Case, Power Supply, And Optical Drive
Case: Rosewill R101-P-BK MicroATX Mid Tower
The fit and finish details of the Rosewill chassis we used last quarter left us impressed. But we had concerns about the structural rigidity around back, also finding cable management to be a chore. So, we looked at different enclosure options for today's machine.
Although it’s only 1.25" taller, the mid-tower R101-P-BK sports three external 5.25” bays and six 3.5” bays. The inclusion of a 120 mm exhaust fan, adequate room to house our components, and an affordable $30 price tag were our three main considerations for giving Rosewill another shot this quarter.
Read Customer Reviews of Rosewill R101-P-BK Mid-Tower
Power Supply: Antec VP-450 450 W
Since our ECS GeForce GTX 560 Ti comes with a power adapter, we knew we could count on Antec's affordable VP-450 to drive our system. The combined +12 V rating of 30 A is plenty for our needs, while a quiet 120 mm fan, protection circuitry, and Antec’s two-year warranty add to this PSU's value.
Read Customer Reviews of Antec's VP-450 450 W PSU
Optical Drive: LG 22x DVD Burner SATA Model GH22NS90B-OEM
We don't have a lot of room to splurge on fancy optical drives here, so we always look to spend as little as possible on a reliable SATA-based DVD burner. This time around we chose the same favorably-reviewed 22x LG model that served our needs back in March.