New gamming case help

[rufus_22]

Im looking to build a new gaming rig . My experience lvl is fairly low so please bare with me . I'm looking at full tower cases for ease of install , cooling , not scraping my knuckles , et. Most of the cases Ive seen are a bit gaudy for my taste . I found some lian li cases that looked good . whats the general consensus on there products ??

 

[davcon]

Lian-li is top notch build quality! and with all things of that calibre you have to pay for it.
Corsair and Silverstone also offer quality cases.

 

[rufus_22]

Im looking to build a new gaming rig . My experience lvl is fairly low so please bare with me . I'm looking at full tower cases for ease of install , cooling , not scraping my knuckles , et. Most of the cases Ive seen are a bit gaudy for my taste . I found some lian li cases that looked good . whats the general consensus on there products ??

The lower end full towers were in the two hundred dollar range but I justified the added expense by the added ( expected ) longevity of the case . Or am I wrong ?

 

[davcon]

The lower end full towers were in the two hundred dollar range but I justified the added expense by the added ( expected ) longevity of the case . Or am I wrong ?

Nothing really low end quality wise with $150+ cases from quality makers other then they are most often steel as opposed to aluminum.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Lian Li id high quality but toi my mind, they a bit pricey. If ya like the understated look, I'd recommend these $275 combos:

Antec 1200 V3 w/ CP-850 PSU - An outstanding combination. Has the LED fan thing but ya can turn the LED's off if ya not into that kinda thing. Very solid / sturdy case at 33 pounds. Lotsa room, great cable routing, built in fan speed control, two fan mounting locations (side window and behind HD cage) for the extra cooling for SLI / CF. Best feature of case is it fits CPX form factor PSU's which are inherently cooler and quieter. In giving the PSU a 10.0 performance rating, Jonnyguru writes "It is completely unmatched by any ATX unit on the market I can think of. You'd have to spend twice as much as this thing costs to find the next best thing, performance wise. "

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=142

For a review of how well the PSU works with the 1200 from a cooling and acoustic standpoint, in what the author calls "unfair competition" read this:

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article971-page7.html

$160 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129100
$115 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024
==================================

Corsair 500R w/ HX850 - Another outstanding case with another 10.0 jonnyguru performance rated PSU. Again, ther ear e some things ti be gained from having the same manufacturer. Rather than me blabbin, read the reviews.

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&Itemid=61&limit=1&limitstart=5
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story5&reid=153

$115 - $125 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006644&isNodeId=1&Description=500r&x=0&y=0
$160 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681713901

If ya want something unique, the Level 10GT is the best reviewed, most feature filled case i have seen so far:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006519%2050001379%2040000007&IsNodeId=1&srchInDesc=Level%2010&page=1&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=True&CompareItemList=7|11-133-188^11-133-188-TS%2C11-133-192^11-133-192-TS
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=843&Itemid=61

 

[davcon]

^+1
Some really great suggestions imo!

 

[rufus_22]

Wow ! .. alot for me to look at . Thank you much for the info

 

[rufus_22]

now that I think about it ...Is a fuul tower case advisable for a medium performence gaming rig ??

 

[davcon]

now that I think about it ...Is a fuul tower case advisable for a medium performence gaming rig ??

Not really imo! there's plenty of high quality mid-towers with lots of interior room.
Some nearly as large volume wise as full towers.
If it's possible visit a good pc shop and have a look.
I was put off of a CM 922 because i felt it was too large for my needs.
Ended up with an Antec 902 which was my 2nd choice initially.
Both great cases btw and most often under $100.
Another large mid tower is the Corsair Graphite Series 600T .
Even cheaper mids like the CM HAF 912 have plenty of room.= $50 and offer alot of flexibilty for the price.

 

[hotthree]

Corsair
400r
500r
650D

Silverstone
ft02
Raven series rv 02 or rv 02-ew (i use this case and its a dream)

Fractal Design
Midi

Lian Li
Great cases just choose one you like

Cooler Master
HAF series

Theres good cheaper ones to, but generally you get more plastic/more frustrating build with them.

^ all these are top of the line and vary in prices.

10gt by themaltake or w/e is ugly as balls and not a great case by any means

 

[cybneo]

I have the phantom case from http://www.nzxt.com and i always get complements. Its also pretty good with cable management and airflow. I also have an older case from them thats at least 5 years old and it still works.

 

[rufus_22]

thankyou to all for info .. I have a crippling fear of buyers remorse and will agonize these decisions to death

 

[davcon]

thankyou to all for info .. I have a crippling fear of buyers remorse and will agonize these decisions to death

Well every case manufacturer referred too on this thread are the better/best ones.
Plenty of reviews(video ones too) on the web.Youtube has countless.
The biggest regret as far as pc components go is buying a crappy psu as far as i'm concerned.
That and spending too much on a gpu that's outshined a year or two later by much cheaper ones lol!

 

[blacksci]

Go to newegg and read reviews from the people that actually own them, rather then the few of us that would like to, lol.

 

[rufus_22]

OK Ive narrowed it down to two .. How important is usb 3.0 ??

 

[e-ninja]

depends on your needs. usb 2.0 is good enough for me. a couple of usb 3.0 should be fine.

 

[blacksci]

it will only be important in the sense of you using a flash drive. keyboard wise and mouse wise may migrate to it, but not for awhile.

 

[rufus_22]

cool thanx . If there isnt a great need for the 3.0 in the near future I can save some $$ on this build

 

[davcon]

OK Ive narrowed it down to two .. How important is usb 3.0 ??

I think if your mobo features Usb 3.0 it's silly not to choose a case with USB 3.0.
Not a big deal if decide not too though.if your board features it you still have rear IO ports.
Personally i'd like to add it to my none usb 3.0 board and case.(usb 3.0 pci and 3.5"front ports).
I use flash drives on a daily basis.

 

[rufus_22]

OK I think I have a winner ... " wait for it " Lian li pc-k9b , any thoughts or caviats would be helpfull ( cringe )

 

[rufus_22]

ok maybe not the Pc-k62 looks good now if a bit more glammy

 

[davcon]

OK I think I have a winner ... " wait for it " Lian li pc-k9b , any thoughts or caviats would be helpfull ( cringe )

Yes i really like that case and have recommended it before.
Only goofy flaw is you have to remove the top panel to feed 8pin cpu power to the mobo.
You can buy accessories like a top panel with 2x140mm fan mounts= retarded why it isn't standard.
There's also a window version.
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/47515-lancool-pc-k9-b-mid-tower-case-review.html

 

[rufus_22]

Thanx for the input . The k62 is a little less conservative . But the neweeg reviews as well as all the youtube reviews were all very positive and they also noted the cpu power goof as well as the fix . So for only $ 100 I think Ive found my case ...On to the psu !

 

[rufus_22]

For a single graphics card / i5 system .... 650 w ?

 

[davcon]

For a single graphics card / i5 system .... 650 w ?

A quality 500w psu will handle a good portion of gpu's.
I agree 100% though with a 600-650w choice = way more flexibilty.