New Case?

[B0L0]

I currently have an Antec 300, which is not too bad.
I do wish that it had better cable management options though.

I'm curious about getting a better case. Any recommendations?
I like the more understated look of the 300, but would want a higher-end case with better cable management as well as a better way of mounting hard drives (I don't like how the hard drives mount in the 300 as with a long video card it can be a pain to sneak them in there.)

Thanks in advance

 

[kivan2400]

i Would go for "Cooler master HAF 922"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197&cm_re=HAF_922-_-11-119-197-_-Product

Best case tbh - i got it myself

 

[beanoslim]

Where are you buying from and what your budget.

HAF912+/922/932/X
Antec 900/902/1200
Silverstone RV02/FT02

Its not difficult to greatly improve the 300 cable management.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8yyha7YP74

 

[B0L0]

Probably from Canada Computers, or other local stores that have similar stock. Budget is flexible, less than $150 CDN is preferable

I'm also considering the modding route to improve the cable management, as other than the harddrive and graphics card configuration its my only real gripe about the case.

What other features would come into the picture with a higher-end case that would make an upgrade preferable to modding?

 

[beanoslim]

The 300 has great cooling and as you can see can be made to look very clean and smart.

It has plenty of cable tie hooks for cables and extensions can be brought for psu cables to enable re-routing.

Basically a few holes need to be cut and preferably a spray up and it looks the business.

A high end case would provide pre-made cable management, thicker chassis for noise reduction, more space, better cooling although with a £150 budget the cooling wouldn't be massivley improved.

Depends how handy you are and if you can be bothered really.

 

[B0L0]

Yea, I've definitely had no complaints as far as cooling is concerned.

Alright I'll give modding a shot, I think it could be fun too haha

Thanks for your help, we'll see how it goes

 

[Bacillus]

Depending on your budget I'd recommend the Antec P182. Out of the multiple builds I've done, it is by far the best case I've used. The PSU mount and HDD cages are separated from the rest of the components to significantly reduce heat and noise. Throughout the case there is insulation to minimize noise from vibrations. There is also space behind the motherboard tray with cable ties for some of the cleanest cable management I've seen.

This is a prime example of it's cable management without any modifications:

 

[B0L0]

Best answer selected by B0L0.

 

[belltollsforthee]

Depending on your budget I'd recommend the Antec P182. Out of the multiple builds I've done, it is by far the best case I've used. The PSU mount and HDD cages are separated from the rest of the components to significantly reduce heat and noise. Throughout the case there is insulation to minimize noise from vibrations. There is also space behind the motherboard tray with cable ties for some of the cleanest cable management I've seen.

This is a prime example of it's cable management without any modifications:

http://iforce.co.nz/i/ef39e0550cec362a868fa47e2e58dc20.jpg

What kind of heatsink is that?
I was looking at that line but the p193 only fits 140mm

 

[Bacillus]

What kind of heatsink is that?
I was looking at that line but the p193 only fits 140mm

It's a Thermalright U120eXtrem1366RT R-C 120mm Fluid Dynamic CPU Cooler.

 

[moody89]

The 300 has great cooling and as you can see can be made to look very clean and smart.

It has plenty of cable tie hooks for cables and extensions can be brought for psu cables to enable re-routing.

Basically a few holes need to be cut and preferably a spray up and it looks the business.

A high end case would provide pre-made cable management, thicker chassis for noise reduction, more space, better cooling although with a £150 budget the cooling wouldn't be massivley improved.

Depends how handy you are and if you can be bothered really.

+1 - Here's my Antec 300 with a few cable management holes. You don't have to drill many holes - just be thoughtful about where to put them and you can get away with 2-3 to do the job. I used various sized holesaws to drill mine and used plenty of adhesive bases and cable ties. Grommet strip or moulding for the edges of the holes is a must to prevent damage to the cables. The cables go through the holes and are run on the back side of the motherboard tray. This is quite an old photo now from when I first put this system together. I now have a new PSU, 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3 and an OCZ Vertex 2E 60GB. In the future I plan to install a bottom fan hole with a dust filter for underneath the PSU so that the PSU can intake its own cool air from underneath the case. This also means I'll need to install case feet on the 300 so that it can get sufficient air supply. A painted black interior would also look nice on this case while you have everything removed to drill holes

Here's my case: