[USA] [Newegg] ATX case, side window, basement, 3 fans, $30 shipped

[Tristerin]

Pros:

Price for shipment which includes - case, fans, cable management side, side view window, PSU basement, supports front/rear radiator

 

Cons:

Garbage airflow

 

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16811353121?Item=N82E16811353121

 

I may or may not get one, based on the price and features Ive purchased similar cases in this price range.  I have no projects or need for one for myself or anyone at this time but with Christmas coming up this may, or may not, be beaten by black Friday deals on cases.  Last case I got with these similar features at this price range was $24 shipped on black Friday 2 years ago.  With tariffs and COVID this inflation of price may just be the new norm. 

[Tristerin]

On that note, for $10 more I would absolutely get this case over that case.  But on a budget the subject case would be decent (no fans to buy)

 

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16811553031?Description=Cougar MX330&cm_re=Cougar_MX330-_-11-553-031-_-Product&quicklink=true

[Tristerin]

An uglier, old school type of case for $30 shipped with 3 fans (ATX as well)

 

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16811353081?Item=N82E16811353081

[SansVarnic]

5 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

An uglier, old school type of case for $30 shipped with 3 fans (ATX as well)

 

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16811353081?Item=N82E16811353081

Definitely uglier.

[Tristerin]

3 minutes ago, SansVarnic said:

Definitely uglier.

Look at its front USB3 location...LOOK AT IT!  lol

[SansVarnic]

7 minutes ago, Tristerin said:

Look at its front USB3 location...LOOK AT IT!  lol

That is cringeworthy imo.

[WkdPaul]

1 hour ago, SansVarnic said:

That is cringeworthy imo.

Unless you're stuck in 2005, then it's an awesome looking case!

[Paul Rudd]

On 10/31/2020 at 9:22 AM, Tristerin said:

Pros:

Cons:

It's actually a fairly decent budget case and worth the $30. I always consider it to people when looking for a budget case that comes with multiple fans and a side panel window. Here's a few pros and cons to add to that list...

 

Pros

• Comes with 2 HDD mounts and 3 SSD mounts.
• Comes with 1 front panel USB 3.0 and 2 front panel USB 2.0 ports.
• Comes with 1 front panel micro SD and 1 front panel full size SD card slot, right next to the USB ports. This one is a rare convenience and deserves kudos. My laptops extra storage is micro SD and is where I install big games on it so this is great for installing DRM-free games and moving around the micro SD card from laptop to PC to do so much more efficiently. Same with digital/video cameras that you may have that use SD cards.
• Comes with tons of replacement screws/ties.
• PSU shroud comes vented! Which means you can mount your PSU upwards if you wanted.
• Secretly, this case is actually called the Dark Star. You're surprisingly notified of this immediately when you get the case because it's on the side of the box it comes in.

Cons

• Good luck getting the motherboard standoffs to line up with this case. Bending of the IO shied may or may not be required.
• The screws that come with the build are not sorted for you. This can be tricky for beginner builders because the manual does not do a good job of explaining the screws for you and what goes where.
• Only one fan filter included, which is for the PSU on the bottom of the case. And it's not the best quality filter imo.
• Two of the SSD mounts have depressed mounting holes. Which means you have to mount them on the other side of the mount because the normal screws for SSD's don't quite reach when mounting on the outside. This defeats the purpose of the location of the SSD mounts because they're suppose to enable you to mount them so that they're viewable through the side window. This can be a pro though as some SSD's are pretty ugly and you might want to hide them from being seen.
• Expansion brackets are really cheap and flimsy metal, which can cause significant GPU sag on longer GPU's.
• You can install 3 front case fans in this case. However, the vents that pull in air only go up half the side fronts of the case. This is where the garbage airflow you speak of comes into play. However, if you're like me and want to do some case modifications, this is a must-do if you want some better airflow. Get you a drill/saw and get to modifying. You can choose to make the vents go all the way up the front sides of the case or go crazy and just saw out giant vents in the very front of the case in order to really pull in some solid airflow.

[Paul Rudd]

On 10/31/2020 at 9:23 AM, Tristerin said:

On that note, for $10 more I would absolutely get this case over that case.  But on a budget the subject case would be decent (no fans to buy)

I absolutely LOVE budget Cougar cases, the MX330 in particular because the force is very strong on this one(you see what I did there). You can fit 5 fans into it, no problem. Very easy to build in this case, so much room.

 

There's the acrylic or the tempered glass version, as well as the MX330-X if you prefer to not have a window or the MX330-G Air if you want LED fans preinstalled. The regular acrylic MX330 is the way to go here because it sometimes hits $35.

[WkdPaul]

* Thread title fixed so that is follows posting guidelines *