20 replies to this topic

[mattd390]

I have my main rig built into an Antec 300 case. It is a bit tight for a full ATX motherboard. I was wondering what cases you guys use or would recommend. I have been looking at the Fractal Design XL but an open to any suggestions! Thanks!

[pcdoc]

Michael (no-control) just got and reviewed the mid tower version of that case and really liked it. I was eyeing the XL for my next server. Never tried one but it looks like a great case and value.

[fredp1]

I've got the Fractel R3 case and love it. Plenty of room, cabling is neat and tidy sound deading material and now supports USB 3.
It's got 8 internal drive bays and 2 or 3 external 5.25" bays.

It's worth a look.

[mattd390]

Michael (no-control) just got and reviewed the mid tower version of that case and really liked it. I was eyeing the XL for my next server. Never tried one but it looks like a great case and value.

I will take a look for the review, thanks!

I've got the Fractel R3 case and love it. Plenty of room, cabling is neat and tidy sound deading material and now supports USB 3.
It's got 8 internal drive bays and 2 or 3 external 5.25" bays.

It's worth a look.

I really have to check out that case with both of you mentioning it . My only concern is the amount of room between the front edge of the motherboard and the 5 1/4 inch bays / hard drive storage. Do you use a full ATX MB? If so, how much room do you have between your MB and those areas? Thanks for any help!

[fredp1]

Hi

Theirs plenty of room in the case. I'm using a atx motherboard.
I've been meaning to take some photos.... I'll do that within a day.

[timekills]

Fractal R3 review:
http://www.quietpc.c...ses/fd-definer3

That is a lot of case for $100.

[mattd390]

Fractal R3 review:
http://www.quietpc.c...ses/fd-definer3

That is a lot of case for $100.

Hi

Theirs plenty of room in the case. I'm using a atx motherboard.
I've been meaning to take some photos.... I'll do that within a day.

Thanks for the info!

Fractal R3 review:
http://www.quietpc.c...ses/fd-definer3

That is a lot of case for $100.

The black model was going for 119 plus 20 bones for shipping on Monday so I went with the Corsair 400R. It looks to be a good case. I just checked newegg today and I see that they have a white R3 for 99. If that had been on newegg for that price monday I probably would've gotten that.. Oh well. Maybe I will just become a fanboy of Corsair along with Tim from the BYOB podcast .

[fredp1]

Hi,

I've uploaded the photos... http://homeserversho...ractel-r3-case/

The last photo shows the clearance between motherboard and drive cage.

Fred

[mattd390]

That's a really nice looking case! Tons of room and space for HDs... I hope I don't regret getting the corsair!

[pcdoc]

That's a really nice looking case! Tons of room and space for HDs... I hope I don't regret getting the corsair!

I doubt you will regret getting the Corsair. Let us know what you think of it.

[mattd390]

The build turned out pretty good. I really like all of the options for cable management. It could use a little more tightening up but overall it looks like there aren't any huge restrictions in air flow. One thing that did annoy me was the lack of proper screws to mount fans in the top and sides of the case. There are rummer groments that you can screw a fan screw into but if you pull on the fan lightly the fan would drop. I found in a forum that you can get a kit with proper hardware to remedy the issue. For $95 shipped though I am extremely happy with it overall.

[ikon]

OMG that case is H U G E !!

[mattd390]

OMG that case is H U G E !!

Guess I should've resized it a tad huh, sorry .

[ikon]

I didn't mean the photo; I meant the case itself. I've gotten rid of all my old full size cases; no where to put them any more.

[fredp1]

Nice case.... Lots of room. Well done.

[pcdoc]

Very nice. I would not bother with to many extra fans. The ones that are in there are more than enough to keep things cool enough unless you OC. Besides, if you OC, you will need to beef up your cooling anyway. Nice job on the build and good luck with it.

[Joe_Miner]

Nice looking case -- good wire management -- I'm sure you love it. Thanks for the picture!

[jmwills]

_{Huge? The photo is larger than my original V1 Acer box!}

[ikon]

_{Huge? The photo is larger than my original V1 Acer box!}

Mine too. It's sitting in my furnace room ATM

[mattd390]

I didn't mean the photo; I meant the case itself. I've gotten rid of all my old full size cases; no where to put them any more.

I got the perfect spot for it next to my desk so the size doesn't really bug me too much. Its actually a Mid size case too lol. I hate cramming full size ATX boards into smaller cases if they have forward facing sata ports. It can be a pain .

Very nice. I would not bother with to many extra fans. The ones that are in there are more than enough to keep things cool enough unless you OC. Besides, if you OC, you will need to beef up your cooling anyway. Nice job on the build and good luck with it.

Your right, I guess I wouldn't really need much more cooling. I will monitor my temps when playing BF3 and see if my 260 causes any temperature issues.


Thanks for all the great input guys!