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Looking for a Case

Joined
Apr 9, 2004
Messages
26
I am considering getting a new case for my gaming rig.

I currently have a monstrosity, the old school Thermaltake Damier v5000c. It's not only really ugly, its absolutely huge and heavy (35 lbs). I got it for 15 bucks about 4 years ago at a cyber Monday sale. It came with tons of fans and tons of fan controllers (read: it has too many cables to manage)

I am going to start off with my budget since this is often the limiting factor: $65 max with shipping

Here is what is going in this case:

Here are my personal requirements:
  • Smaller: looking for a mid tower that is smaller than my current case (490mm x 205mm x 580mm)
  • Simple and Clean - there are a lot of great simple, black cases out there right now. Preferably with no window or a small window
  • Cable Management - Something that has places to route cables and spots for cable ties
  • Bottom PSU Preferred (with filter a plus)
  • Quite - Not too many fans, and the fans on it I would like to drive via MoBo QFan
  • Black Interior a plus
  • A drive door would be nice, but not necessary (my DVD rom is beige, but I will eventually upgrade)
  • Front Panel connectors audio / USB(prefer USB 3 and HD Audio, but not necessary)
  • Black interior would be a plus as well
  • Something that will last a while (a must)

I don't need a million drive bays, just need to fit the drives i mentioned above and possibly one or two more. Don't need watercooling holes as I do not see going into that in the near future, though I may want some room for a larger cooler in the future

I have a couple cases in mind, but I have learned my lesson from buying things without talking to the experts here first ;)

Any help, advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated!
 
DAMN that is one hell of an ugly case. It's making me insides cry and crumple up into little balls.

Check out the Coolermaster Elites and the Silverstone PS03. Both are decent mid-sized cases with painted interiors. I had a friend with the latter and it's a good quality steel case.
 
DAMN that is one hell of an ugly case. It's making me insides cry and crumple up into little balls.
lol

Well, I am glad that you can relate to my predicament... I will take a peak at your recommendations, thank you!
 
Microcenter had a deal on a Thermaltake V4 Black Edition for $30 after MIR. It's considerably smaller and so much lighter than what I had before.

All in all, it's a great case. Mostly metal, with some plastic in the front. The buttons feel good and the construction is decent. There are some sharp edges inside, but I think that's expected from a case that is light as the metal has to be thinner.

There is not a lot of available space to route cables, but there is some. There are some cut-outs near the PSU and a cutout where the CPU goes. Cables can be routed either underneath the MoBo or underneath the MoBo tray. I was able to route all my cables and make my case very neat (IMHO).

At the store I was able to see various cases, including the Coolermaster HAF 912 which I was also looking into. The HAF 912 is bigger and heavier than the Thermaltake V4 Black, so I would assume it has a bit more space for cable management. I also saw the Coolermaster Elite cases there, which is about the same size as the V4, but there seemed to be a lot more plastic in it.

All in all, I am happy with my new case. I appreciate everyone's feedback!
 
I would go with the CM HAF 912 or Antec 300.

My choice would be the 912. The removable HDD cage to fit any video card is a huge plus to me.
 
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