ask for advice on buying chassis

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kenny1999

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CoolerMaster, SilverStone, Corsair, Thermaltake. Which one usually has a better quality in terms of material used and Quality Control for the chassises of similar prices? It is said that all these brands are similar (and bad) in quality for their low-end series. I am looking for low-end chassis because I am not a computer enthusiast but I was once a victim of cheap chassis that gave me a lot of problems and troubles. So Now I need to research before buying a new chassis. Please advise a quality low-end computer chassis to buy. Thank you.

Models on my list now, CoolerMaster Silencio 352, SilverStone PS07B, Thermaltake Commander....Which one do you recommend? Welcome other recommendations. Thank you
 
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Well, what motherboard are you using? The Silverstone is only an mATX case so it won't fit a full-size ATX board.

What is your budget? That determines a lot when choosing a case to buy. The Silverstone is the most expensive in your list so I guess around the $80 mark? I'm assuming you're American. For $70 you can get the Corsair Carbide 300R which is an awesome case for the money. Good cable management and it's ATX so it will ATX boards which is a bonus.

300R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011
Windowed 300R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139016

You can get a Fractal Design Define R4 for about $80 which is a great case.

R4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352022
Windowed R4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352021

It's available in white if you'd prefer too.

The NZXT Phantom 410 is also another good option. It's $90.

White http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146087
Grey http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146093

It's also available in black and red.

I don't really like Cooler Master or Thermaltake cases. I tend to recommend NZXT, Fractal Design and Corsair. Apparently Lian Li also make some nice cases but I tend to stick to my 'top three' brands. ;)

If you want something a little cheaper, look at the Zalman cases. The Z9 and Z11 are great options if you want to spend less. The Z9 is only $55 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235026 and the Z11 is $70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235033 (the Plus models of both are a little more expensive).
 
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spirit said:
Well, what motherboard are you using? The Silverstone is only an mATX case so it won't fit a full-size ATX board.

What is your budget? That determines a lot when choosing a case to buy. The Silverstone is the most expensive in your list so I guess around the $80 mark? I'm assuming you're American. For $70 you can get the Corsair Carbide 300R which is an awesome case for the money. Good cable management and it's ATX so it will ATX boards which is a bonus.

300R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139011
Windowed 300R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139016

You can get a Fractal Design Define R4 for about $80 which is a great case.

R4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352022
Windowed R4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352021

It's available in white if you'd prefer too.

The NZXT Phantom 410 is also another good option. It's $90.

White http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146087
Grey http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146093

It's also available in black and red.

I don't really like Cooler Master or Thermaltake cases. I tend to recommend NZXT, Fractal Design and Corsair. Apparently Lian Li also make some nice cases but I tend to stick to my 'top three' brands. ;)

If you want something a little cheaper, look at the Zalman cases. The Z9 and Z11 are great options if you want to spend less. The Z9 is only $55 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235026 and the Z11 is $70 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811235033 (the Plus models of both are a little more expensive).
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Hello, Thank you for your detailed reply. In what way do I look like an American? haha

$80 is fine and acceptable to me. I have ever heard about NZXT and Fractal Design. I know Corsair and SilverStone only. As I said I was the victim of cheap cases of an unremarkable brand, the design of my case had no problems but it had serious problem in manufactures quality, i.e. 4 screws holes don't fit my decent Antec PSU.

I want to know
1. Do you recommend SilverStone PS07B? I have omitted Thermaltake Commander and CoolerMaster from my list.

2. SilverStone PS07B has a removable motherboard plate. Do you think it's a problem? Could a removable plate be less securely connected to the body of the chassis? Then it might cause a lot of vibration to the hardware during operation which is very bad.

Note: I am using mATX motherboard and I prefer a small case or ATX case with small height. There is height limitation on my computer desk.
 
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I don't really recommend mATX cases. They are a pain because they tend to lack cable management features and airflow is also kind of restricted. And of course if you want to upgrade to an ATX board in the future, you have you have to buy a new case too.

Those ATX cases I recommended are midi towers and are really not very large. Airflow and cable management is much better and also you will have much more room to expand.

If you must get an mATX case, then there's no need to spend 80 dollars on the Silverstone really. This Fractal Design Core 1000 would be fine and it's less than half the cost http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352032 I used one for my mum's build and whilst there is no cable management (really) and some things can be a pain (mounting SSDs I found), it's not a bad case. Most mATX cases will be a bit of a pain though.

Alternatively, there's the Fractal Design Define Mini which is basically 'honey I shrunk the R4' http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352011 that does actually look like a decent mATX case with some cable management features - but it's expensive at $90 when for less you could have the R4 which is bigger.

It's up to you really, but if you must have mATX then I would make sure you have a modular or semi-modular power supply just to keep the number of cables down.
 
spirit said:
I don't really recommend mATX cases. They are a pain because they tend to lack cable management features and airflow is also kind of restricted. And of course if you want to upgrade to an ATX board in the future, you have you have to buy a new case too.

Those ATX cases I recommended are midi towers and are really not very large. Airflow and cable management is much better and also you will have much more room to expand.

If you must get an mATX case, then there's no need to spend 80 dollars on the Silverstone really. This Fractal Design Core 1000 would be fine and it's less than half the cost http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352032 I used one for my mum's build and whilst there is no cable management (really) and some things can be a pain (mounting SSDs I found), it's not a bad case. Most mATX cases will be a bit of a pain though.

Alternatively, there's the Fractal Design Define Mini which is basically 'honey I shrunk the R4' http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352011 that does actually look like a decent mATX case with some cable management features - but it's expensive at $90 when for less you could have the R4 which is bigger.

It's up to you really, but if you must have mATX then I would make sure you have a modular or semi-modular power supply just to keep the number of cables down.
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Hi Thanks for the detailed recommendation
One thing I can pretty sure in the near future is that - I don't play games (and no interest in gaming) and I don't need video cards. In fact I never had a video card since I had my first a personal computer in 1995. Do you think mATX case is sufficient for me and cable management, air flow etc won't be a problem to me?

Last but not least, I don't mind the brand and the style of the chassis, but I want to know if Fractal (the one you recommend) makes decent quality case? In fact I never heard about this brand and I want to emphasize that I was the victim of an unremarkable brand case - Xigmatek - It's bad, very very bad and I have blacklisted this brand, it is less famous than SilverStone or Thermaltake etc but it's a real shit (Xigmatek) I cannot complain more

It's said that CoolerMaster has the best low-end chassis, is that true?

Thanks again
 
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Another thing I am concerned about is the tool-free for HDD. I once encountered some poor quality tool-free device which couldn't hold the hard drives very securely and might cause some vibration to the hard drive during the operation, I think it's not good to the drive. I am hesitated about tool-free or not.
 
Cooler Master's low-end cases are pretty poor actually. Their low end cases (even their ATX ones) lack cable management and often have silver interiors which just scream 'cheapness'. The Zalman cases are better in the lower-end than the Cooler Master ones are. I'm really not a fan of Cooler Master's cases at all to be perfectly honest, other brands tend to do it better in my opinion.

It sounds to me like you only really need a basic system. In that case, I think the Core 1000 should be fine or if you want to spend more money then the Define Mini is a good little case. Fractal Design do make good cases. They're well-built and generally well thought-out. I have used a Fractal Core 1000 and whilst for the money you are paying it's a good case, it is a *tad* flimsy, so just be a bit beware of that. It's a lot better than a no-name case though. If you want to see some photos of my Fractal Design Core 1000 build, take a look here: http://www.computerforum.com/9727-post-pic-your-pc-here-1033.html#post1852000

If you are obsessed with build quality, then maybe spending the extra on the Define Mini might be worthwhile. Looks like the Mini has better cable management features.

I would recommend using a modular or semi-modular power supply with an mATX case if you don't already use one. You can see that in my Core 1000 build I didn't use one and I ended up bunching all the cables up in the 5.25" drive bay. Whilst that was fine for me because I wasn't using an optical drive, had there been a DVD drive in there, I would have been a bit stuck. This is why it's good to have proper cable management.
 
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spirit said:
Cooler Master's low-end cases are pretty poor actually. Their low end cases (even their ATX ones) lack cable management and often have silver interiors which just scream 'cheapness'. The Zalman cases are better in the lower-end than the Cooler Master ones are. I'm really not a fan of Cooler Master's cases at all to be perfectly honest, other brands tend to do it better in my opinion.

It sounds to me like you only really need a basic system. In that case, I think the Core 1000 should be fine or if you want to spend more money then the Define Mini is a good little case. Fractal Design do make good cases. They're well-built and generally well thought-out. I have used a Fractal Core 1000 and whilst for the money you are paying it's a good case, it is a *tad* flimsy, so just be a bit beware of that. It's a lot better than a no-name case though. If you want to see some photos of my Fractal Design Core 1000 build, take a look here: http://www.computerforum.com/9727-post-pic-your-pc-here-1033.html#post1852000

If you are obsessed with build quality, then maybe spending the extra on the Define Mini might be worthwhile. Looks like the Mini has better cable management features.

I would recommend using a modular or semi-modular power supply with an mATX case if you don't already use one. You can see that in my Core 1000 build I didn't use one and I ended up bunching all the cables up in the 5.25" drive bay. Whilst that was fine for me because I wasn't using an optical drive, had there been a DVD drive in there, I would have been a bit stuck. This is why it's good to have proper cable management.
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Hello actually i don't hate ATX case but the fact that there is height limitation where i put my computer case, the height is 43cm max and depth cannot be very large.

I forgot to ask if tool-free HDD bay is really better than traditional screw HDD bay, could tool-free HDD bay be unable to hold the hard drive securely and cause a lot of vibration or resonance with the other hardware components? Thanks
 
Yeah I know you don't hate mATX cases - I'm the one who dislikes them. But if you have to get an mATX case, then get one.

The tool-less bays are fine, nothing wrong with them.
 
spirit said:
Yeah I know you don't hate mATX cases - I'm the one who dislikes them. But if you have to get an mATX case, then get one.

The tool-less bays are fine, nothing wrong with them.
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Hello now i have already left out a lot of possible choices, but I am still interested in SilverStone PS07 and Fractal Define the Mini version. I have watched a lot of reviews about Fractal Define Mini on youtube and forum, yeah, a lot of positive comments, but something I don't understand why you (and many other people) think it's better than SilverStone PS07.

Now, I am in the middle of which one to buy at last.

In fact, because of a lot of positive comments about the Fractal Mini I don't really mind to spend a little more for it but from the video i've watched, I believe that Fractal Define Mini doesn't have readily-removable dust filter on the front panel, it looks like that if I want to clean the dust, i have to unscrew the filter with screw drivers, it looks like very much inconvenience while a lot of design now has readily-removable dust filter. Or am I wrong?

I don't have bias on either SilverStone PS07 or the Fractal Define Mini but from what I understand about SilverStone PS07 is that it has quick removable dust filter on the front panel, dust filter for the upper located PSU fan, removable motherboard plate, and even CPU cooler supporter, it also has a much smaller dimensions compared to its mATX counterparts Fractal Define Mini.

I am not challenging you or have preference on SilverStone PS07, but I just don't really undestand in what way it's so good to be recommended by a lot of people. Because of the size? I don't think it's a small mATX case, or simply because of the silence design and removable HDD trays?
 
did you mean that SilverStone uses material as cheap as CoolerMaster for low-end cases but they cost even higher?

Exactly 80 USD for Fractal Design Mini here. But there is no import of Fractal Core 1000
 
No, I'm not saying that the Silverstone costs more but uses the same materials as Cooler Master cases. I was just saying that when the Core 1000 costs $35 and is a decent mATX case, there's no need to spend $80 on an mATX case, but if you can't get the Core 1000 then I'd probably get the Define Mini.

From what I can make out, the Define Mini has much better cable management features than the Silverstone, so you can hide the cables better and airflow will be much better because you won't have cables hanging around the case. Better airflow means cooler parts and since airflow is restricted in mATX cases anyway due to the size, it's kind of a big deal if you ask me. In the Define, there are holes which you can put the PSU cables through the hide them behind the motherboard tray and the power supply sits at the bottom of the case like it does in most high-end cases. This makes for better cable management. In the Silverstone, are are no holes which allow you put the PSU cables through to hide them behind the motherboard tray and the power supply sits at the top of the case. This makes it harder to hide the cables effectively and usually what you'll end up doing is bunching them all up and shoving them in one of the drive bays, which is OK but annoying if you need to use an optical drive.

It looks like the Define Mini has USB 3.0 on the case, which is nice. Not sure if the Silverstone has this or not.

Personally I'd go for the Define Mini over the Silverstone. I think it's $10 more but probably worth it for the cable management.

I'm sure both are well-built, but the Define Mini is a better designed case. If you're so sure about the Silverstone, go ahead and buy it, but I think the Mini is a much better case.
 
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spirit said:
No, I'm not saying that the Silverstone costs more but uses the same materials as Cooler Master cases. I was just saying that when the Core 1000 costs $35 and is a decent mATX case, there's no need to spend $80 on an mATX case, but if you can't get the Core 1000 then I'd probably get the Define Mini.

From what I can make out, the Define Mini has much better cable management features than the Silverstone, so you can hide the cables better and airflow will be much better because you won't have cables hanging around the case. Better airflow means cooler parts and since airflow is restricted in mATX cases anyway due to the size, it's kind of a big deal if you ask me. In the Define, there are holes which you can put the PSU cables through the hide them behind the motherboard tray and the power supply sits at the bottom of the case like it does in most high-end cases. This makes for better cable management. In the Silverstone, are are no holes which allow you put the PSU cables through to hide them behind the motherboard tray and the power supply sits at the top of the case. This makes it harder to hide the cables effectively and usually what you'll end up doing is bunching them all up and shoving them in one of the drive bays, which is OK but annoying if you need to use an optical drive.

It looks like the Define Mini has USB 3.0 on the case, which is nice. Not sure if the Silverstone has this or not.

Personally I'd go for the Define Mini over the Silverstone. I think it's $10 more but probably worth it for the cable management.

I'm sure both are well-built, but the Define Mini is a better designed case. If you're so sure about the Silverstone, go ahead and buy it, but I think the Mini is a much better case.
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Yes, if I am so sure about the SilverStone I will buy it immediately, but the fact is that I am not so sure.:(

Their prices are similar and I don't really care to pay $10 more or less, but the thing I am primarily concerned about is ........

(1)the quality of the case - here I mean the materials used , the manufacture finish of the case, because I will need to use the case for at least a few years , you might ask me to go ahead to the shop, compare them and feel them, and a lot of confusion could be solved, but the fact is that no Defini Mini here for demo and we can only pre-order it, pay it full, then wait a few days and get it and no refund for Define Mini here. So I can't compare it with the SilverStone

because if it is believed to be similar in the quality, i will go probably go for the SilverStone. but if Define Mini belived to be better in overall quality, i will no doubt for Define Mini. It's a question.

(2)ventilation,airflow,cable manage etc - I know it might be important to a lot of people but I don't know if it's also important to me or not. If yes, I will undoubtedly go for Define Mini. If not, I will go for SilverStone. As I said in the previous, I will probably never use a graphic card video card or sound card , never, yes, and I will not need a SDD hard drives until they become too cheap and dominate the market. I will add more hard drives, As for CPU, ram, those sorts of things, I don't know. Now i5 2400, 8GB Ram, mATX mobo, one 1T hard drive for system, one generic inexpensive DVD burner (not blue ray). USB 3.0 on the front panel,400 or 430W Antec power unit.

In conclusion, from my personal study about these two cases for a few days, I would prefer the SilverStone because it's smaller, with an innovative CPU heatsink supporter, remoavable mobo plate, no holes on the side plates and dust filter and PSU on top of the case which mean it's much easier to clean the dust filter weekly or monthly but i have to turn off the PC and rotate the whole case for the Define Mini. On top of all these concerns, quality and material used is still my primary consideration, a number of people from other sources commented that the SilverStone PS07, which cost $70 you know employs as poor materials as those cheap $35 CoolMaster, if that's the true I can't accept the SilverStone. I was once a victim of cheap case that also cost around $35 range. I don't want to make the mistake twice.


Thank you for your time and effort. Thank you :):)
 
It looks like a very nice case with cable management features. Better than the Silverstone, probably abut the same as the Fractal Define Mini. Both will be very well-built, so you don't need to be too worried about that and since they have good cable management features, you can improve the airflow by hiding all the excess cables. Airflow should be fine in both.

Looks like a good case to me!
 
spirit said:
It looks like a very nice case with cable management features. Better than the Silverstone, probably abut the same as the Fractal Define Mini. Both will be very well-built, so you don't need to be too worried about that and since they have good cable management features, you can improve the airflow by hiding all the excess cables. Airflow should be fine in both.

Looks like a good case to me!
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Corsair 350d looks pretty the same thing as Define Mini but it costs 15 bucks more here and it's still as big as Define Mini but doesn't have as many HDD slots as Define Mini, so in the meanwhile I think Define Mini is good to go. The SilverStone PS07 is good too in terms of design but there are not much good reviews so I've decided Define Mini and already ordered.

What do I have to check about the case when it arrives. They say if the case has problems on arrival I can ask for immediate returns but I don't know what should I check to ensure it's good
 
I think you'll be fine - I'm pleased that you've ordered it!

If you want to send it back, just box it up and get in touch with the place that you bought it from and tell them that you'd like to return it.
 
spirit said:
I think you'll be fine - I'm pleased that you've ordered it!

If you want to send it back, just box it up and get in touch with the place that you bought it from and tell them that you'd like to return it.
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Everything is fixed now. It was hard time bringing the heavy stuff to my home/
There was some serious drop during transportation, I hope that's OK for this case
 
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