Thinking about getting this case

[Judaeus Apella]

I think I'm going to get this case for the graphics PC my mother asked me to build for her. Its the right price ($100), its a new model with modern features, has all the features she wanted, AND Silverstone gives you free parts for life no questions asked. All in all I think you get a lot of value for the money with this case and I just noticed there's a $20 rebate going on, which translates to free shipping.

So do you guys know anything about this case? Any quirks I should be aware of? There's only one minor thing I don't like, and that is you can only use a 25mm thick 120mm fan for the front intake. The reason why is like a lot of Silverstones they pressed the drive cages right up against the fan. I usually only buy 32mm or thicker 120mm fans because they have more cfm and air pressure, and have a lower harder to hear pitch to their dba.

[natranr]

I guess you would have to use the 25mm thick fans, its not like its a gaming pc, just Adobe graphic design. try some Xigmatec or Noctua fans. I like those.

also, top 180mm fan is an intake?? Heat rises, so I would flip that around.

[Judaeus Apella]

Your right about the fan being upside down. I'll flip it after I have a fan hole/screw holes professionally added to the side window at a local glass and acrylic shop. They do a good job over there. The reason its upside down is there's only a small intake fan on the front, and that's not enough for a case that size. I don't know why they didn't put a fan on the window.... thats really odd. 4 screw holes and a fan hole would have been wonderful... I wonder why they left it out. Well it works in my favor anyway. An older computer of mine from about 12 years ago had a cpu that ended up not lining up with a temporary case I got for it after the old case (gateway) fell apart. So I'd rather have a custom one where I can control the size of the fan and where the hole is.

[Waterlogged]

also, top 180mm fan is an intake?? Heat rises, so I would flip that around.

Why do ppl persist in perpetuating this misconception? Air (hot or cold) will go where it's told to go as long as there is a force strong enough to over power it's natural motion (which is what fans are for), physics 101.

[Judaeus Apella]

Well it doesn't matter anyway. I will need 2 intake and 2 exhaust. Since the front and side will be intake, the top and rear will need to be exhaust. Since the thin 120x25 up front will be intake, the larger one on the side will have to make up for it. hmmm Maybe I'll get a larger fan for the side. Dammit, I need to see if I can find a low CFM Delta 172mm.

[Frag Maniac]

...has all the features she wanted...

Regarding desired features, I was going to make a joke about the name of the big fan on top, but I'm not sure it would be appropriate on an open to all ages forum.

That being said, if that front fan is one of their AP types, AFAIK they have higher static pressure than typical fans, and combined with the positive pressure design, should be able to push air through the HDD cage OK. Positive pressure doesn't just help avoid dust sucking in, it assures the interior air is forced out where it should go. There's more chance of each fan doing it's job properly in cases with slight positive pressure, than in thiose with negative pressure.

As for the top being used as intake or exhaust, I would first select a good side fan, then add it's CFM to that of the front, and see if it is equal or greater than that of the top, rear, and PSU fan. Chances are unless you get a very high CFM side fan it won't be. That means if you turn the top fan around you'll have negative vs positive air pressure, which can suck dust in through any small non filtered openings.

What was said about forced airflow vs hot air rising is true, all the more so in a mid vs full tower design. Also many cases including the 800D end up with the top fans being used as intakes, and it's full tower. On a side note, although Rodney doesn't mention it in his review, the top fan is also filtered.

Overall I think you're far too worried about the direction of the top fan. To get anywhere near equal airflow you'd have to as I said get a very high CFM side fan, and even replace the front with a higher CFM unit and run them on high just to avoid it being somewhat negative in air pressure. That would result in a rather loud case for what is fairly mild use compared to an enthusiast gaming rig. As is it's pretty quiet too.

[Frontl1ne]

Why try to over power it's natural motion when you can go with the flow? Wasn't that the whole concept of rotating the motherboard 90 degrees?

[Alexandr0s]

Why try to over power it's natural motion when you can go with the flow? Wasn't that the whole concept of rotating the motherboard 90 degrees?

Because overpowering the natural effect of convection can be done by fans with ease. The effect of convection isn't as strong as most people think. Most of the time, your CPU will benefit more from the cold air coming from the upper intake, than the fan will suffer from convection.

[Judaeus Apella]

Regarding desired features, I was going to make a joke about the name of the big fan on top, but I'm not sure it would be appropriate on an open to all ages forum.

That being said, if that front fan is one of their AP types, AFAIK they have higher static pressure than typical fans, and combined with the positive pressure design, should be able to push air through the HDD cage OK. Positive pressure doesn't just help avoid dust sucking in, it assures the interior air is forced out where it should go. There's more chance of each fan doing it's job properly in cases with slight positive pressure, than in thiose with negative pressure.

As for the top being used as intake or exhaust, I would first select a good side fan, then add it's CFM to that of the front, and see if it is equal or greater than that of the top, rear, and PSU fan. Chances are unless you get a very high CFM side fan it won't be. That means if you turn the top fan around you'll have negative vs positive air pressure, which can suck dust in through any small non filtered openings.

What was said about forced airflow vs hot air rising is true, all the more so in a mid vs full tower design. Also many cases including the 800D end up with the top fans being used as intakes, and it's full tower. On a side note, although Rodney doesn't mention it in his review, the top fan is also filtered.

Overall I think you're far too worried about the direction of the top fan. To get anywhere near equal airflow you'd have to as I said get a very high CFM side fan, and even replace the front with a higher CFM unit and run them on high just to avoid it being somewhat negative in air pressure. That would result in a rather loud case for what is fairly mild use compared to an enthusiast gaming rig. As is it's pretty quiet too.

Good! We're on the same page and like me you seem to know a lot about fans. I haven't stayed current with larger fans over 120mm, and I'm looking for a lower RPM Delta 172x25mm, like the AFB1512L, or a high end consumer fan thats 200mm or larger for the window over the mobo. I'll have a fan controller, most likely internal, keeping everything running quiet. I also plan to put two 120 or 92 Deltas at the bottom left over the window over the video card.

"You don't need a performance fan for an office computer, and you'll be wasting money!" Answer to that is Deltas last freakin forever, they push a lot of air at lower RPMs, and the new ones are more efficient using cold war technology invented by the Russians for long distance bombers. They're like a life commitment. I have one thats around 20 years old I pulled from a PS2 I was scrapping. Still runs great. I have it over my north bridge.

So can anyone help me with the larger fan? I've been looking at a lot of fans and so far I've been unable to locate a 12 volt 172mm delta or find any 200mm+ fans that are impressive enough for me to consider. I saw one a while back, a 140mm... with blue serrated blades. I liked it but they don't make it in 200+ sizes.

[Frag Maniac]

I gotta think that much effort is going to somewhat offset the cost effectiveness of this otherwise price appropriate case for the intended use.

[Serpentarius]

Silverstone gives free parts?????? how to claim?

[Judaeus Apella]

You just tell them your case is broken and what parts you need, then they send it. Just don't go spreading that around. If people start abusing it, they'll stop doing it!!! I asked for one of those little thing that clicks to hold a door shut, and they said they'd send it free of charge. I never ended up doing it. Decided I really hate doors on computers and just bought a new case. I think I'm going to fix it up and mod the case, then put an XP build in it, when I update this one to Win7 or 8. Haven't decided if I'm going to wait for 8 or not.

[Frag Maniac]

It's not unusual for a reputable case manufacturer to replace a small broken part free under warranty, or even beyond it. Whether that means they'll replace any part free for life is another story entirely. My Antec DF-85 has a 3 yr warranty on it. It's got some plastic parts that aren't the typical Antec tough steel, but I trust they'd replace any of them within that time if need be.

[NFC]

Why do ppl persist in perpetuating this misconception? Air (hot or cold) will go where it's told to go as long as there is a force strong enough to over power it's natural motion (which is what fans are for), physics 101.

Waterlogged, I'm glad I have people like you blunting refuting the notion that convection is the most powerful force known to man. I receive a good amount of criticism in my mods from time to time on silly premises that my videocards cant vent properly if vertically oriented or how the RAM should be below the CPU.

If we couldn't control thermal currents...we wouldn't have fans.

Anyways, just wanted to throw a nod in your direction. =)

[Frag Maniac]

I think one of the best examples where convection doesn't reign supreme is the SilverStone RV02. It's great for single GPU, but in tests with multiple GPUs, the intake fans don't push the warm air out fast enough. The result is a fairly roomy case with positive pressure designed around convection that has a problem with warm air pooling in certain configs because they equipped it with very quiet, low CFM bottom fans. The most common mod for that case is more powerful intake fans. So at the end of the day, all that convection needs assistance because the case lacks good old tried and true air flow from fans.

[Waterlogged]

Waterlogged, I'm glad I have people like you blunting refuting the notion that convection is the most powerful force known to man. I receive a good amount of criticism in my mods from time to time on silly premises that my videocards cant vent properly if vertically oriented or how the RAM should be below the CPU.

If we couldn't control thermal currents...we wouldn't have fans.

Anyways, just wanted to throw a nod in your direction. =)

Not a problem. If you take a look at my profile, you'll see my "interest" is "Slapping people with reality", it gets me into trouble from time to time and gets me branded as "abrasive" or "arrogant" but, I feel compelled to educate those stuck in the virtual world when I see something so utterly stupid being said over and over as if it were a written in stone fact. . .and I have fun doing it.

[Judaeus Apella]

Take it easy guys and please stay on topic.