Help me replace a reliable old case:

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: Izusaga
I'm assuming the door on the Sonata II is steel because it has the lock on it, but the door on the 3000-B looks rather flimsy, like plastic. What is it?

The whole front of the Sonata is plastic, I wouldn't say its flimsy but it definitely looks cheap compared to the rest of the case's high gloss finish.

 

[Saga]

The MGE Quantum I use for the main rig has a solid steel door, and it would probably have broken off a half dozen times if it wasn't considering how clumsy I can be.

Currently here are my key players. I'm aiming for a solid steel case, preferably with a PSU bundled but not a requirement, black preferred due to it being paired with a black 915n Samsung LCD, steel face preferred (but unfortunately none of them have. =O):

Antec SONATA II
In Win S523T.I430BFU2D
Antec SLK3000-B (Plus reliable PSU)

I would honestly prefer the Sonata due to the look but the downside is the dual-rail PSU powering the ASUS A7V880 which does not have a P4-12V connector making dual a dual rail PSU sort of pointless. Second best would be the In Win in all honesty because it comes with a Fortran for only $77 and I could live without a face since if it's plastic I'd probably break it anyway.

Can pick up the Sonata II for $20 cheaper off ZZF also.

 

[Zepper]

I'm guessing you are only looking at black cases. Dealsonic and Newegg both have a version of SkyHawk's aluminum server case for really cheap bucks for a heavyweight aluminum case. They are both silver, but easily painted... 😉 The Dealsonic version looks a lot like a Lian Li - I like the Newegg version's appearance better...

.bh.

 

[Saga]

As mentioned above I'm specifically looking for a black case because the machine will be paired with a black Samsung 915n and I'm a sucker for cosmetics - this particular machine is set up by me for the "academic"(which usually = games) use of two roommates to use at their will and I prefer things I make that are seen mostly by other people to conform visually to my design style. 😉 It's not going to make or break the build but I'm aiming straight for a black steel case that will last and is overall too heavy to get pushed around by roughhousing or large animals.