New Case Time!

[random]

Hey guys,

I've decided its time for a new case, I'm not planning to invest on watercooling so if possible please suggest me a case that favors air cooling

I've made a poll of what I've got in mind so far... any advice appreciated

[Black Haru]

I voted haf-X. BUT- the 1200 is good. I don't think you'll get that big of a cooling boost off a new case (if any)

[Makaveli]

I voted 600T but you never said what you budget is for the case. Also do you have a preference when it comes to colour of the case to possibly match your existing hardware.

[jellyrole]

The SilverStone FT02 is an amazing case and the quality it offers is absolutely unbeatable. I've installed my rig into all those cases with the exception of the 650D and the FT02 is what you want. That's still my favorite case to have worked with and had I not gone as far into water cooling as I did, I would still be using that case.

[random]

Originally Posted by Makaveli

I voted 600T but you never said what you budget is for the case. Also do you have a preference when it comes to colour of the case to possibly match your existing hardware.

I really don't have a budget, but like most people I don't wish to buy an overkill case. For example the 800D is borderline overkill because of it's price and the aesthetics isn't really of use to me since I can get a similar interior design and a nice exterior by buying the NZXT Phantom which is almost half the price.

I'm not too fussed with matching my hardware color at this time since i feel the components I have at the moment is temporary (I'll most likely be switching to AMD's bulldozer), so I'll have plenty of time to match hardware color then

[Loosenut]

If finances permitted, my choice would be the SilverStone Raven RV02-E with window.

Must admit, these are all great cases. Good luck

[Bo$$]

Originally Posted by randomflip

I really don't have a budget, but like most people I don't wish to buy an overkill case. For example the 800D is borderline overkill because of it's price and the aesthetics isn't really of use to me since I can get a similar interior design and a nice exterior by buying the NZXT Phantom which is almost half the price.

I'm not too fussed with matching my hardware color at this time since i feel the components I have at the moment is temporary (I'll most likely be switching to AMD's bulldozer), so I'll have plenty of time to match hardware color then

NXZT is really under-rated, i have personally got 2 of them, and used 10-12 them in other builds, top notch everytime

[BababooeyHTJ]

I actually just replaced my Antec 1200 with an FT02 a couple of days ago. I had swapped out the fans in the 1200 with low speed Yate Loons and because of my True I didn't use a side fan. I had been playing Mafia 2 before the swap and my gpu temp in the 1200 would float around 69 or 70C and top out at about 72C. It's not that stressful on the card either. In the FT-02 in the same game the card floats around about 61 or 62C and tops out at 64C on a lower fan speed since the fan profile doesn't need to ramp up as much. This is with the same ambients btw. I saw a similar improvement although not as much on my cpu. This is with the FT-02 fans on low speed.

Another big plus is how much easier it is to clean the fan filters. Getting to the fan filters on the 1200 is a PITA and I put off cleaning them because of it. The FT02 also has good positive airflow so the fan filters should be more effective. The build quality is far better on this case as well.

Here are my gripes about the FT02. First of all a little more room behind the motherboard tray would have been nice. My cable management still came out looking nice though. It would also be nice to be able to change the fan speed without having to pull off the top which I was surprised to find out was made out of plastic.

You can't go wrong with the Raven either.

[random]

Originally Posted by BababooeyHTJ

I actually just replaced my Antec 1200 with an FT02 a couple of days ago. I had swapped out the fans in the 1200 with low speed Yate Loons and because of my True I didn't use a side fan. I had been playing Mafia 2 before the swap and my gpu temp in the 1200 would float around 69 or 70C and top out at about 72C. It's not that stressful on the card either. In the FT-02 in the same game the card floats around about 61 or 62C and tops out at 64C on a lower fan speed since the fan profile doesn't need to ramp up as much. This is with the same ambients btw. I saw a similar improvement although not as much on my cpu. This is with the FT-02 fans on low speed.

Another big plus is how much easier it is to clean the fan filters. Getting to the fan filters on the 1200 is a PITA and I put off cleaning them because of it. The FT02 also has good positive airflow so the fan filters should be more effective. The build quality is far better on this case as well.

Here are my gripes about the FT02. First of all a little more room behind the motherboard tray would have been nice. My cable management still came out looking nice though. It would also be nice to be able to change the fan speed without having to pull off the top which I was surprised to find out was made out of plastic.

You can't go wrong with the Raven either.

@BababooeyHTJ
Are you able to supply pics by any chance? I like the look of the case and very much admire the idea of actually being able to see the GPU's design. And also since heat travels upwards the design on the case definitely seems like it will be able to cool a little better as well. (FT02)

Cheers for the advice/suggestions so far guys I'm getting close to a winner here ..


Another question, what is the difference between the SilverStone Raven RV02-E with window and the FT02 ...? Is it just the exterior design? which one has more features?

[abirdie4me]

I have the Raven RV02-E, which is internally identical to the FT02. The only differences in the 2 cases is the exterior styling and the fact the FT02 has sound dampening materials (that I've been told aren't very effective). The RV02-E is $178 on Amazon with free delivery, mine arrived in 3 days. I think the FT02 is about $50 more, a steep price increase for virtually identical cases.

The Raven RV02-E is amazing! I'm running a Q9650 overclocked to 4050 mhz, and crossfire 6950's with the 6970 bios running at 940/1400. The AP181 Air Penetrator fans in this case dropped all my temps across the board by about 10 degrees, and my computer is now virtually silent.

Sorry for the crappy picture, I just stuck my camera under my desk for a quick 'shot in the dark'.

[random]

@abirdie4me

That looks sweet man, thanks for the pic. Guess I've found a winner

[Fatal]

The SilverStone FT02 gets my vote, I have the Raven RV02 if I would have had the cash I would have picked the FT02. Any of the cases are great picks to me its down to what you like really

[random]

Originally Posted by Fatal

The SilverStone FT02 gets my vote, I have the Raven RV02 if I would have had the cash I would have picked the FT02. Any of the cases are great picks to me its down to what you like really

I intend to buy the case from this site
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?...x&cPath=25_608

They actually do have the Raven 02-E version which has the three air penetrator fans on the bottom which makes me want it more.

[Fatal]

I wish I would have waited and I would have had the air penetrators. I think the hard drive cage is different on the Raven 02-E I like that as well. Will be looking to see what you do with your new case

[cmanning27]

Why get rid of the Antec 1200? It's a bad ass case with lots of room and airflow. Even if you decided to switch to water later, it's still awesome. Maybe not for dual-loop though.

[silkstone]

I also voted for you to keep the Antec, it's a nice case. I'd only switch if i knew it could be sold for a good price.