Need Case Ideas

[Professor Frink]

My Antec 1200 has seen better days and I'm in the market for a new case.

I have a budget of £80-140 for the case with no PSU. I've been looking at various cases and got a bit swamped by the sheer numbers to choose from. I thought I would have a wander to Hexus to see if someone might give me some suggestions.

My wishlist would be something like:

• Quite large (full tower - I'm used to the Antec 1200),
• Preferably black
• Good build quality
• Two USB3 front panel ports
• I hate LED fans
• Removal HD bays
• Quite plain/ not f-ugly
• PSU at bottom
• Ideally raised off floor (small clearance with legs)
• Room for Corsair Hydro h100i
• Good airflow/ room to add some Noctua 12/14cm fans, etc.

I'm currently thinking of a Corsair Obsidian 750D but want to make sure I'm not missing out on something in the same price range that is better. Any comments appreciated.

[KeyboardDemon]

I like two cases from Corsair at the moment, one is the 330R and the other is the Air 540. I think I'm leaving towards the Air 540 though.

[Ttaskmaster]

That's the one I'd have chosen if I had the cash back then!!
I'm still happy with my 500R, but even now I am still considering a 750D... as well as something insane like the 900D - 'just because'!

I think you'll be very happy with a Corsair case.

[shaithis]

Really happy with my 600T (in fact apart from the fan controller, I think the case is perfect), although if your after plain looking and already leaning towards an Obsidian, then it may be a bit too "fancy" for your liking.

[Jim - ASUS]

For another option, maybe consider Fractal? I have the R4 and think it's great - very simple design but does the job really effectively.

[dturtill]

That's the one I'd have chosen if I had the cash back then!!
I'm still happy with my 500R, but even now I am still considering a 750D... as well as something insane like the 900D - 'just because'!

I think you'll be very happy with a Corsair case.

whats the 500r like i have been looking at that one current get the spec 03

[Ttaskmaster]

whats the 500r like i have been looking at that one current get the spec 03

I got the 500 over the 400 because it came with 4 fans all included (2 x 120 front intake, 1 x 200 side intake, 1 x 120 exhaust) and because it has four 5.25" bays.

It's bigger than you'd think, but not overly so.
6 HDD/SSD drawers, with removable cages, space for loads of fans in various configurations, big space for cable management and a CPU cooler cutout on the mobo tray, designed around the Corsair H-series coolers, removable filters, bunch of PCI-e slots, tool-less bays, tidy and neat design, good front panel with long cables, captive thumbscrews on both side panels.
Pretty solid, even with both panels off and cages out.

The only thing really missing IMO is a window, but I bought a spare panel and installed my own MASSIVE window with plenty of ease. Several options available on that front, incidentally.

I think it's absolutely fabulous, myself and there's plenty of extra space for future expansion as well as all the geeky internal mods I'm enjoying installing!


I'm not that much a fan of the SPEC-03, mainly as it looks more like a CoolerMaster case... as in designed by a 12-year-old Transformers fan!

Looks to have bags of room behind with plenty of tie-down points, though, so installations and cable management should be a doddle. Can also get a 240mm rad up top and one in front if you wanted to go watercooled.
On paper, it's a pretty decent low-end case, though lacking some of the little details that most Corsair fans seem to love.

[Professor Frink]

For another option, maybe consider Fractal? I have the R4 and think it's great - very simple design but does the job really effectively.

Will have to look into the Fractal R4 a bit to see the differences between that and the 750D

[liamy321]

I'd personally recommend the Corsair Air 540 as I have one myself. Absolutely fantastic case with more than enough cable management and cooling.

[OneIT]

I have the Lian-Li A77F



Was over your budget but I think they do a few other full towers for a cheaper price.

Build quality is unbeatable and the plain design is why I bought it.

[Agrippa]

I second Lian-Li for unbeatable quality. I'm on my fifth case of theirs and have loved every one for their tool-less mounting of everything, the smart noise and vibration-reducing features and the sober styling (given that I left puberty behind some time ago).

[SamyBoy13]

Recently I got a Cooler master Storm trooper with side panel and I love it build quality is outstanding. I also saw at my friends house phanteks primo and this one is a outstanding choice for water cooling and it has plenty of airflow.