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Top 5 Mid Tower cases under $100 with good features.

T

teh_pwnerer

Member
#1 - Antec Gaming Series One $59.99 - 1 year warranty, front USB 3.0 / Audio, 120mm fans.

11-129-181-Z01

#2 - Fractal Arc Midi Black $68.99 - 3 year warranty, front USB 3.0 / Audio, 140mm fans.

chassi-tower_fractal_design_arc_miditower_black_no_psu-16260720-frntl.jpg

#3 - Corsair Carbide 300r $89.99- 2 year warranty, front USB 3.0 / Audio, 140mm fans.

300r_top.png

#4 - Antec 300 Illusion $54.99 - 3 year warranty, front USB 2.0 / Audio, Blue LED 120mm fans.

0525012357.jpg

#5 - Zalman Z9 Plus Black $75.99 - 1 year warranty, front USB 2.0 / Audio, Blue LED 120mm fans.

205579.jpg

These 5 cases go on sale all the time so they are worth watching out for. Sleek cases with good features at a good price. Can't go wrong there. :thumbsup:
 
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Antec One, 300R and Arc Midi are all nice in my book.

I've heard bad stuff about Zalman's build quality, and it looks horrendous to me. I would not include 300 Illusion, its cable management sucks and it lacks USB 3.0 on the front, I also dislike LED fans. Replace with:

CM 690 II Advanced $50 AR AP
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Antec P280 $80 AR
8ZG5S.png
 
Everyone has their own taste for cases. Some like ones with clear side panels, a lot of LEDs, or just a sleek black case.

There is actually a new Zalman Z9 with USB 3.0. I believe it's otherwise the same as the Z9 Plus.

I am a fan of blue LEDs or White LEDs such as the Corsair 500r.
 
I like my cases black and thick (8+ inches), and without too many distracting add-ons like over-use of LED lights. The width means more clearance for fans and coolers and space behind the motherboard, which is important for cable management.

For high-performance cases, 5.25 bays with holes would be good to get more airflow up high. I can make my own filters but I don't want to have to drill my own holes. But it's not a dealbreaker as long as there are at least 3 bays, because then I can remove the bay covers and stick a five-inch fan in the resulting hole and drop the CPU temps another few degrees C.

Everything else is optional, even USB 3 which I can always use back ports and hubs/extensions for. And a strong front to back airflow can make up for lack of side cooling.
 
teh_pwnerer said:
What Fractal case do you have or have built a system with? The one I linked above is very sleek.

I may build my next system with that. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I currently have a Corsair 650D but I should have gotten the Corsair Define XL instead.

I plan on getting a Node 304 for a HTPC/Server.

DSC_6816_575px.jpg


So sexy.
 
arc midi, and p280 both very good cases, as for the shinobi, i wouldnt touch it for free unless it was the shinobi XL.

other good cases include the silverstone ps07b, the little sister of the tejmin08, found it very easy to work with cable management wise, and can hide 2/3 SSD's behind the psu/mobo tray easy.
 
bamaland101 said:
arc midi, and p280 both very good cases, as for the shinobi, i wouldnt touch it for free unless it was the shinobi XL.

other good cases include the silverstone ps07b, the little sister of the tejmin08, found it very easy to work with cable management wise, and can hide 2/3 SSD's behind the psu/mobo tray easy.
Click to expand...
Do you have the Arc Midi?
 
DSCF1633.jpg


Far left bottom - 500r white (Box only since I sold it to Lazlo 🙂 ) Left top - Antec One, Left middle - Bitfenix Merc Alpha (best case you can buy for $40), Right middle - CM Storm Trooper (My main rig), Far right - Bitfenix Prodigy white (Amazing ITX case)
 
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Pretty good list,I'd actually buy any of them myself except for that Zalman, which looks kind of awkward, imo.
Here's another case that gets my vote. It's $99.99, which is the upper limit.

CM Storm Scout 2
Scout_2_package_front.jpg
 
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