About to buy a new case (to go with a few other bits I salvaged from my dying overheated A7V133 and cooked thunderbird). I digress - I have narrowed the case choice to two....

Coolermaster 200
Lian Li PC86 both the above will have 400w PSU

I love the coolermaster but can't justify the extra £40 ($60) as I already have an irate fiance who is going to cut off my prenuptual pleasures ( and I dare say a couple of other bits) if I blow the entire christmas money on "toys".

I never buy without asking my peers at PC911, any comments or experience gladly taken on board.:o

I haven't seen a COOLMASTER in person, so I can't say.
Now the Lian Li is another story. Mighty fine!

As good a case it is I would go for the prenuptial pleasures. On second thought........ :+

You haven't met her.....

Well maybe you have.

You might take a look at the one Alex reviewed for PC911.

http://www.pcnineoneone.com/reviews/other/asx1040_1.html

I have one of my comps in the Lian Li PC86, and 2 are in the Antec 1040. The Lian Li is a fine piece of craftsmanship, it's made extremely well, BUT, unless the weight matters ( i use it for going to Lan partys ) then the Antec is as good a case overall as the Lian Li. I have very similar components in each, and the Antec actually runs a few degrees cooler. There is more room in the Antec, and more spaces for additional fans too. It all boils down to whether you want to have the best looking case as well as best working. Both cases are exceptional. As far as the cooler guys case, eh, it's ok. I don't like it as well as the Lian Li,it isn't quite as nice looking, and it isn't finished quite as well in my opinion, so if you want the aluminum case, go with the Lian Li.

Thanks for the replies

in your opinion, does the aluminium case run cooler than a "standard" case anyway, the reason I ask is that my old A7V133 with 1.33ghz athlon ran (for about a week) at 60C olus before cooking.

This was despite 2 case fans, an exhaust fan etc. Having bought a 1700XP with a MSI K7T266 Pro RU I don't want another dead pc!!

I know the theory behind your question, that aluminum disipates heat faster, but in my experience, that doesn't hold true with the aluminum cases. My Antec actually runs a few degrees cooler. I think this is due to more room inside the case, and the air moves more freely because of it. The Lian Li is an awesome case, but solely as a heat solution, i think you would be better off with the Antec 1040. One thing to remember is the XP chips run cooler in the first place. The Lian Li does a good job of cooling, just not quite as well as the Antec i don't think. I have a 1.4 T bird in the Lian Li, and it runs at 42C under a load, so cooling isn't really an issue with any of the cases your considering. I'm using the Vantec CCK-6035D HSF, the 3 80MM fans that come wth the Lian Li, and i cut a hole in the top of the case for a 120MM exhaust fan. Works great. I use an Enermax EG465-VE ps which has dual fans also. It's not the quietest thing in the world, but it isn't as loud as some i've heard.

Russ,
I have the Enermax 651.If you'll take the fan guards off.(with no kids around,that is.) -You'll be amazed how much quieter it'll be.And it'll flow more air.I hope you're enjoying your new supply as much as I am mine.
Kenny:D

Actually, the PS isn't the major noise factor, it's the 120mm on top. I'm lookin into gettin a quieter one.

>This was despite 2 case fans, an exhaust fan etc. Having
>bought a 1700XP with a MSI K7T266 Pro RU I don't want
>another dead pc!!

Or you could have bought an Intel P4 and not had to worry about any of this. }> Just imagine the savings on the power bill alone not to mention doing away with those pesky power fluctuations and dimming lights every time those two dozen fans needed to cool an AMD processor kick in. :D

A Ferrari costs more, and uses more gas than a Ford, but some of us just like to go fast. Same thing with the T birds, i like to go fast, so i'll spend the extra nickle a month on electricity. And by the way, i did build a PIV 1.5, kept it almost a month before i gave it to my daughter.

Alex not only has talent running this forum.(Among others)
He also has a very gifted talent for writing.
Kenny:D
Ps. Great case! At a good price.gotta have it!

Kenny,
I'm not sure which case you were referring to as "great", but the Antec 1040B I just ordered was $133 at KD Computers. They've done well by me in the past and even got the case in the UPS shipment 10 minutes after I ordered it...service! I love it!
BTW...the 1040B's are out of stock 'till Monday or Tuesday. I got the last'un on the shelf.

Mickster,
The Antec 1040B-that Alex did a great review on..
good to see ya.
Kenny:D

For all of us who are already married, let me just say that our young ladies will never approve or at best grudgingly so with reservations... to crop up later at unexpected events.

When I was a young it was hotrods, we spent every penny on those old flatheads.

It's always the same for us...we want our toys and they feel that marriage somehow elevates us beyond that carnal lust for new and shiny....
My wife, (sweet thing), on the other hand, is always completly understanding and will ever support my next expense at the "Fry's are us" goody bin....... uh, that's anything under ten bucks, of course....

MY comment on cases would be how many bays does it have?...How about the HDD bay, is it easily removable? Can the side be removed easily and get a couple more fans in it......

All the cases he's looking at meet all your criteria old dude. The Antec is the easiest for access of them all. There's a ton of room in the Antec, the Lian Li tho has plenty enough for about any system you would want. The Lian Li has an interesting HDD mount. They mount at the bottom in a removable tray that will hold 5 hdds on their side, th 2 80MM fans blow across the hdd's to keep them cool too, very nice. The Antec has 1 80MM fan that blows across the removable hdd cage also.

Thanks to Russ's review of my two top case choices, I just ordered an Antec1040B. The fact that it's about $100+ less expensive did NOT hurt things. Thanks for the reviews folks.