full tower cases

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:43 am

so i knew this would happen...now that i built a new rig, i want to keep upgrading and messing with it.

cratch

the case i got on black friday is nice, but is a bit cramped for what i need. the cooling is great, looks good, but cable management and drivebay location is not optimal.

so, i want a full tower case with lots of room to play in. i've been looking at:

--thermaltake spedo
--thermaltake spedo advance (big price jump and only looks like differences in fans?)
--antec twelve hundred

any recommendations? primary need is space and cable management. i don't want something that looks like a spaceship or a 12 yr old LED light up toy anymore.

DaMaN · Post by **DaMaN** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:03 am

any of the older Lian Li full towers work for you (PC71 / PC75)? What about the Cooler master full towers ?

eGoCeNTRoNiX · Post by **eGoCeNTRoNiX** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:07 am

I like my Antec Soho cases.. They're wonderful

Lots of room too hehe

eGo

Err · Post by **Err** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:42 am

It's a shame you can't find the chieftec dragon cases anymore. I've been using a their full tower case for ~6 years.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:19 pm

Yeah, I love the dragon cases. Other manufacturers still make them (haven't seen a full tower though, but the mid is still massive). I've been using mine for 7 years so far. Only thing that I haven't upgraded in all this time & I still have no desire to.

Key Keeper · Post by **Key Keeper** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:26 pm

My personal fav
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811163014

Next fav
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811119145

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:28 pm

Key Keeper wrote:My personal fav
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811163014

Next fav
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811119145

You've got more money than I. I have a personal $100 limit on case spending. Rather put extra to a power supply.

Key Keeper · Post by **Key Keeper** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:34 pm

Well I dont own them, I have just built a few machines using them for others. Here is the case that Ive been using for the last 4 years.

http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/ ... tj06&area=

Err · Post by **Err** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 1:43 pm

Here's one of the Chieftec Dragon clones:

http://www.2cooltek.com/super-talent-al ... 01ufs.html

* Mfr Part Number: CMUI-601AES-AW
* Case Type: Entry Level Server
* Manufacture: Super Talent
* Dimensions: 8.1"(W) x 20.6"(H) x 18.6"(D)
* Expansion Slots: 3 Short, 4 Full Length
* Drive Bays: Front Accessible: 4 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5"; Internal: 4 x 3.5"HDD
* Main Board: ATX(12"x13"); Dual Xeon Motherboard
* Power Supply: No Power Supply
* Fan: Front-2 x 8cm (Optional); Rear-2 x 8cm (Included)
* Front Connection Ports: Dual USB2.0 Ports, IEEE 1394 Port, Audio Port
* Material: 1.0mm SECC or Aluminum
* Package Size: 3.4 Cubic Sheet; 11.2"x 24"x 21.8" / 285 x 610 x 554mm
* Color: Silver

SKU CA-601UFS
Weight 20.00 lbs
Price: $73.95

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 6:29 pm

that chieftec looks identical to an antec case i used ~5 yrs ago or so. it was big and a decent case. i've decided on these must haves:

1. cable routing underneith the mobo
2. bottom mounted power supply

i'm planning to make this next case last as long as possible, so spending a few extra $$$ isn't a problem. $200+ is a bit of a stretch though...it is still just a case.

the spedo is $209 (or the "non-advance" model for $129) i think...the antec 1200 is $179.

thanks for all the input so far!

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 9:35 pm

wow...super clean cable management.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WVLyKuH25WQ&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WVLyKuH25WQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:58 pm

Err wrote:Here's one of the Chieftec Dragon clones:

http://www.2cooltek.com/super-talent-al ... 01ufs.html

* Mfr Part Number: CMUI-601AES-AW
* Case Type: Entry Level Server
* Manufacture: Super Talent
* Dimensions: 8.1"(W) x 20.6"(H) x 18.6"(D)
* Expansion Slots: 3 Short, 4 Full Length
* Drive Bays: Front Accessible: 4 x 5.25", 2 x 3.5"; Internal: 4 x 3.5"HDD
* Main Board: ATX(12"x13"); Dual Xeon Motherboard
* Power Supply: No Power Supply
* Fan: Front-2 x 8cm (Optional); Rear-2 x 8cm (Included)
* Front Connection Ports: Dual USB2.0 Ports, IEEE 1394 Port, Audio Port
* Material: 1.0mm SECC or Aluminum
* Package Size: 3.4 Cubic Sheet; 11.2"x 24"x 21.8" / 285 x 610 x 554mm
* Color: Silver

SKU CA-601UFS
Weight 20.00 lbs
Price: $73.95

That almost looks exactly like my case! Sweet. Yes, actually, there at least 8 companies that I can think of that made clones of this case (originally used by Alienware). They are just so user friendly.

Key Keeper · Post by **Key Keeper** » Fri Dec 12, 2008 11:37 pm

b-man1 wrote:wow...super clean cable management.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WVLyKuH25WQ&hl ... ram><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WVLyKuH25WQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

I like that case...nice an simple/clean. I cant stand all those flashy led fans and all that other "bling bling" hence why I like silverstone with brushed aluminum look. They are expensive but are built very well. I lost the keys to the lock on my font panel so I emailed them cuz I couldnt find a link to their parts dept and they asked for my address....wasnt sure why till they said "a new locking cylinder and keys will be shipped out today at no charge". This was almost 2 years after I bought the case. I thought I had a problem with a PSU and unfortnetly gave a shitty reivew over at the egg but for some reason I cant delete it. They make fine cases and psu. Not sure about the other products they make. Ive played with some Lian-Li cases and I must say they are garbage compared to a silverstone at the same price.

b-man1 · Post by **b-man1** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:48 pm

i ended up going with the antec twelve hundred. it went on sale and had free shipping (37lbs!!), so it was a fair price. it will most likely be one of the last cases i buy for a long time...

the vid i posted got me thinking of doing some type of cable management like that, but not as crazy as that. i still want to be able to access things...and if you wrap any/everything like that it is a nightmare to work on later, if needed.

normalicy · Post by **normalicy** » Sun Dec 14, 2008 12:39 am

Personally, when I get a case, the first thing I do is make sure that it has about 1" behind the motherboard for cable routing. Then, I cut out the area behind where the CPU & northbride are to be (to make it easier to swap out the bolt in types). Then, I drill holes in various spots along the edge of where the motherboard & drives will be for cable routing (using grommits for safety of course). It sounds like a ton of work, but it's really only an hour with a dremel. In the end, I can rout cables anywhere. Another good idea is to drill pairs holes along the back of the motherboard & pull some twist ties throught them where you might be running wires. That allows you to hold them down or bundle excess. Too much excess gets tucked into drive bays for me.

Actually, I just watched that video & it's very similar what I regularly do. It really is all in the prep. Especially if you are going to keep the case for a while. Funny thing is that I just worked with that case & did a similar build. It really is a nice case to work with. Worth getting if you see it on sale.