[Fracture]

I have wanted a "nice" case for a while now. About 3 or 4 years ago I bought an Antec Super Lanboy because I was on a small case kick, and it has served me quite well, although I do find it a bit noisy.

My new kick is a more elegant (ghey sounding, I know), basic look, with near silent (constrained by budget) high performance air cooling being priority. I have watered (1/2 arsed, was function over form, that's for sure), and don't fancy the added headache and expense water brings to the equation.

I really like the TJ-09 (motherboard tray!), but the black pearl looks nice too, and I like the inverted mobo setup.

I have read (somewhere) that inverting the mobo may decrease NB heatpipe heatsink designs, can anyone shed some light on that? Personal experience perhaps?

Which case would be quieter, fan selection aside? They appear to be similar, because of the fan vents up top. Would the TJ09 be quieter because the front intake is placed further in the case?

Lastly, are these cases worth the $175 premium over an $80 CM690? I much prefer the looks of the 590, but it looks smaller. The CM's are most likely louder, simply because they have more fan grille openings, wouldn't this let sound escape easier?

Input is appreciated.

I need to be convinced to spend 3X as much as I should on a case.