Help me choose a Cabinet.

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sabret00the

sabret00the

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I'm looking forward to upgrading to a "larger" Mid Tower Cabby but I'm finding it difficult to zero down on something.
Most important requirement is that the inside space should be sufficient for a Full ATX board, a GTS 250 and about five 3.5" hard disks.
Good cable management and nice air flow is what I'm also looking at to add to the above.
Lastly my budget is at the most 6.5-7K
I have shortlisted the following:
Cooler Master HAF 922

Cooler Master Storm Scout

LanCool DragonLord PC-K56W​

LanCool DragonLord PC-K62

LanCool DragonLord PC-K62R1 RED EDITION

NZXT M59

NZXT Lexa S

Nzxt Lexa Blackline

Thermaltake V9 Black Edition

Thermaltake Xaser VI Mx

Thermaltake ARMOR+ MX

I'm not able to decide which one from the above would best fit my requirements.
 
Given that OP will be using GTS 250 which doesn't generate much heat, isn't a CM 690 more than enough? This will save atleast 2k-3k. Both CM690 and HAF 922 come with 3 fans (though one in 922 is 200mm fan) and both can accomodate 7 fans. For the price of HAF 922, OP can get CM690 and three additional fans which can provide better cooling.
 
Check the NZXT Tempest Evo- 5.7K odd. :)

Nzxt TEMPEST EVO Crafted Series

The Tempest came with lots of silent/low-noise fans and all provided out of the boz iirc and so no compromise on airflow/cooling or silence.

Also that means no need to spend any extra paisa on fans as happens with CM 690.

CM 690 is shitty anyways, esp the metal and hdd cooling and totally penny-wise pound foolish as one bought case for 4K odd and spent another 1.5K-2K on good fans.

2x HDD bays take 4 HDDs each with adequate spacing iirc.

Evo comes with all black interiors now.

That is vfm imho. :)

The M59, i feel, is nothing but the NZXT Gamma with a windowed side panel and a different bezel.

It can't be much bigger if the physical dimensions match- yet to check them. :P

2140/- for Gamma now vs 3788/- for a windowed Gamma aka M59.

Had there been a NZXT Gamma earlier, many wouldn't/shouldn't have bought the CM shitty90.
 
#1 NZXT Tempest Evo (8 HDD)

#2 CM690 II Advanced (6 HDD)

#3 CM HAF 922 (5 HDD)

#4 LanCool DragonLord PC-K62 (4 HDD only)
 
NZXT Tempest looks good but not as flashy as their other models, has eSATA connector on the front panel, loads of fans, good space for hdds which seems to be neglected in so many cases... I'd have bought one myself if I weren't stuck with a shitty lancool :D

People seem to be saying good things about the Lancool K7 too. Check that one out too.
 
desiibond said:
Given that OP will be using GTS 250 which doesn't generate much heat, isn't a CM 690 more than enough? This will save atleast 2k-3k. Both CM690 and HAF 922 come with 3 fans (though one in 922 is 200mm fan) and both can accomodate 7 fans. For the price of HAF 922, OP can get CM690 and three additional fans which can provide better cooling.
Click to expand...
I had intentionally left the CM690 out of the list above as I'm looking for a Cabby which is tad bigger than the CM690 series.
BIKeINSTEIN said:
Check the NZXT Tempest Evo- 5.7K odd. :)

Nzxt TEMPEST EVO Crafted Series
The Tempest came with lots of silent/low-noise fans and all provided out of the boz iirc and so no compromise on airflow/cooling or silence.

Also that means no need to spend any extra paisa on fans as happens with CM 690.

CM 690 is shitty anyways, esp the metal and hdd cooling and totally penny-wise pound foolish as one bought case for 4K odd and spent another 1.5K-2K on good fans.

2x HDD bays take 4 HDDs each with adequate spacing iirc.

Evo comes with all black interiors now.

That is vfm imho. :)
The M59, i feel, is nothing but the NZXT Gamma with a windowed side panel and a different bezel.

It can't be much bigger if the physical dimensions match- yet to check them. :P

2140/- for Gamma now vs 3788/- for a windowed Gamma aka M59.
Had there been a NZXT Gamma earlier, many wouldn't/shouldn't have bought the CM shitty90.
Click to expand...
Udit said:
#1 NZXT Tempest Evo (8 HDD)

#2 CM690 II Advanced (6 HDD)

#3 CM HAF 922 (5 HDD)

#4 LanCool DragonLord PC-K62 (4 HDD only)
Click to expand...
chiron said:
NZXT Tempest looks good but not as flashy as their other models, has eSATA connector on the front panel, loads of fans, good space for hdds which seems to be neglected in so many cases... I'd have bought one myself if I weren't stuck with a shitty lancool :D
People seem to be saying good things about the Lancool K7 too. Check that one out too.
Click to expand...
Surprisingly I was mostly considering the HAF922 till now but once I saw the Tempest EVO I'm once again confused. I have seen a HAF922 in front of me and I can vouch for it's size. Can someone tell me if the NZXT M59 or the Tempest EVO would be of similar dimensions or smaller than the HAF922? One major problem would be sourcing a NZXT cabinet in Kolkata as it's not available locally. I hope someone must be selling that brand here on TE and willing to ship it to Kolkata.
I was ignoring NZXT until now as it is not locally available but since I just checked out the NZXT website I must say it's got an awesome line up.
Does anyone here own a Storm Scout? Is that a good cabby to justify it's high price.
 
sabret00the said:
Surprisingly I was mostly considering the HAF922 till now but once I saw the Tempest EVO I'm once again confused. I have seen a HAF922 in front of me and I can vouch for it's size. Can someone tell me if the NZXT M59 or the Tempest EVO would be of similar dimensions or smaller than the HAF922? One major problem would be sourcing a NZXT cabinet in Kolkata as it's not available locally. I hope someone must be selling that brand here on TE and willing to ship it to Kolkata.
Click to expand...

(w x h x d):
m59: 190 X 449 X 508 mm
tempest evo: 211.5 X 521.5 X 562 mm
haf 922: 253 x 502 x 563 mm

Nzxt TEMPEST EVO Crafted Series
 
Go for the HAF 922 better suited for your needs, I have experience of NZXT M59, CM Scout and also 922, its the best if you don't mind sacrificing mobility

sabret00the said:
I had intentionally left the CM690 out of the list above as I'm looking for a Cabby which is tad bigger than the CM690 series.

Surprisingly I was mostly considering the HAF922 till now but once I saw the Tempest EVO I'm once again confused. I have seen a HAF922 in front of me and I can vouch for it's size. Can someone tell me if the NZXT M59 or the Tempest EVO would be of similar dimensions or smaller than the HAF922? One major problem would be sourcing a NZXT cabinet in Kolkata as it's not available locally. I hope someone must be selling that brand here on TE and willing to ship it to Kolkata.
I was ignoring NZXT until now as it is not locally available but since I just checked out the NZXT website I must say it's got an awesome line up.
Does anyone here own a Storm Scout? Is that a good cabby to justify it's high price.
Click to expand...

The scout has a varying price tag depending on where you have to buy it from, I personally bought it for 6K its a very solidly built Mid Tower and has a good handle for excellent mobility :ohyeah: so depending on your needs go between the Scout or the 922

coz the NZXT even though cheaper is a bit cramped up :S
 
Udit said:
(w x h x d):

m59: 190 X 449 X 508 mm

tempest evo: 211.5 X 521.5 X 562 mm

haf 922: 253 x 502 x 563 mm
Nzxt TEMPEST EVO Crafted Series
Click to expand...
Hmm aparantly the HAF922 is a bit wider than the other two hence installing the largest of aftermarket coolers wont be any issues on it. Although I havent seen the Tempest upfront but from the specs it seems quite bigger than an average Mid Tower.
ALPHA17 said:
Go for the HAF 922 better suited for your needs, I have experience of NZXT M59, CM Scout and also 922, its the best if you don't mind sacrificing mobility
Click to expand...
It's for my main rig (the one in the siggy below) so I would hardly need any mobility with it.
I was reading in some forums that the HAF922 has better airflow than the Tempest EVO. Can someone validate the same?
Cooler Master HAF922 vs. NZXT Tempest - Building - Desktops
Other forums people favored the Tempest:
HAF 922 or NZXT Tempest EVO - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net
Confusing Ehh!
Another factor is that if I eventually settle for the Tempest I end up saving about 1K.
 
Another vote for the Tempest EVO. Has room for whatever you need and at the price its features are hard to beat. Just make sure you have plenty of room wherever you intend to keep this because it is very easy to underestimate the sheer size of this thing, even though it is a mid-tower.
 
Tempest Evo offers e-ATX support and is very spacious without being too tall.

Any of the others offer more than ATX space?

Some cases are just bulky externally due to added plastic panels etc and/or too tall with 5-6 5.25 bays etc buit hardly offer any extra room internally/horizontally.

So do not succumb plainly to dimensions on paper.

The Tempest (older non-EVo my friend has) looked quite decently proportioned in that matter- almost wonder if it would have been labelled a full tower if it was a CM case. :P

And if you read the earlier posts well, i did say-

"The M59, i feel, is nothing but the NZXT Gamma with a windowed side panel and a different bezel."

And that maybe almost as roomy as the CM690 but not more.

Also there are other things to be noted and difficult to guage unless tried.

Like hdd spacing for instance.

HDD cooling in 690 is bad anyways and with 1TB hdds, there is hardly any space bet 2 adjacent disks.
 
BIKeINSTEIN said:
Tempest Evo offers e-ATX support and is very spacious without being too tall.

Any of the others offer more than ATX space?
Some cases are just bulky externally due to added plastic panels etc and/or too tall with 5-6 5.25 bays etc buit hardly offer any extra room internally/horizontally.

So do not succumb plainly to dimensions on paper.

The Tempest (older non-EVo my friend has) looked quite decently proportioned in that matter- almost wonder if it would have been labelled a full tower if it was a CM case. :P
And if you read the earlier posts well, i did say-

"The M59, i feel, is nothing but the NZXT Gamma with a windowed side panel and a different bezel."

And that maybe almost as roomy as the CM690 but not more.
Also there are other things to be noted and difficult to guage unless tried.

Like hdd spacing for instance.

HDD cooling in 690 is bad anyways and with 1TB hdds, there is hardly any space bet 2 adjacent disks.
Click to expand...
Pretty much zeroing down on the Tempest EVO unless someone can point out a reason not to buy it.
I'm however concerned about 2 things:
1) The hard drives are mounted in a perpendicular position. I have never seen any other case where the hard disks are mounted in this position. Can this in any way affect the life or performance of the HDDs.
nzxttempestevodrivecage.jpg


By sabret00the at 2010-04-14
nzxttempestevo18.jpg


By sabret00the at 2010-04-14
2) I'm worried about the distance between the end of the video card and the tip of the HDD cage. The clearance is so less in the Zebby Antibiotic it's once of the reasons for the upgrade to a bigger tower. I have a XFX GTS250 card and it's PCI-E power port is at at back of the card.
nzxttempestevo15.jpg


By sabret00the at 2010-04-14
 
1) using hdd in a perpendicular position doesn't affect performance

2) distance between the end of the video card and the tip of the HDD cage is enough to fit a 5970 (13 inches) & 5870 (11 inches) with a hdd attached

your card is 10-10.5 inches
 
Okay guys take a look at this:

Overclock.net - Overclocking.net - View Poll Results

Once again we visit the dimensions:

Tempest EVO: W 8.33” H 20.53” L 22.13”
HAF 922: W 9.96” H 19.76” L 22.17”
CM690 II Advanced: W 8.44” H 20.15” L 20.82”
Zebronics Antibiotic: W 7.48” H 16.93” L 18.90” :rofl:

Prima facie the Tempest EVO is the narrowest of the 3 Towers above. Infact it's more than 1.5" narrower than the HAF 922. Will it be a concern to fit after-market coolers in it (Although I dont have any such plans in the near future). Having said that all three seem like monsters when compared to the Zebronics Antibiotic (my current cabinet). Those are infact inflated figures found on their website the Zebby is even smaller.

Can someone explain what exactly the GPU retention bracket does in the CM690 II Advanced. Does it really make a lot of a difference.

Oh one more thing. Thanks to everyone who has posted for helping me.
 
sabret00the said:
Okay guys take a look at this:

Overclock.net - Overclocking.net - View Poll Results

Once again we visit the dimensions:

Tempest EVO: W 8.33†H 20.53†L 22.13â€
HAF 922: W 9.96†H 19.76†L 22.17â€
CM690 II Advanced: W 8.44†H 20.15†L 20.82â€
Zebronics Antibiotic: W 7.48†H 16.93†L 18.90†:rofl:

Prima facie the Tempest EVO is the narrowest of the 3 Towers above. Infact it's more than 1.5" narrower than the HAF 922. Will it be a concern to fit after-market coolers in it (Although I dont have any such plans in the near future). Having said that all three seem like monsters when compared to the Zebronics Antibiotic (my current cabinet). Those are infact inflated figures found on their website the Zebby is even smaller.

Can someone explain what exactly the GPU retention bracket does in the CM690 II Advanced. Does it really make a lot of a difference.

Oh one more thing. Thanks to everyone who has posted for helping me.
Click to expand...

1) the tallest after-market cooler is probably 160mm & the Tempest EVO has 211mm space for heatsinks
2) the gpu retention bracket is just support for long gpu's & a extra exhaust fan but it won't make that much difference but the extra length of the Tempest EVO will sure help
 
WTB a NZXT Tempest EVO

After final consideration I have decided in favor of NZXT Tempest EVO over HAF922.
I have created a WTB thread here so if anyone's selling it here can post in the following thread or pm me:
http://www.techenclave.com/members-market/nzxt-tempest-evo-164649.html
I had also created a thread in OCN so if anyone's planning to buy the Tempest EVO or HAF922 then you guys can check out the following thread in addition to the above info:
Help me choose the right Mid Tower Cabinet - Overclock.net - Overclocking.net
 
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