Case comparison, advice needed

F

Frank Hagan

NewHat! said:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-144-026&catalog=7&depa=1

Aspire X-Dreamer II- Mid-Tower, Steel (also available in aluminum), 350W,
Fans: 1 front, 2 rear, 1 side, 1 top.


http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...1-129-122&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Antec Solution Series- Mid-Tower, 350W (says "Smart Power", whatever that
is), 2 120mm fans (front, rear).

Which would be better for overclocking? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Compare the power supplies! Antec vs. generic. Between those two, no choice,
get Antec! IMHO ;-)

FRH
 
C

Centroid

I just received my third Antec detailed in your link. They are fantastic!!
Just note the color is more of a silver and matched neither grey/black/beige
colors. On balance, the door conceals the mis-matched colors. Nice units.

Mike
 
J

jeffc

NewHat! said:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-144-026&catalog
=7&depa=1

Aspire X-Dreamer II- Mid-Tower, Steel (also available in aluminum), 350W,
Fans: 1 front, 2 rear, 1 side, 1 top.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-122&catalog
=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Antec Solution Series- Mid-Tower, 350W (says "Smart Power", whatever that
is), 2 120mm fans (front, rear).

Which would be better for overclocking? Thanks.
Click to expand...

It doesn't say what the power supply is for the first. The second is an
Antec case, so of course they are using an Antec power supply, which is a
quality power supply. Without knowing what the first is, I'd go with the
second. The 120 fans are big, which means they should move plenty of air in
addition to being quieter than 80mm fans. It would probably be plenty of
cooling.
 
B

Biker_Bry

NewHat! said:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-144-026&catalog=7&depa=1

Aspire X-Dreamer II- Mid-Tower, Steel (also available in aluminum), 350W,
Fans: 1 front, 2 rear, 1 side, 1 top.


http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...1-129-122&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Antec Solution Series- Mid-Tower, 350W (says "Smart Power", whatever that
is), 2 120mm fans (front, rear).

Which would be better for overclocking? Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have the Aspire Turbo Case X-Sonic Silver 350W Power Supply...
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...1-144-014&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

My Set-up
ASUS P4P800 DLX
P4 2.4C 800mhz FSB W HT
2X 256 DDR400 Crucial Value RAM (in dual channel mode)
Geforce FX5600 Ultra
1X 120Gig Seagate SATA drive
MSI DVD Rom Drive
ASUS 52X24X52 CDRW

No problems here...
The case is nice, and suits my needs good (only $55), but the Antec is a
little nicer if you need it.
Nothing wrong with the 350W power Supply with the Aspire case (so far).

Biker Bry
 
L

larrymoencurly

NewHat! said:
Aspire X-Dreamer II- Mid-Tower, Steel (also available in
aluminum), 350W, Fans: 1 front, 2 rear, 1 side, 1 top.
Click to expand...
Antec Solution Series- Mid-Tower, 350W (says "Smart Power",
whatever that is), 2 120mm fans (front, rear).

Which would be better for overclocking? Thanks.
Click to expand...

How many watts can the 350 watt power supply in the Aspire case put
out? I'd be confident of the Antec's power rating, and I found that a
300W Antec SmartPower (Solution Series and SmartPower are about the
same) could manage at least 380W, at least for ten minutes (I didn't
test longer -- load gets hot).
 
J

jeffc

Frank Fussenegger said:
If you want max-cooling and cost is an issue, this case looks good:

http://www.cooltechzone.com/reviews/cases/xoxide_x_turbine_1.html

My favorite would be:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...1-119-029&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

I don't overclock myself, but you don't want to economize on the
cooling features of your case.
Click to expand...

You don't want to go crazy either. 6 80mm fans sounds like a loud PC,
without any real payoff. It says "There are little openings in the case for
better circulation of air". That sounds extremely dubious to me.
 
S

Skid

DaveL said:
I just built a system for a friend. I used this Antec case
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...1-129-127&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Not only is it beautiful but it's dead silent. It has slide-in drive bays
and lots of them with good spacing and cooling for the multiple drives in
raid.
Click to expand...

I also use and like the Antec Sonata. It's a unique design that is quiet and
functional. The gel-mounted transverse drive bays are such a good idea I
wonder why nobody else thought of it. There is a place for an optional 120
mm fan to pull air across them through the front of the case, not only
increasing ventilation but keeping the drives cool at the same time.

My only complaint is that the plastic hinges on the door are easy to break
if you're not careful -- a warranty replacement is on the way for mine.
 
S

SpongeBob

NewHat! said:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-144-026&catalog=7&depa=1

Aspire X-Dreamer II- Mid-Tower, Steel (also available in aluminum), 350W,
Fans: 1 front, 2 rear, 1 side, 1 top.


http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...1-129-122&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Antec Solution Series- Mid-Tower, 350W (says "Smart Power", whatever that
is), 2 120mm fans (front, rear).

Which would be better for overclocking? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Just an FYI - This Antec case only comes with (1) 120mm fan in the back the
front 120 is optional...You need to add it yourself. Great case...I own one.
 
R

Ric

NewHat! said:
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-144-026&catalog=7&depa=1

Aspire X-Dreamer II- Mid-Tower, Steel (also available in aluminum),
350W, Fans: 1 front, 2 rear, 1 side, 1 top.


http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProdu...1-129-122&catalog=7&manufactory=BROWSE&depa=1

Antec Solution Series- Mid-Tower, 350W (says "Smart Power", whatever
that is), 2 120mm fans (front, rear).

Which would be better for overclocking? Thanks.
Click to expand...

tomshardware covers these in huge detail at the moment.
 
F

Frank Fussenegger

Yes, I would prefer the Cooler Master case instead. I has four 80mm fans (2
front, 1 rear, 1 top). You are also correct about the noise. A good fan
controller is necessary to have the best of both worlds, low noise normally
and good cooling when necessary. I use a Matrix Orbital LCD display to run
my fans low and with little noise for normal computing, and spin up the fans
when my system is under a heavy gamming load. I can maintain a 88-89 degF
interior air temperature under any load. Try that with a low-noise case
like the Antec Sonata. However if you are not gamming, then any good case
is just fine.
 
S

Skid

Frank Fussenegger said:
Yes, I would prefer the Cooler Master case instead. I has four 80mm fans (2
front, 1 rear, 1 top). You are also correct about the noise. A good fan
controller is necessary to have the best of both worlds, low noise normally
and good cooling when necessary. I use a Matrix Orbital LCD display to run
my fans low and with little noise for normal computing, and spin up the fans
when my system is under a heavy gamming load. I can maintain a 88-89 degF
interior air temperature under any load. Try that with a low-noise case
like the Antec Sonata. However if you are not gamming, then any good case
is just fine.
Click to expand...

Now, now, Frank. You can brag about your Cooler Master case all you want,
but don't knock the Antec Sonata until you've tried it.

I have one 120mm fan in back and another in front, both use the automatic
monitor and speed control built into the silent psu. My cpu cooler, a Vantec
Aeroflow, is controlled by the bios of my Abit IC7 and the speed is also
governed by the temps. My fans work just like yours, quiet when cool and
faster when hot, and I don't need an external controller to do it.

As I write this, my case temp is 27C or about 80F. I'm a gamer, too, and
I've never seen my temps go any higher than yours under max load. Not bad
for a 2.4 overclocked and overvolted to 3.3, an overclocked Radeon 9500
modded to 9700 Pro, a gig of overclocked ram and five drives warming up the
box in a room without air conditioning.

Oh yeah, it's quiet, too. The biggest noisemaker in the box is the fan on
the video card, but I'm too lazy to swap it for a heat pipe.
 
F

Frank Fussenegger

Hiya Skid,

That is good to know about the Sonata. I had bad luck with the case on my
Gateway system. It had a rear 120mm exhaust fan and a good intake opening
on front. No matter what fan I used, I could not get it to cool down
enough. The Cooler Master case and a Zalman CPU cooler solved all my
cooling problems. I guess you have to experiment until you find out what
works.

Frank
 
S

Skid

Frank Fussenegger said:
Hiya Skid,

That is good to know about the Sonata. I had bad luck with the case on my
Gateway system. It had a rear 120mm exhaust fan and a good intake opening
on front. No matter what fan I used, I could not get it to cool down
enough. The Cooler Master case and a Zalman CPU cooler solved all my
cooling problems. I guess you have to experiment until you find out what
works.

Frank
Click to expand...

Different strokes, etc.

My last box was an industrial-strength Macase all-steel tower. You needed a
forklift to move it, but it would have survived a fall from a three-story
building. I had four 80 mm fans, two 60 mm fans and a 7000 rpm Delta
screamer on the cpu. It could have doubled as a hovercraft. I had to cut it
off at night to be able to sleep in the next room with the door closed.

The Sonata isn't completely silent with two 120 mm fans, but it's a more
efficient design with airflow that makes sense and some creative approaches
to keeping the noise to a reasonable level.
 

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