which case to choose....that is the question

[the 6th jackson]

i've just started building my first computer and I know its nothing fancy but when i get the money i plan on turning it into a nice rig. here are the specs so far and my main problem is that i know basically nothing about cases. I'd like any suggestions as to which case to buy. I have no specific brands in mind but would like it to look decent but still be a resonable price.

p4s533-x motherboard (*manufacturer-asus)

P4 processor 2.53GHz, 533MHz bus, socket 478

Chrome plated 300 watt ATX power supply with 120mm blue lighted fan (*unless case comes with power supply)*i mite go for a bigger power supply and better brand

80GB 7200RPM, ATA133 hard drive

512kb DDR PC3200 memory

*thats all i have so far any case help would be an extremem help

Thanks,
FIRST TIME BUILDER!

[Joeberg]

Cases more or less depend on personal preference. You may want to check out the offerings Thermal Take has. Antec's are also known for thier superb quality. As for PSU, the higher-end cases come with good PowerSupplies (Antec around 100). ThermalTake, Antec, Enermax, and Enlight make good PSU's. I'm using an Enermax case, came with a good PSU, and looks great, the only problem is that the paint chips quite easily...
You may want to also take a look at the X Dreamer cases, they seem to be pretty popular as of late...

http://www.newegg.com/app/manufactory.asp?catalog=7&DEPA=1

Also, you may want to check the brands of your parts list:
You seem to have left out the brands of the hdd and RAM. Some good manufacturers for Hdds are Western Digital and Maxtor, and some good RAM manufacturers are crucial and Kingston. You've also left out the Operating System and your Floppy/Cd/DVD/RW/ Drives...
Also I take it that you mean 512Mbs of RAM as kilobytes will get you nowhere slow :D

[Cricket]

How much are you willing to spend on the case?

The most important part of the case is the power supply. You want to get a good quality power supply to power your system with clean, steady power. Generic or off brand power supplies usually don't provide clean power and usually don't provide the advertised amount of power...a 350 watt generic PSU may in reality only provide 280 watts and will struggle to provide even that much. A good quality power supply usually can provide more than the advertised amount of power and it won't struggle to provide the advertised amount.

If you're on a budget, take a look at the Enlight cases. I like to use AOpen cases because they're well made and come with a good quality power supply for a reasonable price.

Antec, Enermax, Thermaltake, Xoxide all have nice cases, but you'll pay a premium for the name and the looks.

:) Cricket

[Joeberg]

Originally posted by Cricket

Antec, Enermax, Thermaltake, Xoxide all have nice cases, but you'll pay a premium for the name and the looks.

:) Cricket

But you're also paying for the quality, so it evens out pretty well. Better to pay now for a higher end PSU then in a few months holding a few dead PC components and then winding up spending more after actually trying to save money...

[the 6th jackson]

i did seem to leave out some important things didn't i. Yes i meant MB not Kbs and i'll probably be purchasing crucial memory and as for hdd i was looking into maxtor. I mite boost the hard drive to 120 but i'm not sure if i need that. I don't plan on having a floppy drive but i'm goin to take the cd/rw out of my comp. now and put it into my new one. Although its an HP cd writer which will probably not look as good but o well.

thanks for the help any and all is apreciated

[Cricket]

Originally posted by Joeberg
But you're also paying for the quality, so it evens out pretty well. Better to pay now for a higher end PSU then in a few months holding a few dead PC components and then winding up spending more after actually trying to save money... You don't have to shell out big bucks to get a good case with a good power supply. Enlight cases come with very good power supplies as does AOpen cases...and they're very reasonably priced. I've used Antec cases in the past, but they've become more expensive as they've become more popular. The point is you don't have to spend a lot to get a good case with a good power supply. For those other cases you're paying mostly for the name and the looks.

:) Cricket

[Joeberg]

Sorry for the mistake Cricket, I just meant that the premium wasn't in vein.

6thJackson: Look for a 7200RPM drive with an 8Meg buffer (For Maxtor the model is DiamondMax Plus 9)

[Cricket]

Originally posted by Joeberg
Sorry for the mistake Cricket, I just meant that the premium wasn't in vein.No problem, I know where you're coming from...I just wanted any new builder who might read this thread to know that you don't have to spend a lot to get a good case. If they are willing to shell out the big bucks on just the case, by all means get a Xoxide, Alienware or Thermaltake as they are very nice cases. But not everyone has a lot of money to spend (I know I don't) and may have a strict budget they're trying to follow. For these folks there are good cases that come with good power supplies that don't cost a lot.

:) Cricket

[David14259]

My fav is the Aluminum Chenming/Chieftec (its the same case) with or without window. They're like $50 wo/power supply on newegg!

You can see pics of the case by hitting the link in my sig (ignore the rest of the site, its a work in progress)!

[Azerael]

My favorites are the lian-li cases. Look slick, and are not "cliche" as in not everyone has them. I pity people who by namebrand cases for bragging rights even though the case is stupid because its not unique and everyone else has them. I just went with the new lian-li balck mid-tower and everyone at my school (who have thermaltakes, Super Aliens, Dreamers and more are jeolous of my case)

[IRISHFAN]

http://www.svcompucycle.com/
http://www.xpcases.com/ (shipping is a bit steep but they have good prices)


X-Dreamer cases are easy to work with come with a blowhole on the top which cools case temps down nicely and has the built in temp gauge. The only problem with them is the PSU's are crap.
Raidmax makes some nice cases you can get there 268 series for 39 with 350watt psu and they are good for modding.

SVC also has a good Achieve 500watt PSU for 29.99 comes with 6 molex connections which is great if you are using alot of lights and fans.