Being a poor college student, I'm a big fan of budget components. One of the easiest ways to save money on a budget PC, I think, is the case (and arguably the power supply), which as long as both function properly do not contribute in any way nor hinder the performance of a PC. So I scoured pricewatch.com for the cheapest case/PSU combo, and found one for about $27. This I almost bought, but then I saw another, sleeker case with front USB & audio ports for only two dollars more, which is the case I'll be reviewing this week.
It's called the LCT USB-07-4HL, and as said above it includes a 400W power supply, as well as front USB & audio ports. You can buy it from supergooddeal.com for $28.99 shipped.
As far as supergooddeal.com goes, their user reviews on pricewatch.com were promising, and indeed they seem to have behaved very well. I placed the order at about 1:00 am on Monday, Jan. 30, 2006, and the case arrived in perfect condition at about 8:45 am on Monday, Feb. 06, 2006. In between, they sent me notification emails telling me when my order shipped, and offering tracking information with UPS. By Feb. 01 I had been told to expect arrival on Feb. 06, which is exactly what happened. There were no hidden fees, and my debit card was charged $28.99 exactly.
The case was shipped in the manufacturer's cardboard box, and was not double-packaged. This is to be expected, and not a problem. The box was a little banged up from the shipping, but still quite sturdy, considering. The case itself was in perfect cosmetic condition, and tightly packed in styrofoam and plastic wrap.
The front of the case has two LEDs, one for the power and one for the hard disk. Both are very small. It has basic power and reset buttons. The front USB and audio ports are hidden by a press-in-and-pull-down plastic door. Unlike many cheap cases, it has no empty firewire indentations, and everything on the front looks perfectly formed.
The material of the case is typical--aluminum, maybe? I'm not sure--and somewhat weak. But I wouldn't call it "flimsy." The side panels are both relatively firm when attached. Moreover, they use flat grips, which I prefer to the grips that jut out and can be bent or broken easily.
The inside is nice and shiny, and so far I have discovered no sharp edges. There are four 5.25" drive bays, two external 3.5" bays, and several internal 3.5" bays. It seems very roomy, and I look forward to installing the motherboard.
The power supply is as of right now untested. It is a 400W unit, made by some company called Hercules. It has a weak +12v rail, at only 11A, but it should be sufficient for a budget build. More to come when I have a chance to test it.
The case also comes with sufficient, if sparing, accessories. It includes a power cable, of course, and what looks like enough screws to install an entire PC. It also includes a handy little one-page guide to installing the front USB ports.
All in all, I am very pleased thus far. When I have a chance to build a PC around this case (later this week), I will update this post.
Here you can find some pictures I took. Some are blurry, so bear with me...
outer box
inner packing
plastic wrap
general case view
front ports, switches and LEDs
back panel
side panel grips
power supply specs
accessories
USB port instructions
drive bays
It's called the LCT USB-07-4HL, and as said above it includes a 400W power supply, as well as front USB & audio ports. You can buy it from supergooddeal.com for $28.99 shipped.
As far as supergooddeal.com goes, their user reviews on pricewatch.com were promising, and indeed they seem to have behaved very well. I placed the order at about 1:00 am on Monday, Jan. 30, 2006, and the case arrived in perfect condition at about 8:45 am on Monday, Feb. 06, 2006. In between, they sent me notification emails telling me when my order shipped, and offering tracking information with UPS. By Feb. 01 I had been told to expect arrival on Feb. 06, which is exactly what happened. There were no hidden fees, and my debit card was charged $28.99 exactly.
The case was shipped in the manufacturer's cardboard box, and was not double-packaged. This is to be expected, and not a problem. The box was a little banged up from the shipping, but still quite sturdy, considering. The case itself was in perfect cosmetic condition, and tightly packed in styrofoam and plastic wrap.
The front of the case has two LEDs, one for the power and one for the hard disk. Both are very small. It has basic power and reset buttons. The front USB and audio ports are hidden by a press-in-and-pull-down plastic door. Unlike many cheap cases, it has no empty firewire indentations, and everything on the front looks perfectly formed.
The material of the case is typical--aluminum, maybe? I'm not sure--and somewhat weak. But I wouldn't call it "flimsy." The side panels are both relatively firm when attached. Moreover, they use flat grips, which I prefer to the grips that jut out and can be bent or broken easily.
The inside is nice and shiny, and so far I have discovered no sharp edges. There are four 5.25" drive bays, two external 3.5" bays, and several internal 3.5" bays. It seems very roomy, and I look forward to installing the motherboard.
The power supply is as of right now untested. It is a 400W unit, made by some company called Hercules. It has a weak +12v rail, at only 11A, but it should be sufficient for a budget build. More to come when I have a chance to test it.
The case also comes with sufficient, if sparing, accessories. It includes a power cable, of course, and what looks like enough screws to install an entire PC. It also includes a handy little one-page guide to installing the front USB ports.
All in all, I am very pleased thus far. When I have a chance to build a PC around this case (later this week), I will update this post.
Here you can find some pictures I took. Some are blurry, so bear with me...
outer box
inner packing
plastic wrap
general case view
front ports, switches and LEDs
back panel
side panel grips
power supply specs
accessories
USB port instructions
drive bays
) You see that it might be a 250-300 W PSU in actuality - 400W must be instantaneous peak on that good day. But as long as you're using it for something that's unimportant and don't mind if the PSU blows and takes some of your other components along with it...
Facebook
Twitter