new case?

[ElementalDragon]

Ok.... here's my dilemma. i had SLI, and one card ran around maybe 40, the other around 45. now, i got a PhysX card..... and both 7900's idle close to 50... both cards have been running with the fan speed slightly higher than normal, and seem to overheat often in CellFactor.... to the point of restarting. i just don't think my case has ample enough cooling (yes... it has support for 5 fans, but you won't see me putting 3x92mm and 2x80mm fans in here again... god was that loud). I've lately been looking at a new case to get. at first i was looking at the Aerocool ExtremEngine 3T, mostly due to the 250mm fan on the side, 140mm front intake, and 120mm rear exhaust (optional... but probably best to have).... but for one i didn't really like the inside of the case..... everything seems too cheaply built, and i didn't like the idea of all the dust that fan must pull into the case, since it's not filtered. Then i was looking at the Antec P180 or the Antec P180B Black version. i really like the case, and even though cable tidyness isn't really all that important a factor in a case with no window.... it still helps... and i'm not sure how tidy you can get a case like that. plus i like the sound dampening material... the layered side panels... and the fans it supports including the VGA duct. the other case i used to look at quite often was the Nexus Breeze.... which has lots of insulating foam.... which they say tends to make a PC run moderately warmer than one without it. so i guess right now i might be leaning more towards one of the P180's..... unless maybe someone else knows of a good case with ample cooling and possibly not-so-high noise?

 

[kcnychief]

I have the Antec P180 myself, love it. I can sit right on top of it, as I almost do, and you can hardly hear the thing at all

That is also saying a lot as the case is currently in my living room - so when friends are over to game or watch movies, it's not audibly interfering

 

[Sazar]

What derek said.

The case can be a little tight, depending on what you are looking to do in the future.

I personally have a p160 and it is a great case, plenty of room for what I do

The 160 has filters in the front and it keeps most of the dust out but you are never going to get a case (unless vacuum protected) that is completely dust free unfortunately.

 

[ElementalDragon]

mine has been staying quite dust free..... then again i don't have any intake fans hooked up, sinc the only fans that could possibly be hooked up as intake is the front (which don't help temps much due to it being right in front of the HD rack), and the two side 92mm fans (which i can't connect anymore since i put the acrylic in the side panels instead of the mesh windows that used to be there). Another case i was kinda lookin at, but forgot to mention, is the GigaByte 3D Aurora. like the idea of the 2 120mm fans in the back..... but now that i take the time to think about it..... the Antec does too.... just one's mounted at the top.... and would be more logical since then no heat would have to escape thorugh the PSU besides the PSU's heat. plus the P180 has vibration dampening gromets.

kcny: got a question/favor to ask of you. is there any chance you might be able to measure the inside of the case for me.... from... let's say the bottom of the PSU, to the top of the case? even if ya kinda eyeball it.... doesn't have to be an exact measurement. jus wanna make sure that all my wires will be able to reach.

and..... u think a water cooling setup might work well in the P180 if i decide to do so in the near/distant future? one like maybe the Bigwater 745? think then the only thing that has to go inside the case is the pump and reservoir.

 

[kcnychief]

I'll measure when I get a chance - but just as an FYI - 18" cables are long enough I believe.

 

[madmatt]

Antec's cases are amazing. I have the P150 and even though it is white is is sleek. I wouldn't recommend anything but an Antec case at this point.

I was concerned about space at first but every thing fits perfectly and the case stays cool and dust free.

 

[kcnychief]

I didn't have a chance to measure today, was only home for about 2 hours or so between shifts. If you look at the dimensions for the case online, they are shown as follows:

Physical SpecDimensions21.3"(H) x 8.1"(W) x 19.9"(D)

I would "guestimate" about an inch on the top and bottom for casing, with a little room for the riser the PSU sits on. As I mentioned before, 18" cables should suffice.

If you want more specifics, hopefully I can get to them tomorrow, sorry

 

[ElementalDragon]

yeah. that's what i was looking at at first, but you gotta take into account the distance between say... the top of the case and the highest power cable you'd need to connect (or the one that has to go the longest, such as maybe the 4-pin 12v power cable for the mobo), and that height measurement probably also factors in whatever feet the case may be sitting on, plus, as you said, the distance between the bottom of the case and the PSU itself.

 

[kcnychief]

Very good point.

This is the PSU I have been using in the case : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817159049

I read about it before hand, and did order some extensions for the power leads, but I didn't end up needing them. That PSU isn't anything fancy related to cable length, and I did use the upper-most drive bays for the optical devices. While cable management isn't perfect within this case, routing of cables through the middle of the chasis is relatively easy. I don't think you will have any issues.

 

[ElementalDragon]

yeah. ordered the black one (sorry.... woulda bought yours, but the silver one looks way too much like a mini-fridge. even my friend said so. so... heads up to anyone in the US that needs a silver P180... he's got one for sale). i doubt i'll have any issues with it either.... just wanted to make sure. and don't have to worry TOO much about cable management, since there isn't a window that you can clearly see the cables through. even my computer now is gettin a tad messy, but not much i can do. got 2 SATA cables down at the bottom, 3 power leads going to expansion cards (2 PCI-Express and 1 PhysX card), power/reset/speaker leads, SATA power cable, IDE cable, power cable for the EZ-Plug connector on the motherboard, etc... so yeah.... won't matter to hide them all that much in the P180. just gotta move them slightly outta the way to allow slightly better airflow. Is there space to put intake fans in the top half of the case, or is the only "intake" the one in the bottom by the PSU, and the 80mm that can be put in over the video cards (which should be a big help for my video card temps with PhysX in there. god are my video cards hot)

 

[ElementalDragon]

Well..... Newegg is really pissing me off now. ordered the case sunday night..... order was void monday afternoon. called them.... they said there was a problem with the shipping address, and didn't think UPS was able to ship to my location. i told them there WASN'T a problem with the shipping address, and had just ordered something from newegg shipped via ups last week. they told me to replace the order, and due to the inconvenience, they'd upgrade it to next day shipping for no extra charge (though i still had to pay for guaranteed 3rd day. figure that out..... wish it woulda been FREE next day... paying for 3rd day is like $26.xx for these freakin cases). so i replaced the order last night, hoping that there was a small chance of me getting the case today. came home, checked the order info, still said it was in stage 3 (order has been paid for and awaiting shipping). went to bed. woke up and checked the info, said it was void AGAIN! called newegg back..... THIS time... they said they have an issue with the ordering system... whereas if the product you order is originally set to ship from a certain warehouse, and that warehouse doesn't have anymore, it can't ship from a different warehouse. now they said they'd withdraw the funds (too bad it probably doesn't mean them paying for it... not me. that'd rule, but *sigh* that'll never happen), have it shipped from another warehouse via UPS Next Day, and try to get it shipped out tonight yet.

god do i hate this. first order i EVER place that got void.... and it got voided TWICE!

 

[Mainframeguy]

Hey Elemental - just be glad you can place orders! Some of us folks could not even afford a case never mind these fancy Antec numbers...

and while waiting for the case, well you could always make like me and just hang it from the ceiling! That's what I'm doing with my latest build, though at the moment I admit it remains gravity bound on the kitchen table pending some serious cable tie origami and installation of the required hook to hang it from!

 

[ElementalDragon]

i'm hoping you're planning on hanging it from hookS.... i'd be kinda worried having a computer hanging from the ceiling from just one hook. first you'd wanna make sure that where you hook it to the case is at the right spot so it hangs level.... and even then.... 1 hook.... yikes. would suck if either of the hooks fell out.

 

[Admiral Michael]

Hey Elemental - just be glad you can place orders! Some of us folks could not even afford a case never mind these fancy Antec numbers...

and while waiting for the case, well you could always make like me and just hang it from the ceiling! That's what I'm doing with my latest build, though at the moment I admit it remains gravity bound on the kitchen table pending some serious cable tie origami and installation of the required hook to hang it from!

I'd love to see pics of that after its done

 

[ElementalDragon]

hopefully on more than one hook. lol. was just thinkin about it at work... would be kinda odd if the case had somewhat of a gyroscopic effect while hanging from one hook. he'd wake up, and see his case spinning back and forth from it generating it's own rotation.

 

[ElementalDragon]

Hmm.... recieved my case....... Isn't the P180 supposed to come with the VGA duct too? if so.... mine didn't.

 

[kcnychief]

Link to the one you bought?

Mine came with one....might be different on the black one, but I doubt it.

 

[ElementalDragon]

hmm.... guess it is only a silver thing. shows it in the silver version's pics, but not the black. guess that's why they have the 120mm fan mount on the back side of the upper hard drive rack. instead of using it as a place to mount hard drives, it is used as a 120mm duct. neat idea... but still woulda liked the duct.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811129017

not sure if i'm even gonna keep the case....... don't like how heavily cramped everything is. i had a feeling it was gonna be cramped, but not THAT bad. my 4-pin 12v mobo power cable is going as far as it can possibly go. clear across both video cards, touching the fins on the AC Freezer 64, and just barely making it to the socket for it. same with the 24-pin power. and i was hoping a water cooling system might fit in it..... pfft. maybe if i got the Zalman Resorator.... but i dunno how well that works, especially for the cpu and two video cards. it's also not really any quieter, nor is it really any cooler even with the 120mm fan aiming at the two video cards (though the wires being right in between the 120mm fan and the video cards probably isn't helping that any. Plus i can't really use the PhysX card i have. probably returning it anyway for the time being, until maybe a newer version comes out with better cooling.... like maybe Asus's version. BFG's has a rather thick heatsink with a rather tiny fan.

 

[kcnychief]

The pictures on their site clearly indicate there isn't a VGA duct, shouldn't be surprised mate.

 

[ElementalDragon]

well..... kinda odd to have it in the silver, but not the black, don't ya think? i mean.... the case is still CLEARLY designed to have the duct... but they said "eeh.... let's keep it out".