computer case hunting!
 

IF the budget given was under $250

What is the best case to get? overall characteristics: quietness/cooling, features, design/looks, material, and quality/durability.

cPU: E8400 or a entry i7 or X2 550 or x2 7750.

Usage: Not crazy about gaming, occasionally WC3.

Want something aesthetically clean, not a ricer machine with lots of neon lights

Found: coolermaster cosmos 1000/cosmos S, CM690....etc

Lian-Li PC-V1000B
http://www.a-power.com/product-344-422-2

The case is a bit older but it's still a fantastic case. Fantastic build quality.
This case used to go for around 300 but since it's older stock they dropped the price. Other than this case I'd choose the Cosmo series by Cooler master.

The coolermaster I had was beautifully built.

Has insulation for reduced noise. Fans on the bottom to reduce noise. I'd suggest it if you can find another.

The modular cube... lol

http://www.xoxide.com/lian-li-pc-343b-case.html

I used to have an old IBM server cube, and it was massive.... think of the airflow ;)

Antec P183 ATX Tower Case Black 11 Drive Bay 4X5.25 1X3.5 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Sound http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=37...ufacture=Antec


Nice and sleek, excellent ventilation, One of the quietest cases ever, very roomy, and built well.

wow...$250...you can upgrade your cpu to something better, or more ram, or velociraptor

If you are willing to stretch your budget by $50. I'd totally recommend the silverstone TJ09. Here's a pic I found on the net.

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/2...nnewpc1mu3.jpg

I personally have a TJ07BW, but if you are just planning to air cool the system. The TJ09 will save you about $100.

Antec P183 is great for ~$200. Does everything you say you want.

The Gigabyte iSolo 210 is the best I've used for around $100. Really well-made case, not too flashy, cools well, and is quiet.

My parents have the Lian-Li V1000 in silver. I'm not a huge fan of it. The power button scrapes when you press it in (really, really annoying) and the side panel vibrates unless you screw it in using a screwdriver.

No to the CM690 ...

yea, thats why i was also considering a cheap CM690, most of the cases i see arent very clean looking. Cleaning looking cases are at the 200 dollars price range.

I'm a Thermaltake fan....

Gigabyte iSolo 210 - $100

i have a cooler master tower, and it's fuckin awesome.

I like the silverstone finish

If you dont' mind something very common, you can get an Antec Sonata III for $120, comes with a 500w PSU. Very quiet, good build quality.

Or spend $60 on a Three Hundred Case, and buy your own PSU. It will probably come out to about he same price as the Sonata.
Both cases look very "down to earth", no see thru acrylic, neon light..etc

If you don't have a video card, you can consider a mini tower or cube.
Silverstone SG Sugo
Antec NSK1380
Lian Li PC-V351A
Lian Li PC-A05

The Sonata III has WAY too much plastic for my liking, personally.

ncix has the p180 for sale. As long as you dont need a fullt sized tower, this is good.

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=28613&promoid=1146

What are some reliable, quiet and not-too-expensive cases for a full tower?

And whats the main difference between a full tower and a mid-sized tower?

i have an antec 900...
cant say anything bad about it. the only other cases i have experience with is the sonata II and III

+1 to Lian-Li, the best build quality in the business and they're very lightweight and look ultra sleek. Most feature a Mobo tray which is another plus.

Apower sells a bunch of the older models, but NCIX should be recieving the newer Lian-Lis cases very soon.

there's no set difference between mid and full sized but generally mid features 3-4 external 5.25" bays while full tower has 4+. You don't need a full tower computer for home use unless you plan on utilizing the extra (imo excessive) 5.25" and HDD bays for a home server or RAID.