Alright, I give up

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Raloth

Member
Jun 12, 2006
65
0
0
After spending an hour a day on these boards trying to get myself caught up with all the recent advances in computers, I'd never thought the hardest part would be picking out the case. It's absolutely rediculous. There are thousands of them, and 95% of them are utter garbage.

Some gripes of mine:
-Flashing lights, or other bling bling.
-Transparent windows. I don't need anyone to see the messy guts of my computer.
-Media ports by the floor. This is, in my opinion, the worst design choice. Ever.
-Cases with two cd-rom drive slots...and two floppy drive slots. My computer probably won't even end up with a floppy; why do they give two?!
-Single fan slots. Blowing air into a case does no good when it can't get out, but so many cases have no real ventilation.
-Poor power supplies. Package deals are nice, but not when you spend $15 extra for something you don't want.

I've given up shopping. Could somebody please recommend me a realistic ATX case (120 mm fans preferred)? I have a hard time justifying spending more than $50 for a piece of plastic and steel. Thanks!
 
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GalvanizedYankee

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2003
6,986
0
0
http://www.myaopen.com/ has Aopen cases with Fortron PSUs inside.
They have two w/400 watters.

For about $120 you can get a VG case and PSU seperate. Check directron.com, mwave.com, svc.com, dealsonic.com and ewiz.com,
Amazon.com had the Antec SLK-3000B for $50. Read some reviews. Then buy a $50 Fortron PSU for it...Done.

...Galvanized
 
RallyMaster

RallyMaster

Diamond Member
Dec 28, 2004
5,581
0
0
Uh...I doubt you'll get a DECENT case for $50 or less. You can, however, get one for 100 or less (but w/o PSU). Why would you want a PSU anyway? Most of them suck. Lian Li PC-7B Plus II is my recommendation. Get a decent Fortron PSU for 50 more and you'll have a damn stable build with adequate cooling.
 
R

Raloth

Member
Jun 12, 2006
65
0
0
Yeah, I know those PSUs are terrible. I took it out of my post, it doesn't seem very viable. What I don't understand is why cases cost so much. Are they simply labor intensive to build?
 
W

Wnh5001

Senior member
Dec 1, 2005
408
0
76
wasn't the antec solution 150b or someting like that highly regarded? w/ a mediocre power supply for aroudn 55 + shipping?
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
81
Originally posted by: Howard
http://www.provantage.com/antec-slk3000b~7ANTG02Y.htm
Click to expand...

That's a really great deal on a really nice case. Great quality (1mm SECC IIRC) with good ventilation (real vents in front and 120mm fan in rear). Classy black, but otherwise little bling. Only "fault" IMO is a door over optical drives - I personally don't like drive bay doors.

Here's another budget/quality case that's got a bit of color but has great ventilation (vents all down both sides of face, 120mm fan in rear), is decent quality and can actually be expanded with a $15 dual drive holder on the inside bottom. These used to be sold/made by Ever Case USA. Unfortunately ports at bottom and FDD bays. :p

There's a couple of other decent choices (w/o PSU and before shipping) for under $50, just gotta look. Cooler Master Centurion CAC-05 comes to mind.

Originally posted by: RallyMaster
Uh...I doubt you'll get a DECENT case for $50 or less. You can, however, get one for 100 or less (but w/o PSU)... Get a decent Fortron PSU for 50 more and you'll have a damn stable build
Click to expand...

I disagree with that statement. The $30 Antec case in the above link uses 1mm SECC steel, 120mm fans (comes with Antec Tri-Cool FTW) and even has rubber grommets for the HDD to absorb vibrations. What's not quality about that? BTW I purchased a PC-7B Plus (see case here) and I thought it a "decent" case but definately NOT top quality. I've worked on systems using the higher end Lian Li cases and there's a definate difference in quality - the PC-7 is a low end Lian Li, strange as that may sound. With Lian Li you are buying the name and looks (decent w/o bling). I've built a system into a PC-7 (with 120mm fan in rear, not the older ones) and I've also upgraded it once, and will upgrade it again this weekend, and so I know what I'm talking about regarding that case. It's 4' away from me and in use right at this moment.

As for power supplies, I do agree with you. A $50 Fortron can get quite a lot of PSU. For the OP, what are the specs of the rest of your planned system? Why I ask is that if you don't care about bling and aren't focused on being the wattage king, the simple truth is that as long as you have enough amperage on the proper voltages and the power output is stable then it doesn't matter how many "watts" the PSU is or how much it costs or how it looks. Example - my primary gaming rig at this moment is this computer. For the lazy, the quick specs are a Radeon X850XT (since replaced by a Geforce 7900GT overclocked), 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Opteron 144. What powers this gaming rig at a LAN party every weekend for months on end with no stability problems? A 270W power supply. Yes, a measly 270W that costs around $40. Oh yeah, it's an Enermax brand so you know it is quality, and it puts out 20A on the +12v so it is 100% adequate for that system. I'd trust it more than a "450W" PSU in a $30 case, yet at $40 the PSU isn't too high priced - part of the price is actually for the SFX form factor.

For a reasonable system (meaning no SLI, no super dual core Prescott/Smithfield with massive 4GHz+ overclock, no 8 drive RAID arrays) you can get by on very modest power supplies. eWiz has a 360W Enhance unit that costs around $28 but is top notch. General specs are dual rail, 20+4 pin connector, 6 pin PCI-E connector (rare in low priced units). Just picking up the unit, you know it's quality because it outweighs other PSUs at this price range by 2x, and all that weight goes into bigger/better capacitors and components meaning this PSU is built for quality and designed to last. Also, looking inside the casing and the components fill the whole space, unlike some other PSUs which are almost empty inside.
 
S

Shadowknight

Diamond Member
May 4, 2001
3,959
3
81
Originally posted by: Zap
...
BTW I purchased a PC-7B Plus (see case here) and I thought it a "decent" case but definately NOT top quality. I've worked on systems using the higher end Lian Li cases and there's a definate difference in quality - the PC-7 is a low end Lian Li, strange as that may sound. With Lian Li you are buying the name and looks (decent w/o bling). I've built a system into a PC-7 (with 120mm fan in rear, not the older ones) and I've also upgraded it once, and will upgrade it again this weekend, and so I know what I'm talking about regarding that case. It's 4' away from me and in use right at this moment.

As for power supplies, I do agree with you. A $50 Fortron can get quite a lot of PSU. For the OP, what are the specs of the rest of your planned system? Why I ask is that if you don't care about bling and aren't focused on being the wattage king, the simple truth is that as long as you have enough amperage on the proper voltages and the power output is stable then it doesn't matter how many "watts" the PSU is or how much it costs or how it looks. Example - my primary gaming rig at this moment is this computer. For the lazy, the quick specs are a Radeon X850XT (since replaced by a Geforce 7900GT overclocked), 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Opteron 144. What powers this gaming rig at a LAN party every weekend for months on end with no stability problems? A 270W power supply. Yes, a measly 270W that costs around $40. Oh yeah, it's an Enermax brand so you know it is quality, and it puts out 20A on the +12v so it is 100% adequate for that system. I'd trust it more than a "450W" PSU in a $30 case, yet at $40 the PSU isn't too high priced - part of the price is actually for the SFX form factor.
Click to expand...

A lot of PSUs are just rebadged Fortrans with a different fan slapped in. I know PCP&C make their own PSUs for sure, and probably a few other companies I'm not aware of, but a lot of stuff on the U.S. market is really Fortran.

As to Lian-Li, what's so great about them? I'm always hearing people drool over them, but what makes them so awesome?
 
O

Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,508
0
0
Originally posted by: Shadowknight
As to Lian-Li, what's so great about them? I'm always hearing people drool over them, but what makes them so awesome?
Click to expand...

Simple answer; AL vs. plastic, which would you rather have?
 
S

Shadowknight

Diamond Member
May 4, 2001
3,959
3
81
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: Shadowknight
As to Lian-Li, what's so great about them? I'm always hearing people drool over them, but what makes them so awesome?
Click to expand...

Simple answer; AL vs. plastic, which would you rather have?
Click to expand...

Steel :p But if it was between those 2, I'd take QUALITY plastic. Plastic will be quieter than low density aluminum when it comes to vibrations from hard drives and fans.
 
VinDSL

VinDSL

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2006
4,869
1
81
www.lenon.com
IMHO, you can't go wrong with Enermax (for cheap cases)... ;)

Here's a nice non-pimpin' case that suits most of your criteria: Enermax CS5271

*edit*

BTW, if you look closely at the picture, you'll see that it says 'Aluminum' on the cover. Only the front bezel is aluminum, not the whole case. This should be obvious, in this price range, but I wanted to point that out anyway.

If this is like most Enermax cases, you can stick a 120mm (or 90mm - can't remember which) intake fan under the bezel -- another 80mm on the side -- and two 80mm exhaust fans on the rear.

Oh, and another thing, the drive bay has a sliding cover -- so you can hide your drives when you're not using them (and keep the dust out).

Enermax -- can't beat 'em!
 
O

Operandi

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,508
0
0
Originally posted by: Shadowknight
Originally posted by: Operandi
Originally posted by: Shadowknight
As to Lian-Li, what's so great about them? I'm always hearing people drool over them, but what makes them so awesome?
Click to expand...

Simple answer; AL vs. plastic, which would you rather have?
Click to expand...

Steel :p But if it was between those 2, I'd take QUALITY plastic. Plastic will be quieter than low density aluminum when it comes to vibrations from hard drives and fans.
Click to expand...

Well most people would probably take the AL, the difference in sound negligible.
 
Z

Zepper

Elite Member
May 1, 2001
18,998
0
0
If you can find one of the new Evercase ECE4502 cases, it covers your bases pretty well and doesn't necessarily stick you with a junkbox PSU. ewiz had some w/o PSU but it looks like they're gone. All that's left is one with a 300W.

This Rosewill R5601 reminds me a LOT of a YeongYang (http://www.yycase.com) case. If it is, then that's one heck of a bargain! Yes! It is the YY-5601! You need look no farther. They have the same thing with some silver trim on the front too. Reviewed on Tom's Hardware, et al. The R5604 is basically the same case at a lower price (doesn't have as complicated a bezel (270 degree swinging door, louvers, etc.) but looks fine!). They have rubber bushings in the HDD rails! If the drives weren't mounted sidesaddle, I'd be punching in my order about now... Once the word starts getting out, Newegg/Rosewill will have a hard time keeping them in stock.

And the Asys CK-1026 looks like it fills the bill as well. Newegg fails to mention the 120mm front fan mount (fan is optional).

These were very easy to find using your criteria with the Newegg case configurator. Shame on you, OP...

.bh.
 
C

CP5670

Diamond Member
Jun 24, 2004
5,678
779
126
As for power supplies, I do agree with you. A $50 Fortron can get quite a lot of PSU. For the OP, what are the specs of the rest of your planned system? Why I ask is that if you don't care about bling and aren't focused on being the wattage king, the simple truth is that as long as you have enough amperage on the proper voltages and the power output is stable then it doesn't matter how many "watts" the PSU is or how much it costs or how it looks. Example - my primary gaming rig at this moment is this computer. For the lazy, the quick specs are a Radeon X850XT (since replaced by a Geforce 7900GT overclocked), 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Opteron 144. What powers this gaming rig at a LAN party every weekend for months on end with no stability problems? A 270W power supply. Yes, a measly 270W that costs around $40. Oh yeah, it's an Enermax brand so you know it is quality, and it puts out 20A on the +12v so it is 100% adequate for that system. I'd trust it more than a "450W" PSU in a $30 case, yet at $40 the PSU isn't too high priced - part of the price is actually for the SFX form factor.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think some of the PSU requirements I hear about are rather blown out of proportion. The UPS I got recently shows the power draw of everything connected to it, and if I run 3dmark or a modern game and turn off the monitor (which is about 90W), it shows around 310W. Given that the OCZ Powerstreams are only about 75% efficient, it would indicate that the system components are using just 232W, which seems surprisingly low.
 
H

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,982
11
81
Originally posted by: Shadowknight
Originally posted by: Zap
...
BTW I purchased a PC-7B Plus (see case here) and I thought it a "decent" case but definately NOT top quality. I've worked on systems using the higher end Lian Li cases and there's a definate difference in quality - the PC-7 is a low end Lian Li, strange as that may sound. With Lian Li you are buying the name and looks (decent w/o bling). I've built a system into a PC-7 (with 120mm fan in rear, not the older ones) and I've also upgraded it once, and will upgrade it again this weekend, and so I know what I'm talking about regarding that case. It's 4' away from me and in use right at this moment.

As for power supplies, I do agree with you. A $50 Fortron can get quite a lot of PSU. For the OP, what are the specs of the rest of your planned system? Why I ask is that if you don't care about bling and aren't focused on being the wattage king, the simple truth is that as long as you have enough amperage on the proper voltages and the power output is stable then it doesn't matter how many "watts" the PSU is or how much it costs or how it looks. Example - my primary gaming rig at this moment is this computer. For the lazy, the quick specs are a Radeon X850XT (since replaced by a Geforce 7900GT overclocked), 2GB RAM, 250GB HDD, Opteron 144. What powers this gaming rig at a LAN party every weekend for months on end with no stability problems? A 270W power supply. Yes, a measly 270W that costs around $40. Oh yeah, it's an Enermax brand so you know it is quality, and it puts out 20A on the +12v so it is 100% adequate for that system. I'd trust it more than a "450W" PSU in a $30 case, yet at $40 the PSU isn't too high priced - part of the price is actually for the SFX form factor.
Click to expand...
I know PCP&C make their own PSUs for sure
Click to expand...
They don't. Win-tact does.
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
81
Originally posted by: CP5670
it would indicate that the system components are using just 232W, which seems surprisingly low.
Click to expand...

Nah, that's about right.

CPU based on TDP is what, around 75W except for 90nm Netburst?

Video... Geforce 7900GT is around 65W

HDD peaks around 12W

That's 152W not including RAM, system board, optical drive.

If not going high end with CPU and video, you can have a very power-thrifty system. How about a system that burns up 17W at idle and a whopping 24W at full bore - measured at the wall outlet? This is a complete system with hard drive and optical drive!
 
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