Section 03 - I'm Lazy! What case should I pick?
We all know there a ZILLION of cases out there to choose from and I would need a fairly sophisticated and sortable organizational structure that would allow me to analyze, review and comment on all of them in a standard manner (read: not as a forum post). As that isn't possible, this section is simply a handpicking of cases that I would reccomend having a look at (selection taken from Newegg's vast collection).
The reason I've chosen this technique (other than due to the organizational monstrosity that a proper job would entail) is because picking a case is, for the average customer, is an esthetical and basic-functional purchasing decision (which is why I am often perplexed when people ask questions like
"is this a cool case?" or something to that effect. This section of the 101 is for people who really need a case reccomendation -- based foremost on the function and value of the case rather than it's form and asthetics.
I've tried to breakdown the reccomendations into useful market segments tailoring to various requirements.
Budget Cases - No PSU
Cases in this bracket must be less than $40 and have some form of side-cooling (to be Prescott compliant and just as a general good idea). The emphasis here is on quality and value (since were are generally lower end parts) to begin with.
Coolmax CV560 White ($9.99)
ATX MID This is the cheapest case available at time of writing and unless you absolutely dont have a budget for a case and need a
basic case, I'd look to spend a bit more to get some value: 0.6mm steel isnt gonna be a very sturdy case at all!
Spire SilverFin SP-2712S ($21.50)
ATX MID Another value oriented case, this one is a bit sturdier than the previous and if you're looking to build a basic living-room family type computer, this case can do that job decently well. If you need to constantly open and/or upgrade your machine, you'll want to invest more in a maintainence-friendly box
Coolmax CS480 Black ($25.99)
ATX MID This case offers a nice 120mm rear exaust mount which allows it to offer exceptional cooling capacity for such a low price case. While the construction has a bit to be desired this is still a pretty decent case from a value perspective.
Spire Blackfin SP6190B Silver ($31.99)
ATX MID At barely over $30, this case sports passable construction for a general PC as well as decent cooling via a 120mm side vent and capability for 92mm rear fan (although 80mm is what comes with the case)
Rosewill R6A34-BK ($34.99) *** Praetor's Pick ***
ATX MID A somewhat toolless case for those who are interested, this case is probably all around the best for this this category.
RAIDMAX Horizon ATX-287WB Black ($39.99)
ATX MID The only case in this section to have a side window (although if you're buying a bling-bling case from this category, I would strongly reccomend you reconsider your overall purchase). Although in all fairness, it has three 80mm fans for effective (albeit potentially noisy) cooling.
Budget Cases - PSU Included
Cases in this bracket have the same requirements as their PSU-free brethen but with the added requirement that they include a decent PSU (see the
http://www.computerforum.com/showthread.php?t=10764 for further info on what makes a good PSU and some examples.
Mainstream Cases - No PSU
The majority of case hunters will probably fall into this category: looking for a solid, well-made case which tailors to cooling, noise, functionality and asthetics. The price bracket here witll be $100. All the cases must, at the least, have three fans (front, side and rear).
Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW ($33.99 after $10.00 MIR) *** Praetor's Pick ***
ATX MID Large and spacious, good cooling, good asthetics ... and overall
awesome value for the price.
iStarUSA S8 Storm Series ($44.99)
ATX MID Extremely sturdy 1.0mm steel case, this is somewhat toolfree and supports 120mm fans for good airflow.
Chenming 301KES-0-AW ($48.99)
ATX MID Cant have a case lineup without a Chenming popping up in there somewhere; this is the smallest of the bunch but it's a very solid case with a lot of modding potential.
Rosewill R5604-BK ($49.99)
ATX MID A toolfree case with dual 120mm fans, this is a very solid case and particularly so for it's pricing.
Chenming CMUI-601AECB-U ($49.99)
ATX SOHO Cant ever forget the tried and true Chenming 601, this case is the definitive old-school case for performance users and even in todays market it performs superbly.
Chenming CMU-S-602-BK ($56.99)
ATX SOHO Slightly bigger than it's 601 brother, this case features a perpendicular mounted drive cage which is very well suited for people who change their drives and hardware a lot.
Kingwin SK523BKWBC ($57.99)
ATX MID This is a very well put together case with airflow and cooling being a well thought out consideration -- it comes with two very high performance 120mm fans for intake and exhaust.
Cooler Master Cavalier 3 CAV-T03-UW ($59.99)
ATX MID A design that Thermaltake later copied with their Tsunami/Soprano/etc case (and not as well I might add), this case is very well proven and wont dissapoint. (Also consider the Thermaltake cases if this style appeals to you)
Enermax ECA3052B ($69.99)
ATX MID With a huge 25cm side fan, this case was designed with cooling and airflow in mind.
Chenming 901AD-BLACK-0 ($76.99)
ATX Full A full out full-size server case, this case has a lot of room to work with and to mount extra toys like waterpumps and resivoirs etc.
Lian Li PC-7A Plus II Silver ($89.99)
ATX MID Cant have a case listing without a Lian Li in the set, this is one of the cheaper such Lian Li cases and although smaller than some of their more extravagant brethen, this one is also affordable
Silverstone TEMJIN SST-TJ04BW ($91.00)
ATX MID Although it features only 0.8mm SECC, this case is extremely well built (as typical of Silverstone) and serves as a good tower for mounting stuff
Lian Li PC-60USB B2 ($99.99)
ATX MID Another very popular and common Lian Li case, this case has a highly proven track record.
Mainstream Cases - With PSU
With all the case requirements as previous but now the cases need to ship with very robust power supplies which can be paired with (potentially) high end systems that are enclosed by these cases
High End Cases
Cases in this category have no price restriction and also do no come with power supplies (as often, customers in this bracket will buy custom PSUs anyways). Only well known, proven cases get picked here. Also, beaing feature oriented cases, they'll definitely be big!
Apevia/Aspire X-Pleasure-BK ($114.99 after $15.00 MIR)
ATX SOHO Using a very well proven design this case offers a lot of bang for its buck. The only complaint I guess is the usage of 80mm fans when 120mm fans can provide more airflow and with less noise.
Gigabyte 3D Aurora GZ-FSCA1-ANS ($139.99)
ATX SOHO With a trio of 120mm fans, this case means business when it comes to cooling. It does however have fewer bays overall than some of the cases in this roundup.
Silverstone Temjin SST-TJ06S-W ($141.40)
ATX SOHO A solid case all around, this case is very sturdy and has a tri of fans (two of which are 120mm) to handle the cooling load.
Cooler Master CM Stacker STC-T01-UW ($115.00 after $30.00 MIR)
ATX SOHO Loved by some, hated by others, this case is all business when it comes to expandability and compatability. It provides an extensive mounting capacity as well as the ability to support eATX and BTX standards as well as being able to support addons like the
Cross Flow Fan
Thermaltake Shark VA7000SWA ($159.00)
ATX SOHO One of the few Thermaltake cases I like (I find most are bling-bling or copy-cats of other designs), this case is refreshingly clean, functional and solid. Another case worth considering is the
Thermaltake Eureka VC8000BWA
Lian Li PC-G70B ($179.00)
ATX SOHOThe definitive case for modding and functionality, this case (as with all Lian Li cases) is superbly built and sports three 120mm fans for very respectable cooling.
Lian Li PC-201A ($269.00)
ATX SOHO Sporting no less than four 120mm fans, this case means business yet still retains the elegance and moddability of Lian Li cases.
Silverstone TJ-03 ($273.00)
ATX SOHO This is one of the few cases out there that packs 1.5mm aluminum and definitively makes for a rock solid mount for a server. Four fans (one 120mm) provide the case with enough cooling capacity to handle whatever you choose to pack in it as well
Silverstone TJ07-S ($299.00)
ATX SOHO If the previous TJ case wasnt heavy duty enough to suit your needs, this bad boy has 2.0mm body for some serious structural integrity (and really dampens noise)
Thermaltake Tai-Chi VB5001SNA ($429.99)
ATX SOHO Yes cheaper is available, yes better is available but Thermaltake is very widely available and this is a fairly decent case. It's overpriced yes (partially due to the watercooling but mostly due to the marketability of the product) but it does it's job decently well however it can be a bit tricky to put together so make sure you take your time
Thermaltake Armor VA8003SWA ($209.99)
ATX SOHO This case has it's cooling down pat with a plethora of fans including a massive 25cm side fan
Silent Cases
This category deserves it's own section due to how common people look for them. This is by no means anything semblance of complete but only of the cases I have personally used and found to be quiet, the folks over at
SPCR will be infinitely more knowledgeable on this niche market
Antec Sonata II + 450W PSU [12V@15A+17A] ($94.99)
ATX MID A popular, capable and fairly readily available case, this case uses perpendicular drive mounting which makes life a snap when swapping HDDs (which are mounted with rubber grommets to reduce vibration as well). The case has a solitary 120mm exhaust (meaning cool air intake make be an issue) and the air guide thingy, while functional, is a pain in the ass to work with.
Antec Performance I P180 ($114.99)
ATX MID Another popular case, this one has a unique triple layer paneling system to dampen noise and loses the difficult to work with aircage the Sonata has. This one however does have a "unique" internal structure which takes a bit of getting used to.
Zalman TNN300 Noiseless Multimedia Case + 350W PSU [12V@10A+15A] ($599.99)
ATX MID Definitely a case for advanced users, this case does do its job of providing a absolutely silent cooling and mounting capacity however there are limitations (which are pretty low) on what you can or cannot mount in the case. It's bigger, more capable (and significantly more expensive)
brother. With both cases, there is a sense of ungainlyness with the drive mounting which can bend.