I wanna good case with power

[plaidfro]

I am building/upgrading my home computer. I don't want to spend lots on a case, only about $50 - $70. I just want something that is reliable, cools well, around 400W, and has front usb's.

Specs on new computer so far:
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Venice 1GHz FSB Socket 939
MSI K8N Neo4/SLI Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200)
eVGA 128-P2-N368-TX Geforce 6600GT 128MB GDDR3 PCI-E x16

Yes I am building on a budget.

 

[Cerb]

Cheaper mobo; more expensive case & PSU.
If you're on a budget that is so tight that $70 is your top-end for the case and PSU, you don't need a SLI mobo--period. For $30 more (Neo4-F), you can get a decent Antec, or cheaper case and separate PSU.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article208-page4.html
They got within 2%, and you're getting within 2%.
The difference is that they used a meter, and you're using a motherboard.

 

[plaidfro]

OK so I will bump up my budget for a case to around $90. What could I find in that range?

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

And then get a 3000+ instead of a 3200+, and use that $44 for the PSU / case. Seriously, it is going to be much easier to upgrade your processor than it is your case and power supply later. You are getting nice hardware--case & PSU isn't the stuff to skimp on.
Tas.

 

[pulsedrive]

You know you have asked a question akin to "I want to get a Beamer with all the fixins and I only want to pay a buck for it!" Why is it that EVERYONE thinks they can have it all. You get what you pay for, going cheap means JUST that, going CHEAP. So if you want a GOOD case, you have to shell out a little more than what you are doing. Also, Cerb is right, there is absolutely no reason to go SLI with a 6600GT.

 

[pulsedrive]

Tas is also right, there is not a noticable difference between those 2 CPUs.

 

[Cerb]

The simple answer at $90 is Antec . You could porbably get a cheap case and decent PSU, as well.

 

[Varun]

Antec Sonata II

450w Antec Power supply, nice case, front ports etc.

I also agree with everyone else, you don't spend as much as you are planning on spending and then buy a POS case and generic no name power supply. Is it worth the risk for a crap power supply to fry your motherboard or cause constant crashes? A case is also the one part of your system that everyone sees (including yourself), plus likely the one component you won't upgrade as often.

Originally posted by: pulsedrive
You know you have asked a question akin to "I want to get a Beamer with all the fixins and I only want to pay a buck for it!"

Actually it's more like:

"I want to get a Beamer with all the fixins and I want to run it on horse manure" which is the kind of power that most of those cheap power supplies put out

 

[Cerb]

For $90, you might be able to squeeze in an Evercase 4252 (or 4292) and Fortron ATX2 400w PSU, as on option to the Antec. Newegg has them for a fair price right now.

 

[plaidfro]

I guess I've really showed my "lackedness" of computers. I didn't realize that case quality was so important... thanks for showing me the light. It looks like many people are using the Antec Sonata II. Seems to be a decent and hasslefree case. Looks like I'll pony up the $104 and get it.

 

[50]

Yeah, you can't go wrong with the sonata II. Good luck on your build, post pics when you are done.

 

[Cerb]

Case quality isn't as important as PSU quality, but if you get a crappy case, you'll wish you'd gotten a nice one after an upgrade or two .

 

[plaidfro]

I ended up getting the Antec Sonata II... I am sooooooo glad I did, fantastic case... really easy to install parts in. Looks good and is fairly quiet.

Thanks,

Plaid