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PC Case Roundup: Spring 2008

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  • Round-Up
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Anonymous
June 13, 2008 6:10:03 AM

We take a detailed look at a diverse cross-section of cases from a variety of manufacturers and answer some key questions: What are the features? Which is the loudest? Which provides the best value?

PC Case Roundup: Spring 2008 : Read more

More about : case roundup spring 2008

June 13, 2008 6:28:12 AM

Nothing on the Thermaltake Armor?
One of the best case designs and plenty of room and features.
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1
June 13, 2008 7:16:44 AM

Every one of those cases is butt ugly, unwieldy and depressing.
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-4
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June 13, 2008 7:55:32 AM

Nothing from Lian-Li, Thermaltake or Antec? In that price range you could review a nice case from any of those companies.
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15
Anonymous
June 13, 2008 8:06:35 AM

Yep is a very poor roundup allright !
Where is Antec Nine Hundred or the new Twelve Hundred and the excelent P182 ???
The Cosmos S seems to be out of place here.... its in another league: Armor+, Silverstone TJ07B, Stacker
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10
June 13, 2008 8:22:40 AM

Simple is an uknown word in the aesthetics of the east.
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3
June 13, 2008 8:32:08 AM

Lazy review, the guys from TOM's couldn't find more attractive PC Cases? It's all made in "China"-like?
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-3
June 13, 2008 10:27:39 AM

poor Roundup.. no Enermax Chakra/uber Chakra no EZCool .....
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-2
June 13, 2008 11:12:21 AM

All mid tower cases... not one Full Tower! I haven't purchased a mid tower case in nearly 8 years for any of my builds because they are too crammed for my liking. As stated by other commenters, where's the Thermaltake Armor? Where's the Antec Twelve Hundred? etc. These were nice looking cases, but they are all middle of the road as far as I am concerned. You need to do a cases revisited or an enthusiast case round up! ...please do that
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1
Anonymous
June 13, 2008 11:13:57 AM

I have my doubts about your praise on 3R System case. I have similar model. Exactly the same inside structure but without the remote control, display and with different front side.

First of all, it's not that well-built. Sides bend and that inside metal (Al?) is really soft. And if you want to remove the front there are like 6 almost unreachable screws to be unscrewed which is pain in the a**.

Fans are really quiet though.
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1
Anonymous
June 13, 2008 11:28:43 AM

only Cosmos S look good to me.
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-1
June 13, 2008 12:30:29 PM

well its not bad information but they really could have done a better job picking out cases to review.
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2
June 13, 2008 12:40:39 PM

Funny how you keep referring to the Antec case(s)but do not include one in the review. Why buy an imitator when you can get the real thing?
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1
June 13, 2008 12:53:32 PM

No need to add the good old 900 and P182. We all know they're good and it's not a coincidence that the NZXT and the Raidmax looks so much like the 900 ;) 

As for the 1200 : it's a bigger 900 so there's nothing much to say about it.

But yeah it would have been more appropriate to use case from all company to make a round-up.
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1
June 13, 2008 1:28:26 PM

It would be really cool if for another roundup they did all of the Maximum PC cases that won a "Kick Ass Award". Yeah you may be using info from a competitor, but it would make for one really interesting read to see who would be the best of the best!
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0
June 13, 2008 1:29:03 PM

I have the Cosmos S, its the best water cooling case out there next to the Mozart. You can easily get 2-3 Radiators in and installed with no mods what so ever. Plus the heat sensitive power button is very impressive. It may not get you laid, but it sure will fit into any modern or high tech lifestyle. The Nine Hundred is quite old in comparison to these cases. I have not seen a new stacker... I think the Cosmos is closest thing to them.

I was skeptical of the Cosmos s at first. But after everything went in without a hitch, I had to really appreciate the work that had gone into this case. The thing I like the most is the rails. Its not that easy to move a 60+ lb case with 2 rads and at least a liter of water.

Good job guys. I enjoyed the round up. I would like to see a more practical round up in the future for more budget PC's. To see more cases that have good practical usage and lower prices. They should all have 2 120mm fans minimum though. 40$-100$ cases.
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0
June 13, 2008 2:04:54 PM

No Antec 900 or P182? Certainly two of the best cases on the market.
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0
June 13, 2008 2:12:15 PM

Why do people love the Thermaltake Armour cases so much? It was the hottest case I ever owned. When I switched to my CM 690 my cpu temps dropped 10 degrees.
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1
June 13, 2008 2:12:20 PM

I also find it funny that the Antec Nine Hundred was mentioned about five times (and the NXZT Tempest is a clone of it) but was not in the review. How about a Nine Hundred vs. Clones comparison?
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1
June 13, 2008 3:24:14 PM

not toward this but everyone needs to start measuring the distance between the processor and the wall. because i want a IFX-14
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0
June 13, 2008 4:19:39 PM

We really need a list of full tower cases.........High end if you wish............Pretty Please.

Most of the cases you picked out I wouldn't consider at all.Mid tower is not where things are going....Some cases have 10 Expansion slots.......I belive we need a review thats with the current trend...as we live in the now ...not the past.
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0
June 13, 2008 4:36:46 PM

I'm shopping for a new case, and the one thing I need to know is, does everything fit? If a case has 3 5.25 bays, 2 external 3.5, and 4 internal 3.5, will it fit drives in all 9 bays? With all 9 bays filled, can I fit a single or dual-slot full-length graphics card (3870 or 9600)? If the internal bays have room for a cooling fan, will the graphics card fit if I install the fan? For the record, I have 4 HDDs, 1 Floppy (XP + RAID), 2DVD drives, 1CD-RW (I could live without). My old Alienware/Antec case would have room for a large gfx card, but I would have to remove the fan from the HDD caddy, and with 4 HDDs that would be begging for problems. Also remember room for SATA and PCIe power cables! I expected more from a Tom's review.
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0
June 13, 2008 5:00:50 PM

I think it was an interesting choice not to include Lian-Li, Antec, and Thermaltake. I think we all know they are pretty much the top case designers. Still I would have liked to see how the Mozart and the Xaser VI stood up.
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0
June 13, 2008 5:20:26 PM

Well they can only have a look at the samples they get sent.Hey Thorak the 1200 is just a bigger 900 with even more airflow and dust filters.And why would they look at a p182? Its been out for a year,plenty of sites have already had indepth looks at it.
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0
June 13, 2008 5:34:54 PM

The CoolerMaster Cosmos S is an enthusiast part while the rest is crap.
I hate these cases that look like they would fall apart if a doney pissed on it.
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0
June 13, 2008 6:43:28 PM

NZXT TEMPEST ...obviously an Antec 900 knock-off/rip-off. That side window looks wrong!
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0
June 13, 2008 6:50:25 PM

Too rich for my blood. I like my cases simple. I like to have my drives screwed in place, making good metal-on-metal thermal contact. And I hate front doors that obstruct access to the DVD writer. I keep my computers well off the floor to minimize dust intake, so I prefer side or front USB ports. And I've found that the screwless card clips too temperamental and not all that secure.

I do like the Sigma Unicorn's fold-down MB & card holder. Heck, I'd even re-arrange my desk for that feature. However, I think I'll stick with the cheap cases for now. I just don't see the point in paying twice the price for "features" that I consider flaws.
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0
June 13, 2008 7:03:16 PM

The Sigma case is absolutely identical to the RAIDMAX Smilidon cases. The only difference is the door.
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0
June 13, 2008 7:09:17 PM

I love my CM 690...THAT HAS "tremendous airflow". And quiet...140mm fans...6 of them or you can run 120mm or 92mm or even 80mm since they drilled the openings for all those sizes except up front. The front fan is 120mm and there is a slim 80mm you can have on the backside of the motherboard where your CPU sits.

It is not a flashy case but it is like a hammer...doesn't have to be flashy to get the job done and done well.
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0
June 13, 2008 8:31:05 PM

the antec 900 and 1200, and also the stackers..

i agree, all these cases are butt ugly. simplicity and cleanliness are always FTW!
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0
June 13, 2008 8:49:44 PM

Yea i like the Antec p182.
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0
June 13, 2008 8:50:48 PM

Yea I like the Antec p182.
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0
June 13, 2008 9:13:36 PM

I like the Cosmos.
I wonder what bf2gameplaya's idea of a good looking case is?
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0
June 13, 2008 9:39:23 PM

hellwig said:
I'm shopping for a new case, and the one thing I need to know is, does everything fit? If a case has 3 5.25 bays, 2 external 3.5, and 4 internal 3.5, will it fit drives in all 9 bays? With all 9 bays filled, can I fit a single or dual-slot full-length graphics card (3870 or 9600)? If the internal bays have room for a cooling fan, will the graphics card fit if I install the fan? For the record, I have 4 HDDs, 1 Floppy (XP + RAID), 2DVD drives, 1CD-RW (I could live without). My old Alienware/Antec case would have room for a large gfx card, but I would have to remove the fan from the HDD caddy, and with 4 HDDs that would be begging for problems. Also remember room for SATA and PCIe power cables! I expected more from a Tom's review.


Everything you have should fit nicely in and Antec 1200

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043&Tpk=antec%2btwelve

It has loads of room and tons of airflow!

and as I always say....You'l get so much TANG [:datmanii:6]
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-1
Anonymous
June 13, 2008 11:44:08 PM

I use a card board box for my case.
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0
June 14, 2008 12:06:19 AM

my last case was discounted on newegg for $50 and had 450W PSU everything is super loud but heh it did the job for a cheap built, maybe next time i get something better but yea there are alot missing cases but then as the review said only picked few cases, maybe some companies should've donated some cases to tomshardware so they can use it for comparison!
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0
June 14, 2008 12:44:13 AM

I agree with Gravemind123
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-1
Anonymous
June 14, 2008 1:36:04 AM

Another vote for the Thermaltake Armor here. A decent article nonetheless, even though it focused only on midtower cases; I know plenty of people prefer the full tower boxes for those machines we don't care to move that often. :) 
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0
June 14, 2008 2:32:33 AM

I think Antec NSK3480, Solo/P150/Designer, P180/P182, Nine Hundred and Twelve Hundred should be fit everybody's need. My friends and I have been buying Antec only for several years. Their clean and effective design is just unbeatable.
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0
Anonymous
June 14, 2008 4:59:57 AM

I love how the Unicorn has "a host of unique features" but is "internally identical to the Raidmax Smilodon".

You guys need to look up the definition of "unique". The Smilodon's had everything but the top power button (which itself is hardly "unique") for what, 2 years now?
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0
June 14, 2008 7:49:59 AM

This is the worst case comparison ever. It is like comparing a single Lamborghini with ricers.
Where is the SilverStone TJ10? The Lian Li PC P80? The CM Classic 830 or CM 690? Man you suck Toms.
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1
June 14, 2008 4:58:28 PM

For the price (~$80) of the Coolermaster 690 and what you get, I just could never spend more on a different case! Esp when you start adding in the extra fans, etc. I know some people really need the extra space of some cases or want to do it for purely aesthetic reasons, but I like the simple design and full features of the CM 690.

That's my story and I'm stickin to it!
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0
June 14, 2008 8:16:53 PM

With the exception of the Cosmos S, this roundup appears to be a collection of some of the ugliest crap they could find. Maybe my age is showing, but to me plastic excrescences and EMI transmitting windows are not attractive attributes for a case.
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0
June 14, 2008 8:21:33 PM

basically they all fail the tap the finger on the side panel test that only the antec p182 passes. tap these cases and they ring like bells instead of the nice dull thud from the thick antec p182/92 case, the panels are thin and resonate. noise just passes straight through. and even if they bother with thicker metal, its generally nullified by a plastic window that just bleeds noise through. considering the price of these cases its rather sad they don't take noise seriously, they are mostly built for looks these days and well thats just not acceptable when better cases like the antecs exist.
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0
June 14, 2008 8:52:27 PM

Yea, long gone are the day are the FULL Alu cases, im gald i got my coolermaster wavemaster, makes these cases look like trash.
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0
June 14, 2008 9:44:09 PM

I agree with Gravemind123. Poor round up in deed.
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-1
June 15, 2008 2:25:03 AM

I've been building puters since 2000 and it amazes me the nerve these manufacturers have to charge these adsurd prices for a metal box to put your parts in. There is nothing that justifies $120 and above for a pc case. Most of thses things are mass manufactured from stamped steel in the same assembly lines they build $25.00 cases and they are not much better. And please don't try and sell me that a Thermaltale or any other is worth what they charge because they use better metal or fans or blah, blah, blah.....it's all a rip-off. I guess they get away with it because teen-age noobs with mom's money don't really care what it costs as long as it looks "cool", which these cases can't even claim. Talk about boring. Sheesh!
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0
June 15, 2008 4:33:30 AM

Lame...not the article, the comments. Dozens of comments like "I can't believe you PICKED those cases" and "How the heck did you chose this junk!"

You guys know how this works, someone at the site contacts all the manufacturers he can and asks for them to send a sample. Most don't reply on time. Those that do often send samples that nobody likes. You can't blame the author, who probably only got paid for a couple day's work out of the entire process.

Those of you who wanted the author to buy the case for more money than he was getting paid should slap some sense into yourselves...or offer to pay for them yourself.
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0
June 15, 2008 9:10:33 AM

A 'round-up' should be far more comprehensive than a comparison of only eight obscure cases. If it is a case of not getting samples in time then delay the article until you have something worth publishing.
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0
June 15, 2008 2:26:41 PM

I agree with most of the comments here and felt no need to add my own comment until reading Crashman's. I find it incredible that you single handily dismiss the feedback from the readers and backup up your comment by presenting excuses. So let me see if I got this straight. The so called "roundup" ignores the many of the more relevant cases because:
-we got a poor response from case manufacturers
-companies are more eager to send us cases that are not selling well
-Tom's writers don't get paid enough to invest any real time
-If you want good parts reviewed then buy them for us.

In my work if I pass off poor results with a list of excuses I'd be shown the door. I'd see these as challenges that need to be overcome and not used as crutches to pass off irrelevant roundups. If Tom's traffic/revenues are just fine with these half efforts then this kind of writing is by some measures, adequate.
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0
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