Coolest looking (affordable) cases?

Slaughterhouse59

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Messages
205
Looking for a new case but I don't know what to get...any ideas? $200 probably my budget but looking to spend closer to $100.
 
There are lots of cases out there, and your own tastes will vary from someone else. I like the sleek design of the Cosmos 1000 and the front door, while my cousin likes the looks of the Antec 900. Just look at cases that are on Newegg in the size range you are looking for. Mid-tower, full tower, mATX case, low profile, etc.
 
we sir have different ideas of cool


I would take the R3 over those CM HAF cases anyway


I have two of these (not the best for cable management and or GIGANT video cards (a 6870 fits just fine however)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233016

but for $64.99 (they were $59 when i got them and I got free shipping) i think they are amazingly good value

Gigabyte Triton 180

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233016


sort of lacking in more modern features I suppose (no ssd mounts, no usb 3, no cpu hsf cut out, unpainted interior (but no case window so WHO CARES ..poor fractal r3 who will ever see the inside of you :) ) umm.. no cable cutouts / minimal room behind mb anyways.) So ya a few things so people here might object to but they look damn professional and snazy on my desk so good enough.


but it is good that they make different cases for diffent tastes I'm sure those CM HAF's are pretty good they just aren't what I want in a case and maybe an R3 isn't what you want which if fine.
 
haf...overtly 'butch' for my tastes. like reiger body kits. for the price i'd opt for a lian li or lancool. specifically the dragon lord case if you can excuse the queer name.
 
seen the nzxt phantom up close. looks nice, especially the red and white ones, but not a well assembled case.
 
This one is also quite sexy but it looks like a tighter fit inside. Am I right?

Yeah, it definitely doesn't have the same amount of room that the HAF 932/X offer. Keep in mind that it mounts the motherboard horizontally instead of vertically, so it's not quite as small as it appears.
 
the design it fantastic, but ive felt sturdier stamped steel cases. the local fry's wanted 129 for the nzxt and 159 for the corsair 600t. if you can get one for a few bills over a hundred bucks, i'd say buy the nzxt. i especially like the red one.
 
Maybe poor word choice on my part. Just read a few reviews about it having chipped paint/bent screws out of the box and feeling like cheap plastic. I'm sure it's still a great case but I want something really sturdy. I'm like 90% sure I want the Corsair 600T now though.
 
Maybe poor word choice on my part. Just read a few reviews about it having chipped paint/bent screws out of the box and feeling like cheap plastic. I'm sure it's still a great case but I want something really sturdy. I'm like 90% sure I want the Corsair 600T now though.

The screws on the NZXT Phantom are terrible. Fortunately replaced them with really durable ones. This is possibly the worst part of the case, easily stripped screws.

As for plasticky, eh, only the front and top part of the exterior, but its much more durable than usual plastic crud. The pegs that attach to the main steel part is much more durable than Coolermaster's cheapo plastic crap (forget which exact cases). Basically, the plastic feels sturdy and doesn't seem like you are going to snap it in half easily.

Sturdy? It's sturdier than my Original CM Stacker. As for paint chipping, yeah, if you drive a screwdriver into it hard enough, of course it'll chip. Out of the box? Unlikely.
 
Thanks for the info. Now I think it might be a better fit for me than the HAF, but I've still got my eye on the Corsair.
 
HAF X or a Corsair 650D. I own a HAF X but if I built a second computer it would be in a Corsaid 650D.
 
Thanks for the info. Now I think it might be a better fit for me than the HAF, but I've still got my eye on the Corsair.

Personally, I would have opted for the white Corsair 600T than the NZXT Phantom. Before I bought the NZXT Phantom, my choices for cases were the NZXT Phantom White, or Red... and the Black Corsair 600T. Too bad the white one didn't come out, otherwise I would have chose that instead.
 
Cant seem to find it but its the plastic chassis knock off case. The original case is like $500 or something cant remember.
 
Personally, I would have opted for the white Corsair 600T than the NZXT Phantom. Before I bought the NZXT Phantom, my choices for cases were the NZXT Phantom White, or Red... and the Black Corsair 600T. Too bad the white one didn't come out, otherwise I would have chose that instead.

Yeah. I'm really leaning towards the Corsair, but the $20 shipping from Newegg really kills the deal for me. And I don't really want to wait for it to ship from Amazon in 2 weeks.

What are any of you guys thoughts on the Antec 900? I may be able to get one of those for a reasonable price.
 
Personally, I think the K62 case wins out over Antec 900 and HAF series. For $100 you can't beat it.
 
the CM Storm series has some nice cleaner looks compared to the HAFs and are the same cases internally.

the HAF 922 is nice but it needs a black interior and wire management grommets instead of just a big open space between drive bays and mobo tray.
 
I think a part that is missing is what type. The 600t or K62 are mid towers with mid tower limitations and Mid tower installation annoyances. Or ones like the raven which is really a full tower deep mid mid tower in hight. The Phantom and the 932, or HAF X are full towers, which can be pretty tall (the Haf X makes even the largest hardware seem dwarfed. Then there are cases like P183 (chambered quiet), or R3 (not chambered quiet)

If you want the biggest cases that can fit the most and largest hardware and have great cooling and no bloody knuckles go with the X (or if you don't mind a couple missing features the 932) or the Phantom (I like love the X for what its worth). If you want a quiet case then go with the Antec or R3. If you want some of the greatest air cooling then go with the RV2 and its intriguing design. If you like a conservative and elegant tower look to 650D, 600T, K56, ATCS 840 (large like the 932), or CM 690 II Advanced. If you are looking for a mid tower the the two Corsairs, the K56, or the 690, are good bets.
 
Well as long as your not afraid of a little work grab a haf 912. Then tape off everything thats black & hit the rest with flat black spray paint. Then order a pair of CM 200mm LED fans (blue or red available from newegg & green is also available from ebay).. Then you end up with a good sized case that has excellent cooling & a great look.

Here is the interior of my haf 912.. I have 200mm fans coming for it, but I wanted a stealth look so I acquired a couple of no led black fans.

The only advantage I can really see to some of the much much more expensive cases above is how many HDD they can hold with really long cards. Well as you can see I dont ahve that long of a card yet (though thats going to change) & I only have 2x 2.5" drives in my rig so I dont need anything else.
 
Well, if you looking for a cheap, HAF style case then look at the HAF 912 or the Storm Enforcer (if you can find it anywhere). Both use the HAF 912 internal design.
 
Well as long as your not afraid of a little work grab a haf 912. Then tape off everything thats black & hit the rest with flat black spray paint. Then order a pair of CM 200mm LED fans (blue or red available from newegg & green is also available from ebay).. Then you end up with a good sized case that has excellent cooling & a great look.

Here is the interior of my haf 912.. I have 200mm fans coming for it, but I wanted a stealth look so I acquired a couple of no led black fans.

The only advantage I can really see to some of the much much more expensive cases above is how many HDD they can hold with really long cards. Well as you can see I dont ahve that long of a card yet (though thats going to change) & I only have 2x 2.5" drives in my rig so I dont need anything else.

Ease of working with for one. I am personally tired of working on mid towers and other similar cases. If its a seal it and forget it case then fine. But if you often are trading out HDD's, adding more memory, swapping CPU's, adding expansion cards, or just have to fiddle around with crap on a semi usual basis, I and I am sure other Full tower users would rather do that work in comfort. Also its about the future, what if I am not a fan of my cooling setup and want a bigger HSF? or its long enough for my Vid card now, but what about my next one? I only have 2 HDD's now but prices going down and capacity going up will that change?
 
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