Case recommendation needed urgently!?!?!?!?

[MacAttack]

I have my new rig coming today. However, that plan changed due to a neighbor's computer dying for his son at college. He asked if I minded selling him my rig and get mine later. Minor inconvenience for me, but devastating for his son who does graphic design and other things.

I will have a premium on a case because I have to buy it at a local store (BestBuy, TigerDirect or a couple of others). It will need to be able to handle the Meghalem HSF. Here is what I have available:

Antec Nine Hundred II ($125)
CM HAF 922 ($120
CM HAF 932 ($135)
Thermaltake V9 Black Edition ($100)

There may be a few others when I hit the stores to see their stock. However, from the above list, which would you recommend?

 

[bloodugly]

If you have the desk space, you could try hooking it all up and just running it out of a case for a week until you can order and receive exactly what you want. Of course, this isn't a good idea if you have pets or children around

 

[MacAttack]

If it was going to stay with me, I would do that. However, the system needs to be build complete and on the road at about 6PM tonight. So I need a case. The slight premium is negligible due to the urgency. It is going to cost him about $10-$30 more, but far cheaper than FedExing hardware for a Saturday delivery and then build tomorrow.

 

[zagood]

What else are you putting in there?

Even though I don't like the way it looks, the HAF 932 is a very functional case. unless you've got a 5870 going in there, any of those cases would be fine, I'd ask the guy that you're sending it to which one he likes best.

Oh, except for the v9. Just looks like a knockoff of the other ones.

 

[Tullphan]

I agree w/zagood as far as asking the kid which one they like the best.
If it doesn't matter, go with the Thermaltake. According to this review, it outperformed the HAF 932.
But definitely don't build one in a case they don't like!

 

[zagood]

From the same review:

"I really only had one complaint and that was with the PCI tool free system. The plastic tabs did not secure the device at all and left a lot of movement and let me to remove it all together and use a screw to secure it."

However it looks like you can remove the tool-free assembly and just use regular screws.

 

[Tullphan]

I haven't seen too many "tool-free" assemblies that worked as good as a plain ol' screw.
I'd prefer a thumbscrew over tool-free, personally.

 

[MacAttack]

Thanks for the replies. He has had Antec cases and likes the quality it has given him. The biggest he will go is dual-HD5850's later on. This is what is going in it:

Core i7 860
ASRock P55 Deluxe
Prolimatech Megahalem
HD4850 for now
Intel G2 SSD
Some 1TB drive
Seasonic S12 550W 80+ PSU

 

[Tullphan]

If he likes the Antec cases, i'm not sure he'll like the Coolermaster cases.
I've had several of both & I think overall that the Antec has a better build/quality to it.
I've not owned a Thermaltake case so I can't comment as to its' quality.
Go to the store & compare the Thermaltake to the Antec...see if it's constructed as well & check the fit & finish of both.

 

[ITaoI]

I can vouch for the coolermaster cases i own both the cm590 and cm690, but i personally like the 590 less plastic the better. The megahalem would fit no problem if you ever consider getting that case with it.

 

[MacAttack]

Thanks for all the replies. The HAF932 was not in stock and he did not like the Thermaltake. The help at the Tiger Direct sucked and I waited over 10 minutes to get someone to go pull one off the top shelf. No one came over, so we split and went to another local place that had the Antec Nine Hundred Two. It was actually a pretty good case. Very quiet if the fans are turned down and seems to run very cool.

Nine Hundred Two observations:
Good
1. It is a fairly roomy case
2. Wire management is pretty good (wish cables were longer to support this)
3. Fans move ALOT of air. Can be very quiet.
4. Pretty easy to get the system set up in the case

Not so good
1. Hard drive cage needs to be removed for longer video cards
2. Cable management is limited by PSU cable lengths


Overall, I was pretty impressed with this case. Once I figured out the minor quirks, getting it up was a breeze. Plenty of room to accommodate everything it is advertised. If I did not fall in love with Corsair's new case, I would probably buy this for myself.