Antec 1200 V3 or ....

[ClayMeow]

Alright, so I've been using an Antec P160 for my last three complete builds (not mere upgrades), and I think it may be time for something different, as much as I love it.

 

I need a case that's 9" wide or shorter, so don't go recommending the Corsair 600T or any fatty like that.

 

So I was leaning toward the Antec 1200 V3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129100

 

It provides a few more drives than the P160 plus USB 3.0, so it'd be an upgrade, while still complying with my width requirement. I've always loved Antec and have had a great experience with its products and customer support, but I heard they're not quite as good as they used to be.

 

So my other option is saving $60 and just going with a NZXT Phantom 410: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146087

 

I was also looking at:

CM HAF 932: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160

Rosewill Thor V2: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053

 

CM obviously has a good reputation here. Rosewill I don't see much love for, but I used to use their cases for work builds (and I believe my dad's build too), and I was always impressed with the attention to detail.

 

So thoughts? Just use my P160 once again or upgrade to one of those? If you have experience with one or more of them, how's the cooling situation with stock fan setups?

 

Thanks.

[ccokeman]

The HAF is going to fall into the fatty category but is an awesome case, The 650D from Corsair would be nice as well, The Phantom is solid to and can be modified easily for an internal liquid cooling system(The wife uses this case thanks to Blue Panda).

 

The original 1200 looked good but the new look with the round fan housing on top just does not light any fires for me.

[ClayMeow]

The HAF is going to fall into the fatty category but is an awesome case, The 650D from Corsair would be nice as well, The Phantom is solid to and can be modified easily for an internal liquid cooling system(The wife uses this case thanks to Blue Panda).

 

The original 1200 looked good but the new look with the round fan housing on top just does not light any fires for me.

 

The HAF 932 has a 9" width according to newegg, so it would actually fit my requirements...I was surprised though, because I always though the HAF series were a fatty line.

 

The Corsair 650D is definitely a possibility. I'm not sure I like how plain it looks on the outside, but I really love the inside layout and it's also 9" in width, so that's good. Even more money than the 1200 V3 though.

 

For the Phantom, how are the temps with the stock fans? Or did you put water cooling in your wife's system right away? I remember seeing the Phantom back at Computex in 2010 when it was just a concept and I really liked it. Which model does your wife have? I liked the original with the side fans, but if I want USB 3.0 front panel, then the new Phantoms are slightly different (and it seems they got rid of all the fan controllers, though honestly I probably would never use them).

 

As for the 1200, the top fan doesn't really bother me. Don't recall how it looks in person though.

[BluePanda]

Should be paying attention to more of my reviews eh Clay?

[ccokeman]

I never used the fans other than the rear fan since we went to water right off the bat with it. Airflow can be managed without the fan controllers and would be a cleaner option for the case. She has this one

 

 

I just measured the 932 and I guess it does fit the 9 inch wide requirements.

 

The Look of the 650D is sleek and more like a Lian Li when it comes to looks. However the layout is pretty solid and can handle just about anything in it. I just slapped 4 HD 7970'sin it with no problems.

[ClayMeow]

Should be paying attention to more of my reviews eh Clay?

I want nothing to do with reviews if I'm not editing them

 

But in all seriousness, the 1200 V3 was the only one I was originally considering, and we haven't reviewed that.

 

 

I never used the fans other than the rear fan since we went to water right off the bat with it. Airflow can be managed without the fan controllers and would be a cleaner option for the case. She has this one

 

 

I just measured the 932 and I guess it does fit the 9 inch wide requirements.

 

The Look of the 650D is sleek and more like a Lian Li when it comes to looks. However the layout is pretty solid and can handle just about anything in it. I just slapped 4 HD 7970'sin it with no problems.

Ah yeah, that's the original Phantom. Nice.

 

And lol at you comparing the 650D to a Lian Li....maybe that's why I don't quite like it - I've always hated Lian Li cases.

[ccokeman]

Lian Li's have a unique appeal!

[ChristineBCW]

What's the reason for these cases? Do you use that many drives?

 

I like the Antec's because their spacing between drives is good for air-flow. Some Rosewill's have credit-card-width separations which means I will only use half the drive bays, and consume 5.25s for HDDs.

 

But I'm not certain why this size of sample cases is being proffered - "use of that many drives"?

[ClayMeow]

What's the reason for these cases? Do you use that many drives?

 

I like the Antec's because their spacing between drives is good for air-flow. Some Rosewill's have credit-card-width separations which means I will only use half the drive bays, and consume 5.25s for HDDs.

 

But I'm not certain why this size of sample cases is being proffered - "use of that many drives"?

 

Reasonable question.

 

The P160 holds four 3.5" drives. Currently, I have five, with one using (and obviously requiring) a 5.25"-to-3.5" adapter. Now, two of those drives happen to be my Raptors, which I'm almost certainly ditching in my next build and replacing with a single SSD (for the OS only). So in theory, I may not really need more room. That being said, it's also quite possible that I buy two SSDs from my friend who has spares of older models for about half price and use those two (in addition to the new one I would buy) as drives for apps and games, one for each, and then simply using the mechanical drives as storage. I could always buy one of those adapters that fit two SSDs into one 3.5" bay though, especially since they don't generate the heat that mechanicals do. And maybe for that reason, I shouldn't really be concerned about cooling in my current case, which simply has one fan in front and one in back.

 

I really do love my P160 (why don't manufacturers include removable motherboard trays anymore?), so maybe I am being a little too rash. I guess the only thing I'd really be missing is front USB 3.0 ports, but that really isn't that big of a deal.

[ChristineBCW]

Clay, I'll dive right in. Since you have multiple drives and might add or change drives in the future, then I'd recommend "find a case with a big wide area from the front-edge of the motherboard tray to the drive cages." Not puny little cut-outs that make fingers go thru origami exercises!

 

The CM HAF 932 has the nice drink-holder on top, perfectly placed to spill down into the dual-sinks - er, exhaust fans. Users do this once and eventually decide those cute li'l drink holders should be left for their cars and naugahydes.

 

This case offers an abundance of IO ports - this is one case that actually joins this recent decade by having two USB 3's. So many wonderful dangling-cord locations - this case begs for optical drives and cables to snag into each other. And so many to choose from!

 

The spacing on the upper 4 USB2's is wide enough for a user to withdraw one USB Flash Drive without accidentally withdrawing it's 'neighbor'. If they'd only stacked them vertically, across the face of the case with that spacing, a user could have distinguished all four. Oh well, you only need to see the top two, eh? They give you four, but only make it easy to use two. Great, huh? What a thoughtful design! Grrr

 

When the SATA pedestals are loaded on up the motherboard, suddenly this big huge case has very teeny access points. What a shame - they could drop an inch from height, add it to depth and made additions to the motherboards, drive cages and cabling so much easier.

 

* * * *

 

The Rosewill Thor also gets good points for using two USB 3 ports. With the dials, you should be able to get most of the UHF channels, too! AM, FM, everything!

 

Set a drink can on this case, and there's a better chance this case will dump it on the deck instead of down into it's maw. But seriously, it does offer an interesting guide-rail mentality for a radiator system.

 

You'll have to be the judge for the 3.5" drive bays and their air-cooling clearance-btw-drives - it looks Antec-esque, but even if you could only use 3 of those 5, at least you've got 5.25 drive bays to accommodate one of those 3.5" cluster-add-in's.

 

* * * *

 

The Antec 1200. One USB 3, but it will consume all of your MB's 20-pin USB connector. How wonderful! The case maker is deciding you're unworthy to have both USB 3 capabilities! Nice, huh?!!

 

I give this an "F" so quick.

 

I'm never a fan of lighted cases or fans - when I want to see spectacular effects, "PC Cases" is soooo far down my list - near the black-light Elvis Velvet paintings. This Antec also makes the motherboard's full SATA pedestals a pain to add or remove.

 

* * * *

 

Take a look at a CoolerMaster 430. This is a cheapo case but something the pictures don't do justice to - the motherboard tray is cut to the edge of the motherboard. From there to the drive cages, you've got 2-3 inches of wide open space for easy SATA pedestal access. Such a SIMPLE design, so incredibly easy to work with, and work with OFTEN. That motherboard tray has a nice rolled edge - it's incredibly strong as well. For such a cheap case, such a GREAT motherboard tray and spacing-to-drive-cages.

 

I would not recommend this case, necessarily - it has other issues, but the MB tray is well thought-out.

 

* * * *

 

I won't even go into 1977 Star Wars cases.

 

* * * *

 

If you're going to get stuck with SATA pedestals all loaded up with cables, see if you can find UNlatched SATA cables. Silverstone has SATA-3 cables without latches, but they're pricey beyond reason.

 

The unlatched cable-connectors are flatter and fit into stacked pedestals without being jammed against one another. With latched cables, you always end up removing the top one to access the bottom one. What a pain.

 

I'm not sold on the need for latches. Has there been an infection of wild, loose cables wiggling themselves free and flying around willy-nilly in computer cases? I haven't heard about it. And if I was going to grab my computer by its innards and sling it around the yard, I really would NOT first grab for latched-onto SATA cables! That big ol' 40-pin power connector... yeah... give it a BIG twirl and let 'er fly.

 

But really - latched SATA Cables? I'll wait for the Harvard study showing all those wild cables wiggling free.

 

* * * *

 

I also wonder "Why height instead of depth?" These cases are TALL. But really shallow - not deep. Every motherboard is jammed close to the drive-bay cages. Working with drives and adding in cards, or making any change to motherboards becomes a trial that will make me ponder tearing everything out, each and every time.

[ClayMeow]

Thanks for your thorough analysis.

 

While I agree with you that depth is more useful than height in terms of air flow, ease of working inside, etc., accommodating for height is often easier. Aside from my 9" max width requirement, I also technically want to stay at 22" depth or less...these requirements are simply based on how/where I have it set up in my room. Height doesn't matter to me...it can be as short or as tall as needed.

 

In any case, the CM 430 (or rather the 431, as that's the updated USB 3.0 version) certainly looks interesting and is extremely cheap. If I am indeed buying a new case, however, I'm not sure I want such a shorty. Like I said, my current case has lasted three full builds, so even if I don't plan on filling my new one up to the brim, expansion room is always nice.

[Stonerboy779]

The CM HAF 932 has the nice drink-holder on top, perfectly placed to spill down into the dual-sinks - er, exhaust fans. Users do this once and eventually decide those cute li'l drink holders should be left for their cars and naugahydes.

Can't say I have ever seen someone use that to hold a cup. To hold a phone, keys or wallet and a USB or two, yes, but never a drink.

 

Set a drink can on this case, and there's a better chance this case will dump it on the deck instead of down into it's maw. But seriously, it does offer an interesting guide-rail mentality for a radiator system.

What is it with you and outting drinks on cases?

 

Take a look at a CoolerMaster 430. This is a cheapo case but something the pictures don't do justice to - the motherboard tray is cut to the edge of the motherboard. From there to the drive cages, you've got 2-3 inches of wide open space for easy SATA pedestal access. Such a SIMPLE design, so incredibly easy to work with, and work with OFTEN. That motherboard tray has a nice rolled edge - it's incredibly strong as well. For such a cheap case, such a GREAT motherboard tray and spacing-to-drive-cages.

 

I would not recommend this case, necessarily - it has other issues, but the MB tray is well thought-out.

This case while a nice little case is pita when it comes to swapping HDDs and cable management. It can be done because I have done it but it doesn't exactly have bucket loads of drives or space.

It also fails on the width requirement which I can only assume is for a cooler, it will fit a hyper 212 cooler but any taller and you have no chance.

 

I also wonder "Why height instead of depth?" These cases are TALL. But really shallow - not deep. Every motherboard is jammed close to the drive-bay cages. Working with drives and adding in cards, or making any change to motherboards becomes a trial that will make me ponder tearing everything out, each and every time.

You will find that is because desks are only so deep why would you want something you couldn't fit on, beside orr under your desk because it is ridiculously deep.