Help deciding which case to buy.

[Inquisitor956]

Hello everyone!

 

I think its time I upgrade my PC case. I've been doing research these few weeks and have come down to 3 contenders. I cannot decide which one I should get, so I'm going to ask for your recommendations.

 

I have a fairly tight budget of only $170, ($110 for case, $60 shipping) so these cases are the only ones that fit my needs and more importantly, my budget.

 

The case I purchase must meet these recommendations:

• It must look nice.
• It must include at least 2 fans.
• It must have good cable management options.
• It should have a removable HDD cage.(optional)
• The HDD cages must face sideways (I hate having to deal with cages symmetrical to the case)
• It must have at least 2 2.5" drive bays (for an SSD and a HDD)
• It must have at least 2 5.25" drive bays.
• Must have a windowed Side Panel.
• It must fit a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo.
• It must fit a 12" GPU.

These things considered, these are the top 3 contenders. Feel free to toss in your own case recommendations!

 

First up we have the NZXT Phantom 410!

I love the look of this case. I really like how it has most of the features I'm looking for: a windowed side panel, plenty of cable management options, a removable hard drive cage for better airflow, 3 included fans, a fan controller (though it is not necessary), and finally, it has 5.25 drive bays. (Yes, I still use a DVD drive! You can thank slow internet for that.)

 

Cons: $14 under budget, could change any moment, right-side opening front panel door and also most of the buttons and connectors are also on the right side. Considering the PC will be at my right side most of the time, this could be a hindrance.

 

Next, the Phanteks Enthoo Pro!

I don't exactly like the appearance of the case, but it also has really nice cable management, 5.25 drive bays, plenty of drive mounting options and the case itself is very modular. It seems to be pretty spacious which is both good and bad considering my room is quite small. It has an included 200mm front intake fan and a rear exhaust 120mm.

 

Cons: It would leave me a few cents under budget, could take up quite a bit of space and again, I don't really like the appearance of the case.

 

Lastly, the Corsair Carbide 500r!

I am not overly enthusiastic about this case. I kind of like how it looks. It has most of the features I'm looking for and it includes 4 fans. The only reason I am considering this case is because of recommendations by my College's IT crew. This is perhaps the only case I wouldn't mind nor looking at.

 

This is what my PC looks like. Its a mess! I bought a fully modular PSU thinking it would help me keep things tidy by only using the cables I needed while supplying me with a reliable PSU for my GPU. Little did I know, I ended up using all the cables and they were both thicker and longer that those of my previous PSU. So perhaps now you understand my needs for a good PC case.

 

Case is Cooler Master Elite 371. I do not recommend it.

 

[stealth80]

Those cables make me tick

 

Id get the Corsair, cosmetic reasons

[Aytex]

enthoo pro

[The_KIASER]

Check out the Corsair C70, was going to go with it in my original build but didn't want any of the hdd cages or 5.25 slots either. Might be a good option for you though

[The_KIASER]

Here is a great deal on the Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=11-139-013