Are there any £100/$100 cases you really like?

[spat55]

I like the look of the NZXT Phantom 410 and Fractal Design Arc R2, both have excellent cable management with very good cooling.

Looking to get a better case as mine has terrible cable management.

 

[smackababy]

$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]

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.

 

[lehtv]

Define R4
Define Mini

 

[dma0991]

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).

 

[QueBert]

I love my Bitfenix Prodigy, it doesn't have much in the way of cable management, but I still had mine looking pretty nice.

 

[bononos]

Define R4
Define Mini

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.

 

[bononos]

I like the look of the NZXT Phantom 410 and Fractal Design Arc R2, both have excellent cable management with very good cooling.

Looking to get a better case as mine has terrible cable management.

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.

 

[piasabird]

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.

 

[bononos]

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.

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.

 

[spat55]

I like the NZXT Phantom 410 but it looks slightly ugly, if it didn't have that front I would buy it instantly, but I like the simpleness of the Fractal Design Arc R2. After my old PSU needing RMA'ing and me needing to upgrade it I think it'll be a christmas present.

 

[aigomorla]

lian li A55...

however its not easy cable management.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

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.

 

[Shephard]

Done a few builds with the Corsair 300r. Nice construction, good cable management, and not super heavy. I like the look as well, but you need to fill in the side panel with some fans to touch it up.

Define R4 is another.

 

[_Rick_]

lian li A55...

however its not easy cable management.

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]

As far as I know, the Fractal Define (Mini, Regular and XL) don't have hard drive activity lights.

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]

+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.

 

[birthdaymonkey]

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...

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.

 

[Gulo]

NZXT Source 530 seems be pretty reasonably priced($90) for an ATX case.
I wish Fractal Design would release a 'real' ATX case that can fit a thick 360 radiator topside.

 

[JimmiG]

Very happy with my Fractal Design XL R2.