I'm going to be slowly building a new computer (PS here, case there, etc...)
and need some help on the case. I'm looking for the best bang for the buck
for around $60. Here's what I need...
Top notch cooling - going to be an air-cooled OC'd system
Good looks - I like clean lines (no alien or spaceman cases)
Window - Not a must but definitely a plus
Mid tower - room to breathe for an OC'd system
No power supply - I will be buying that separately
The case will house an AMD64 system when all is said and done. I'm looking
for personal experiences good and bad (ex. Don't buy case X because it
doesn't blah, blah, etc.).
Thanks for all your suggestions.
I'm no expert but I'll relate my recent experience with two similarly
priced cases in your range.
Antec Super Lanboy: ~ 75.00. I put an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum, Athlon 64
3000+, Sony CD/DVD, 200Gb WD Caviar into this case. THe case is very
light, seemed almost flimsy until the components were added and it
firmed up nicely. I comes with 2 120mm fans, front and rear, with a
filter and wide mesh for the front intake fan. The front fan has blue
LEDs which I could live without but I guess it's pretty. Tooless
guides worked perfectly. All connectors marked well. I used the Antec
NeoPower 480 PSU purchased separately. Comes with a nylon carrying
strap. The only problem was the face plate of the Sony DVD slightly
interferes with the door closing. It closes but requires too much
pressure.
Thermaltake Swing: ~60.00. I'm building a basic PC for free (to her)
for a friend in need using an 1.5 year-old Asus P4P800-VM motherboard,
Socket 478 Pentium 4, 2.6GHz, Lite-on CD/DVD, 80Gb WD Caviar.
This one comes with one 120mm case fan in the rear with space for an
optional 120mm front intake fan. There are no holes in the face plate
so all intake comes through an opening under the front of the case.
The case is heavy, ~14 lbs., but looks nice with a silver piano finish
and a curved face plate -- no door on it. The case isn't as well
thought out as the Antec. The tooless guides for the hard drive,
CD/DVD, floppy, are cheap and flimsy. The hard drive caddies couldn't
handle the WD Caviar 3.5" drive. Wiring is marked haphazardly and
comes so tangled up you need to set aside 30 minutes just to sort it
out. The front faceplate has to be removed by yanking it off the case
so you can insert the drives. Do that enough times and the plastic
connectors are going to break or at least get loose.
There's more, but the aggravation the Thermaltake caused wasn't worth
the $10 - 15 I saved over the Antec. Never again.
