to spend some time at http://www.silentpcreview.com/ - they review all of the components required to produce a silent PC, including cases.
 
Thanks for the help guys - the CM690 seems to fit my requirements and price range perfectly.
 
I have the Antec 300. Serves me pretty well so far.
 
Got the CM690 too. thing that I dont like about it and some of the other coolermasters is the PSU installed at the bottom of the case. The airflow is great wont deny it but the wiring becomes a problem. Specially with a Moduler PSU. Thick non bendy cables thats difficult to controll (if you know what im saying). I also got a GTX 260 in there and there is about 2.5 cm space spare from the card to the HDD's. Made it difficult to wire the MOBO with that huge azz cable.

Everyone might have a different opinion about it but I would suggest a bigger box with more space. But the CM690 has got allot of filters.
 
Gezza said:
Got the CM690 too. thing that I dont like about it and some of the other coolermasters is the PSU installed at the bottom of the case. The airflow is great wont deny it but the wiring becomes a problem. Specially with a Moduler PSU. Thick non bendy cables thats difficult to controll (if you know what im saying). I also got a GTX 260 in there and there is about 2.5 cm space spare from the card to the HDD's. Made it difficult to wire the MOBO with that huge azz cable.

Everyone might have a different opinion about it but I would suggest a bigger box with more space. But the CM690 has got allot of filters.
Click to expand...

There is a cutout to thread the 24 pin mobo cable through behind the backplate. Or could you not bend the cable to go through?
 
that cable is practically unbend able lol. I think there is about 2 tons of pressure on it the way its placed now. Scared of touching the case in case it implodes
 
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I also need recommendations for a case. I don't really have a budget, but would prefer not to spend more than R2000 on a case (I'll buy a power supply separately in any case).

My requirements:
Full or mid tower.
I/O top-front. (would prefer top of front, but will settle for front of top if that makes any sense)
Min I/O 2x USB, Firewire. eSATA and sound (headset)
Quiet but with adequate cooling for mildly overclocked i7 and single high range GPU.
Hot swoppable 3.5" SATA HDD slots.

The HAF932 from Coolermaster seems to come closest.
 
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