I've been trying to hunt down an inexpensive mid-tower case without all the flashy fans. I got a core 2 duo machine for free but the case is completely covered with flashing lights and other terribleness. Ideally just a straight black case with good cable management as well. Any recommendations?
Intel I7-2600k, Asus P8P67, 16GB DDR3 1600mhz, Geforce GTX 570, ASUS Xonar D2, Intel 510 120GB, Western Digital Black 1TB, Corsair HX650w
Sales on "cheap cases" can really affect what you choose depending on how long you want to wait.
The NZXT Source 210 for $46 shipped includes two 120mm fans and has cable managament holes.
Regarding the Carbide 200R. I saw that for $30 after MIR and free shipping when Cyril's review came out. I suspect that was a special holiday sale price though since I haven't seen it anywhere near that price since.
DPete27 wrote:The NZXT Source 210 for $46 shipped includes two 120mm fans and has cable managament holes.
Yup, I used one of these for my last work build. Other than the sheet metal being a little on the thin side (not unexpected for a budget case), it is decent. If you're looking for an inexpensive case with a basic black paint job, no windows, good airflow, bottom mounted PSU, and cable management holes, look no further.
If you're in Europe, the Coolermaster Silencio 550 is ridiculously good value, understated, well-built and designed to be easy for a builder. You also get a hot-swap 3.5" bay and a card-reader.
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I was buying the Cooler Master Elite series for a lot of my low end builds. Used 3 now and happy with the construction. $35-50 higher $ comes with power supply
The Cooler Master HAF 912 is now in the under $50 crowd too.
Since no budget was specified, I'll throw in a plug for the Antec Sonata Proto, which is less than $80 shipped. Everything you need, nothing you don't, and a very clean appearance.
Another vote for the Antec Three Hundred (Two). Done lots of builds with this one, cheap and good, if a little utilitarian.
Not too impressed with Fractal Design. They look good for the price, and seem well built, but both experiences were less than thrilling. The panels on my Define R4 rattle like a sonofagun, I would throw it away if it wasn't doing file server duty in a closet. I have a Core 1000, and the thing is incredibly noisy (or at least the stock fan is), the fan filter is impossible to clean as it doesn't really come apart, the side usb ports are so loose within a year as to be bordering on useless, and there are probably other things I've forgotten. Granted that is a mATX, but Fractal Design is in the "so close, yet so far category". My gaming box would be in the Antec 300 that's sitting in my garage if it would fit under my current desk.
You might like the Cooler Master Elite 361. It's a revised version of the older Elite 360 case which I used for several "smaller" gaming PC builds. It has the PSU mounted in the front bottom. It's a cheap case, so SECC and plastic are the order of the day, but it's very sturdy and surprisingly small. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° (note: the above poster did not read the thread, possibly because she's slightly retarded.) ヘ(。□°)ヘ