looking for a Mid-Tower Case

[philipshu]

Hello everyone, I am building a new system
Now I have:

MB: Asus P5N-E or Giga GA-P965-DS3
PSU: ENP-5140GH 400W or 5150GH 500W
DRAM: OCZ DDRII 800
CPU: Intel E6300
VGA: XFX 7600GS
HDD: Seagate SATA 250G or more + Seagate 250G IDE
DVD: Pioneer 111D + NEC 7170A

I'm looking for a Mid-Tower case,
I want it to be cool (cold) + quiet (120 mm fans better?)
appearance isn't too important ( just need to fit in all the hardware I listed)
price range around $40~70
doesn't know too much about cases,
any good advice?

and will the 400W do ok or I really need that 500W
many thanks

[Bbq]

Coolermaster Centurion 5.

The 400 will be enough, but I'd recommend the 500 since it's not much more, and it'll live through your upgrades.

[philipshu]

thanks for the fast reply,
how does this cooler master compare to XION III XON-302
Xion features 1 x 120mm Cooling Fan in the front. 1 x 140mm LED Cooling Fan at side. 1 x 120mm Cooling Fan in the rear
Will the Xion be cooler?

[madmat]

If you've got your mind made up on a case why ask?

[philipshu]

nope,
i haven't made up my mind yet
the Xion case was recommended by the website while I was searching for the coolermaster

[madmat]

I can pretty much assure you that the CM will have the superior build quality.

[philipshu]

I think I will get the CM.
Many thanks

[MrWicked1968]

I've always liked the Cavalier 3, although just about any CM mid-tower is great.

[Skott]

Enermax Chakra. It comes with a side 250mm fan and has places for two 120mm fans. One in front and one in rear. I installed two 120mm Enermax Enlobal fans in mine. Powered by a Seasonic S12 600w psu and a Zalman 9500 AT hsf on the E6400 proc this setup is super quiet and keeps everything very cool. I have to put my ear up to the side 250mm fan to hear anything and even then its a whisper. I highly reccomend it. It'll fit the new 8800GTX card and the new Zalman 9700hsf. It wont fit the Tuniq Tower or Scythe Infinity however.

[Sir_ReeL]

Are those 250 mm. side fans available seperatly? I'd like one..._ReeL

edit - O.K., found this: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20929
but ain't turned on by lights.

[madmat]

Are those 250 mm. side fans available seperatly? I'd like one..._ReeL

edit - O.K., found this: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=20929
but ain't turned on by lights.

Don't fear the side dikes.

[Sir_ReeL]

Don't fear the side dikes.

I don't know...I've always been leery of lesbians..._ReeL:eek:

[CAD4466HK]

I don't know...I've always been leery of lesbians..._ReeL:eek:

Not me, I know a few:p

[Skott]

Don't fear the side dikes.

:lol:



Seriously though, the 250mm fans are really good. There seems to be this perception bigger pc fan = louder. Which is totally untrue when it comes to the 250mm fans. Antec has a 200mm fan in its top. I doubt its loud but I havent heard it so cant say for sure. Reviews I read say its quiet and since it spins slower than a 120mm I dont doubt it is quieter.

I dont know if I would want a 250mm fan in the front of a case (yeah, there is one out now) because they look kinda...weird? But for putting one on the side is really nice.

[philipshu]

i always thought that bigger fans are quieter, that's why i asked for the 120mm fans in the first place

Anyways, I decided to go for the Centurion 5 and have the system up and running today, thanks guys :D

One last question, on the side panel, there is a tube with adjustable height, do I need to extend it to cover the CPU?

[MI-Tazz]

Extend it as far as you can, but remember you need to leave some room to slide the panel back and forth to put it on, you don't want it hitting the CPU. I normally extend it with in a 1/4" of the CPU fan.

[jonnyGURU]

:lol:



Seriously though, the 250mm fans are really good. There seems to be this perception bigger pc fan = louder.

I've never known anyone to have this perception.

But I still don't like the 250MM's in most cases. If the side panel isn't really solid, it tends to rattle as the fan slowly turns. And in one instance, I knew a guy with a Thermaltake case and when he purchased the replacement side panel for his case that came with the 250MM installed, his case temps went way up.

[haste]

And in one instance, I knew a guy with a Thermaltake case and when he purchased the replacement side panel for his case that came with the 250MM installed, his case temps went way up.


i also bought the sidepanel...i sold it. :D