Which $50 gaming case is better?

[flyingmerpa]

Hello,
Going to be building a gaming pc with a Phenom X4 and 560ti,

Looking at either the Rosewill Challenger ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153 ) or the Sentey Black Box Series BX1-4234 ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811322024).

I like both due to the price range and the included generous amount of fans. The Sentey seems to be lacking as many reviews as the Rosewill, but the one review on newegg and the following seem nice: http://www.tech-kings.net/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=149:sentey-bx1-4234-review&catid=38:cases

Any owners of the following cases? Are there are any cheaper cases that would be recommended over these?

 

[wiinippongamer]

Out of those two, the rosewill challenger looks better, it looks nice indeed for a case at that price.

Stay, far, far away from sentey, the one's I've used in the past have left me very dissapointed.

If you're willing to spend $10 more, I'd go for the HAF912 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233&Tpk=haf%20912 It's sturdier (12lb vs 18lb) and has better cooling than the rosewill ( after you add the optional fans).

 

[davcon]

Don't know anything about Sentey quality wise.I know lots of people buy the Challenger.
If given the choice i would probably buy the Rosewill.
These two cases will be of higher build quality.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007583%2050013670%204025&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=7%7C11%2D146%2D078%5E11%2D146%2D078%2DTS%2C11%2D129%2D098%5E11%2D129%2D098%2DTS

 

[mazchazo]

You might want to take the m59 into consideration. I think it has all the good features for 50 dollars.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146058&Tpk=m59

 

[flyingmerpa]

Thanks for the replies everyone. For convenience and budget I'm looking towards the one with the most included fans. Some of those are including only a front or a rear only. The m59 has a 120mm side and 120mm rear fan. Are those two fans adequate running a phenom II x4 and 560ti GPU? I would assume having a third in the front would be optimal and maybe mandatory or am I wrong?

 

[Twoboxer]

I've not used any of the cases, so i thought thiese comparisons (Eight sub-$50 Gaming Cases Compared) might help you decide:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/antec-three-hundred-enermax-staray-cooler-master-elite-430,2707.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nzxt-gamma-rosewill-challenger-silverstone-precision,2723.html

Spoiler: Rosewill Challenger tied for the win because the Antec 300 raised price to over $50.

 

[davcon]

Thanks for the replies everyone. For convenience and budget I'm looking towards the one with the most included fans. Some of those are including only a front or a rear only. The m59 has a 120mm side and 120mm rear fan. Are those two fans adequate running a phenom II x4 and 560ti GPU? I would assume having a third in the front would be optimal and maybe mandatory or am I wrong?

The two i listed have high-quality 120mm rear and 140mm top fans.= bargain
Just so you know Rosewill fans aren't high-quality.
A 120mm side fan is more or less useless in my experience - i don't use them= no temp benefit just more dust.

 

[wiinippongamer]

A side fan does help if you're using crossfire or if the gpu is the open heatsink type( not the one that blows heat out of the back)

 

[flyingmerpa]

The two i listed have high-quality 120mm rear and 140mm top fans.= bargain
Just so you know Rosewill fans aren't high-quality.
A 120mm side fan is more or less useless in my experience - i don't use them= no temp benefit just more dust.

Cool! The rear fan is for exhaust, so does the top fan act as fresh air intake (which is what the front fan is for)?
If the top and rear are both exhaust, what do I do about intake air?

Apparently intake air is not need for ATX cases or is only good in the front if you want to keep hard drives cool? See link:
http://www.computing.net/answers/cpus/top-fan-blowing-in-or-out/15358.html

 

[christop]

I kinda like the Sentey Black Box BX1-4234 v2.1 Mid Tower Case. I would water cool and slap a radiator in the top.

 

[AstroTC]

http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Elite-Window-RC-430-KWN1/dp/B003O8J11E/ref=pd_ybh_24?pf_rd_p=280800601&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_t=1501&pf_rd_i=ybh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0CT8D6Z2JJZJGSVNEVHS

^That case sir, is a winner for the price

 

[davcon]

Cool! The rear fan is for exhaust, so does the top fan act as fresh air intake (which is what the front fan is for)?
If the top and rear are both exhaust, what do I do about intake air?

Apparently intake air is not need for ATX cases or is only good in the front if you want to keep hard drives cool? See link:
http://www.computing.net/answers/cpus/top-fan-blowing-in-or-out/15358.html

Both are exhaust the top 140mm is nice since it's quieter then a 120mm and hot air rises.
You can always add a front intake fan whenever.
I recommend you do so i always do.

 

[pacific27]

I've been very happy with the quality of my Antec 300 most all other case's in this price range use thin cheap metal and the fit and finish just isn't up to the level of the 300. Its also on sale at newegg atm....

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

great price for the highest quality case at this price point, obviously you would have to buy case fans

 

[garrick]

Check out the Antec One Hundred which should be around 50 bucks. I have one and it's pretty good and brought my temps down quite a bit from the generic case I had before. It has two large case fans one on the top and back and the PSU mounts on the bottom for better air flow.

 

[flyingmerpa]

I've narrowed down to the NZXT m59, or Cooler Master Elite 430. If I want to spend $10 more I'll go with the highly trusted HAF 912.

The m59:
Pros: has front and exhaust fans included (with filters! Dusty house here), a Coolermaster 212+ will fit.
Cons: stock fans crapped out for some and the cable management seems just okay that I've found.

Does the hard drive bay remove in case I need a bigger 6950 GPU to fit comfortably with air flow?

Elite 430:
Pros: can fit large GPU, has filters for PSU and includes front fan with filter

Cons: only one fan included and okay cable management.


So with these the give and take involves the cost of adding more money on fans and filters, etc. I could technically buy a $50 case, but have to invest more money on decent fans and other things. Will either of these cases *** me over with hidden expenses? Will the HAF 912 do the same thing?

Any suggestions?

 

[davcon]

I've narrowed down to the NZXT m59, or Cooler Master Elite 430. If I want to spend $10 more I'll go with the highly trusted HAF 912.

The m59:
Pros: has front and exhaust fans included (with filters! Dusty house here), a Coolermaster 212+ will fit.
Cons: stock fans crapped out for some and the cable management seems just okay that I've found.

Does the hard drive bay remove in case I need a bigger 6950 GPU to fit comfortably with air flow?

Elite 430:
Pros: can fit large GPU, has filters for PSU and includes front fan with filter

Cons: only one fan included and okay cable management.


So with these the give and take involves the cost of adding more money on fans and filters, etc. I could technically buy a $50 case, but have to invest more money on decent fans and other things. Will either of these cases *** me over with hidden expenses? Will the HAF 912 do the same thing?

Any suggestions?

Both those cases are good decent quality budget cases.
I've inspected both in person and bought the 430.=seemed higher quality to me/price was right i paid only $35+ tax
Like all cases they have their flaws.
Both are lightweights but that's to be expected at their price range.= thinner steel constrution .7mm not .8mm
Quite frankly the M59 is just a dressed up Gamma = i think they're ugly but that's my opinion
The 430 is cut-off at the top = not as much space between mobo/cpu socket and top panel/fans as other cases have
However it will accommodate a 212+ no problem = i installed one in my 430
I think an Antec 100 or a HAF 912 are definitely a level up from both though.
The HAF 912 the best of the lot.
Coolermaster Haf 912
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=55583&vpn=RC%2D912%2DKKN1&manufacture=COOLERMASTER
The Antec One Hundred Black is a terrific value at it's current offer imo
Much the same as the 300 except it has TwoCool fans instead of TriCools/way better cable management
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129098

 

[flyingmerpa]

Thanks for the reply. The thing that worries me about the Antec 100 is the lack of ventilation on the bottom for the PSU and it seems to lack filters as well if I'm not mistaken. The other two seem dead even since the prices are the same at the moment, but I'll take your word on the 430 being higher quality.

 

[gnomio]

heres another cheapo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3067296&SID=
You can also add five additional 120mm case fans (Two on the side, two at the top, one in the front)
Its got Plenty of ventilation holes

 

[davcon]

Thanks for the reply. The thing that worries me about the Antec 100 is the lack of ventilation on the bottom for the PSU and it seems to lack filters as well if I'm not mistaken. The other two seem dead even since the prices are the same at the moment, but I'll take your word on the 430 being higher quality.

Don't even worry about that,i have two cases with a psu cut-out and one without.
The one(CM690II) that i mounted the psu fan down to take advantage of the cut-out is a pita and needs constant cleaning(the filter and psu fan).=it's not even on the floor and is always clogged up.
Mounted my psu fan up in the 430 =learned my lesson.
My Antec 902 doesn't even have a cut-out and my psu is mounted fan down since i installed it in 2009.-i check it periodically and it's always clean and temps are just as good as the others.
Btw none of my pc's are on the floor.

 

[flyingmerpa]

Don't even worry about that,i have two cases with a psu cut-out and one without.
The one(CM690II) that i mounted the psu fan down to take advantage of the cut-out is a pita and needs constant cleaning(the filter and psu fan).=it's not even on the floor and is always clogged up.
Mounted my psu fan up in the 430 =learned my lesson.
My Antec 902 doesn't even have a cut-out and my psu is mounted fan down since i installed it in 2009.-i check it periodically and it's always clean and temps are just as good as the others.
Btw none of my pc's are on the floor.

I am thinking of getting an SLI/Crossfire Mobo so in the future when my GPU is downgraded I can just add another if it ends up being cheaper than buying a brand new single. Haven't decided on 560ti or Radeon 6950 at the moment. Also, the 6950 is about 10.5 inches long which in some cases is pushing the limits in terms of available space.

The Elite 430 has about 12 or more inches of clearance for the GPU which is very nice, considering perhaps GPU's may get larger in the coming years.
However, this review ( http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2011/02/28/antec-one-hundred-review/3 ) of the ANTEC 100 shows that a longer GPU may fit INTO the hard drive bay if the GPU is past the alloted 295mm (11.6 inches). Is that possible?

Here is a great detailed review of the Elite 430: http://www.techreaction.net/2010/06/02/review-cooler-master-elite-430/

So now I seem to be debating the Elite 430 vs the Antec 100.

So the Antec 100 is $35 on newegg
Elite 430 is $40 after rebates.

So, for someone that wants a build to last for a few years upgrading to better GPU (or SLI/Crossifre), getting nice amount of room to upgrade GPU or crossfire, and not overheating on stock cooling/fans, which would I not regret getting the most? The 212+ fits in the Antec no problemo? Will the 212+ limit the space for top fans?