New Case?

[muckluck]

Hey Guys,

I want to order all my parts for a new PC tonight. Problem is, no idea what case to choose.

Parts are as follows:
E6750 Conroe (planning to OC)
Tuniq tower
Gigabyte DS3P P35 chipset
2 x 1GB Kingston HyperX DDR2 1066
8800 GTS 640 MB
2 320 GB Barracuda's
DVD+-RW
and a Seasonic M12 600W modular PSU.

I was thinknig of going with a high end case to get the temps low and be easy to work on, but I don't know if it's worth it. I was thinking either a Lian Li 101B (little room for PSU, have to remove HDD cage for it to fit) , Silverstone TJ09 (290$ for a case? +tax and shipping!?), or a Antec P182 (heavy steel and cheap door). But then there is the cheaper Cooler Master or Sunbeam cases, but I don't want to sacrifice quality.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[b1gapl]

Hey muckluck,
Welcome to T.F.!!

Pretty nice build you got going there. But I would change some things, in order to save you money, to get you that better case.

First the memory. Get the Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 2 x 1GB kit. I got this same exact pair, and they overclock past those DDR2 1066 Kingston, for less.

The 8800GTS 640mb is not worth it, because reviews have proven, that the 640mb is not significantly better than the 320mb. So save yourself the money and get this:
Newegg.com - EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
...then you can upgrade to a 9 series in a couple of months.

That 600W power supply isn't really necessary. I would of suggest this instead:
Newegg.com - SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT ATX12V/EPS12V, 80Plus, Active PFC, RoHS, 2PCI-E(6Pin), 550W Power Supply - Retail
Saves you a little money, and is more than enough, to accommodate future upgrades.

For the case. If you want high quality and air flow, look at:
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Stacker RC-832-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail
or
Newegg.com - Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
...cheaper, and has great airflow.

 

[veg1992]

Hey muckluck,
Welcome to T.F.!!

Pretty nice build you got going there. But I would change some things, in order to save you money, to get you that better case.

First the memory. Get the Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 2 x 1GB kit. I got this same exact pair, and they overclock past those DDR2 1066 Kingston, for less.

The 8800GTS 640mb is not worth it, because reviews have proven, that the 640mb is not significantly better than the 320mb. So save yourself the money and get this:
Newegg.com - EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail
...then you can upgrade to a 9 series in a couple of months.

That 600W power supply isn't really necessary. I would of suggest this instead:
Newegg.com - SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT ATX12V/EPS12V, 80Plus, Active PFC, RoHS, 2PCI-E(6Pin), 550W Power Supply - Retail
Saves you a little money, and is more than enough, to accommodate future upgrades.

For the case. If you want high quality and air flow, look at:
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Stacker RC-832-KKN1-GP Black Aluminum ATX Full Tower Computer Case - Retail

^ agreed.. ... that or antec 900 or antec p180 bullet black case (or something like that)

 

[muckluck]

I was planning to OC the RAM to as close to 1333 as I could. If I go with the 8800 GTS 320 MB version I really wouldn't have to worry about spending so much on a case.. hmm.. What I do know is that I want to be able to play modern games at 1680x1050 with decent frames. I was looking at the 900 but would have to replace those LED fans. I can't stand lit up cases because I use it in my room, and I like to leave Prime 95 running while I sleep. I could throw some Sythe fans in there...

 

[b1gapl]

The 320mb version, can easily play at 1680 x 1050 with decent frames.

 

[muckluck]

Oh, and I really want to have modular cables, I hate cable management (too much work) and want a clean case.

 

[b1gapl]

Actually I would recommend this power supply instead, of that SeaSonic 600w:
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, CE, CB, FCC Class B, TUV, CCC, C-tick - Retail
or here, if you want it cheaper:
Corsair HX Series CMPSU-620HX 620W Power Supply at ZipZoomfly

From what I saw...people with the Cooler Master Stacker 832 case, have very clean wiring.

 

[muckluck]

Well this all good news then. Should I still go with the cheaper RAM if I want to OC that much? I like to have my FSB and RAM as close to a 1:1 ratio as possible. I guess I shouldn't be picky, anything is going to be an upgrade from my Athlon 2500+, 512 MB of DDR333 and 9200.

 

[b1gapl]

lol...true...

I got those Crucial Ballistix to run at DDR2-1200 with 5-5-5-12 timings. And for that price, you just can't beat it.

 

[muckluck]

Hmm.. now how many fans should I add the the stacker? That thing is a beast. Air doesn't even have a chance to heat up.