Tom's Hardware > Forum > CPU & Components > Power Supplies, PC Cases & Case Mods > The Best Mid-ATX Case?
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wildben   06-11-2008 at 04:28:25 AM

What do you all think is the best mid-ATX case out on the market right now? I need good looks, good airflow, good features, and good quality. Budget is up to $300 (If mid-ATX's go up that high).

I don't want a full tower as I only have 2 hard drives, and 2 optical drives... and I don't want the huge size or weight of a full tower.

I like the Antec 900, Antec P182, Coolermaster 690, maybe Thermaltake Tsunami, or some Lian Li case... haven't looked at any others. I need help to decide which is best, regardless of the price.

So, what mid sized ATX do you all recommend, and why?

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ovaltineplease   06-11-2008 at 06:47:36 AM
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I very much like my antec 900, for its price it is a great case.

However if you have 300$ to spend on a case, there are surely higher quality and more feature rich cases from Lian Li - just check their website; I will for the hell of it while i'm here.

Reply to ovaltineplease
ovaltineplease   06-11-2008 at 06:53:07 AM
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http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/produ [...] =62&g=spec

Lian Li Mid Atx Armorsuit case

8kg Alluminum, Noise dampening, Rounded edges, 5 fans well placed smallest ones are 120mm @ 800 rpm which should be fairly quiet

Has other features, just click the link.

edit:

I believe this case falls between qualifying as a full tower and a mid tower - although Lian Li calls it a mid tower, but it is fairly large. It still seems excellent though and its only 8kg


Message edited by ovaltineplease on 06-11-2008 at 06:56:06 AM
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The_Blood_Raven   06-11-2008 at 07:14:12 AM
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My personal favorite mid-ATX case is the Cooler Master 690.

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godless   06-11-2008 at 07:27:57 AM
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another vote for cooler master cm 690. perfect case, except the location of power/reset button. it should be moved to center, not the side.

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mi1ez   06-11-2008 at 09:52:31 AM
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There we go then, the three cases that crop up every time!

Just down to you to compare these three in terms of price/looks/cooling/noise.

Reply to mi1ez
wildben   06-11-2008 at 04:49:54 PM
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Awesome... that's exactly what I needed, just to narrow down to the few best out of the hundreds out there.

The Lian Li that ovaltineplease posted a link to looks a bit big from the pictures, and I didn't really see any features that the other 2 cases didn't have to make it worth 3-4 times the cost.

So between the CM 690 and Antec 900 (this has probably been compared 300 times) I may need some help to narrow this down... My main concern with the CM 690 is build quality. A lot of reviews say that this case has a cheap feel to it. Need something solid and high quality to last a while. Anyone with any thoughts on the case quality?

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godless   06-11-2008 at 04:56:30 PM
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i think just the opposite about my cm 690. it's really sturdy and well built. there is very little plastic. the case is mostly all steel, except for a few plastic parts. the mesh is really awesome on it, looks great. it's pretty easy to clean. most people complain about the brackets for pci/pcie in the back. they are pretty cheap. but then again if you are putting in anykind of modern graphics card, it's gonna be heavy and you will need to screw it in anyways. instead of using the plastic brackets anyways. otherway your card will sag in the case. i know that the antec 900 has a lot of plastic in it. this way the main reason why i got the cm 690. i just can't handle plastic. and the otherbad thing that i can think of with the cm 690 case is theplacement of the powerbutton. instad of it being in the middle of the front of the case, it right on the edge. this makes it a little bit harder to reach if your computer is to the right of you. that's it. there are no other cons.

------------------------------ Phenom II 955 @3.8 ghz|MSI K9A2 Platinum|500Gb Seagate 7200.11|2Gb OCZ Ram|Diamond HD3870 @800Mhz|CM 690|OCZ 700Watt |Scythe Mugen 2|
 Reply to godless
fleakiller   06-11-2008 at 05:15:15 PM
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I also like my CM690 the only thing about it that i dont like is the ports on top but that is because it sits under the desk

------------------------------ 8088 @ 2 mhz
 Reply to fleakiller
xringx   06-11-2008 at 06:44:37 PM
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I think the CM690 blows the 900 out of the water in terms of quality and looks. I think the 900 is one of the more ugly cases to come to be...

This is the case I want......

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] _-11133027

------------------------------ Q6600@3.6(9x400)Lapped Abit IX38QuadGT,TRUE 120 Lapped,Vista Ultimate 64bit,Gigabyte HD 3870 OC'd to 860/2250 w/ Zalman Fan,4x2GB G.Skill PI-Black,CM690 w/ 5x140m 3x120m fans,Idle 28c load 42c-Corsair HX620w
 Reply to xringx
godless   06-11-2008 at 06:58:06 PM
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too bad that this case doesn't come with a beer cooler, then it would be perfect

Reply to godless
Typhoon99   06-12-2008 at 05:31:23 AM
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Which cooler master case is best?

CM690 or RC690?

Reply to Typhoon99
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