Looking for a mATX case with a little sizzle

[bbhaag]

I'm kinda tired of the dull black cases like the n200. I'm looking for a little pop. Air flow and cable management are important too but I want some wow. Price range is around $100-150. Any suggestions?

 

[lehtv]

If it's appearance first... simply browse what's on Newegg. Here, I picked the right filters for you: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ... 600462381 601182190 4017 4027 4026 600029808
- microATX tower
- all colors except black
- price range $50-200
- without PSU

 

[you2]

There are a lot of interesting mini-itx cases depending on your objective and requirement (do you require internal dvd drive; do you require full size psu or is sfx ok; ...; what size gpu do you require).
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I'm very happy with pc-33 (b or a for black or silver - b&h has them); great cooling with nh-u9s sink and mini 1070 fit fine. elite 130 is my cheapo m-itx which will take full length gpu but cooliing is only soso. 250d is also an option with more drives (btw the pc-33 has better drive management than elite 130). All three of these cases take full size psu - the pc-33 is around $95; the elite 130 (on sale) is around $35 and the 250d is around $90. If you are willing to use sfx psu then silverstone has a lot of options rx04 seems intereseting but they also have some square caes. Another interesting but expensive option is the ncase (https://www.ncases.com/); expensive due to shipping and low production.
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Anyway there are 15 or 20 decent options but it would help if you narrow the choice based off of form factor (n200 vs elite 130 vs pc-33 - show 3 extremly different form factors) and requirement (gpu length, psu type, # of drives). inwin also has some rather nifty cases and some truely unique cases if you want to spend a few more $$$.
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Right now my personal favorite (does not take a dvd drive) is the lian-li pc-33 due to extremely easy build and room for full size psu.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Build your own?

 

[bbhaag]

Alright sorry for being a little vague in my op.

Parts I have so far are 6700k, m9i cooler, asrock z170m extreme4, evga supernova 650 g2, msi rx480 4gb.

Right now I have a Cooler Master n200 with a phenom2 965, asus board, 12gb ram bla bla ect no need for details. I like the functionality of the n200 but I'm tired of the look.

I want a case with some sizzle dammit haha. Building my own is not gonna happen. I don't have the time or tools. Someone out there has to make a mATX case that isn't a boring black box.

 

[Valantar]

Bitfenix Prodigy M? Comes in a bunch of colours , the design stands out, ventilation is good, and is surprisingly roomy for a very compact case. Customizable with vented faceplates, windowed side panels and such.

https://www.bitfenix.com/global/en/products/chassis/prodigy-m

 

[you2]

Ack i listed itx boards not matx sorry about that; never looked at m-atx boards so nothing of value to add.

 

[z1ggy]

I just got the Corsair Carbide Alpha Spec for $80 on Amazon. If you are into more flashy looks and LED's, I think you may like this.

 

[bbhaag]

I just got the Corsair Carbide Alpha Spec for $80 on Amazon. If you are into more flashy looks and LED's, I think you may like this.

Now thats what I'm talking! Thanks for the suggestion. What color did you go with? Have you put everything together yet? If so how did it go?

 

[lehtv]

But... That's not mATX. If you're fine with ATX, well that gives you a ton more options.

 

[z1ggy]

But... That's not mATX. If you're fine with ATX, well that gives you a ton more options.

It's a mid tower case... Idk what "mATX" means w.r.t. to cases? This mid tower case can fit a mATX board, if that's what you mean. This case should also be able to fit regular ATX boards, too.

 

[z1ggy]

Now thats what I'm talking! Thanks for the suggestion. What color did you go with? Have you put everything together yet? If so how did it go?

I went with the red/black because I'm going with a red/black theme with the hardware, plus the desk I have is black, and so is the other furniture in the room.

Have not gotten it yet, I should be doing the build this weekend or early next week. I will keep you informed. Based on the reviews and specs, I expect a very easy build. I'm not doing anything crazy like OC'ing or water cooling, so it should be pretty straight forward.

 

[lehtv]

It's a mid tower case... Idk what "mATX" means w.r.t. to cases? This mid tower case can fit a mATX board, if that's what you mean. This case should also be able to fit regular ATX boards, too.

With respect to cases, mATX means microATX, as in accepting up to microATX size motherboards. An ATX case accepts up to ATX size motherboards. So when you ask for mATX case, you mean a case small enough that an ATX board won't fit.

"Mid tower" is not a well defined term, but basically it means "standard size tower case". Larger than a mini tower, smaller than a full tower. Mini, mid and full refer loosely to the cases height, not so much other dimensions or features.

Here's a few nice looking mid towers you may like:

NZXT S340 Elite (Tempered glass window)
Phanteks P400S windowed (LED color on the front panel is customizable)
Corsair 400C white
DeepCool Tesseract
BeQuiet Silent Base 600

 

[z1ggy]

I think the s340 is cool, but I believe it does not come with an HDD cage, which was a deal breaker for me. Also, I read some in depth testing and it's not the best case for thermal performance out there, which is some what important if you want to OC your GPU a little bit or maybe plan to OC CPU down the road...

 

[lehtv]

There are two 3.5" slots here:



Installation/uninstallation does require the PSU to be removed from the case, which is a little bit awkward.

 

[z1ggy]

I see. I didn't notice the cage down there. Does it come stock with 2 front 120's?

Either way, OP is looking for something that's not plain and boxy, they want more flashy and gaudy. The Alpha Spec is just that, and is only $80.

I do love those Corsair cases though. If I was going to do an acrylic pipe water build, I'd be all over those.

 

[lehtv]

I see. I didn't notice the cage down there. Does it come stock with 2 front 120's?

https://www.nzxt.com/products/s340-elite-black

Fan Support Front: 2x 140/2x120mm
Top: 1x 140/120mm (1 x 120mm FN V2 Fans Included)
Rear: 1x 120mm (1 x 120mm FN V2 Fan Included)

 

[you2]

While an atx case can hold a matx motherboard; I think the point lehtv is making is that if you get an atx case you might as well as get an atx mb which has more options than the smaller m-atx motherboard. I'm willing to scarfice mb options to get mini-itx size but there is no way I would buy a mini-itx mb for an atx case. For you case replace mini-itx with matx.

 

[lehtv]

While an atx case can hold a matx motherboard; I think the point lehtv is making is that if you get an atx case you might as well as get an atx mb which has more options than the smaller m-atx motherboard. I'm willing to scarfice mb options to get mini-itx size but there is no way I would buy a mini-itx mb for an atx case. For you case replace mini-itx with matx.

That's not my point, no. The OP already has a motherboard, so I'm not quite sure where you're getting this idea. FWIW, I think putting a microATX m/b into an ATX case is generally preferable to putting an equivalent ATX m/b into an ATX case, because microATX already has plenty of expansion slots for 99% of users, but allows you to change to a smaller case later.

My point is that if the case doesn't have to be microATX, i.e. ATX is fine too, then you have a lot more options available. It was just confusing that the OP asked for mATX cases, then replied with "now that's what I'm talking!" when he was suggested an ATX case by z1ggy. That's all.

 

[bbhaag]

But... That's not mATX. If you're fine with ATX, well that gives you a ton more options.

It was just confusing that the OP asked for mATX cases, then replied with "now that's what I'm talking!" when he was suggested an ATX case by z1ggy. That's all.

Yeah.......sorry about that. I got excited after doing a quick google search and didn't fully check the specs before I posted.
After searching for awhile I think I'm either stuck going with a mid tower like z1ggy first suggested or going with a boring black box if I want a true mATX case. Nobody seems to make anything exciting in the mATX form.

 

[Valantar]

Bitfenix Aegis? Comes in red, blue, black and white too, and some versions have a programmable OLED display in the front. Also: actually an mATX case.

 

[lehtv]

Any windowed black mATX case can be turned moar pretteh with LEDs, by the way. For instance, windowed Fractal Design Define C Mini + magnetic LED strip

 

[you2]

Ok. Then I misunderstood you. Btw I myself would find it silly to buy a new m-atx board for a new atx case but that is just myself.

That's not my point, no. The OP already has a motherboard, so I'm not quite sure where you're getting this idea. FWIW, I think putting a microATX m/b into an ATX case is generally preferable to putting an equivalent ATX m/b into an ATX case, because microATX already has plenty of expansion slots for 99% of users, but allows you to change to a smaller case later.

My point is that if the case doesn't have to be microATX, i.e. ATX is fine too, then you have a lot more options available. It was just confusing that the OP asked for mATX cases, then replied with "now that's what I'm talking!" when he was suggested an ATX case by z1ggy. That's all.

 

[lehtv]

Ok. Then I misunderstood you. Btw I myself would find it silly to buy a new m-atx board for a new atx case but that is just myself.

Well, cost-wise it's usually the best option. ATX cases at any given price point tend to have a better set of features, and as mentioned, there are more options available (esp. with respect to appearance). And microATX motherboards tend to have all the necessary features at a lower price point.

 

[Valantar]

After searching for awhile I think I'm either stuck going with a mid tower like z1ggy first suggested or going with a boring black box if I want a true mATX case. Nobody seems to make anything exciting in the mATX form.

Just wondering, did you see my post on the Bitfenix Aegis? Should tick all your boxes nicely (although design preference is of course very subjective).