Good ATX Mid Case?

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Can anyone suggest a good study atx mid case for my new build I will do later this summer? It doesn'thave to come with a power supply as I need an ATX12v one for my Asus A8N-E board, if it comes with such a power supply with at least 480W that'd be great too.:) Should I go with aluminum or steel cases?[/COLOR] I don't wanna go nuts with the case, staying under $70 would be great, but I don't know if that's possible for a decent quality case. I prefer it to be a black case and a side window would be nice, but if there's a great case wthout one I can live without it. Obviously, I want it to have good air flow, so having at least 1 120mm fan would be good, 2 would be nice too but either is ok. I don't mind if it has 1 of those doors on the front either. Anyway, here's a few I've looked at, offer any suggestions you have or a completely different case, thanks. :)

Thermaltake SViking VA4000BWS Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case- $71
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133142

AeroCool AEROENGINE C-class AEROENGINE-C BS Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case-$60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811196005

AeroCool JetMaster Jr - BS Black/Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case-$67.50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811196001

I found this last case interesting, but know nothing about the company:
SILVERSTONE Berserker SST-B032FW Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case-$63
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811163018
 
The first three are crap. Cheap plastic junk that will break the first day. TT is crap, and so is Aerocool. Silverstone cases are good but thats at the bottom end for them.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119065 This is a cood case for your price range. Its actually very well built and a very nice case in general, with easy installation, lots of space, decent cooling and very quiet.

As far as power supplies go. You won't find a good 480W PSU for under 70 dollars by itself, let alone in a nice case. That's just how it goes. The 350W one in that case should run a decently power hungry computer, considering its effeciency rating. It would very likely outperform the TT 480W piece of shit that comes with their cases.
 
I know you stated you would prefer it to be black but the Antec Super Lanboy isnt to bad.

How about a Lian Li PC-65B might be a little more than you want to spend.

Silverstone makes nice cases. I havent used the one you have listed. But the ones I have are good quality.

-bn
 
I have a Super Lanboy too, it's light and nice, about as compact as a midtower gets.
The aluminum construction makes it a bit flexible (in a bad way that is), you should avoid dropping it or bumping it into things too often.
Otherwise the design is good, the harddrives in the front right behind one of the fans, rubber grommets to reduce vibrations from the hdd:s etc.

Bytw, are the TT psus really that crappy, I've seen some positive reviews of them, but I guess there are positive reviews of everything :)
 
I built a PC for my parents with an Antec Sonata ; it's black, quiet and sleek. If I don't go SFF I'm going to use one in my next PC for sure. excellent case. though at $109.99 a bit out of your price range though, probably cause it comes with a sweet PSU.

Peace

PS: that coolermaster cavalier is sexy as hell. and only 69.99 :eek: if new egg shipped to canada I'd buy it right now :p My vote goes for the cavalier.




**EDIT**

the Sonata is onsale for $84.99 at Zip Zoom Fly
 
Bah, on newegg everyone had nothing but good things to say about the thermaltake case,it didn't have a psu included, I was pretty much already set on gett the Antec Truepower II 480W psu. I wish someone here had used one before, all i need is a sturdy case seeing as I have the psu already lined up. I don't mind spending about $80 on the case alone. I'm liking the antec super lanboy, would it be totally tacky to put a black dvd burner in a silver case? :p I'm just concerned with its sturdiness since it's made to be light and easily movable.
 
BossNoodleKaboodle said:
they come with a Smart Power antec PSU if I'm not mistaken. those are OK PSU's but not great.
Click to expand...

The LanBoys come with Smartpower I think, but the Sonata comes with a 380 Truepower last I heard.
 
The friggin TT case is junk. Sharp edges, creaks when you open the door, poor fit and finish, just CHEAP in general. I suggest you compare it to a Silverstone or an ATCs CM case and then you'll see what I mean.
 
On newegg the lanboy doesn't come with a psu at all. Basically all I need is the sturdiest, most well built case with no psu for $80 or less. Black is preferrable, but other colors are ok too. Wish I had a bigger budget, I'd buy than Lian-Li in a heartbeat.

Edit: I found a cavalier with no PSU, but no side window :(. I guess I can live without it. This Case is only $56, what does everyone think?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119074

Ugh I'm almost tempted to just get a Lian Li case from the money I'm saving not buying a sound card, at least I know it will last for quite a long time.

On a side note, since I'll be using headphones most of the time and only 2.1 speakers occasionally, it wouldn't be worth it to get SB audigy 2 zs would it? I've heard good things about the Asus onboard audio lately.
 
BillLeeLee said:
The LanBoys come with Smartpower I think, but the Sonata comes with a 380 Truepower last I heard.
Click to expand...

Correct.

# TruePower 380Watt ATX12V power supply with single fan design for enhanced quietness

straight off the Antec Site

I would officially consider that a sweet PSU.


But yeah I'd say go with that coolermaster, it's sweet lookin' :)

Peace
 
I'm trying to decide between the Antec Sonata and the Coolermaster Cavalier, any input? Only bad thing is if I got the Sonata I'd have to remove the PSU and use a different one, shame I can't get one without the PSU.
 
The sonata is a lot of plastic. The cavalier is a lot nicer on the outside. They're both good cases on the inside, but the cavalier is roomy, tool-less install(except mobo) and has good ventilation and is just nicer overall.
 
Thanks for all the input guys, I've decided to go with the cavalier. Hopefully when I get my Asus A8N-E from the tech tour bundle all will fit well. I have one other question, the mobo mentioned above requires a 24 pin ATX connection and a 4 pin ATX12v connection, this can be done with any ATX12v 2.0 power supply, correct?
 
you can get a PSU that has the 24pin connector on it. most of the newer Enermax server PSU's have them and so will a lot of higher end ones designed for server and workstations.
 
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