Which case and why?

[ixos]

I quite like to get a new case. Don't want to spend an arm and a leg so have been looking around.

I like these 2 so far:

Antec 300
Antec Mini-P180 Micro ATX Case

Now, the latter is going for approx £54 at ebuyer! Quite a bit cheaper than other shops. Still, i am not sure which one to buy. I like the idea of a psu at the bottom of a case, the top vent and also good cable routing abilities. I have a ATXm motherboard with an HR-01 Heatsink on an AMD x2 CPU. I don't have a separate GPU and my PSU is modular. I like the idea of a tidy case. Not sure about a door on the front of a case but just want anyone's views on the ones above or of any other cases that might be suitable. Max budget is approx £80. Cheers if anyone can advise.

Regards

[lego batman]

I've got the antec 300. It's pretty big. I think that if you are going without GPU you should go for the mini-p180 as it will be quieter, smaller and you won't need all the airflow of the 300.

[aidanjt]

It's a flipup between value and silence really. They both perform well from a thermal PoV.

<-- See my build.

[ixos]

It's a flipup between value and silence really. They both perform well from a thermal PoV.

<-- See my build.

What are your thoughts on the Antec Mini-P180? Why did you buy it? Do you like having the door?

[aidanjt]

What are your thoughts on the Antec Mini-P180? Why did you buy it? Do you like having the door?

No, on the contrary, I usually hate drive doors lol. But I preferred it because it probably has the best build quality of all the mATX chassis, it's completely solid, and it's very quiet. I'm still not sold on the drive door, but I can live with it, since I don't use optical drives *that* much once everything is built/installed/tested.

A couple of notes, you need a PSU with a very long +12V CPU cable to be able to route it up the back of the motherboard tray, preferably with ATX cables on the right side when the PSU facing upwards (like some of the newer tagans). And it will not take optical drives longer than 17cm, and requires a drive no longer than 15cm for a flush fit. The top 200mm fan gets in the way. But other than that, it's practically a pleasure to install a system into.

[ixos]

Thats what puts me off a little, the door. Never had one on a case as i don't like them. The internals of the case are very good though. I like the cable routing. Thats one thing that the 300 is missing.

[ixos]

Would you say this case is much better:

Lian Li PC-7FW Aluminium Case with Window - Black

Link

[aidanjt]

It's not Lian Li's best, but it looks decent enough.

[Ali N]

I would personally go with the antec 300

I just think that it can be so easily modded and looks great

That's just my opinion... there are tonnes of reviews on either case and so i would also recommend you do this

[ixos]

Ok, many thanks

[burrellhead]

I would personally go with the antec 300

I just think that it can be so easily modded and looks great

That's just my opinion... there are tonnes of reviews on either case and so i would also recommend you do this

i would also get the antec 300 its got a pleanty of room. plus it is also easly modded but after all its up to you

witchever you choose it wont be a massive loss there both great cases

burrellhead

[ixos]

How would you mod the 300. Which mods would it benefit from? Thanks