High dollar case or low? pros and cons

[dedline]

For some reason I am really stuck trying to decide on different cases. Full tower or mid? What are the benefits to both? I have been looking at some cases and was wondering what your guys opinions are and why. Here are my 3 choices, all comments are welcome.

First off here is the affordable case with decent cooling. Ultra eTorque ULT33180 Mid-Tower ATX Case - Silver, Front USB, FireWire and Clear Side. Link to Tigerdirect - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2337814&Sku=ULT33180

This case is normally $99 but is currently $59.98 with the instant savings. Its a mid tower with less room but seems to have good cooling for the price.

My second choice is the Antec Twelve Hundred Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case. This case is running for $154.99 at newegg. Link -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043

Case got great reviews on Benchmarkreviews.com has lots of fans, lots of room, only thing that seems to be a con is the 200mm fan on top doesnt have a filter so dust falls through when its not on into your motherboard and cpu.

My third choice was the most expensive of the three but most appealing, the Thermaltake Spedo VI90001W2Z Full-Tower Case - Clear side with 230mm Fan, Top 230mm Fan, Front USB x2, eSATA and Audio Ports. This case is a pricey $224.99 but almost seems worth it to me.

Link to tigerdirect - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4197077&Sku=T925-1278

Everything about this case seems amazing, but I admit I am not an expert in building computers yet with this only being my third. I have always purchased a 30-50 dollar case and hated it but did it to save money. This time around I would like to ask everyone's opinion on cases and how it effects there building experience and overall performance computer. Any thoughts you guys have would help me make a decision. I dont have all the money in the world with a family and all but I would like to make this computer the best I can without killing my bank account.

 

[mi1ez]

The huge side fan will dirupt cooling more than aiding it. I would suggest the Antec. Excellent cooling and good looks (IMO)

 

[50bmg]

I have the Antec 1200. love it. I got mine on sale for $120. cha ching. best $120 i spent in a while for computers.

It cooled down the systme several degrees. I had a big mid tower. I got the 1200 3-4 months ago, so i can't remember the exact degrees C it dropped, but it was significant. I think the system dropped 10C, cpu 5C+, gpu's 5C. This was with all fans at low speeds.

It has plenty of room. It gets a little tight on long video cards, but very managable. It has great cable management.

It has excellent air management. 3 fan front going in, 2 rear exhaust and 1 huge top exhaust. The top would work perfectly for a radiator. The top front supply fan sucks, my 120mm sunbeam core contact cooler fan and the bottom rear exhaut are in line. If my cpu gets warm, bump up speeds and it drops 5-10C instantly. It never exceeds 56c regardless. Fans on high i can keep it under 50C under load. Plus it has cleanable front filters.

Here are some pics before i installed the sunbeam cooler. My 800w psu has a wad of cables, which is ugly, but in this case it looks worse than it is. It is quite easy to get in and out.

http://s33.photobucket.com/albums/d68/50_BMG/my%20PC/

There are only 2 slight negatives to the 1200. Long video cards are tight and I wish there was atl east 1 HD bay accessable from the side.

otherwise it rocks. 4.5 out of 5 stars. lol.

go with a quality big case. They are compatible for a long periods. I dont see ATX going away. You wont be wasting your money.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

The Ultra case does not have good ventilation, airflow, and cooling capacity. The fan at the bottom front of the case cannot do it's job because airflow is severely blocked by a plastic panel on the front of the case. Incredibly bad design.

fan grills, guards, perforated mesh, and filters all restrict airflow to some extent. Filters restrict airflow the most. Not a good idea if you want optimal ventilation, airflow, and cooling capacity. A little dust should not be a problem. It's just a matter of periodically performing a little maintenance.

 

[mi1ez]

If your PC is under a desk, there will be very little dust falling in a top fan anyway!

 

[dedline]

Thanks guys, I think I will go with the antec 1200 then. I appreciate your help.

 

[jive]

There are other questions when you check for pc case:
cable management,expention bay,water cooling possibilitie,adding fan,did I need a mobo tray that can move separately.
As you see in my Sig I have a tj-09 pretty expensive, and I regert it a little bit. now I know what i'm looking for in a case for my need. If you build it and never do anything after the initial build. Cooling should be your main guide line. Prize after that. If your like me and like to try different configuration and hardware you will need more then looking for prize an cooling.
There is one thing pretty common now in case, is the possibility to acces the CPU heatsink under side without removing anything, to be honnest it's a real important if you think you will play in that box.
But in the three case you mention the antec will be the best one.
thanks