case selection

[Wigwam]

pleas could you tell me if there is any more importance to case selection than looks [assuming it has the required number of bays etc]
specifically does an expensive case have any inherent properties for cooling that a cheaper one doesnt.
i appreciate the psu is a factor but if a cheap case [eg focus 848] looks good, has enough space/bays and has a psu rated 300W P3/P4/AMD/PFC is there reason to still fork-out nearly 5x as much for a coolermaster, lian li or thermaltake?

I hope someone can clear this up for me - i am building a nforce2/xp2100+ system to overclock in future and worry i am missing something crucial in my case selection process.

thanks

 

[Ness]

There are a large number of things you want to look into.

-Is there plenty of room for you to work on it even when it is full?

-Is it set up for good airflow?

-Is it easy to get in and out of when you want to work on it frequently?

-Is there plenty of room to add the latest and greatest items as they come out?

-Watch out for sharp edges on the metal! OUCH!

-What kind of quality is the metal? Thin and flexible, so that it might dent easy, or thick and durable, so all your stuff is protected?

As dorky as it may seem for you to do so, if you buy a case in the store, open it up, envision you working with it, looking at where all the parts would go, etc. No matter where you get it from, always see if you can find someone else talking about it and see what they think. Take their opinions seriously, but don't be afraid to go against there opinion if the benefits far outweigh the costs (or the benefits of other cases, for that matter.)

 

[cleverhandle]

Lots of little things in case design - placement of screws/latches, motherboard tray, fan locations and attachments, etc. - can make your life easy or hellish when it comes to building and upgrading your machine. For the most part, any old case will do if it's a one-shot deal - I don't worry too much if I'm building for someone who won't be opening up the machine and upgrading. But for your personal machine, I'd read some reviews and see what people have to say about it. All of the expensive companies you mention build their cases with the so-called "enthusiast" in mind, so there's a lot of attention paid to the details.

Airflow is an issue too, and related to fan placement. If you've got serious hardware under the hood, you're going to want adequate cooling, which means good airflow in the front (often missing from cheapies) and at least 1 80 mm fan bracket at both the front and back.