help me choose a case

[Hikaru IchijoSL]

must have good power supply 400w

3 or 4 fans
at least 3 foward bays for dvd burner size device

[Cricket]

ANTEC Black Performance Series II SOHO File Server Tower ATX Case with 400W Power Supply, Model "SX1040BII"

Cricket

[Tin]

what brand is your power supply? the brand makes more of a difference than anything. like Cricket, i dont recommend Antec PSUs....i almost had one take down my system, same with a few friends. there is a thread here somewhere about somebody Antec catching fire on them .

[Cricket]

Yeah, Antec power supplies do seem to have problems lately...maybe that Antec SOHO case isn't the best recommendation.

What you could do is buy a case that doesn't come with a power supply and buy a good power supply separately. I like the Fortron Source/Sparkle Power PSUs and many here like the Enlight PSUs.

Cricket

[Hi Ho]

Take a look at CoolerMaster, Thermaltake, Lian-Li, Kingwin, and Enlight for good quality cases. Find one you like. Thermaltake and Enlight cases are among the few that come with good quality power supplies. If the case you like doesn't have a good power supply just get an Enlight 420w to go with it.

[mrmister1]

How much were you planning on spending? I have the X-Dreamer and I really like it. You can get the X-Dreamer II, which now has LEDs on the front of the case.

[not important]

I recently purchased an Antec case and the quality of the case is nothing short of excellent.

[Hikaru IchijoSL]

100-110 for case and psu

[handicapper2]

hey hikaru...youre asking for a lot of stuff on a little budget...sounds like you need a tad bit of power if youre asking for a 400 watter and if thats the case then you can get a psu thats a name brand aka..enermax/spi sparkle/vantec and zalman, these are highly recommended but at a cost of around $80.00..that doesnt leave ya with much for a case..my suggestion is to save maybe $50-60 more and then you can have a nice power supply and a reasonably nice case, its what id do, but if maybe something like time is an issue then...well, you get my point...either way, somewhere youll have to suffer on a $100-110 budget if you buy now and dont save...thats my 2 cents....M....

[Hi Ho]

enermax/spi sparkle/vantec and zalman, these are highly recommended but at a cost of around $80.00..that doesnt leave ya with much for a case

You can very easily get a nice case and power supply with that budget. You can certainly get a good 400w PSU for less than $80. The case is really your choice. Any case will do. Sure there are varying quality levels and I already mentioned some of the better brands above along with a good quality power supply. Find a case you like and if it doesn't have a good power supply just buy the Enlight 420w along with it.

[shadowbreaker513]

i know your on a budget but if you can afford it get this case http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...133-124&depa=0
it's about the coolest case for the price that you can get (at least i think so) though that doesn't come with a psu.

[handicapper2]

hi ho....im sure youre right about buying a case and psu for 110 and calling it fine...just goes to show that your and my idea of fine are different...too, im not a believer of the "any "whatever" will do"...Any case will do. <---your quote...sorry that i felt i had to reply back hi ho, im not that type but just this once i let my old age get the better of me...either way, im sure hell do what he thinks best for him, with or without taking our advice...M.....happy computing...

[Hi Ho]

I really wouldn't buy "any old case" either. However, I think a case is purely a personal preference. The quality of the case, though it can affect "ease of building", it doesn't affect system performance (unless it has horrible ariflow). There isn't really any harm in it if someone wants a cheap case. I certainly don't recomend that anyone go that way with any other parts in a PC. Above, I recommended cases that are good quality. They aren't the only good quality ones but they are my favorite brands. Enlight power supplies are also excellent. They are the best value in my opinion. I have two of them and they have worked flawlessly. Many people on these forums also use Enlight PSU's. I have quite expensive tastes in cases myself. I will probably use either the CoolerMaster Praetorian or the CoolerMaster WaveMaster Blue .

[handicapper2]

hi ho, i just built a comp and also used high quality stuff ,especially my case, because 1) i liked its size and 2) it has good airflow and 3) it was all aluminum....when i was referencing cases for this project i narrowed it down to 4 case...the lian li v1000 i believe it was....the antec one that looks like a p-51 mustang or its made out of jet material or something, one you mentioned the praetorian(which really is a gorgeous case) and the one i bought, the silverstone temjin tj03 miniz(in black), which is much bigger than even i thought...and i also bought it for its asthetics and the 4 fans didnt hurt either...i guess when i read his post it got me to thinking about that old addage of, you get what you pay for...and also i forget mostly that most of the people here are much younger than me and really havent established themselves as far as expendable income goes...so keep busy writing your opinions as we never know when someone will follow our advice...lord knows i use the advice here....see ya....M.....

[Hi Ho]

That is one hell of a case. Absolutely beautiful. If only I had $260 to spend on a case. I think I'll be happy with the Preatorian though as I think that's what I'll use in my next build. I get annoyed by doors over the drives and that's what the WaveMaster has. It's too bad my current case, CoolerMaster Centurion 2, seems to have dissapeared. It's a nice budget case that looks like it cost $100+ when it only cost $40. It has a solid aluminum front panel and that's what makes it look so nice. The rest is standard steel but it's designed well and it's easy to work in.

[Tin]

that Lian Li V1000 is a work of art. i thought long and hard about getting it before i got my PC-60 USB....then decided not too because of the hefty price tag. that is one sweeeeeet looking case though. that Silverstone is awesome as well. kudos to you handicapper for an awesome case .

Hi Ho, that Wavemaster is one slick case as well, i cant wait to see what you toss in one of those. like Hi Ho, i can only say go with Lian Li or Coolermaster .

[JPMiller]

Personally I agree with Hi-Ho in most regards, as far as performance goes the PSU is the one you DONT want to cut corners on so the case is the obvious option when dealing with a budget, wich our friend Hikaru IchijoSL IS....
I would suggest one of these PSU's bought seperately and then the remainder of the bufdget spent on the best case of his choice, .....
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...153-006&depa=1
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...103-604&depa=1
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...103-605&depa=1
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...103-420&depa=1
As for the case I suggest one from Amamax without a PSU... You save alot not paying extra for shipping or getting one with a PSu included.
I've purchased many of these and they happen to be good cases, even if they were more expensive... skip the extras as they come with everything needed...
http://store.yahoo.com/amamax/csmina161blackmecca.html
http://store.yahoo.com/amamax/blatatxmicaw2.html
http://store.yahoo.com/amamax/pomaatsimico2.html
http://store.yahoo.com/amamax/poxcbl72atxm.html
http://store.yahoo.com/amamax/nif1siatxmid.html

[Tophinator]

One more thing you should also consider if you looking for a performance case are the fans. Most cases these days come with some really cheapo fans and if you want good cooling with a cheap case better add in atleast another $25 into your budget. Another good reason to go with thermaltakes cause they always come with nice fans and usually a fan controller to.

[Hi Ho]

CoolerMaster, Lian-Li, and Enlight cases all come with excellent fans. You are right though. Many cases come with cheap noisy fans that don't move much air.