So I'm going to buy this case

Discussion in 'Software' started by Nedlamar, Jul 31, 2012.

  1. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    Because I mean really... how can I not? :-D

    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087

    My current case is an Antec 900, which is a fantastic case but I've always had some niggles with it.

    Space is good but I want to add more internal drives so I can clear off my externals for other use. I have also been thinking if I can find one on sale or a good price grabbing another GTX480 and SLI them.
    I also just bought a Liquid Neon strip light which makes me go "Oooo" and "Ahhh" and makes my wife roll her eyes :-D So I want more of them too.

    So there are my space reasons for a change up and the DF85 will allow me to play a little and expand.

    The one thing that always drove me nuts about my 900 is the lack of ability to clean the fans, fitting filters requires modification and still leaves you needing to remove the entire front panel to get to the fans and even then you are limited to how far you can reach to clean. The opening fan doors with removable filters in the DF85 is like a dream for me. I should probably mention my ductwork (which was supposed to be cleaned last year) and my cats create a lot of dust.

    I also like the larger cable management space, the 900 has it but I found tricky to use due to limited holes and spaces and I really can't be bothered to take it all apart to cut new holes.

    The hot swap drive bays is an awesome Idea too.

    I think I will probably remove the latches at the top on the 5" bays, DVD drive in the top and I've got my eye on a new front panel fan controller which takes 2 slots so that will fill that nicely I think.

    It also has rubber feet to seat the PSU on keeping it off the base and increasing air flow, excellent idea, simple but awesome.

    I just see this case as something with a lot of potential for modification and expansion.
    And for $160?... Rock 'n' Roll! :major
     
  2. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    For my latest build I got the CM Storm Trooper on a good deal, and I love it. Super-easy to get to the removable filters and clean them, the fans are quiet, and the fan control easy to connect and use.

    Highly recommended. It has an obscene amount of space inside.
     
  3. psco2007

    psco2007 Master Sergeant

  4. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    Hmmm, now why would you confuse me like this :-D I want both!

    Got a couple of questions for you though which the info and video did not explain.
    The guy says you can change the side fans to front fans, but can you have both?
    Also the 2 base fan seats look like 1 is taken up by the PSU, correct?

    See, I'm obsessed with cooling (currently manage to hold my GTX480 at around 60-65C while playing Max Payne 3 maxed out) but can't yet afford liquid, so fans, fans, fans.... don't care about noise, my current set up sounds like a jet anyway.
     
  5. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    First question: Kind of. The fans are attached to the two HDD cages. You turn them to get the fans sideways or front-facing, so I guess in theory you can face one in each direction. I have mine sideways since that makes it easier with cable management.

    Second question: Yes, and I think they did that on purpose. There's a big air vent just underneath the PSU fan intake. ;)

    Cooling will not be a problem, trust me, there is plenty of room in there for airflow...

    Please don't look too closely at the cable mess! I've tidied it up since this picture was taken. :-o

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Spad

    Spad MajorGeek

    Cool cases all! Nedlamar, I do like the ability to easily clean the case fans on that Antec you are looking at. Nice! Sounds like it will cover all your needs, and then some!

    I just built a system around this case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233

    Actually, my sons bought it for me, along with some other stuff. I love the case, and it was quite a bit cheaper then some others with the same features. Cable management was good too.

    @Mimsy :drool Nice, clean looking system! (even with a few stray cables). I can see where Ned might have some problems deciding on which case, lol.
     
  7. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    Thank you! I've named him "The Trooper", since I love Iron Maiden music. :)

    One of my favorite parts is that the bottom fans and the two huge fans at the top have these super-easily removable mesh filters that I can just pull out, rinse off, and put back in. Makes cleaning the fans sooooo much easier, and since we have two cats and a dog, that's an important point for me when buying cases. Also, the case is very wide, so much so that it has more clearance for a CPU cooler than any cooler currently on the market actually needs.

    The tool box is a brilliant idea, and all cases should have one. I will never misplace a single bracket or screw for this thing!
     
  8. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    Oh my lord I'm struggling with this decision :-D
    So far weighing up pro's and con's of all 3 suggested (@Spad... assuming you were not suggesting that case, as nice as it is I would like a full tower)

    So the Storm Trooper is very appealing for all the reasons and more that you mention Mimsy.
    The pro's are obvious, but there are a couple of cons for me, the sheer size of it, I mean that's awesome but practicality in my house for space comes into play, especially in the front to back, it's nearly 4 inches bigger than what I have now. It's a pro but a con for me.
    I'm a boy, I like shiny things and like to show them off, the side plate looks like a mesh (can't tell if it has plastic too but if not it will just suck dust in my house) and I don't think I like the lack of view of my internal parts. Yeah I'm one of those type of PC'er :-D

    The Thermaltake in a nice case but I'm weary of large fans as they move slowly in my experience and if you can get them going fast they are very loud, that's not much of a con but it's something I thought about. Size is good, look is ok, again side window not as large as I'd like. But biggest con for this one is the extra money I'm paying for a PSU I don't need or want. Both minor but my gut is just telling me I wont like this case as much, bloody tempting though :-D

    The Antec isn't perfect either, I love all the features but after seing the Storm Trooper I wish it had bottom fan mounts, but then I started thinking I could probably modify the case base with larger feet to raise it and caerful cutting and drilling to mount a fan, could also create a vent for the PSU and maybe retrofit a filter.
    I really don't like the bars covering the 5.25" bays, I figure I'll remove them but I will be left with the hinge barrels. But again I believe my Dremel can fix that too.
    And it's not quite as wide as the other 2, but I think I could manage cable management and if necessary I could cut more cable routing holes.

    So my gut is telling me to stick with my original idea of the Antec, but holy crap I am much more torn than the above suggests, I have started this post 4 times since yesterday having decided on which one and then researched again and been thrown a curve ball with features I didn't think about or see.

    So that's where I currently stand... undecided :-D

    But I did just find RAM LED lights :hyper ... I like lights :-D

    BTW Mimsy... Your case is nicely put together even if you do say it's messy, that's what I am currently lacking and was actually what started me thinking about a new case.
     
  9. psco2007

    psco2007 Master Sergeant

    The fans are super quiet - I turned off everything around me - radios, etc and couldn't hear them.

    Have a look at this video:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbiBZ0bgf9U
     
  10. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    I have watched that video and several others, believe me, it's not over yet :-D

    It's funny though, I nearly posted that video just for fun because the reviewer must be related to Captain Kirk... ve..ry...ro..bo..tic and dramatic, he made me laugh lol especially at the end when he say's "Also the motherboard tray is not removable, this is not a problem for some, ... but for others..... it is" , it reminded me of Horatio's openers on CSI Miami and was waiting for a long scream into the music :-D

    Actually the other thing I didn't like about this case was the filters being screw in, not a big thing but that's how close this is, I'm litterally picking all 3 apart and trying to find what I don't like. Because non of them really have any major cons, just preferences and niggles.
    It's almost down to the size of the window on the side :-D

    And like I said, once shipping and tax is done it's coming out at around $70 more, unless I could find it without the PSU and back in the price range the other 2 are in. Yes I realise they are on sale, but I'm impatient and want it yesterday! :)
     
  11. psco2007

    psco2007 Master Sergeant

    Don't know what you mean about the size of the window - you can see everything in the case.

    I don't think every case will have all your requirements,
    You'll have to compromise.
     
  12. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    The Storm Trooper is ginormous. If size is a factor, that's definitely something to keep in mind. Personally, if I have a choice between a case that can do what I want out of the box, and one that I need to modify, I tend to go with the former. I'm all for paying for convenience. :)

    Oh, and for the record, the Storm Trooper has mesh on the side, and no window. ;)
     
  13. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    That's what I thought, the size of it kind of makes me nervous with the space I have to play with, without having to rearange my room or basically hide the case, niether of which I want to do. And no window :(
    So that pretty much confirms the elimination of the Storm Trooper.
    To be honest I thought it wouldn't be that hard to modify the side panel since it's all metal would be fairly easy.... Dammit I just had an idea which puts it back in the running.
    At this rate I'm just going to buy all of them :-D

    BTW, nice name, I'm a Maiden man myself, I used to work in the hardware store where the materials for some of the Eddies came from, got to meet Bruce Dickenson and Adrian Smith when I got invited to where they were building an Eddie in my home town many moons ago! Also the Tattoo my son will be doing on my arm of Cerberus carrying 3 flags kind of came out of the idea of the Trooper album cover, the destruction and Union Jack.

    @PSCO... I realise no 1 case is going to do everything I want, obviously, which is why I'm trying to figure out what I do want, what I do need and how easy it would be to modify if necessary to finally achieve everything I want. I appreciate the advice and suggestion.
     
  14. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    OK so the idea I had lead me to drawing a rough sketch of a plan of side panel modification for the Storm Trooper. I know I said it's too big, and it is, but I just had an awesome idea.
    The idea has pretty much shifted me into "Mod mode" and my brain is swirling with ideas.

    I figure I could cut a panel a similar shape to the Antec and add perspex, then slice some tapered fan grill lines horizontally in a position which would blow directly onto GPU/'s and could affix a filter on the outside using 4 small butterfly twist clips for easy removal for cleaning.

    And I must admit I'm fairly excited about this idea, this idea would only really work on the Storm Trooper as I understand it the side panel is all metal, so it would be easier to cut cleanly.

    To be honest I've always wanted to build a case, but getting materials and drilling mounts and seating is a lot of work, since I only really want to modify for aesthetic reasons.
     
  15. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    Hey Mimsy, do the front/side fans have filters? or the easy possibility of filters?

    I think I'd like it set up so...

    Front - Intake
    Bottom - Intake
    140mm side (my design thing) - Intake
    Rear 2 - Exhaust
    Top 2 - Exhaust (which kind of puzzles me why there is a filter on exhaust fans, but the bottom have to be intake, so if the top are intake that means the front/side are exhaust, I really don't like that idea, would have to change that.
     
  16. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    Another question for you Mimsy, the fan controller on top. Does that control all fans simultaneously or can they be individually controlled?
    I'm not too worried either way since I have a 5 fan front panel touch controller and have no issues buying a 2nd one or an 8 fan controller if I can find one.
    I'd have to disconnect the beeping on the controller too as bleeping annoys me :-D
     
  17. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    So I've been watching this huge review (36 minutes) on the CM ST, one thing he mentioned but did not clarify when talking about the top panel, there's a 200mm fan, but he was saying that you can rig a push/pull fan system due to 2 140mm mounts being up there.
    From what I gather you can either have the 200mm or swap it out for 2 x 140mm... AND fit 2 x 140mm fans on the outside as well.

    Do I have that correct?

    Also noticed that I wouldn't need to create a side panel fan as there are already 2 there, now he said they are dust filtered but I cannot see the filters, so is he talking about the mesh being the filter or is there actual filters on that panel?

    My modding ideas have just got a bit easier :-D

    At the moment I have it calculated (unless I'm mistaken) that you could fit a total of 11 fans in this fans.... am I right there?... 11?... Holy bejebus!

    @PSCO ... Do you actually own the Thermaltake case you mentioned? If so I may have a similar barrage of questions for you :-D
     
    Last edited: Aug 5, 2012
  18. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

  19. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    lol Ok so I know once again I've gone off on a tangent and hijacked my own thread :-D

    But Mimsy look!

    http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1...r_Magnetic_Dust_Fan_Filter_-_6_Piece_Set.html

    Niiice, the more I look into this case , the more I see how incredibly customizable it is, it's crazy the possibilities with this case are virtually limitless.

    My wife is gonna hate you for setting me in this mode, remember last time you suggested something to me was Steam?... and I bought 5 billion games in a month :-D
    You're really not good for my wallet... :-D
     
  20. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    :innocent

    I couldn't resist :-o

    The straw that broke the camels back.... :-D

    http://www.overclock.net/t/1104349/the-official-cooler-master-storm-trooper-storm-stryker-club
     

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  21. psco2007

    psco2007 Master Sergeant

    Yes, I actually own it - why do you think I recommended it?
    If you have any other technical questions, call Thermaltake directly-

    800-988-1088

    M - F 9 - 5;30 PST
     
  22. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    Just because you recommend something does mean you always own it. But I appreciate the recommendation and information. It's a nice case but in all honesty once I started seeing the potential for the CM ST, my original and the Thermaltake both started sliding.
    I joked with my wife that I want all 3 and maybe I could have 1 in the living room, one in the dining room and one in the bathroom and link them all up so I have no excuse not o be playing a game :-D
     
  23. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    It runs all of them. It can also switch the red LEDs on the HDD cage fans on or off.


    I think so, but I think you'd have to do that yourself. Mine came with the 200mm on top, mesh side panel, and then you can get different parts from CM, including a windowed panel if that's your preference.

    He must be talking about the mesh. There are filters top and bottom, and mesh everywhere else.
     
  24. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    It left NJ this morning.... is comming... gonna git'chu :hyper
     
  25. Nedlamar

    Nedlamar MajorGeek

    It's here!...... It's a monster! :-D

    The missus keeps walking past it and says "OMG it's huge" ... "It's just so big"
    Just shows how epic this case is since I've never heard her say either of those things before :-D

    Thank you for the the suggestion Mimsy!

    My modding plans are in motion as well, but trying to find stuff is hard work, online not too bad but around here.
    I went in Rona and Canadian tire and several local shops asking for "Molex connectors and pins and a crimper" , "Acrylic, perspex, glodex, plexiglass or whatever you'd like to call it"
    All were met with a look like I just asked them to explain Quantum Physics.

    But I'm so excited to get started, putting a window in obviously, want the connectors to make extension cables.

    I just wanted to try and keep it a little more local and also it's nice to know if I mess up or am short on supplies , I don't have to pay $20 shipping for 1 connector and wait 4 days for it, I can just drive there.
     
  26. Mimsy

    Mimsy Superior Imperial Queen of the MG Games Forum

    Glad you like it! :)

    It's a sexy monster, isn't it? :major
     
  27. theefool

    theefool Geekified


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