Tagan Black Pearl vs TJ-09? Or go cheap CM590/690

[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.

[Eagle Eye]

Fracture have you given any thought about an Antec P182 its quiet, resonably priced, built very solid and maybe it might appeal to your "more elegant look" My only gripe with this case was the stock case fans which all had to be replaced.

EE

[sswilson]

Originally Posted by Fracture

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

Orientation of a heatpipe can have a measurable effect on temps ( Silverstone Nitrogon NT06 Review ), but I'm not sure it's enough to worry about.

As far as sticking with the lower end cases vice grabbing a higher end one goes??? Depends on the lower end case, but speaking for myself, once I had a taste of a non-budget case I could never go back. :)

[Fracture]

Originally Posted by Eagle Eye

Fracture have you given any thought about an Antec P182 its quiet, resonably priced, built very solid and maybe it might appeal to your "more elegant look" My only gripe with this case was the stock case fans which all had to be replaced.

EE

As bad as this is going to sound, I don't think I like it all that much. The top blowhole looks ugly, and I'm not a huge fan of doors on my case. It also looks very cramped inside, even if it is a fairly large case physically. It looks very busy inside for some reason. Perhaps the reviewers cable management was just lacking.

If I were to spend the extra 70-80 bucks for a P182 over a 690, I'd be even more tempted to spend the other extra hundred bucks for a Silverstone or Black Pearl.

Edit,

Also stumbled on the FT01 From Silverstone. I REALLY like the looks of this case, it's not huge, but it would be big enough for me, being 2 1/2" taller and deeper than my current case.

[Empty_Quarter]

Have you looked into Lian Lis? I would say they would be your best option.

[SugarJ]

The Black Pearl is actually a re-branded Lian Li.

[Eagle Eye]

The door is pretty important to the sound deadening feature, like the side panels its also a 3 layer construction. I'll agree it can very cramped in the case if you fill it up with 2 video cards numerous HDDs and 5.25 devices, also the case doesn't accomodate larger PSU 850w+ very well they extend past the bottom bracket and its very tight fit with the fan at the bottom.

[Fracture]

FT01-B looks like a winner for me so far... still reading up

[Linus]

I like the TJ09 personally. Very water cooling friendly once you add that top bracket.

[Fracture]

It's a tough choice.

FT01 - slightly bigger than my Lanboy. Would be big enough for me, I'm done with dual graphics cards, no water cooling. Slightly lower price tag than TJ09. Absolutely gorgeous case. Cons - 180mm fans, which might not be that bad.

TJ09 - larger, MOTHERBOARD TRAY, less attractive front when compared to FT01 IMO. LOTS of room for everything, about $40 more than the Fortress.

Lanboy - 8.2" x 16.5" x 17.1" (WxHxD)
FT01 - 8.3" x 19.1" x 19.4"
TJ09 - 8.3" x 20.7" x 23.8"

Looking at the FT01 vs the CM690 makes the CM look like a toy. I can't imagine the difference in person.