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how much is average for spending on case?

H

hohyss

Member
I am currently trying to build a new gaming machine. But im not sure which type of case I must buy.

First of all, it will be ATx and the max I am going to invest is $150.

Can anyone recommend me a good case for gaming?
Also what kind of things should I consider when I buy a case?
 
My max is around $65. And that's usually what I spend on a case.

Here are some questions you should answer:
Are you looking for a case to dazzle the senses, make people ask questions about it and light up your room like a lighthouse on a dark night? Or are you looking for a case that blends in, is satisfied with what it is and knows that behind the mask lies a monster that dominates LAN parties without making a spectacular show? Are you wanting a case that can fit two 2x120mm radiators along with two separate water loops or are you satisfied with what the best air cooling has to offer? Do you want one with a power supply already included or are you willing to fork out $75 more for a great PSU?
 
You're definitely going to be limited if your budget is $150 for both case & PSU, if you're wanting good quality.
 
That Sonata deal is a good one if you like the case. It comes with a 500W Antec Earthwatts PSU.

The first thing though, is decide how big you want the case to be. I'm not a fan of big cases since I don't really need much room. 1 or 2 HDDs, a video card, maybe a PCI card and I'm good to go. That will help narrow your selection down.

Then it's a question of balancing the aesthetic you want (flashy, understated, or in the middle) against quietness against airflow.

And finally there are issues that are minor for some but major selling points for others: toolless design, door or no door, that kind of stuff.
 
When shopping for Antec you can usually get a better deal than at Newegg and from good resellers. The new Delta series of Earthwatts PSU has no track record as yet, so you're taking your chances with it. The original Seasonic-built were very good for the money when gotten on sale or rebate. I use an EA-380 myself.

The Sonata series of cases has a weird location for the front fan (which is not included): on the rear side of the HDD rack. This takes significant card space away and isn't very bright, IMO. But there are thin 120mm fans now that may fit somewhere in front of the HDD cage perhaps behind the bezel. Personally I wouldn't buy one for a gaming machine. OTOH, if you are willing to cut the case metal, the cooling can be brought up to snuff. That price is killer though, especially with free ship (an expedited ship option might be doable considering the savings).

.bh.
 
My normal case budget is around $15-25. My last case was a $15 free shipping no PSU special from Newegg but recently I splurged on a CM Stacker.
 
Thanks for the info.

The system I will be getting will be Q9550 + HD4870 + 700w PSU.

After seeing the opinions of you guys, it looks like $150 is
probably an overkill ( for case alone).

I usually play game a lot ( and encoding too ) and the my room temperature
is around avg 82F. So I kinda felt that good air flow might help improve the performance.

The cases I was looking at were

1.

$59 Rosewill with two fans ( front and rear )
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811147037

2.

$109 ( $69 after rebate ) Antect Nine hundred Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129021

What do you guys think of these cases?
 
I think the Rosewill R5600 series are better cases than the Sonata especially as far as cooling is concerned w/o modding. You get two 120x25mm fans (the ones I got with my 5604 were decent, YMMV). There is 11" of card space. Right now you can get the silver/black 5604 for 50. or the 5605 (my current fave) for $10. more. You could get the 5605 with an EA-500D (from another reseller) and still keep it will under your limit. You could probably do a Cooler Master 590 and stay within the limit - many like the 590 over the 690 including moi. The new Rosewill Conqueror series (the same chassis as the Silverstone PS-01) might be an option as well - on a deal right now too.
. A bundle special is available with the EA-500 (they don't advertise it as the D but it is) at the Egg - pair with any Antec case for a $50. bundle disct.

.bh.
 
Antec 900 for $109. Im not sure if you really need a 700w PSU...The corsair PSU I have is 550w I believe and I got it in the $79-89 range. You don't need SLI which I don't think you said you were so you really only need one or two +12v rails and they only need about 20amps output. With that said you can get those two components for only about $30 more than what you said.. but it's worth it.
 
Coolmax CUG-700
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817159058

Main reason why I chose that was that not only that it got good ratings but
I can also get $25 off with the combo deal ( gskill ddr 800 ram that im trying to buy )
so I actually end up paying $84 for 700w PSU ( after rebate $64 ).

But this is purely from a price standpoint of view.
I'd be glad to hear any other feedback.
 
there is no average.

Average for what? a gamebox? a htpc? a desktop? a server?

average gamebox case could pwn all the other cases.

however the top htpc case would make all the other cases seem petty and cheap.


The better statement would be what is he most comfortable paying for on the shell, and then matching the case on your comfort limit.


If you ask me, the cheapest case i have is a CM690.
The most expensive is a custom Mountain Mods U2.

Price difference? i could get probably 4-5 CM690's (no rebate no sale) for that 1 MM case.
 
The Coolmax may be decent, but you really can't rely on the Cusomer Comments. Those should be only a small factor in your decision. The PSU is the cornerstone of a stable system, so go with better if you can. I consider Coolmax/ATNG a 3rd tier PSU company. Anything over 550W is probably gross overkill for the listed components, so it will be running in a less efficient part of its power output range for much of the time. I am also unimpressed that the ATX cable is modular - the ATX connection is NOT optional and there needs to be no superfluous connections in high current lines.

.bh.
 
Originally posted by: aigomorla
there is no average.

Average for what? a gamebox? a htpc? a desktop? a server?
Click to expand...

I have a feeling that you understood us wrong.
' HOW MUCH ' is average for ' SPENDING ' on ' CASE ' ?


Originally posted by: Zepper
The Coolmax may be decent, but you really can't rely on the Cusomer Comments. Those should be only a small factor in your decision. The PSU is the cornerstone of a stable system, so go with better if you can. I consider Coolmax/ATNG a 3rd tier PSU company. Anything over 550W is probably gross overkill for the listed components, so it will be running in a less efficient part of its power output range for much of the time. I am also unimpressed that the ATX cable is modular - the ATX connection is NOT optional and there needs to be no superfluous connections in high current lines.

.bh.
Click to expand...

I see. Thank you for your response. My concern is that the value I calculated from the website, http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp came out to be 603w.
So rather than keeping my old 550 w PSU, I decided to buy a new one.

If you can recommended anything else I'd be glad.
 
To get back to the original question, I'd say that most users have no idea how much their case cost as it just came along with their prepackaged system. I suppose we DIYers, spend between $50. and $100. on the case, but we are just a small fraction of the total computer market. We generally buy the PSU separately as only a few companies can be relied on to bundle a decent PSU. The 80/20 sweet spot is in that range. Over $100 you may be able to whittle away at that extra 20% of perfection but you have to be knowledgeable as there is a lot of shiny dreck that exists above the $100. mark.

.bh.
 
How did you get 603w? What calculator did you use for that? With only one gpu..I cant get it getting that high. I am not sure about the quad cores..but when I did a calc. to find out the wattage I needed on my build (specs are my signature obv.) I don't think I even hit over 500w. Maybe the quads draw more power than the duo's.. but I dont think it will be over 100w and the gpu and cpu will draw the most power. What ever you do though... Don't cheap out on your psu, but also try not to spend unnecessary money.
 
Originally posted by: hohyss

I see. Thank you for your response. My concern is that the value I calculated from the website, http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp came out to be 603w.
So rather than keeping my old 550 w PSU, I decided to buy a new one.

If you can recommended anything else I'd be glad.
Click to expand...

PSU calculators are...well let's be kind and call them inaccurate at best.

Here are AnandTech's own measurements of power used by the computer with various graphics cards:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=22

Without a heavy load on the CPU, a system with a 4870 uses around 280W. Even if you throw in another 200W for the load on the rest of the system (which is an overestimate anyway) you're still under 550W and comfortably under 650W.

Also keep in mind that the figures AnandTech reports are the power draw from the wall. What the PSU is actually delivering to the system (and what a good PSU is rated for) is roughly 20% smaller. That approximately 480W drawn from the wall would be maxing out a 380W PSU, not a 480W one. (Not that you want to be maxing out a PSU, but power draw from the wall does not directly equal the PSU rating.)

You would be fine with the 550W recommendation, but if you feel more comfortable with something larger, I'd recommend getting the Corsair 650TX, as it's one of the better values out there on 650W PSUs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...E16817139005&Tpk=650TX
52A of 12V goodness will run any single card out there without a problem.

Your original question is tough to nail down to a specific figure, and aigomorla was right. It depends on what kind of case you're looking to buy. HTPC cases tend to be a little bit more expensive than your average gaming case. Then there's the fact that my case has a list price of $90-100, but I got it with a $60 MIR, so I only paid $30. Very complicated question to answer, but the best way to do so would be to say that most gamers spend between $50 and $100 on their case. $50 is generally about the minimum you're going to pay for a good case unless there's a crazy deal.
 
Originally posted by: hohyss
Originally posted by: aigomorla
there is no average.

Average for what? a gamebox? a htpc? a desktop? a server?
Click to expand...

I have a feeling that you understood us wrong.
' HOW MUCH ' is average for ' SPENDING ' on ' CASE ' ?


Originally posted by: Zepper
The Coolmax may be decent, but you really can't rely on the Cusomer Comments. Those should be only a small factor in your decision. The PSU is the cornerstone of a stable system, so go with better if you can. I consider Coolmax/ATNG a 3rd tier PSU company. Anything over 550W is probably gross overkill for the listed components, so it will be running in a less efficient part of its power output range for much of the time. I am also unimpressed that the ATX cable is modular - the ATX connection is NOT optional and there needs to be no superfluous connections in high current lines.

.bh.
Click to expand...

I see. Thank you for your response. My concern is that the value I calculated from the website, http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp came out to be 603w.
So rather than keeping my old 550 w PSU, I decided to buy a new one.

If you can recommended anything else I'd be glad.
Click to expand...

I think YOU misunderstood. What will the PC be used for? This will determine what type and size of case you should get and will greatly affect price.
 
My average is $40-$70 power supply or not. I typically pick a case based on need and appearance and then get a quality PS to support the build. I'm using a Coolermaster Centurion 5 at the moment. It's actually not made as well as the one it replaced, but it had the interior layout, airflow, and outside appearance I wanted.
 
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