What is the best quality, cheapest case out there right now with a good PS for a budget system build?

[Salvador]

I'm wondering.. I've looked at the Evercases at Newegg and they are leaving me a bit cold, but they seem to be highly rated. I want to stick on a budget with this case for a budget system, but I don't want to cheap out either.

Any suggestions?

TIA,

Sal

 

[amdskip]

Get an evercase, they are extremely nice and they are more like a $70 quality case.

 

[Salvador]

Thanks for the recommendation. Any others?

Sal

 

[klah]

It seems that all of the Evercase models at NewEgg use Sparkle or Enhance PSU's. These are both good brands of PSU's.

 

[Salvador]

I think that the Evercase is a solid value, but I'm just after something a little bit more special, but I still don't want to break the bank.

I've been eyeballing this Antec SLK2600AMB in bronze.

Does anybody have any experience with this case? I have the Antec SX1040B for another system and I wonder how it compares?

I think the bronze is very cool and I think that a beige drive might not look bad in it. Not to mention that you can just close the door if you don't want to look at the drives. It doesn't break the bank either. It has an Antec 300w PS, so I think that would be just as good or better than what would come with the Evercase.

It does show backorder at Directron. I wonder who else might carry it and if they carry it for around the same price of $66 (plus shipping).

I'm still open for any and all suggestions..

Thanks again.

Sal

 

[Sophia]

There are a couple of places (such as provantage.com) selling the Antec sx630 ii cases for a little under $60 (plus shipping). We'll see if Amazon accepts the price challenge. I'm in the same boat pondering my next case, so keep the suggestions coming.

 

[JSSheridan]

I have had an Enlight 7230 for over two years, and I haven't had a problem with it. I am looking at Enlight cases again this year to get with my new system when I order at the end of the year. I have seen an Enlight 7247 with a 300 watt power supply at newegg for $49, and I'm confident in recommending it to you. The price starts jumping up when you look at cases with power ratings over 400W, but you may need that much power if you are planning to run several HD's or custom cooling. Stick to your budget and stick to the well know brands.

 

[BigEdMuustaffa]

One thing you also might want to keep in mind, the Evercase is Deeper dimension wise than the Antec, so you might have a little more room to work with for your MB and CD rom drives. Also the Evercase has a side fan, removable hard drive bays, one on the bottom of the case for better cooling, and a cut out for a firewire port and audio jacks on the front USB plastic plate behind the drop down door(if this is important to you)

 

[Salvador]

The Enlight cases are another case that is a good quality case, but leave me kind of cold. Nothing wrong with them, but I just want something sort of special if you know what I mean. I want something to put a smile on my face every time I look at the case.

Heh.. Someone just told me that the Antec SLK2600AMB, looked "Lost in Space" and not his style. I can see it a little on the bottom bezels, but I don't think it looks that bad.

Keep the suggestions coming. I really appreciate the feedback so far.

One thing you also might want to keep in mind, the Evercase is Deeper dimension wise than the Antec, so you might have a little more room to work with for your MB and CD rom drives. Also the Evercase has a side fan, removable hard drive bays, one on the bottom of the case for better cooling, and a cut out for a firewire port and audio jacks on the front USB plastic plate behind the drop down door(if this is important to you)

You snuck your post in on me while I was replying. Thanks for the excellent info. I will certainly take that into consideration.

I plan on going with a Biostar Micro ATX M7VIG for a budget build, so I don't think space is that important. The side fan is nice. Removeable hdd bays are always nice. I believe that the Antec has the front ports as well. I'll have to check. I know that it has USB ports.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. BTW.. What color Evercase do you have? Black and gray or the Beige?

Sal

 

[xbassman]

Well, Here is certainly a cheap case.
I ordered this case to put together a system with spare parts I have lying around, so price was most important.
actually when I received it I was pleasantly surprized with the quality. All fits are good and no sharp edges.
It comes with mouning locations for 4 8cm fans and has front USB and audio ports.
The only thing I am not that sure of is the power supply. Here is what came with it:
300W Tiger Pro (3.3v-14A, 5v-30A, 12v-15A, -5v-0.5A, -12v-0.5A +5Vsb-2A)

If these power specs meet your needs I don't think you can get a better bang for the buck! $36.99
Oh...did I mention it has a window also?

Directron link

 

[Arcanedeath]

I recently put together a couple systems and used this Enermax case (got it from here Cases Link ) not as cheap as some but, it's an awesome looking cases w/ excellent cooling, side window+ fan and neon light come standard and a 350 watt powersupply w/ decent specs (don't remember the exact ratings, but worked fine w/ a K7S5A and a almost fully loaded system (2 HDDs, 2 optical drives, Kryo 2 vid cards, Sound Card, Modem, NIC, Firewire Card, ect..) which are known for being picky about power supplys), all in all wholely rec.d

 

[BigEdMuustaffa]

Originally posted by: Arcanedeath
I recently put together a couple systems and used this Enermax case (got it from here Cases Link ) not as cheap as some but, it's an awesome looking cases w/ excellent cooling, side window+ fan and neon light come standard and a 350 watt powersupply w/ decent specs (don't remember the exact ratings, but worked fine w/ a K7S5A and a almost fully loaded system (2 HDDs, 2 optical drives, Kryo 2 vid cards, Sound Card, Modem, NIC, Firewire Card, ect..) which are known for being picky about power supplys), all in all wholely rec.d

Is this really an ENERMAX case? The reason I ask is that I've seen it marketed by a few different vendors, and they all call it something different. Also does it have a firewire port or did you just plug a cable into the card in the rear of the case? thanks....

 

[Salvador]

Is this really an ENERMAX case? The reason I ask is that I've seen it marketed by a few different vendors, and they all call it something different. Also does it have a firewire port or did you just plug a cable into the card in the rear of the case? thanks....

I don't think Enermax makes cases. This is probably similar to the Chieftec/Enermax/Antec/Directron/Alien cases. They are all basically the same case made by Chenming, but what makes the case an Antec is the power supply. Same goes for the Enermax. Enermax buys the cases, installs their power supply in it, provides support for it and viola! You have yourself an Enermax case.

BTW.. Interesting options.. Keep em' coming. Thanks.

Sal

 

[randomboy]

I just ordered one of these from newegg. Its the same as the CS-501 cases they have on their page. It was $62 shipped. I just wanted something that came with a bunch of standard fans, and I plan on cutting more holes, so that looked pretty good to me, a nice blank slate

Jeff

 

[xbassman]

Originally posted by: randomboy
I just ordered one of these from newegg. Its the same as the CS-501 cases they have on their page.

That's interesting..... it is also the same case (although a few exterior differences) as the cheap case I posted above from Directron! :Q

 

[randomboy]

Yeah........cept mine has 1 120mm opening in the front, as opposed to dual 80mm openings, and mines a clean slate, which I'd rather have than some shiny gawdy looking case like that I'm not big on shiny plastic, and plus the fact there is a seem between the metal and plexi on the side of the case, which would make it a PITA to put a fan directly over the HSF

AND, if you follow checkout on that Directron case.......using UPS Ground as shipping method, case total comes out to $55, not exactly a huge saving over the $62 shipped I spent Ouch, and if you use Fedex Express saver, like I did from Newegg, that 37 dollar case just became a $77 case after shipping!! :Q

Jeff

 

[BigEdMuustaffa]

Originally posted by: randomboy
Yeah........cept mine has 1 120mm opening in the front, as opposed to dual 80mm openings, and mines a clean slate, which I'd rather have than some shiny gawdy looking case like that I'm not big on shiny plastic, and plus the fact there is a seem between the metal and plexi on the side of the case, which would make it a PITA to put a fan directly over the HSF

AND, if you follow checkout on that Directron case.......using UPS Ground as shipping method, case total comes out to $55, not exactly a huge saving over the $62 shipped I spent Ouch, and if you use Fedex Express saver, like I did from Newegg, that 37 dollar case just became a $77 case after shipping!! :Q

Jeff

From the pics on the newegg website, this case doesn't have external fron firewire port. To me the audio ports are useless because I don't want my speakers plugged into the front and for the minimal amount of time I use head phones it's not important. The front USBs are nice, but a firewire port would be good too.

 

[xbassman]

Originally posted by: randomboy
Yeah........cept mine has 1 120mm opening in the front, as opposed to dual 80mm openings, and mines a clean slate, which I'd rather have than some shiny gawdy looking case like that I'm not big on shiny plastic, and plus the fact there is a seem between the metal and plexi on the side of the case, which would make it a PITA to put a fan directly over the HSF

AND, if you follow checkout on that Directron case.......using UPS Ground as shipping method, case total comes out to $55, not exactly a huge saving over the $62 shipped I spent Ouch, and if you use Fedex Express saver, like I did from Newegg, that 37 dollar case just became a $77 case after shipping!! :Q

Jeff

No need to get defensive Jeff.... i was mearly stating the fact that these are basically the same case.
As to shipping cost, That figure is based on shipping distance. That particular case shipped to me is $47.18 via UPS ground which takes two days.
As to appearance, three members of my household wanted to trade me their cases for it when I opened the box. They have top line cases by Antec and Fong Kai! So really appearance is all in the eye of the beholder.

 

[randomboy]

I know, I wasnt tryin to be a dick, its hard to convey your real tone when its only through type I'm just a damn n00b, so I felt like getting more of a clean slate to try my luck with, even if it means a cost difference of a few bucks. Plus the fan setup (1 120mm intake as opposed to 2 80mm fans) I suppose I could possibly get more airflow at about the same db level or less as 2 quiet 80mm fans.

Everyones got their own opinions, and we are all entitled to that I seem to always end up making a photo documentary of stuff I do, be it wood working, fiberglass work, car stereo stuff, and now PC stuff, so my blank slate will be made into something more than that, and all to be shared through pics as I go along!

Good luck finding a case if you havent ordered one already Salvador, sorry for post whoring on your thread

Jeff

 

[ChrisADuffy]

Link to the Enermaz cases at the Enermax site

 

[Salvador]

Link to the Enermaz cases at the Enermax site

These look great! How much and where can I find one? They look like $150 cases though.

Sal

 

[xbassman]

These look great! How much and where can I find one? They look like $150 cases though.

Yep they are.....Those cases are basically Lian-Li's. I don't have a link to those particular cases branded as Enermax, but here's a link to a Lian-Li and a Directron aluminum case. They come without power supply.
I have the Directron case in the link below, powered by an Antec True 430. A few months ago I shelled out about $250 for the setup.
Excellent case though. (heck you can even mount all your cards with the MB tray still outside of the case!)

well here's the links...neither one is exactly the Enermax case but they are the same frame with different fan configurations.

Lian-Li @ NewEgg

Black Directron model

 

[Goi]

The answer to the topic would probably be Enlight if you ask me. They make really good quality cases that are cheap, like the Enlight 7237. They also come with good quality Enlight PSU's that are made by Fong Kai or so I heard - the 7237 comes with a 300W PSU that should be more than enough for budget systems. Don't be mistaken though, they're nothing "special", but rather, they're good, cheap, no nonsense cases that are perfect for budget systems, and you didn't mentioned anything about speciality in your topic either anyway...

Highly recommended...

 

[Sm0kes]

I just picked up 2 Antec SLK2600AMB's .... each came with a 300w Antec Powersupply. Theses cases are absolutly awesome. Both people I built systems with, loved them. There's plenty of room inside (even sticking my old Asus A7V133-C in one .... was a tight fit, but that board is HUGE). All of the drive bays are screwless, and click right in. It's an all around quality case with a decent supply, if you aren't really going to be stuffing every component under the sun in it.

They are $69.99 at Comp-USA around here ... so shipping wasn't a factor for me.

I'd go with these .... very very tight little cases

sm0kes out.

 

[zodder]

I just built a rig for my folks using the CS-003-01WB case from Enermax. Great case for the price. Very deep with plenty of good air flow just using the 2 fans that come with it. It's a pretty good looking case, too. It also comes with an Enermax PSU. Newegg has it for $64/shipped, which is a pretty sweet deal if you ask me.