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Are there any £100/$100 cases you really like?
- Thread starter spat55
- Start date
smackababy
Lifer
$100 case I really like? Nope. I don't think I've ever seen one I really liked. All require me to give up one or more things. I suppose there are a few server cases for under $100 I don't mind, but they all require some imagination and a Dremel.
Charlie98
Diamond Member
I got a Fractal Define Mini for my HTPC because of size limitations... I wound up liking it so much I bought another and swapped my desktop gamer build out of a HAF922 into it. It is an mATX case, of course, but I get better thermal management with it than I did the Swiss-cheese HAF case and 4 fans.
The downside is it's steel... so it's heavy, but it's weight also acts to dampen sound (along with the damping material on the inside of each side panel) and it's kind of expensive at $100... but the quality is 1st Class all the way.
The downside is it's steel... so it's heavy, but it's weight also acts to dampen sound (along with the damping material on the inside of each side panel) and it's kind of expensive at $100... but the quality is 1st Class all the way.
Silverstone TJ08-E and Fractal Design Arc Mini just to name a few which falls under the $100 category and something that I would consider using for future builds.
Typically any case that has cable management holes with rubber grommets should make cable management tidier or easier. Either that or get a modular PSU to remove unwanted cable clutter(or be creative and find places to hide them).
Typically any case that has cable management holes with rubber grommets should make cable management tidier or easier. Either that or get a modular PSU to remove unwanted cable clutter(or be creative and find places to hide them).
Does the Define R4 have a disk activity led? Does the lone power led also double up as the disk activity led? Some Corsairs do that.
Fractal is leading the pack right now, the design for the <=$100 mid towers saves more space for 3.5" disk cages by having only 2 5.25" bays, 14cm capable mountings with 2 intake fan mountings in front and fan controllers as standard.
I think what turns on the activity light is up to the motherboard??? I think it just looks to see how active the hard drive is. My Dell at work just shows a little storage icon when there is activity. I find it kind of useless. Right now while I am doing nothing looking at the screen it just keeps flashing. So there is more activity when I do nothing. I think this is windows using the unused computer time to do background work.
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Its atx standard so it can't be up to the motherboard manufacturer but what Corsair did was to integrate both lights so the power led blinks when there is disk activity.
birthdaymonkey
Golden Member
As far as I know, the Fractal Define (Mini, Regular and XL) don't have hard drive activity lights.
I have an XL R2, which I paid less than $100 for on sale. It's a really nice case, if a little on the large side for my purposes. Still it's good to know that I could add 9 hard drives or easily tri-SLI if I wanted to. 🙂
I have an XL R2, which I paid less than $100 for on sale. It's a really nice case, if a little on the large side for my purposes. Still it's good to know that I could add 9 hard drives or easily tri-SLI if I wanted to. 🙂
_Rick_
Diamond Member
I recommended one of those for my brother. Very pretty, and good GPU cooling.
Sadly, CPU cooling is more difficult. I tried to get an all-in-one water cooler in there, but that would require an offset 140 to 120 mm fan adapter to have any hope of working. In the end he settled on a Noctua 92mm tower, with the fan mounted at the bottom, blowing up.
Cable management isn't super clean, but mostly out of the way of airflow.
He got one with pre-installed noise insulation for the side-panel.
But from the outside it's definitely one of the prettiest ATX cases for the money.
Charlie98
Diamond Member
The Mini does not... but it does have a really bright blue power LED that, in the case of my HTPC unit, is a little irritating shining in my eyes. 😎 But a little electrical tape fixed that...
Carson Dyle
Diamond Member
+1 for the Fractal Design Define Mini. A little large for a microATX case, and the space for cable management could be better. And yes, that bright blue power light can be a bit much if it catches your eye just right. But it's the best case that I've ever used.
If you want a full-sized ATX case, the Define R4 improves on the space for cable management, plus it gives you quieter 140mm fans.
If you want a full-sized ATX case, the Define R4 improves on the space for cable management, plus it gives you quieter 140mm fans.
birthdaymonkey
Golden Member
Or just don't connect the power LED cable to the motherboard. 🙂
A friend of mine blacked out all of his case lights with nail polish before realizing he could have just disconnected them.
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