best case for 100-200 dollars

[Nvidiaguy07]

if i were to purchase one today the antec900 looks like it cools great with that 20cm fan on the top. also i have been checking out the Antecp180, cosmos, and thermaltakes armor series.

please let me know what u think

 

[Cheex]

All great cases, but it really depends on what YOUR needs are...what YOU need in a case.

MY preference is the Antec 900, in fact I just bought one and it just arrived today.

So help us to help you by telling us a bit more, like the other parts of your rig, main use (gaming or otherwise), etc.
Whether you want the best air cooled case, quietest case, etc.

:thumbsup:

PS: Welcome to the forums!!

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

yea sorry i kinda rushed it.

this will mainly be used for gaming.
noise really isn't an issue because i keep the computer in a different room than the monitor (i tried making silent systems in the past and nothings better than pure silence.)
i want it to be air cooled and i plan to OC so this is probably the most important factor.

It must be able to house:
a full ATX board
a 8800GT or 9600gt card (or two eventually)
a ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT CPU cooler
3 hard drives

and thanks in advance to everyone who helps me out! (and cheex)

 

[Cheex]

Okay...here we go then...

Here are the TOP 3 case in the $100-$200 range (compared on Newegg):
Antec P180 vs Antec 900 vs Thermaltake Armor

Cooling: Antec 900
Quiet: Antec P180
Size: Themaltake Armor

All 3 will house your selected equipment...so that is fine.
Being that size isn't an issue, you can basically rule out the Themaltake Armor (the largest of the 3, Full Tower ATX).

The Antec P180 is the quietest of the 3 but since as noise isn't an issue, you can rule that out as well.

The Antec 900 might be the loudest of the 3 (with all fans on high) but again noise is not an issue. It is also big enough to hold all your equipment and also provides the best cooling of the 3. Another pro is that it is the highest rated of all gaming cases.

These are just my opinions however, feel free to choose based on any other factors that are important to you.

On that note, I did not cover aesthetics because that is debatable and WILL vary from person to person.

:beer:

 

[skillyho]

Originally posted by: Nvidiaguy07
yea sorry i kinda rushed it.

this will mainly be used for gaming.
noise really isn't an issue because i keep the computer in a different room than the monitor (i tried making silent systems in the past and nothings better than pure silence.)
i want it to be air cooled and i plan to OC so this is probably the most important factor.

It must be able to house:
a full ATX board
a 8800GT or 9600gt card (or two eventually)
a ZALMAN CNPS 9700 NT CPU cooler
3 hard drives

and thanks in advance to everyone who helps me out! (and cheex)

How exactly does that work??

My FTP box is in a different room and I terminal into it when I need something, but....anywho.

With that budget you have plenty of options to choose from. Some of the most popular choices are P180B/P182, TT Armour and CM Stacker. If I had that budget for a case, I'd probably get a CM Stacker just b/c I've always wanted to tinker with one. I'm a dork like that, though.

Best of luck with your search!

 

[devilchrist]

fry's has Antec P182 for $89 for rebate right now. sweet farking deal

 

[Tullphan]

Have you looked at the Coolermaster 690? Yeah, I know it's not in the $100-200 range (unless it's not on sale right now & one's figuring in shipping).
It has 5 mounting spots for 140mm fans...2 @ the top, 2 on the side & 1 on the bottom. It also has a (probably useless) place for an 80x15mm fan behind the motherboard tray as well as the 2 included 120x25mm fans mounted at the front & rear. It's got great cable management, pretty much tool-free & for the money a pretty darn good case.

 

[Zepper]

Take a look at the Silverstone Temjin 5 and Kublai 3 or the Tagan Obelisk/XClio Windtunnel (both are the same case) as well as the ones above. Plenty of room but not garish. I also like the original Stacker (STC-T01) - still one of the best cases for extreme systems available.

.bh..

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

no way frys has the p182 for 89. i see it for 160 - a 30 dollar rebate. I checked out the coolermaster 690, its pretty nice but i think because newegg just lowered the price of the 900 down to 100 i think i have to go with that. thanks for the help though everyone.

 

[Zepper]

Yeah, the free shipping beats Provantage by $4.00 or so. Do a bit of looking and a better deal will likely turn up - try dealighted.com to find good deals.

.bh.

 

[devilchrist]

Originally posted by: Nvidiaguy07
no way frys has the p182 for 89. i see it for 160 - a 30 dollar rebate. I checked out the coolermaster 690, its pretty nice but i think because newegg just lowered the price of the 900 down to 100 i think i have to go with that. thanks for the help though everyone.

I posted this on deal section but here you go

http://newspaperads.mercurynew...0&subid=20062037&type=

 

[Zepper]

Well, that's the local store ad in San Jose, apparently not available on the web site. OP is on the right coast - no Fry's in hundreds of miles...

.bh.

 

[vapordub]

I just finished a new build in a Cooler Master Cosmos 1000. It was a lot of fun.

I had tons of room and had a blast running the wiring in different ways to make it clean and perfect.

It was in that price range and had free shipping.

 

[DerwenArtos12]

Given the budget you may want to look at some of the Lian Li cases. Some people really don't like them just because they're cost prohibitive or they don't think they're a good value but, I've built computers in tons of them and I love them. Specifically I'd point you toward the PC-7B or it's newer counterpart The A09, both well under your budget and cool very well. The ne K7B has dual 120mm intakes and is on my list for posible cases for my next personal build. The A17 is really amaizing case for the price, essentially a small Stacker or armor with great airflow but not at all a quiet case with some good fans.

Besides all those, the 900 is a great case for cooling. I'm not a personal fan of the armor searies, they're isn't anything really wrong with them but, compared to the competition they just don't stand out to me at all. The P18x are very good for quieter computer but, their airflow, specifically intake airflow is pretty choked.