Opinions on Sub $100 Air Cooled Cases

[m33pm33p]

Im trying to upgrade a few components and plan to start trying to OC some thing so I certainly want to improve my cooling the best I can. Im in the market for a sub $100.00 case that gives me the best bang for my buck as far as air cooling go's. Any suggestions?

 

[lehtv]

HAF 922 for sure - dual 200mm fans are tough to beat at under $100. Also comes with a 120mm rear fan, and supports additional bottom 120mm / 140mm fan and
side 200mm / 2x120mm.

 

[mikemcc]

You can search here at Anandtech for reviews of the In-Win BUC and the Fractal Design Arc Midi. I think the BUC gets better numbers for cooling, but not by a whole heckuva lot. I went with the Fractal Design Arc Midi and loved working with it. It's just a well put together case. I'm perfectly happy with my airflow/temps. I added several 140mm case fans, something that is very inexpensive, though that would probably bring the price slightly above $100. I haven't checked prices recently, but both cases were selling in the sub-$100 range when they were reviewed here. Oh, one more thing about the Fractal Design Arc Midi -- it's just a tad wider than many mid-tower cases so it is a little easier to fit in some of those monster air coolers. I had enough room for a Hyper 212+ and a side case fan. Many other cases would permit the 212+ with no problem, but likely not also a 140mm case fan.

 

[alfa147x]

I just got my SilverStone Raven RV03. I love it.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4501/silverstone-raven-rv03-streamlined-bird-of-prey

 

[lehtv]

Unfortunately that one costs well over $100.

 

[alfa147x]

Unfortunately that one costs well over $100.

Oh! I'm sorry. I had a stupid moment.

 

[lsv]

Corsair 400R is a good choice as well, Corsair cases seem to be getting better and better the cheaper they go. Heh.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...sair%20400

 

[Skott]

HAF 922 for sure - dual 200mm fans are tough to beat at under $100. Also comes with a 120mm rear fan, and supports additional bottom 120mm / 140mm fan and
side 200mm / 2x120mm.

Do you know if the bottom hdd cage can be removed like on the HAF 912? I been looking at this case myself and can't seem to find out if it can be removed for larger (longer) video cards.

 

[nipplefish]

Do you know if the bottom hdd cage can be removed like on the HAF 912? I been looking at this case myself and can't seem to find out if it can be removed for larger (longer) video cards.

It can't, I have one. However I can't think of a video card that wouldn't fit in there. My 5850 has plenty of room to spare. See my sig for a picture.

 

[Skott]

Yeah, but a 5850 is not that long of a card I believe. I hear that the 6950 just fits inside the HAF 922. So a card like the 5970 (those 12" or longer) won't fit unless you remove the cage. At least that is my understanding. I'm wondering about future card upgrades. ATI and nVidia seem to be making cards longer to make them more powerful.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I mean, im sure they need more length to add more [insert technical term here] thingys into the card to make them better