Whats the best case?

[arktik]

I am trying to pick out a case and their are recommendations everywhere on whats best, and luckily there are many good choices out there. Right now im torn between antec nine hundred, antec three hundred, and the NZXT panzerbox, however im open.

I would LOVE any recommendations. What im after is:

Humble Size
On the quieter side
Not huge on looks, im bigger on performance
Good quality build
Around 100 dollars or less

Right now im using the antec p180, ITS HUGE, like 22 inches tall, i had no idea it was that big when i ordered it. Great case but way too tall, getting tired of that. And the fact that the power button is under the front flap is annoying.

The NZXT panzerbox looks great but i hear its loud, really loud. And its unusual shape makes it harder to put into desk spaces that are made for normal cases. I am not toooo worried about that cuz i dont have a desk that is made like that, but if i decide to change desk's in the future, then it might be a problem. The nine hundred vs the three hundred, my friend has a nine hundred and its awfully loud, but then again he might have his fans on full. Ive heard more about the nine hundred than any case, but then i read the review on the three hundred here and they glorified it so im torn.

Thx ahead of time guys!

 

[o1die]

If you don't like the noise, the easiest way to deal with it is to disconnect some of the fans. I have looked over the 300, and it's a little too big for me. I use a compaq micro atx case, which limits me to micro atx boards. But it's quiet and adequate for my needs. My point is you should decide what case is right for you. Take some measurements of your desk if space is limited. Power supplies are different; sometimes recommendations based on noise or performance are helpful.

 

[o1die]

Fry's has the antec 300 for $39.99 today in stores only. Newegg has a rosewill R604 P-BK for only $34.99 with free shipping. The rosewill is tooless with lock downs for all optical and hardrives and a mesh filter.

 

[huntsman]

well i have the antec 300 case and its great, i have 4 120mm case fans and 1 140mm so all together 5 case fans and then i have a 120mm fan on my cpu heatsink and then the gpu fan and psu. I can tell u that its really quiet on idle as i use a fan controller and lower the fan speeds, plus the pc is at a height equal with my head and its pretty silent, but when the fans are turned up on full it gets loud, But over all the antec 300 case is really nice for the price, in my opinion i think the front grills by the 2 fans make it sound a lil louder as the air has to go through 2 grills and the filter. but if you have less fans and a speed controller it should make ur pc pretty much silent, theres always going to be some noise when using fans.

 

[huntsman]

or make one of these lol http://peteredge.orconhosting.net.nz/casefan.html

 

[obsidian86]

just too bad i cant find sunbeam cases on u.s sites they are pretty good for the price

 

[JackNaylorPE]

At $100, I'm afraid I can't make an "recommendation", I think of the Antec 900/902 as the entry point and that's $ 109 and $125 which is interesting as they have the same list price. You can compare the two here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2%2050001516%2040000007%201054808287&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=N82E16811129021%2CN82E16811129058

The 902 is 25 pounds to the 900's 18 pounds so whetehr you are going fir sturdy or light will affect your decision.

While you are looking, check the number of reviews on the 900 The 902 being much newer has quite a bit less