What is the best sub $100 case and i need some info/advice about watercooling and air cooling.

needpcparts

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Jul 12, 2014
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Hi, I opened a thread a while ago asking about these two things but the case i agreed to buy turned out to be out of my budget because i bought other components which ruined my budget. As for the water cooling info, no one really answered that part because i needed a good case at first. So now my story is i have this really crappy logisys case that i bought of amazon for $30 and it literally has like one or two spots to take out air and exactly one fan. On top of that looks bad. I am looking for a case that looks stylish has good air flow and is under $100. I would like a window preferably. I don't really mean a case worth like $99 because that is still a bit high for me. A good price for me right now is around $75 or less but if that is too low then i will consider the cases you suggest above that price as well. I have looked at cases but i don't really want their looks to deceive me because i also worry about specs which is why I'm asking the pros :) I can't really ask for you to help me without giving my specs so they will be at the bottom.

As for the water cooling, Should i go for it? I'm not the best with computers. All i really know is the parts and how to disassemble and assemble etc. If i should go for it then please recommend a good cheap water cooling parts to buy and a video teaching me about water cooling and how to set it up. If you don't recommend it for me then what is a good air cooling method. Right now i have a stock cooler for my i7 and just one case fan that i plan on not salvaging.

My Specs:
Cpu - Intel Core i7 3770K @ 3.50GHz
Ivy Bridge 22nm Technology
Ram - 16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 668MHz
Motherboard - Asus P8Z77-M (Form Factor uATX Form Factor 9.6 inch x 9.6 inch ( 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm )
GPU - 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (EVGA)
Storage - 931GB Seagate ST1000DX001-1CM162 (SATA)
465GB Hitachi HDS721050CLA362 (SATA)
186GB Western Digital WDC WD2000JS-60NCB1 (SATA)
Psu - CORSAIR TX Series 750 Watt

I am also open to any recommendations/advice about improving my system :)
Thanks!
 
Solution
At that price range these are great choices, and have windows:
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 Advanced ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)

I'm not a big advocate of water cooling. It is expensive and can have more issues than fan systems. For your build I'd look into a Noctua cooler. Quiet and great performance.
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($62.99 @ Mwave)

If you do want water cooling then you gotta consider how much you are willing to spend. The H100i cools well but is loud. Many people buy it...
The one that took the Case of the Year award for 2014 from Computex

Enthoo Pro Black w/ window, PSU shroud, and fan controller is $99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=Enthoo+pro&N=-1&isNodeId=1

I assume that you are talking about CLCs ... all in one type coolers made by Asetek and cold by Corsair and others.

The is not a single CLC made today that doesn't get beaten by the better air coolers for less money.

Here we have the $30 Hyper 212 beating the $65 H55 watercooler

CPU-Coolers2.jpg


Here we see the $90 Cryorig and DH-15 air coolers beating the $100 H110 and $135 240L

The only All in one water coolers I can recommend would be a bit over the top for this build
http://www.hitechlegion.com/images/cooling/swiftech_h220x/b2.jpg
 
At that price range these are great choices, and have windows:
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 Advanced ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)

I'm not a big advocate of water cooling. It is expensive and can have more issues than fan systems. For your build I'd look into a Noctua cooler. Quiet and great performance.
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($62.99 @ Mwave)

If you do want water cooling then you gotta consider how much you are willing to spend. The H100i cools well but is loud. Many people buy it and replace the fans with other Corsair SP ones. So the cost is $100 + $25. A decent all around liquid cooler is the Corsair H80i.
 
Solution