Ditching my Addtronics 8500 in search of new case...

[oktane]

I must say that when I first got my Addtronics 8500 WTX case I was a bit disappointed. The case definitely looks a bit outdated in person, and frankly is poorly constructed. There are still sharp edges in the case, and the LED lights are secured to the chassis via hot glue, which has already come lose for me.

I was going to just "live with" the case, but after I shipped it, it came back to me in multiple pieces. Fedex really screwed up big time. The damage I incurred included a totally smashed and warped case, warped motherboard with knocked loose capacitor, unreliable CPU fan, damanged HD, floppy, and CD drives. Basically anything w/moving parts was toast.

So I've finally decided to get a new case. I used to have the Supermicro SC-750A, and boy was that an awesome case. My only complaint was that it is too tall, and not quite that stable. It is awkward to move around as well. I had to build my own computer cart for it...

I am looking for a new case. I'm running a PIII 700, overclocked to 1008MHz, Asus CUSL2, 256MB RAM, SB Live! Platinum, Seagate Cheetah X15, WD 30GB, Maxtor 20GB, Pioneer 16X slot DVD, Plextor Ultraplex 40, Plextor 8/20 CD-R.

I'm looking for a case that will allow for nice cooling, at least five 5.25" external drive bays (with 5+ preferred), and decent looks. Construction quality is also very important.

I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

Thanks.

-oktane

 

[squirrel dog]

addtronics did the design for super micro for the 750 and the 760a,which is what I would suggest.The 760a is a very fine case.There are many fine cases out there,antec is one in the larger sizes.Between those three case manufactors,surely you can find a case that you can live with.I do feel like you though,a large case is where its at.

 

[frank828]

sounds like the next case to look at is either the Chenbro Genie or Chenbro Net.

The Genie has room for 2 120mm fans, and a couple others.

The Net is a server case.

U can check them both out on Chenbro.com i think.

http://www.areasys.com/Products/SysCase/c990.html That is the Genie

http://www.areasys.com/netserver_photos.htm That is the net. It is available in diff colors.

LMK if ur interested in the Net...i may be able to get a good deal on one for you. I can also get good PSUs.

Or...u can go with Jim Hanson at www.coolcases.com i think he may be swamped right now tho.

frank

 

[Gringo]

I still vote for the 750...

think of it as a piece of furniture. Too tall? use it to hold up one end of your computer table. wanna move it? get some buddies or a dolly.



aww, allright, back to the corner...

 

[jose]

Take a look at the Lite-On FS020

 

[Remedy]

Man i never been cut once on my wtx 8500 case! Second the case was never meant to look pretty for show and tell, so either you are going for high performance workstation or entry level server or your just trying to be a big show off as if it is important to have a flashy case with wheels on it for bragging rights. This case has been praised over and over again by numerous ppl and by anand himself for its good quality so when you say poor construction i haven't the slighest idea what you are talking about. Some overclockers i just can't understand.

 

[oktane]

Not to diss your case (I have this one too!), but the Addtronics 8500 isn't as good in quality as you might expect. The very first thing I noticed when I opened the box was the strong foreign smell (like what you get from suitcases that have come from China or other parts of Asia). This wasn't a big deal, but just an observation.

There definitely were some rough edges on the inside of the case. Maybe not enough to cause serious cuts, but definitely enough to scratch your hands or fingernails. To me, this isn't acceptable for a case that costs close to $300.

As for the LED's, check in your own case -- they are secured to the holes via hot glue from a glue gun. I spent the good part of an evening getting the LEDs back into their sockets since they got pulled out when my case was shipped. And the space in there is really cramped, needless to say I had a hard time.

Other than these things, the case is very roomy, with great cooling. I wish it had more external drive bays, however. (The fan monitor, sound blaster platinum control box, and various CD/DVD/CD-R drives have a propensity to fill up these slots fast.)

-oktane

 

[TheAndyPandy]

Are you selling the 8500 case if so how much
-Andy

 

[Remedy]

<< As for the LED's, check in your own case -- they are secured to the holes via hot glue from a glue gun. I spent the good part of an evening getting the LEDs back into their sockets since they got pulled out when my case was shipped. And the space in there is really cramped, needless to say I had a hard time. >>



LMAO , I know exactly what you mean man i must of spent 3-4 hours most on that part. That right there I can agree with you on, but the rest of your comments i can only beg to differ on.

 

[SolTek]

yeah, those leds pissed me off.... HOT GLUE!!! come on! anywaze, i wish i had gotten the c990, or atleast the supermicro (which is a next gen version of the 6/7890 cases).

 

[oktane]

Andy - I would be willing to sell the case but I don't think you want it....remember, it is damamged, which is the reason I'm replacing it. Let me know if you are still interested.

Jose - the LiteOn FS020 is a good case but I think I'm leaning towards 5+ bays now. I should edit my original post.

ReMeDy - maybe our cases are from differnt lots and that's why, or something.

SolTek - what's the C990?

Frank - how much for the Netserver cases? Which colors are available?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
-Anuj

 

[frank828]

YGM

 

[OneEyedPete]

The antec SX1030 would be a good replacement. Not quite as big as the addtronics, but still has plenty of room. If you can hold off a bit antec will be releasing the SX1230 or SX1430 or something like that.

Preview of SX1230

The price on this thing shouldn't be to bad, it think I heard mention it will come with a 400w ps.

The SX1030 can be picked up at for ~$100

- OneEyedPete

 

[oktane]

Hmm it's pretty nice...when is it supposed to be coming out?

Are casters available?

-oktane

 

[oktane]

Frank -

One question about the Net server cases: It seems that the motherboard is completely isolated from the drive bays. So do all cables have to run through the small hole at the top of the tray??

It would seem that you would need some pretty long cables to do this with, but correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks,
-oktane

 

[OneEyedPete]

I heard around xmas but I could be wrong, maybe AntecCSR could better answer this.

Here is a thread over at Ars that discusses the case more:

Thread

OneEyed

 

[frank828]

You're only gonna need a longer IDE cable if u have lot of stuff and u position it on the lower part of the other side. I remember when i built a system with one, the floppy had no problems reaching and i think one of the hard drives had no problems either. But i do remember that we had to get one longer cable.

frank

 

[oktane]

Well it appears the Antec case won't be available until December...I'm not sure if I want to wait that long.

The Net server cases do seem nice...but I'm not sure if they are all that great.

Are there any reviews for those cases, Frank?

-oktane

 

[fitzhue]

Go for the Addtronics 7896A. Looks really sweet. Here is a good review of it and you can go to addtronics.com and get some more info.

 

[Delbarton]

Want more choices? In Win Q500, Q2000, Foxconn, SX1030, hydraulic and a few others seem all fit your requirements. I would also check out the comments by people who have used these cases posted there. --Del

 

[oktane]

Hmm...well the Addtronics 7896A looks just like the Supermicro 750A, to me.

It's a bit too tall I think.

-oktane

 

[Remedy]

It is i think it is 27in and addtronics makes supermicro cases so i would seriously doubt there any differences.

 

[Viper22]

If you dont want Super Tall but spacious then go with a Chenbro Genie man you wont be sorry....Ive got 4 HDD's, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Internal Zip 250, Floppy, MB Etc. and it fits with no problem at all. Its a Great Case....a little expensive but well worth it.

Viper22