I'm looking for some advice regarding my case for my new build. Here are the components: CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K GPU: XFX ATI 6790 RAM: 8GB 1,600MHz DDR3 Board: Asus P8P67M Pro PSU: Corsair 430w CX HDD:Samsung 1Tb Spinpoint F3 Optical Drives: 1 DVD RW (pre-owned) My budget is roughly £60. My preferences are: Small-Medium sized (ignore upgrading space, just fit the above in) Good cooling and preferably quiet! USB 3.0 ports Sleek design, nothing flashy and vulgar. Think Survivor, not Colossus. Here are a couple I like the look of (purely the look): I have looked around and there appear to be no recent 'Best computer cases' reviews anywhere, hence this post. What are your thoughts?
The BitFenix Survivor is a brilliant case, although a bit on the large side for your needs. But i love the rounded look and the nice features for tinkerers like myself, although the Shinobi (comes in window or windowless flavours) is a good cheaper alternative. Antec do very good cases in your price range, they tend to lean towards a more industrial/minimalist look (excluduing a few lines, including the remarkable 'Skeleton' case).
The title and requirements immediately made me think of the FT03 too but I reckon double the budget is a tad too much. As it is I can only really think of the Antec 100 although it may not necessarily be the quietest case around.
There is a grouptest of mATX cases in this month's Custom PC. The Fractal Arc Mini won the test, closely followed by the Silverstone FT03. The Fractal is slightly over budget, and has no USB3. The Silverstone is very over budget and does have USB3. The mag is still in the shops if you want to buy a copy. Otherwise, wait a few months for the reviews to find their way onto techradar.
I'm using the FT03 case in my build, it's over your budget but is really compact. I don't really see the point in going for a matx board and then putting it into a large case as you usually end up paying extra for a better featured matx mobo, so you may as well go atx and you then have more choice of cases.
That makes no sense. Getting the smaller (cheaper) mATX board means you can use smaller cases or larger cases. Getting a full sized board limits you to larger cases.
Save up for a proper case! The FT03 is awesome; if you can wait there's some nice micro cases out soon: Silverstone TJ08-E Lian Li PC-V600F
Of course you're right about being able to choose a small or large case when you have a smaller board. It's just that when I was looking for mine, I didn't find that matx mobos were significantly cheaper than atx at my price, plus the smaller footprint means you get less features, so I could probably have saved a bit on the board to spend on the case. The hard part was finding a small case that was cheap, the better ones were more expensive than some good larger cases - I think the BitFenix really looks the part. So if you're going for a larger case, you may as well put an atx board in as it's easier to fit components in it, like a large cooler. But the FT03 is a bit special so worth paying extra for - you spend most of your time looking at the case so choose a nice one!
I think I might have to increase my budget in this area. Some of those cases do appear to be worth the extra money. I still don't think I can realistically afford over £100 though.
Lian Li PC-A04B: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/lian-li-pc-a04b-black-mid-tower-aluminum-case-w-o-psu - £83.98
