Hello,
Following a recent purchase of new i7 bits for my desktop, I realised that I actually had enough old pieces to completely build a new (old) pc.
The only thing I'm missing is a case. I'm headed off to uni in a week or two, so I thought it might be time to finally retire my faithful thermaltake armour to the new (old) pc, and get myself a new smaller and lighter case that will be a bit more manageable when I move out. I can then leave my old stuff at home for the family to enjoy (and for me when I cba carting computers from Leeds to London).
Anywho, current system:
i7 920
asus p6t
6gigs (3x2gb) corsair xms3
4hdds
295GTX
1000w coolermaster real power pro
Corsair H50 cpu cooling (with push/pull)
creative xfi music
What I'm really looking for in a new case is to be as light and manageable (small) as possible while retaining (very) good airflow, ease of use and the ability to fit the damn components in. I would also like to remain around or below the £100 price point. While I am at it, it would also be nice to have a case that doesn't have too many issues with dust/has decent filtering, as I'm not sure what student digs will be like in that regard and I don't enjoy mucking out cases.
That sort of fits into the general category of mid-tower case, and I have a couple of contenders lined up:
Coolermaster HAF 932:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Coole...r-Case-w-o-PSU
£119.59
pros:
airflow
build quality
ease of installation
looks decent
cons:
big
heavy
expensive
out of stock currently
possible dust issues
Coolermaster HAF 922:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Coole...nt-Fan-w-o-PSU
£90.82
pros:
airflow
build quality (generally)
ease of installation
looks decent (if a touch garish)
competitive price
competitively light (9kg)
cons:
big (its 253x502x563 w/h/d)
big open mesh on the left side looks like a dust trap if you attach a fan =/
Coolermaster 690 (detecting a theme here?):
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Coole...-Panel-w-o-PSU
£60.36 (the budget option)
pros:
cheapest
airflow(ish, could do with more fans I think)
looks good
light
small
cons:
massive dust trap, lots of open mesh everywhere with no filters to be seen (or bought on scan =/)
not sure about build quality, lots of tool-less stuff (I tend to be a screw man)
not 100% about some H50/295GTX fitting comfortably
Coolermaster scout:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/CM-St...U-%28Gaming%29
£74.97
pros:
relatively cheap
light
strong
small (219/495.5/489)
good airflow (mostly, some reviews have issues with GPU cooling until they add a side fan)
looks ok
well-filtered
made to be moved about (handle)
cons:
build quality is apparently somewhat shoddy (mostly tool-less stuff)
possible issues with fitting H50 under low roof
possible issues with fitting 295 GTX (need to measure)
antec 900-2:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Product.aspx?WebProductId=963034
£90.83
pros:
apparently amazing airflow
very good build quality
smallest case on the list (if measurements are correct)
all-round well reviewed
cons:
ugly as sin
all my friends already have a 900 or p-series ^^
quite heavy
loud
Mostly this has been useful to sort pros and cons out in my own mind, but I would also appreciate any advice on these models, or any other good cases you think I have missed and should be investigating. I make a lot of dust on the pros/cons list, but to be fair I don't know how much of a problem this will really be. Sound isn't hugely important, but quieter is better.
My main priorities for buying are:
good airflow - I do plan to have a 3.5ghz overclock or thereabouts and cooler is always better
will fit my components (especially the H50 on the back exhaust fan spot as I use push/pull fans)
remains under or around £100
light and small
not eye-searingly ugly/obnoxious
Any help you can give would be much appreciated.
Thank you for your time,
Zhou Yu.


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