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The Final Three: Sub-$100 Cases For Your Gaming Build

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  • Antec
  • Cooler Master
  • Cases
  • In Win
Last response: in Reviews comments
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July 2, 2013 9:00:05 PM

The journey was a long one, but we're finally wrapping up our round-up of sub-$100 gaming cases. Today we review the last three of 11 total product submissions and pick an overall favorite. The competition was vicious, but one model definitely stands out.

The Final Three: Sub-$100 Cases For Your Gaming Build : Read more

More about : final 100 cases gaming build

July 2, 2013 11:02:31 PM

Thanks for doing the sub $100 cases. Obviously these are the most important ones.

Is there any way tomshardware can put all the data together on a couple spreadsheets?
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July 2, 2013 11:19:17 PM

I'd like to see an article for this for cases that are larger, like the HAF X, Switch 810, and a few others. Be interesting to see them compared.
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July 2, 2013 11:57:00 PM

envy14tpe said:
Thanks for doing the sub $100 cases. Obviously these are the most important ones.

Is there any way tomshardware can put all the data together on a couple spreadsheets?


Performance data?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/antec-gx700-cooler-...

Or do you mean dimensional data?

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July 3, 2013 12:45:20 AM

Hey about the GX700: Only exhaust would mean more dust build up (negative internal air pressure) so how does that factor in?
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July 3, 2013 1:09:23 AM

Crashman said:
envy14tpe said:
Thanks for doing the sub $100 cases. Obviously these are the most important ones.

Is there any way tomshardware can put all the data together on a couple spreadsheets?


Performance data?
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/antec-gx700-cooler-...

Or do you mean dimensional data?


That's exactly what I was looking for.
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July 3, 2013 5:21:46 AM

Thanks for doing all the analysis. Cases are so subjective and have so many factors, and it all comes down to trade-offs.

I thought the final analysis was perhaps a bit brief with so many cases reviewed. It would be good to see some type of point or rating system for different factors that go into overall case value (i.e. Finish Quality, Build Quality, Component Accessibility, Flexible Layout Options, Cable Management).
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July 3, 2013 6:05:25 AM

If one can deal with its anomalies (dealbreakers for some I'm sure), the Antec GX700 looks like a winner. I'm not sure about the styling, but that Ostrog does look like a good choice too. The Storm Scout looks like a bigtime value loser, and I'm very surprised Rosewill didn't do better. I suspect a lot of positions might change if you allow a certain amount of modding and tweaking though. I think this is why selecting a case will remain a matter of personal preference, regardless of what stock benchmarks show.
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July 3, 2013 7:35:52 AM

I built my friend's PC in the In Win and it was a good experience. Cable management was acceptable, everything fit nicely, nice color scheme. There was an interesting moment when I noticed that the case was built to include its own standoffs in the form of raised bumps on the motherboard tray. This scared me because I didn't trust putting the mobo on the case, but I looked it up and apparently the standoffs that came with the case were only for micro ATX. The front panel design and lights were nice looking and mostly unobtrusive. Other than that, it was a great case to build in and I think I'll be using it for my next friend's build this summer. Out of all the cases I would recommend this one for a good building experience.
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July 3, 2013 7:36:17 AM

So which is the good budget case that doesn't look like a flashy monster? I know it shouldn't matter, but I personally couldn't stand many of these cases sitting in my living room.
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July 3, 2013 7:43:29 AM

I'd take a look at Fractal Designs or Lian Li for a much more subdued styling, and also quiet. I don't mind a blue light here or there (if only to tell me the PC is on, ready to do as I tell it), but I don't like garish either; not in the living room anyway.
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July 3, 2013 8:21:11 AM

So the Antec GX700 is quieter, cooler, and cheaper than the Ostrog GT yet the GT is the smarter buy?
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July 3, 2013 9:00:42 AM

Would have liked to see how Fractal Design Define R4 would have compared to these cases. I just built a computer using the Fractal Design Define R4 (Paid $80 for the case on newegg a few weeks back so fits in the sub $100 catagory). Some people might not like the fact it wider then the typical mid tower case but the extra width made cable management extremely easy. Fractal Design did a excellent job providing places all around the motherboard for routing the cables behind the motherboard. seems fairly silent to me and getting good temps also.
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July 3, 2013 9:15:17 AM

CyranD, that's the case I had in mind for JPNpower; solid, sturdy, quiet, and sedate.
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July 3, 2013 9:32:25 AM

The Arc midi and R4 are both under $100 now making all these other cases seem like "meh."
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July 3, 2013 9:39:26 AM

Thanks for this. I might be needing to get a case soon for a friend, and these are definitely a few I will be looking at.
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July 3, 2013 10:08:28 AM

Onus said:
If one can deal with its anomalies (dealbreakers for some I'm sure), the Antec GX700 looks like a winner. I'm not sure about the styling, but that Ostrog does look like a good choice too. The Storm Scout looks like a bigtime value loser, and I'm very surprised Rosewill didn't do better. I suspect a lot of positions might change if you allow a certain amount of modding and tweaking though. I think this is why selecting a case will remain a matter of personal preference, regardless of what stock benchmarks show.
The Scout 2 Advanced is one of the heavy-duty cases in the roundup, that must count for something.

slomo4sho said:
So the Antec GX700 is quieter, cooler, and cheaper than the Ostrog GT yet the GT is the smarter buy?
The GX700 is one of the flimsiest cases in the roundup, and is so cheaply made it doesn't even have replaceable slot covers. That must count for something...

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July 3, 2013 10:23:27 AM

Best case I ever got & still use Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black mid tower case. $40 on sale/ regular price $59. USB 3.o, 3 fans that don't suck/ room for 2 more side fans, & a good 10.5" GPU room.
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July 3, 2013 10:25:56 AM

Crashman said:
The GX700 is one of the flimsiest cases in the roundup, and is so cheaply made it doesn't even have replaceable slot covers. That must count for something...



I guess if you move around your system a lot it may be worth something.
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July 3, 2013 11:36:14 AM

Every time I read these reviews I am left wondering just exactly what kind of material the cases are made of. I enjoy seeing these case builds, but if any of them are majority steel they are automatically disqualified due to my very salty location. Should I just assume they are all steel?
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July 3, 2013 12:22:36 PM

Edgtho446, they are all majority steel except for the Lian-Li PC-9N which is Aluminum.
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July 3, 2013 1:05:52 PM

Edgtho446 said:
Every time I read these reviews I am left wondering just exactly what kind of material the cases are made of. I enjoy seeing these case builds, but if any of them are majority steel they are automatically disqualified due to my very salty location. Should I just assume they are all steel?
You should just assume anything that doesn't say "aluminum" isn't. Lian-Li's aluminum was discussed in its description.

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July 3, 2013 2:23:25 PM

Thank you ONUS, CRYAND. I'll take a look at that. Also, it seem strange that the ANTEC 300 TWO isn't in this comparison. It seems to be in the sweetspot that toms was aiming for. Too old already? Same for the HAF whateverthenumberwas.
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July 3, 2013 2:53:21 PM

JPNpower said:
Thank you ONUS, CRYAND. I'll take a look at that. Also, it seem strange that the ANTEC 300 TWO isn't in this comparison. It seems to be in the sweetspot that toms was aiming for. Too old already? Same for the HAF whateverthenumberwas.
Antec decided to send this one instead of the Three Hundred Two. Neither of these can stand up to the quality of its original Three Hundred however.

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July 3, 2013 3:06:38 PM

Hmmm, now I'm curious about the 700; I used a 302 in my wife's build, and while not as sturdy as a Sonata, it wasn't thin like a budget case, and the build went well.
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July 3, 2013 3:33:30 PM

Crashman said:
JPNpower said:
Thank you ONUS, CRYAND. I'll take a look at that. Also, it seem strange that the ANTEC 300 TWO isn't in this comparison. It seems to be in the sweetspot that toms was aiming for. Too old already? Same for the HAF whateverthenumberwas.
Antec decided to send this one instead of the Three Hundred Two. Neither of these can stand up to the quality of its original Three Hundred however.



I am curious why you say that. Mostly because a computer case should be a box that holds parts together well, and has good airflow, and everything else is a gimmick. Even if it has paper thin walls if it works without failing or making a racket, nobody should care.
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July 3, 2013 4:12:36 PM

Onus said:
Hmmm, now I'm curious about the 700; I used a 302 in my wife's build, and while not as sturdy as a Sonata, it wasn't thin like a budget case, and the build went well.


The Corsair 200R has been as low as $30 after rebate on multiple occurrences and would be the recommended mid-tower purchase if you can get it at this price.
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July 3, 2013 4:40:26 PM

JPNpower said:
I am curious why you say that. Mostly because a computer case should be a box that holds parts together well, and has good airflow, and everything else is a gimmick. Even if it has paper thin walls if it works without failing or making a racket, nobody should care.
I care. If you like $30 cases that collapse if you set something heavy on them, scratch if you toss a cell phone on them, twist so easily that you can't make them sit flat, and lose all the threads in the screw holes when you swap your graphics card, go for it.

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July 3, 2013 5:34:27 PM

Crashman said:
JPNpower said:
I am curious why you say that. Mostly because a computer case should be a box that holds parts together well, and has good airflow, and everything else is a gimmick. Even if it has paper thin walls if it works without failing or making a racket, nobody should care.
I care. If you like $30 cases that collapse if you set something heavy on them, scratch if you toss a cell phone on them, twist so easily that you can't make them sit flat, and lose all the threads in the screw holes when you swap your graphics card, go for it.



I am sorry, but you seem to misunderstand my message. I was emphasizing this part. " Even if it has paper thin walls IF IT WORKS WITHOUT FAILING OR MAKING A RACKET. These examples you give are good examples of cases that fail.
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July 3, 2013 6:21:02 PM

Crashman said:
I care. If you like $30 cases that collapse if you set something heavy on them, scratch if you toss a cell phone on them, twist so easily that you can't make them sit flat, and lose all the threads in the screw holes when you swap your graphics card, go for it.



Do any of the reviewed cases exhibit any of these issues?
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July 3, 2013 8:39:28 PM

slomo4sho said:
Crashman said:
I care. If you like $30 cases that collapse if you set something heavy on them, scratch if you toss a cell phone on them, twist so easily that you can't make them sit flat, and lose all the threads in the screw holes when you swap your graphics card, go for it.



Do any of the reviewed cases exhibit any of these issues?
I pinched and scraped my fingers on the GX getting the break-out slot covers out without tools, because using the tool slots caused the whole panel to twist.

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July 3, 2013 10:34:05 PM

Crashman said:
The journey was a long one, but we're finally wrapping up our round-up of sub-$100 gaming cases. Today we review the last three of 11 total product submissions and pick an overall favorite. The competition was vicious, but one model definitely stands out.

The Final Three: Sub-$100 Cases For Your Gaming Build : Read more


Excellent work. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Proving once again why tomshardware is the best for reviews.
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July 4, 2013 1:48:02 AM

where is the CM K280? now that's a budget case with a lot to offer. comes in cheaper than this lot too. decent cable management, USB 3.0, screwless bays (like everything nowadays), fits even a 7990 GPU in. so come on, where is the review?
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July 4, 2013 2:09:50 AM

phate1337 said:
where is the CM K280? now that's a budget case with a lot to offer. comes in cheaper than this lot too. decent cable management, USB 3.0, screwless bays (like everything nowadays), fits even a 7990 GPU in. so come on, where is the review?
Cooler Master sent the Scout 2 Advanced instead of the K280.

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July 4, 2013 6:30:40 AM

I have to say I agree with the verdict somewhat, that is if case is flimsy even if it has good performance it is not necessarily a winner. Then again for me looks is as well an important factor along with sturdiness.
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July 4, 2013 6:42:18 AM

Crashman said:
so why are you repeating yourself here?


I am going to say it probably has something to do with the site...
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July 4, 2013 9:40:19 AM

looks like a tiny bit of info in the introduction(top of the first page of this article) may have gone unnoticed by a few people.
Quote:
...
As a reminder, we focused on the value market, setting a price cap of $100 and warning the 28 companies we invited that quality would be a major consideration.
...

TH invited vendors to participate in the case roundup. it was up to the vendors themselves to choose to participate and send the cases fitting the conditions. so asking "why <insert brandname and model number> case is not in the round up" should really be directed towards the vendors.

for the roundup, i was rooting for rosewill r5 and the antec gx700. my caveats with the ostrog are that it doesn't have side fan mounts and it's power and reset buttons are on the top. power and/or reset button on the top of a case, without any safety covering, is like asking for trouble. i am just nitpicking, the case does a lot of other things right.
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July 4, 2013 1:10:32 PM

de5_Roy said:
my caveats with the ostrog are that it doesn't have side fan mounts and it's power and reset buttons are on the top. power and/or reset button on the top of a case, without any safety covering, is like asking for trouble. i am just nitpicking, the case does a lot of other things right.
While I personally don't like front-panel stuff on the top panel, I realize that enough readers do like these things that I don't even consider it in my overall evaluation.

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July 4, 2013 1:45:39 PM

My Hoplite has the power and reset on the top, and a few days ago Half a Kitty stepped on the reset button.
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July 5, 2013 6:18:25 AM

As always ,nice, concise, informative review.
Thanks Crashman!
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July 6, 2013 9:16:39 AM

That1Guy2, vendors decided what cases, if any, to send. If you had read the article, you would know this.

Future comments concerning specific cases not being reviewed (asking for a future review is of course ok) which indicate the article was not read will be deleted as off-topic to the discussion.
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July 9, 2013 5:49:33 AM

MarionLima23 said:
on a side note..check this out (spam spam spam) ...it looks like you can make some fast cash using google


Hey, its a new type of spam! I was getting tired of the usual great stories of your aunt's friend's ex-husband's brother's laptop money scheme. Or the free beats by dr. dre. Or the replies to nobody above. Or the obvious usernames. Oh wait.
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September 6, 2013 10:06:55 AM

This is a great article. It's mentioned that in the G1 a 10.5" wide board would barely fit, but standard is 12"(width) x 9.6"(depth). It might be a silly question, but would a 12" x 8" board fit than? This article sold me on the G1, as long as my mobo can fit!
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September 6, 2013 10:55:13 AM

Pizza1337 said:
This is a great article. It's mentioned that in the G1 a 10.5" wide board would barely fit, but standard is 12"(width) x 9.6"(depth). It might be a silly question, but would a 12" x 8" board fit than? This article sold me on the G1, as long as my mobo can fit!
It is a silly question :)  But only because the lingo of ATX specs makes the mistake of assuming a motherboard will lay down. I make the safer assumption that people reading a tower case review will stand their case up, so the spec's "width" becomes 12" tall (in a tower) and and its "depth" is 9.6" wide.

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September 8, 2013 1:10:16 PM

I used to have the CoolerMaster Scout and I loved it. My only problem was the size....once I started to mod the case and put in two 7950's it just got a little to cramped in my opinion. I like to have a spacious clean look to the inside of my PC. Oh and I wish they made the side clear panel a bit bigger and more like the InWin
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September 12, 2013 7:35:48 AM

Ah I had a feeling it was something simple! I learned something new non the less!

Thanks Crashman!
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September 12, 2013 11:51:25 AM

Pizza1337 said:
Ah I had a feeling it was something simple! I learned something new non the less!

Thanks Crashman!
Just a matter of interpretation, I try to describe things visually from the angle the picture was taken. I'm sure I've been blacklisted by the ATX forum or whatever :) 

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!