Case debate (Antec, Inwin, FongKai, etc)

[cdternie]

I have a case debate on my hands. Looking for mid-tower, 300W, good cooling, $100- or so. Here is what I've come across so far:

Antec SX830
Inwin A500
Fong Kai 603 or 320
Wind Tunnel from coolerguys.com

can anyone help me make a good decision?

 

[AMD4ME2]

I like the Antec sx830! great cooling... great features, it is a little large for a mid tower.. but its got to be the best ive used. A guy name Hagbard should be in here soon to bash
Antec.. he got a bad PS unit in his.. and got the run around from Antec. But thats got to be the only person I've ever seen complain about Antec. We all pretty much got sick of his constant bashing. So don't be suprised if he makes an appearance.

 

[Quad]

from what i've seen/heard, the inwin a5000 is pretty decent. no mobo tray, but it has stamped in "feet" that hold the mobo up. nice layout...i like it cuz it's tall and skinny, but it holds the same volume as other atx cases. also the 300w ps is a good feature for the oc'er.

 

[cdternie]

haha, can't wait till he shows up.

as for the SX830.. It's roomy enough to not need a mobo tray? and do you like the rails?

 

[AMD4ME2]

yeah its pretty roomy. I don't think that not having a mobo tray was any hindrance to me at all. Previous to this build I didn't really like drive rails much.. but these are not bad at all. I actually like them.. haven't noticed them vibrating alot or causing noise. and it makes it very easy to swap drives.

 

[jsbush]

Love my antec sx830, best case I've owned so far, like it way better then my inwin s500 and a500.

 

[rarebear]

I like my Antec too

 

[dadx2mj]

Another vote for the Antec SX830 I can't think of anything I don't like about it

 

[jsmonet]

sx1030b

 

[joekker]

For a solid, convenient and cheap case I'd say the A-Top AT901. I picked mine up at a local show for $49. Lots of features like thumbscrews, slide out mb tray, rails instead of screws for drive mounting. details The 901 features an Superpower 300ATX power supply.

 

[cdternie]

Thanks for all the feedback. Kind of lop-sided (antec fans) and the SX830 looks nice. I did look at the SX1030, also, actually.

About the A-top.. It looks big enough to be a full tower. Wouldn't the 800 be closer to mid?

 

[SACANDAGA]

I have the Fong Kai FK-320. Excellent case but it looks kinda cheap
up close. I don't care for cheap hatch style door,I leave it in the open
position, no big deal. As far as cooling goes it is hard to match.This is coolest unmodified case I have ever used. It is also very quiet and has
a decent power supply. I've installed two panaflo fans and run two Fujitsu
10K drives and it runs very cool.

 

[hagbard]

Okay...here I am. Your new Antec power supply will make an excellent door stop after it fries your system.

...hag

 

[DreamKaZz]

FK-604 is working great for me
... just my 2cents

 

[Turin39789]

i have a fk-320b and i think it looks awesome. Cooling is great as it will accomadate dual xeons, the hd rack is removable and acts as a heatsink. It includes a shroud over the cpu and has a 92mm output fan and a 120mm intake. Put simply this case is sweet

 

[clumsum]

Well,............I'll add another vote for the Fong Kai 320 or the 603 which is smaller ......
I don't think anything about this case looks cheap, .... if you are going to cover your drives to prevent dust, dirt, hair, etc. from entering your case then the sliding door works great .....
If you want added security .......... then it is cheap and flimsy as there is no way to secure it like the SX-1030, but it does flip up and store completely out of the way ........
The F-K cases are an inch or two deeper than most others, so you gain some additional clearance from the rear of your drives to the ps or inside edge of mb. The side covers are not as easy to remove as the Antec SX-Series cases, but they fit very snug and do not rattle, keeping the airflow inside the case flowing in the proper designed direction.

Bottom line is pick the case you like the looks/price of the best, you can't go wrong w/any of the above forum members' suggestions .......................!

 

[Phunktion]

I definitely like the Antec's they are very builder friendly cases. But also if you want something that no one else is likely to have (I always get compliments at LAN parties ) there is this very slick case that I bought about two months ago and am loving so much now.. it's at Directron.com or for slightly cheaper at Akida Computer.. anyways check it out it's a great case very easy to build on. Not that expensive either..

 

[Phunktion]

Hey it's looks like they also have the full tower version of that case now as well.. Check it out.. finally a full tower.. might have to buy this one soon myself..