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...from the specs:
I do like the vertical GPU mounting.
Though I would love an version with buffed steel side/front panels (like my old Antec P-193 has). I think that would look much more "professional" (and I wouldn't have to worry about dropping one if I need to remove it, given my clumsy arthritic hands).
Like I said.
TheKD, I got that hat a few months ago. I need to wear a hat when I go outside because I have a huge bald spot in the back! Unfortunately, I misplaced that hat awhile ago.. It will show up, eventually!
I once saw an article about a guy spending thousands of dollars to build a computer system. I think it was over $10,000 USD. This was long before Apple was selling $40,000 computers. And one of the notable things about the build was one of the sides was completely covered with fans. One person noted that they could have replaced all of those smaller fans with one big fan and potentially produced the same amount of cooling with less noise.
Nice case but overkill for me.
Back to basics. Am I correct in observing that none of these new design custom cases provide support for a DVD drive? I know the rock I've been living under was comfortable but am I that far behind the curve? But I really want a place for a DVD drive.
I just want to find a less than $100 case that has room for at least two 3.5 inch hard drives and a couple of SSD drives. (more hard drive slots would be nice) It also has to be an ATX case. Someday I might want to upgrade to a bigger motherboard, and of course it needs to have enough space to support a three fan Graphics board. Also, front panel audio, USB & memory chip slots would be nice. Hidden power supply and cables would be nice too but not necessary. Case side window also not really necessary but probably unavoidable. I'll paste pron pictures on the window.
Is such a beast available or do I really have to move into the $100-$150 range?
I ended up buying an external USB drive. It's powered from the USB cable alone. It could probably be placed on top of the case and almost as good as a built-in one.
It has to have a SD card reader? The rest is easy. The SD card readers aren't that common anymore. How about getting a $50 to $75 case and spend $25 on a USB hub that has the reader you can plug in when you need it?
That could work.
But no, I don't really need an SD memory slot group. I have plenty of other options in my network. I can even get SD card data via my printer. And I actually already have an external DVD drive in some box on a shelf. It's just that that rock that I've been living under was decorated with floppy drives, CD & DVD drives, Blu-Ray drives, and SD slots and I expect to see them everywhere. Besides, I have a couple hundred DVD blanks of various types to use up too, if anybody's interested.
Regarding cheap cases: I found this one https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-meshify-c-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352085 which doesn't have a window (that in the other models in this line apparently shatters if you sneeze on it)
; has room for 2 hard drives and three SSDs
; Hides the power supply and cables
; Supports up to five fans
; and has two USB3 sockets on the top (not ideal, I'd rather they be on the front but this is the 21st century)
Life is scary when you read the 1-star reviews.
I have a question: What's the difference between a "mid-tower ATX", an "ATX", and a "full ATX" case? And would this apparently mid-tower ATX fit a large (3-fan) graphics card?
I really want a case that is large enough to hold at least three 3.5" hard drives, in addition to one SSD and a Blu Ray burner. I may not actually buy the Blu Ray drive, but I want the capability. Needless to say, I need room for my big hands to work inside the case. I really don't want all those flashy lights. I've seen some cases that have mesh in front, and even dust filters. Those look nice.
When it comes right down to it, maybe a real Full Tower case is the best. I just need to be careful. In the past, I had full tower cases sitting on the floor. I hurt my back when I had to lift the case off the floor to work on the computer. I'll likely get a table or cabinet just for the computer. Let the computer sit on top.
OK, I've found the manufacturer's manual and specifications for the case I identified above. https://www.fractal-design.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Meshify-C-MAN.pdf
Maximum length of graphics card is 315mm with case fan installed at the end of the card, 335mm without a case fan at the end of the card. The power supply area is enclosed but I couldn't find any internal dimension specifications so I have slight worry about whether my power supply will fit (650w Corsair). Regardless, I'm going to go ahead and spend some future money on that case. If it isn't suitable upon inspection I'll return it having learned yet another valuable life lesson.
At least the case I'm ordering doesn't have the window that shatters when you sneeze on it. So now I can look forward to a few days of shipping anticipation, then a couple days of geekish fun as I transfer the guts of my spiffy new DAZzing machine currently occupying the HP case from "George", into my new mid-Tower ATX case. Then transfer poor naked homeless George (now fit and healthy again), back into his old HP case.
In the end I will have provided room for my DAZzing machine to grow in the future, and George will be happy again. Or alternatively I may have one or two dead machines and more geekish fun ahead of me.
"Life is like a roller coaster ride, if once you're over the top and you're not screaming on the way down, you've wasted your ticket." -- LG
Speaking of case with large fans.
This was the old rig I built 9 yrs ago... It is still in service. I gave it to my bro-in-law after I built my current rig last year.
I wish Antec would make a larger one. I would have snapped it up in a heart beat. but Antec discontinued the skeleton cases.
Cool! Outboard hard drives, and even a helicopter pad.
Another question about cases: How does one power & control all those extra fans that can be put into a fancy case? There aren't that many fan sockets on the motherboard. I'm assuming that they are non-dynamic, single-speed fans. And you power them with adapters for standard power supply sockets. What if the fans have lights on them? Are they single color or do they have their own Xmas light-shows built-in?
If I put lighted fans behind the front panel of my new case the front panel is perforated so some light would get through. I don't really need spurious photons flying around the room but hey, this is the 21st century for bad or good.
Meshify C is a very good older case. I've built probably 10 systems for clients in it. I would have no worries about your PSU fitting int.
On fans, it depends. How many fans are you planning to add? Most decent motherbaords come with 4 or more fan headers. There are a fairly wide variety of fan types. Fans can be molex, don't get these if you can avoid it. Some fans will have 3 wires and some will have 4, these are generally called PWM. PWM fans can be controlled through the motherboard an BIOS so these are preferred. If you really are going to have more fans than there are headers you will need a fan hub like this one:
https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-mfx-mhhn-10nn1-r1-black/p/1W8-0049-00060?Description=fan%20hub&cm_re=fan_hub-_-1W8-0049-00060-_-Product&quicklink=true
You plug the fans into this and then plug it into the motherboard.
You can buy fans without LED's. You can buy single color LED fans. If you buy the multi color ones you'll need a controller or to get ones that can be controlled by the same software. I'd just pick a bunch that are a color you find less annoying or go with none. Noctua makes very good fans without LED's.
ATX is the size of motherboards so an ATX case is one that will hold an ATX motherboard. Mid tower versus full tower is sort of fuzzy but generally speaking a mid tower is the sort of desktop box most people are used to. 2' to 2 1/2' tall, maybe 3' long around a foot thick. A full tower is bigger. Taller by a foot or more. Thicker as well, perhaps by only a few inches but maybe a full foot. When people had systems with 6 or 8 HDD they needed full towers but now with m.2 drives and SSD's full towers aere less common.
...my P-193 cost me 189$ eight years ago. Wouldn't trade it for anything new.
Newegg has a filter for external 5.25 inch drive slots, so you can narrow your search down that way. Amazon filters aren't as accurate in my experience.
Lots of cases come with LED lights on the fans with no way to turn them off, but if you're sure you won't use them, you can just snip the leads to the actual LED (and insulate the cut wires so they won't touch anything else by accident).
It's getting harder to find suitable cases these days. I'm more of a 'boring beige box' man, but the times they are a' changin.
Not even a Corsair 1000D?
Thank you for the detailed response.
Last night I did some research of my own and became satisfied that a "mid-Tower" case is indeed larger in all dimensions than my old HP desktop case. Although primarily in width. It's two inches wider. Consequently I'm somewhat relieved that a larger cooler/fan assembly could be accomodated someday. I currently have an MSI GeForce GTX 1660 graphics card installed and it just barely fits lengthwise. But with the absence of a CD/DVD cage in the new case and/or the relocation of the HD cage, there should be no problems fitting a longer graphics card if I ever get one. I'm also happy to be assured that there should be no problem fitting my power supply either. It's all a go! The new case has been ordered. Yay!
Regarding fans: The motherboard I currently have for my DAZzing machine is an Asus Prime B360M-A and supports a CPU fan and two case fans, all with 4-pin headers. (I believe. I need to look directly at it to be sure, but the documentation says 4-pin) The new case comes with two fans installed but has room for several more. I'm able to run cool while this system is crammed into my old micro-ATX HP case with only the CPU fan and just one case fan so I'm thinking two case fans in a somewhat larger case would still be sufficient. Although, someday I may have more memory, more storage, more internal accessories, hotter CPU, etc, and a house warming graphics card. So, I'm thinking ahead on fan requirements and accomodations.
The case is by Fractal Design and the fans that come with it are also Fractal Design. I did a little research and have come away with the opinion that Fractal Design fans are favorably regarded although are a little pricier than I would like. If I get more fans then is that level of quality and quietness worth paying for? Also, since I believe that the front panel is perforated, and despite the gimmickness and gee-whizziness of colored fans, I think I'd kind of like steady, cool, soft, blue light coming from the holes in the front panel if I can find such fans. Cool!
I won't be buying fans until I see the case and figure out placement of everything. I'm in no hurry to finish this job. We're still in partial quarantine. Life is boring, I don't want to run out of geekish fun too soon.
Planning and anticipation are part of the adventure. And getting a package on the porch frequently is like many little Christmases.
If I ever have the resources, need, and/or desire to build a SUPER system, I'll just keep what ever this current DAZzing machine of mine grows into, and start over again with all new everything in a new SUPER accomodating case. But I really don't see that happening while I'm still lucid. Besides, by that time, a SUPER machine will probably fit in a cigarette pack and all I have to do to make art is think beautiful thoughts into a head helmet.
PWM fans with blue LED's? Can you finds those? LOL.
By the ton. (Blue LED's are probably the most popular)
https://www.newegg.com/fractal-design-fd-fan-pri-sl12-bu-case-fan/p/N82E16835352046?item=N82E16835352046&source=region&nm_mc=knc-googleadwords-pc&cm_mmc=knc-googleadwords-pc-_-pla-_-case+fans-_-N82E16835352046&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-oDbk7fL6wIVBL7ACh0qIwfXEAQYAiABEgJHvfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-r4-l2r-20ac-gp-case-fan/p/N82E16835103060?item=N82E16835103060&source=region&nm_mc=knc-googleadwords-pc&cm_mmc=knc-googleadwords-pc-_-pla-_-case+fans-_-N82E16835103060&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI6_DNprfL6wIVycDACh2pPgR5EAQYAiABEgL6fPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Those should do. But there are plenty of cheaper ones as well.
Ooh, look at all the pretty blue lights. So many choices. Decisions, decisions.
I think I'll just wait and see how the stock case does with cooling then worry about christmas lights.
Thinking giddily for a moment, how about fans that look and behave like birds. Hummingbirds perhaps. Their hum could even be a feature and not have to be quieted. And if you had several in the case, you could pick the notes they hum and create harmonic chords. Programmable changes of speed could even execute small tunes.
Generally the idea is for fans to not make noise. The colors could be done with some effort but don't ask me to do it. I have some self respect.
Maybe a bunch of fans of different sizes could be placed together, each turning together like the gears inside a clock.
I kind of like my case a lot more now. It is a Coolermaster MasterCase H500P Mesh White case. I wasn't that thrilled at first. Due to the limited spinning disc space (only a 2 drive rack) and no Optical drive bay it limited my storage options but I really l.iked the glass side panel and the two 200mm ARGB fans for cooling and the multiple options for adding liquid cooling later. Got an external optical drive bay and a hard drive dock for all the drives from my old Coolermaster CM690 II case and all is well now. Did not think about it at the time but I discovered that it will fit a RTX 3090 with out any issues and has that nice tempered glass side panel to show it off and the wehite is really growing on me too.
While browsing the catalogs I keep expecting to find a case with a disco ball inside.
Regarding humming fans: Perhaps the fans could be tuned and programmed to perform Puccini's Humming Chorus from his opera "Madama Butterfly"
I have a disco ball in my bedroom that might fit inside a computer case.