case with 120mm fans
Ive been looking at the SLK3700AMB lately and i like the layout. but want it without the power supply.anyone know where i could get it that way? also any good sugestions on cases similar to it? Im trying to quiet all my pcs cause they are wayyyyy to loud
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120's front and back.
Even if you don't need the PSU, like Jimborae said, keep it as a backup or sell it.
I say the SLK3700BQE is a nice choice.
The 3700AMB/BQE and Sonata will handle a low heat output system (e.g. <50w cpu, low-end video card) at full load without a problem, but don't expect to be running F@H or whatever in these cases with an A64, a relatively fast AXP, P4, Celeron, etc. and get anything like decent temps.
Have any suggestions on another case that uses 120mm case fans that costs around $100CAD? What cases would be good from these two stores, Anitec and NCIX.com?
Let me give another perspective, I've built many systems using both the antec SLK 3700 & 3700BQE. They are great cases imo, my main rig uses the SLK 3700AMB clone, its an overclocked Barton cpu at 2.4g, it folds 24/7, has a Alpha Pal 8045 + low speed silent fan on it. Its also sits in a small enclosure in a computer desk which kills fresh air circulation.
I get, in my opinion for the spec, decent temps. The cpu never rises above 50c, the hard drives are nicely cooled (twin 160g maxtors, raided) and the graphics card is passively cooled. The rig has yet to crash on me.
If you want a case thats whisper quiet, good value, good quality & can live with the fact that your cpu temp may be constantly above 40c then the Antec is certainly worth considering.
Geeky is not wrong in what he says but his views ,I think, are from certain perspective. The cooling performance of the SLK3700 BQE & Sonata is not greatest, however they weren't designed with that in mind. It designed for low noise.
The cooling on the SLK3700AMB is certainly better because of the hard drive orientation and I certainly wouldn't describe it as crap. I would however recommend cutting off the stamped grill covers because they do restrict the airflow alot, it only takes 15mins and they are hidden so it doesn't look unsightly.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, think what your priorities are for this case, low noise or extreme cooling etc. If you need huge air flow & very low temps, then no, the Antec may not be for you. If you need low noise, decent cooling (imo) then do consider the Antec because its great value & well built.
Replace the Tornado with a SmartFan2 that's thermally controlled, take a dremel to the fan grills on the front and back of that case, and put 6 more thermally controlled smartfans or quiet fans such as Panaflo L1As on it, and it'll be far, far quieter than it is now.
And as for the SLK3700s/Sonatas:
Is the RAM in the systems (the side facing away from the CPU hsf) warm to the touch at all? Does the top of the case get noticeably warm? Is the air that comes out of the exhaust fan any warmer than ambient? If any of those questions can be answered with a "yes", the case has crappy cooling. What are your video card and hard drive temps like? We use 3700AMBs and BQEs at work; I've been bugging my dad to put fans in the front of the BQEs because the WD400JB drives in them are hitting 50*C (according to MBM5) while defragging. External temperatures on the drives mean nothing; it's all about how hot the drives get internally. And the 3700s/Sonata, the BQE and Sonata in particular, don't provide enough airflow across the hard drive area to keep 7200RPM drives acceptably cool.
I've added a second 120MM fan to my Sonata, clipped to the frame inside the case drawing air across the HDDs and blowing onto the RAM. Neither the HDDs nor the RAM get noticeably hotter than they did in my old loud Antec (which was based on the chassis that is most commonly recommended for great cooling applications). The only part of the top of the case that is warm is the part that is in contact with the PSU. The air coming out of the PSU fan is warm, but the air coming out of the 120MM exhaust fan is no hotter than ambient. There is no component in my PC except for the NF2 southbridge that gets warm enough that I need to remove my finger at any length of time.
So, long story short, no - I don't see any of the issues that you claim the Sonata and SLK3700 series suffer from, and I've got my fans running slower than stock on the 'fan only' rails.
Ditto. That is the one failing of the Slk3700amb is that it doesn't come with a front fan as standard but the mounting is there for it. With regard to the BQE and Sonata I dont like the way the hard drives are mounted because as Geeky says it makes it difficult to get airflow across it but it does make stealthing the cables a doddle.