Help me choose a case!

[TourGuide]

Hi All,

I am going to be building a new box to add to the PC pool at our house. I am in the process of selecting a case. I am leaning towards an Antec SX830 but I am interested to hear your thoughts on what you think a good case might be. Anyone running an SX830 right now? How is it? Are you running another case you think is great? Tell me about it!

Your input is appreciated!

 

[Schola]

If you are lookig for suggestions for bigger sized cases this thread has some good ideas The Thread

Schola

 

[rmblam]

Another one for the sx830. I love the HD carriage, drive rails, and fan array. It is a bit heavy, but I appreciate the sturdiness and quality over "lightness". The easy access side panel is very handy and well built. Overall, it is awesome IMO.

I have yet to find someone who I am building a system for that goes "nah I don't like it".

My only gripe is the flimsy plate for the ports on the back. It is flexible and likes to push out on the plugs. A fat keyboard plug likes to pop out and annoy.

 

[Lombardaga]

how about the fong kai case???

or the Aopen HQ45 or 08 case. Pretty god damn sweet!!!

 

[rmblam]

I almost bought the Fong Kai fk-320 (go to fongkai.com) for myself. I liked the fan arrangement and the duct especially. The bottom line for me was the price and look though. The Fong Kai runs about $120 shipped. $40 more for a duct and only 2 fans (4 is overkill but ask that guy who has 17 fans if he thinks so?)? I can make or buy a duct for less than $40 if I felt it was necessary. I'd rather spend the extra $$$ on a copper heatsink.

My 0.02

 

[ragiepew]

im running the sx1030 which is an awsome case... IMHO anyway...

 

[randomlinh]

Am I the only one who finds the sx830/sx1030 to be ugly as hell? Do they offer some other front bezel?

 

[Lightingguy]

Built with the Fong Kai. Great duct and fan onto CPU location. Roomy and sturdy. A little noisy.

 

[Trippin]

Hello Tour Guide, built a system this summer...had planned on a $50-$75 case origionally but when i decided to overclock i checked out some more suitable cases..the day i decided to order i found the Tornado 1000 at 3DCOOL.com....set me back $160 but well worth it in my opinion...no temperature worries and no hacking up the case and such, all fans pre-mounted...only possible complaint i could have is that it is a fairly loud case..but not so much its distracting, just louder than i was used to B-4.........also all the reviews i read recommended upgrading the pwr supply to 300w from standard 250w...well i've got all this stuff hooked up to 250w and i have no problems and in fact will be adding another fan soon....well just my .02 check it out i don't regret the purchase at all, case should last thru several systems

oh yeah thumb screws are awful nice too if you have to get in and out of case alot

Tripp











<< P3-700 FC-PGA @ 840mhz Abit SE-6 128 MB Micron ECC Cas2 SDRAM Creative TNT2-Ultra 32mb 2x Soundblaster Live X-Gamer Maxtor 13.6GB 7200 ATA-66 IBM DTLA 7200 ATA-100 TDK-VELO CD RW Tohsiba 52X cd-rom 3-port fire wire card linksys 100tx NIC all in a Tornado 1000 case with 7 total fans >>

 

[HellRaven]

I have a Antec SX830 and love it. Previous to this I had only really used no name OEM cases but with my new system I decided that I wanted a case that was well built, was roomy, had good cooling options, and came with a 300w power supply. The SX830 did all of this and only cost me about $80 shipped from onvia.com

It comes stock with plastic mounts for 4 fans and includes 2. So far I have added one more (sunon 80mm quiet fan from 2cooltek) making it 3 plus the one on the powersupply. The fans that come with it are decent, although they are sleeve bearing fans and aren't too powerful.

This is without a doubt the best case I have owned. It is extremely well built. Made from quality metal, all rounded edges, very spaceous. I also love the easy pop out hard drive cage and the drive rails. This case would be perfect for hardware reviewers because it is so easy to swap stuff out. I thought I might be a little disappointed by the lack of a motherboard tray that pulls out but there is so much room and nothing in the way so it is actually no more difficult than my old one with a pull out mobo tray.

I really love it and it is a great case.

 

[Renob]

Tornado 2000 at 3dcool.com check it out BTW it might be overpriced but it rocks very easy to work with and keeps everything very cool...

 

[Syborg1211]

Dang, the Tornado 2000 looks like a big mofo!

 

[Mikewarrior2]

All the 3dCool stuff is vastly overpriced. And I would really stay away from the 1000, since you can get an Antec Sx1030/830 and get very equivelant cooling + a 300W P.S. for much less.

If you need a full tower, the tornado 2000 is okay, but you can certainly do better. Addtronics stuff comes to mind, as Addtronics cases are built better than the InWin Q500 the 2000 is based on.

lnguyen,

You're not the only one. but I still recommend it, because it is only a case, and is one hell of a case at that. I don't think you'll find a better sub $100 case with better stock cooling. And with it, no real need to cut extra fan mounts unless you're a real cooling nut(ie Me ).


Mike

 

[Valvoline6]

Another vote for Antec. I love the case except for one thing- its too damn sturdy. I had a hell of a time putting a blowhole in it, even with a rotozip..

 

[BigSteve]

Another vote for the sx1030
I've had mine ~8 weeks now &amp; love it. The side door is great (use to be my case was never together, but it's too easy now to keep it together)
The fan in front of the 3.5: HD bay is WAY COOL. I have 2 10G SCA SCSI drives that in other cases were almost too hot to touch, but with a fan blowing over them now, they're only warm to the touch.
If you don't like the looks, paint a mural on it. The bottom sort of looks like a set of bones so make a transformer out of it. Or not.

 

GO GO antec 1030x
Got it, love it, bottom line.
Was good when it only cost 80 shipped w/ 2 extra fans.

 

[amnesiac]

As I stated in another thread, I've owned all the major cases - Addtronics 7896 /Supermicro 760A, FK-320, Enlight 7237, etc. and by FAR the best one I've owned is the Antec SX1030 which I got today. It's hella accessible, has so many nice little user-friendly details (check my rant here) and is $91 shipped from Onvia.

It's not as gargantuan as the SC-760 so if you want to have 30000 drives you might want to look elsewhere but if you want something solid and accessible then give the Antec a try.

 

[AntecCSR]

First off: We do not offer alternate bezels. Although I have seen some nice paint/mod jobs around the net.

I find that the SX830 (I own one) is great case and fits most people's needs.

AntecCSR

 

[dcdomain]

Woah.. kick ass, an Antec CSR!

Anyway, here's a vote for the SX1030 (black!) If you are looking for some more bays, the SX1030 is for you! Got it for $92 shipped from Onvia. Spent another $10 at Outpost.com for two more Antec fans. Total of four fans, a 300w smartpower AMD approved power supply, a damn fine sturdy case for $102.

 

[clumsum]

rmblam,
The F-K 320 only comes w/one 92mm fan installed (rear) and the plastic duct is included in the $120. price.
You only need one additional (front) fan, 92mm or 120mm, either will fit.
This case was designed w/built in support (stiffener) for 12K rpm hdd's w/xeon mb's and cooling as a priority and comes w/Enhance 300W Athlon approved ps.

TourGuide,
I don't think you can go wrong w/either the F-K 320/603 or the Antec SX-series cases, I read nothing but good about both, and to top it all off, they all are available in BLACK!

If you plan on extensive mod's, (blow-holes, fans, lighted plexi-panels, etc.) adding bells and whistles or frequent removal of the side panel, you may want to take a closer look at the Antec or Addtronics cases........................

 

[Syborg1211]

the side panel on the sx1030 gives you that car door feeling

 

[clumsum]

I know what you mean about that &quot;car door&quot; thing, the Addtronics cases are similar, but you have to remove the front bezel to open the sides up.
Really not a problem though, they are built w/very heavy plastic, and the new models have thumb screws.

The Fong-Kai 320's side panel is easier for me now, but it does seem to take some getting used to, before I would call it &quot;easy&quot;. This is my second 320 and the first one was identical, takes a little patience and practice, but good tight fit and the overall case is built no heavier than it needs to be. Seems very high quality and kinda grows on ya if you like the looks and style, and can live w/3 drive bays....................

 

[Syborg1211]

I have one of those &quot;heavy duty plastic&quot; cases and everything is broken. The side panels have lost their plastic secures and there are cracks all over. Plus, I get the feeling like my case couldn't survive anything. Other cases give me the feeling like it could survive a nuke, aka the sx1030. So don't succomb to the temptations of a cool blue or any other color case if it's plastic which all of them are.