Help me choose... Antec 300 vs. Coolermaster 590

The Cooler Master RC690 is an outstanding case at a very inexpensive price although a little higher than the ones your looking at.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119137

If I had to choose between the two you listed I would go with the Cooler Master but you should really look at the 690.

I've built with the Coolermaster Centurion and more recently with the Antec 300. Both have excellent cooling capabilities with the mesh front panels. I got the Antec 300 for $49 about 10 days ago. Great price, great case. The 300 has the PSU mounted in the bottom of the case, so make sure you have a PSU with a long 24 pin and 4/8 pin 12v leads. The Antec 300 takes it. I also looked at the Coolermaster 690 at Fry's. It's a very nice nice case I would like to buy soon. Can't go wrong there.

Other than Front Port Placement and Cosmetic Differences what is the difference between the 590 and 690? ( I like the look & port placement of the 590 better)

coolermaster, because you get the firewire port too. DAMN, I woulda bought one of those instead of my 532 if they had em at newegg !

Not a fan of Thermaltake Cases.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A 590 & A 690?!?!?!?

Please.... Somebody... Anybody?

...It's my thread and I'll shout if I want to, shout if I want too....

As far as the main cable length don't worry...you can safely use an extension.

example:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6812162006

I think they use the same sidepanels (so I'm not sure about the size difference).
The 590 has a 4 drive cage while the 690 has 5 trays for HDDs.
The 590 also lacks cable management (stock) but you can always do it yourself.
The rest is details like foam padding for PSU on the 690 and the plastic trim on top of the 690.

That's why I wish the Lian-Li A70 I got ~month ago was less expensive. I wish more people could get to experience that kind of quality. Anywho, I'd pick the Antec 300 over the 900 even if the 900 was cheaper than the 300, but I know the 900 is a popular "gamers" case.

I would say the Coolermaster. But if the Antec is on sale--GRAB IT! Aim for the top, and then have no regrets!!!

CM 690 is a classic. I actually bought it on sale over the Antec 900--but Microcenter stiffed me a week later and canceled my order saying they were out of product6. I see it as a functional equivalent to the 900--slightly different, with different strengths and weaknesses, but excellent either way.

I got the '900 and am happy. But my brother DID manage to get the 690 and he is happy with it. I think the 690 looks a bit better, and I suspect it is built a bit better.

I know you have to draw the line somewhere, but the 590 is a no-brainer over the 300, and for $5, the 690 is DEFINITELY a no-brainer over the 590. Get the 690 and don't look back!!!

In my mind you've just described this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811112068 or this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811112099

All aluminum, so you have the entire case acting as a heatsink, light, and with "conservative good looks".

Rozar has a good point, but probably not what he intended: by the time you add the extra fans, you are at the same point as the Antec 900 (which already comes with 3 x 120mm, and 1 x 200mm fan.) 590 has 2 x 120mm, 690 has 3.

It's not gonna get that damn hot w 2 fans even.

I actually replace my Antec 120mm fan and got all 4 wire 120mm fans even for the processor. They slow down to a nice and quiet speed and can speed up if needed.

One thing that kinda sucks about the cooler master 590 is that you need to buy an extra Hard Drive caddy if you want to mount more than 4 drives. I doubt that most here care about that but I for sure do.

Im not ragging on CM though my Server is in an old school 100% aluminum CM chassis and I like it a lot.

See OP, an Antec EA (earthwatts) 500.

Asus P5K-VM mATX, may change to Mid Range Asus/Gigabyte P45 when they roll.

One added advantage of the 690 is eSata on the front I/O panel - which I consider an important feature that I don't think any of the others have, Will sure make it easier to simple backups to an eSATA backup drive, - or even use an additional external drive .

This is very true, but we are talking about Lian-Li, they do NOT skimp on anything. I bought an aluminum case from Bestbuy for a friend and it was TERRIBLE. I then bought him a Silverstone TJ09 for his birthday, which is an expensive aluminum case and is NOT flimsy. After a few disappointments with cooling I sent it back and bought a Lian-Li PC-60B Plus II and the difference between this $120 case and the $280 Silverstone case in quality was amazing,(he pocketed the difference, I have cheap friends). Everything felt solid, the welds looked actually professional, I have experience in this department, and the sheer design was so articulate and painfully well done down to the last detail, it made me a believer. At the time of my purchase of the Lian-Li PC-60B Plus II, the PC-7 Plus II was priced higher than the PC-60B Plus II so I would expect the same if not better quality of it.
Honestly the Coolermaster 690 is the only sub $100 case I would ever buy, and I am an owner of it and the Antec 900. The difference between the 690 and the 590 is that the 690 is slightly bigger, can fit a better amount of hard drives, has a much needed fan, for the design, that the 590 lacks, and the 690 looks much better than it does in the pictures, very clean yet aggressive. For the extra $5 the 690 is a no brainer. I believe you should DEFINATELY take a good long look at Lian-Li and if nothing excites you, well that's what the CM 690 is for.

Hope this helps, message me with any further questions.

I love my Lian-Li, its exceptional and without a doubt one of the two nicest cases I've had (the other is the very unpopular Thermaltake Mozart TX...but I liked it). The Lian-Li is like putting your components in a BMW or Benz. ...but if it looks plain to the OP, he has a right to feel that way.

Yeah, I understand a lot of people don't like the looks of most Lian-Li cases, I was merely trying to give him the option to try and find one that looks good to him. Anyway, there is no reason, in my mind, not to pay the extra $5 for a 690. The 690 is a great case and will serve the OP well for years to come.

Na, my lian-li A70 has HD's mounted sideways too. 2 fans in front and to fan's behind...the breeze flows fine.

Heh... Happy B-day then.. Err, and Good Luck!

Happy B-Day, mine is 5/27. Enjoy the case and, if your old enough, celebrate with some frosty malt beverages

The 300 is the much nicer (more "grown-up" looking, and therefore, perhaps longer-lasting appeal) of the two when compared with the Antec 900...but given the choice of the 300 and CM-690 (if the few extra $$ is not an issue) I'd take the 690. E-Sata on the front panel. That's a nice feature to have and I've not seen too many add-in drive-bays that provide it on the cheap (and by the time you find and get one you've likely neared the 690's price anyways). I have a gut feeling the 690 might be a tad quieter too but I could be way wrong about that.

I got my PSU on my 590 to where the bottom fan is actually on the bottom. The bottom of the case has a vent, so it draws cool air at the very bottom. Now if that case was on carpet... heh, well that wouldn't be a good idea.

It looks like the 690 is built the same way.

I got bad hearing, but I can hear the fans on my 590 when I crack up all the fans I have installed, although it doesn't bother me much.