Some suggestions needed...

Vampyromaniac

Hey there

I think it's about time to ditch this old Dell case I have. Almost nothing inside is from the original Dell anyway, time to leave the case behind as well So, if anyone can help me buy a new computer case, I'd really appreciate it. I've looked around a bit, but there are literally thousands of cases out there, and got a bit dizzy after a while.

Here's some info to narrow it down:

• Price: aiming for $100 or less. Any deals would be great
• Size: mid-tower. Not more than 18 inches tall
• Color: don't really care, as long as it looks OK with beige drives (I will not paint or mod my drives to another color)
• Power Supply: don't need one, but if it comes with one, that's OK (as long as it doesn't drive the price up)
• Window: don't really care
• Cooling: need decent airflow/arrangement of fans/mounting (I can buy 1 or 2 more, if there's mounts without fans)
• Front ports: only necessity is a couple USB 2.0

Also, some cases have 4 feet sticking out from underneath, that the body sits on . . . I do not want a case with feet.
And the only thing I don't like as far as appearance: cases with a curved grille going down the front, such as some Antec and other cases have.
That's basically it. As long as the case is of good quality, not some cheapie case with sharp edges, flimsy pieces, etc.
If you have a link to a store selling a particular case, that would be great.
I'll still be looking around, myself, starting with Antec's site (but I think most of theirs are too expensive)

Thanks for any suggestions!

Roadee

Damn......I sure am glad that you aren't very picky!!

Sourcer_2002

Hmm i would sale you my old Lian Li but its black and would match your drives.

Dyre Straits

My son picked up a whole computer not long ago at a garage sale that has one of the coolest cases I've ever seen. There are no screws that hold it together. It's all snap/tab and comes apart completely in less than 15 seconds. That includes a back cover, two side covers and the TOP.

I'll take some pictures shortly if you're interested or haven't seen one of these. It makes working on it a real pleasure. It's also a mid-tower.

Oh, BTW, he paid a whopping $ 6 for the whole thing.

Vampyromaniac

I gave all the details I could, to save time from any questions people might ask.
The main restrictions are price and height; the rest of the conditions can be filled by many cases.

Dyre, sure I'd like to see a pic of that case.

Anyone who has a case they'd like to recommend, please post!

So far, I'm checking out the Antec Sonata case.

Dyre Straits

OK...here they come.....























That's it. There are no screws or bolts needed and no tools.

mainman

Wow, really nice case there Dyre, very handy indeed...

Sourcer_2002

Hmm very nice...i love all the thumb screws in my Lian Li

Vampyromaniac

That's handy . . .my Dell is almost like that, but has 1 thumbscrew.



Now, anyone have suggestions for me?
Please

Markius

id say go with that case...it fits your guidelines and looks good.

Roadee

I do like the Sonata.......but I have built 2 systems using the solution series and liked them alot. The Sonata looks better and is only a little smaller. The 120mm fans really have excellent cooling power.....good choices. And the PSU that comes with them are pretty good.

Vampyromaniac

The one thing that worries me about the Sonata is that you can't mount a front fan all the way in the front; it has to be on the other side of the hard drive cage

Roadee

Well....the solution series allows you to mount a 120mm in the front of the drive cages and comes with the 350w PSU. Since you dont need a PSU the Super Lan Boy is pretty nice.... smaller..... cheaper..... lighter......and a better deal than the Sonata with excellent cooling already installed. And it has all the connections that you could want mounted in the front. Very user friendly case.

Vampyromaniac

Man... looks like it's pretty much between these Antecs... mainly considering Sonata vs. Super LanBoy

BWX

Man, I would go with a proven good case manufacturer like Lian-LI

There is one recommended here in that sharkyextreme guide that's on the front page. I checked at NewEgg and they are offering free shipping now here. It's 120 dollars, but you will have a nice case and be able to get years of use out of it. It's aluminum, has a fan exhaust on top, 2 in front and one in back. It has a nice window, but for 105 bucks you can get the Lian-Li PC-60 without a window. For the money, I'd get the window. Anyway, a case is something you will have for a while, if you're gonna spend that much, you might as well get a good one you know you will like.. My next case will probably be something similar to that.

I think your drives will look just fine in there too- the case is pretty cool looking.




edit-
I just remembered, you can turn those feet around so they don't stick out on most cases with "feet" too.
I like those Tt cases too- they come with great fans and a nice fan controller too- plus the drives are hidden with a door.
I know this is a little out the price range, but man its' sweet! And great looking.

Newegg

Roadee

The Thermaltake cases are sweet as hell, love the ease of cleaning the air filters and they way they make there cases, but WAY to expensive for a case in my opinion. Alot of people really like the Lian Li cases because of the removable mother board tray, nice plus but it still doesn't get over the generic look of the case. I mean $120 for a small, plain looking box that is light weight and has a motherboard tray? When compared to other cases that sure is alot of money to pay for a MB tray.

BWX232

"Man, I would go with a proven good case manufacturer like Lian-LI"

I am sorry dude....got a problem with this one Antec is proven.....and then some.....they are known for there quality and having an excellent value for there cases, with and without a PSU. The Super Lan Boy has gotten some really good reviews, looks a hell of a lot better than the Lain Li, is just as light, is built just as good, and is priced about half the cost of the Lian Li.

Just my personal opinion.....but I cant see paying twice as much for a case with a MB tray and half the style.

Vampyromaniac

I'm afraid I have to agree about Lian-Li . . . I don't like 'em. To me, they just look plain and boxy.
I'm guessing they're built very well though, going by the price.

The Thermaltakes are nice, but just too dam expensive for me

I've looked at reviews of most of the big-name brands, and I didn't really find anything new I liked.

I'm pretty much at a stand-off between the Antec Sonata and Super Lanboy. I'll have to make pro/con lists to help decide.

I'm also gonna hunt around my area for places selling cases, to see if I can look at one up close, or even see if any other cases catch my attention.

Roadee

Good luck finding your case bud. I put my vote to the SLBoy. For looks, price, functionality, cooling ability and quality.

BWX

Sinse I posted here I looked at every single case newegg has- I'm amazed at how may manufaturers there are now, and how many copy cat cases are out there. I was pretty impressed with a few cases from some of the no-name and copycat manufacturers. (by what I could see in the add) For the money they looked like a pretty good deal.

BWX

That review of the SLB made me wonder-

They say this:
"The Super Lanboy interior consists of a non-removable motherboard tray that is predrilled to accept standoffs for either full size ATX boards or m-ATX boards"
Then in the list of "cons" at the end there is no mention of the fact that there is a non-removable mobo tray- That would really bug me, but maybe you don't change your config enough to take advantage of a removable mobo tray-
My 3 year old 45 dollar case has one though, and I use it all the time. All I have to do is unplug the wires, take out the PCI/AGP cards, take the right side panel off, and I can take my mobo out, still attached to the tray- It makes changing CPU/ CPU coolers, Northbridge coolers, and stuff like that allot less of a pain. Something to think about anyway.


Edit- I do like the idea of only two 120mm fans that are both filtered, it seems like someone should have though of this a long time ago.

Vampyromaniac

Yeah, the lack of mobo tray doesn't really bug me. I'm not changing stuff around a lot. Last time I got a CPU+mobo was almost 2 years ago

BWX

Well then that case does look pretty cool- The only other case w/ 2 120mm fans on NewwEgg is an "Ahanix" here, and it's about 65 dollars, but it isn't in stock.
It's probably worth it to spend a little more on the real thing anyway. I like some of those Cheiftec cases too- but then again, you can get the "real" thing for just alittle more money. (they make some Antec look-a-likes that look pretty nice)

Vampyromaniac

After much thought, I will be getting the Sonata; it's better for my needs. Gonna go pick it up in a bit. Thanks for the replies