Which one of these two is best

tipes

tipes

tipes

Soldato
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5 Nov 2006
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Hi all,

Need to build a new machine for a friend of mine - nothing special just a run of the mill AMD dual core system. I am not sure which of these two cases I should go for. Want good cooling and easy to setup and manage etc which one would you pick and why. I am leaning more towards the Coolermaster as I have heard some peeps are not too impressed with the Antec

Antec: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-101-AN&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=160

Coolermaster:http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-160-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=29

Oppinions please - need to order Monday.

Many thanks

Mark
 
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Hi Mark

I'd go for the Antec. It costs a few quid more but is worth it. The coolermaster is not a bad case, and if you're on a real tight budget then it'll be just fine, but for the sake of a few quid when you break it down over the many years you're going to have the case then it's no contest.
 
G-Dubs said:
Hi Mark

I'd go for the Antec. It costs a few quid more but is worth it. The coolermaster is not a bad case, and if you're on a real tight budget then it'll be just fine, but for the sake of a few quid when you break it down over the many years you're going to have the case then it's no contest.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for the input, still not sure yet. I may even decide to give him an upgrade by helping with the cashflow. As you say he will be stuck with the case for a long time - so need to get the choice right.
 
Maybe I'm wrong, but I always saw cases at the minus £50 price range as having more limited lifespans, so if the definite intention is for it to be used for a "long time", maybe a bit more investment would be worth while.
 
that antec seems to be getting more expensive everytime I look. It was a good buy when it was ~30. It's cramped and you need to do a lot of work to get the cables tidy. Absolutely no sound proofing and so pretty loud. Fans that come with it are pretty terrible.

BUT mine seems pretty sturdy still (about to change it anyway, ran out of space) and so I have no issue with the build.

I have no clue on the 335 though
 
Legend said:
Maybe I'm wrong, but I always saw cases at the minus £50 price range as having more limited lifespans, so if the definite intention is for it to be used for a "long time", maybe a bit more investment would be worth while.
Click to expand...

I agree - as i said above I may add a bit to his budget as a gift from me to help, so what would you suggest as better budget up to say £80 ish. Fractal maybe???

Mark
 
Disjunto said:
that antec seems to be getting more expensive everytime I look. It was a good buy when it was ~30. It's cramped and you need to do a lot of work to get the cables tidy. Absolutely no sound proofing and so pretty loud. Fans that come with it are pretty terrible.

BUT mine seems pretty sturdy still (about to change it anyway, ran out of space) and so I have no issue with the build.

I have no clue on the 335 though
Click to expand...

Can't say I am overly keen on the Antec 300, but see post above as I may add to his budget for a better case altogether - any suggestions?

Mark
 
I think the antec is a good deal, me and a friend did a build with one a few weeks ago and it was very easy, good cable management and a very good case for the money. @Disjunto, I thought the fans where very good for a budget case, they didn't seem to be noisy at all really, I believe they are antec tricool fans.
 
antec has NO cable management, not sure how you can call that good. the fans aren't that noisy on low (they are tri cool) but the case itself doesn't help make things quiet, but as you said, it is a budget case and has pretty decent airflow, unfortunately it's getting a bit too expensive to be considered budget.
 
Fair points, I thought the cable management was good because of the space at the side where you can hide a lot of excess cables, but it is a budget case all the same. I haven't seen the Coolermaster case, but it has very good reviews and it is at a very good price.
 
the_electrician said:
The Fractal has really poor stock cooling

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2010/01/15/fractal-design-r2-case-review/3

you would have to add 2-3 fans to get a good performance to mach the antec 300.

Thus i would recommend the antec 300 and get a few nexus D12SL-12 for 6quid a each to improve cooling and sound.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info - the test report is rather worrying, although the system I will be building will not be particularly high spec, the temp performance does not look to be good. May have to consider further.
 
There is another review on bittec with 3*sharkoon silent eagles 1000rpm but this would add £30 to the cost of the fractal. I rate the nexus basics better as only slightly louder and better air flow.
The build on a antec 300 would be straight forward but it is hard to make it tidy as it has no holes on the motherboard mounting plate.
You will have to decide if you want good cable management or not? if u do you will have to pay double the antec 300 price?
 
the_electrician said:
There is another review on bittec with 3*sharkoon silent eagles 1000rpm but this would add £30 to the cost of the fractal. I rate the nexus basics better as only slightly louder and better air flow.
The build on a antec 300 would be straight forward but it is hard to make it tidy as it has no holes on the motherboard mounting plate.
You will have to decide if you want good cable management or not? if u do you will have to pay double the antec 300 price?
Click to expand...

I will just have to accept that I will need to compromise one way or the other. Ponders....
Maybe I should consider the Coolermaster 690 instead.
 
The only cable i have a problem with hiding on the antec 300 is the mobo supply cable other than that it is a good case no rattles ect. You could get a extension for the supply cable if that was a problem.
The only difference from premium cases to the 300 have been cable management and tool less installation but on a cooling front (stock) it is better than the new coolermaster 2.
 
the_electrician said:
The only cable i have a problem with hiding on the antec 300 is the mobo supply cable other than that it is a good case no rattles ect. You could get a extension for the supply cable if that was a problem.
The only difference from premium cases to the 300 have been cable management and tool less installation but on a cooling front (stock) it is better than the new coolermaster 2.
Click to expand...

Coolermaster 2 - do you mean the 690 2 ???
Thanks for all your replies - very much appreciated. I did not know how difficult this would turn out to be. I am now struggling to make a decission.

Mark
Ps In my post above I was considering the original coolermaster 690
 
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