Best Case up to £120

Just replaced my ageing Antec 900 with the CM Sniper. It is brilliant!

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-185-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=29

CA-185-CM_400.jpg


£5 more than your budget (though it can be had for under £100).

The cooling as standard is 3x200mm (intake, roof, side-panel) + 1x120mm (exhaust) + 1x optional floor 140/120mm fan , so if you are looking for coolling performance you wouldn't be disappointed. Plus there is a built in fan controller (for up to 5 fans). All intake fans are filtered.

My observations are that it isn't as "gamey" as the name or photos imply (much less so than the HAFs IMHO). The LEDs can be turned off by a switch integrated in the fan controller. With the fans turned down it is quiet. It is larger than it looks. There's scads of space to put whatever you like in it. My 5870 fitted in absolutely no problems. Build quality is very good as far as I can tell. Due to the verticla bulge of the case sides there is also plenty of spave behind the mobo for cable management. The thick psu power cords going behind the board easily.

Not going to be a fanboy about it but I'm more than happy to recommend it.

My vote.
 
Didaco said:
take a look at zalman's cases ms1000 and gs1000
Click to expand...

The MS1000 (even HS2 with two intakes) has appauling airflow, poor cable management, average build quality and is noisy as they come. Was very dissapointed with it.

The Coolermaster Sniper is garish, not a bad case really but pretty noisy.
 
BIGBC said:
The Coolermaster Sniper is garish, not a bad case really but pretty noisy.
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Is this form experience? Got to say it is no noisier than my old 900. With the fans all on their lowest setting the case is pretty quiet.

Garish - beauty is in the behoder's eye. But I've got to say I hesitated before buying it because of the looks. However, like I said, it is a lot less gamey looking in the flesh. Then again I came from a 900.... Certainly it isn't as garish as a HAF (IMHO). I wouldn't put the 1200 ahead of it in the looks department either. The Dominator II wasn't out when I bought the Sniper and I agree it is a good looking case but I wanted something a bit bigger after my 900 so I didn't wait.

To be fair to both your points I got the clear side-panel to replace the one with the fan. For my needs the third 200mm fan was surplus to requirements. Using the clear-side panel has the added benefit of possibly (didn't really notice it too much) reducing the noise factor as it takes a fan and a grilled side-panel out of the equation. The clear window is also, possibly, less "garish" than the fan bearing one?

Still gets my vote.
 
Alex R said:
Is this form experience? Got to say it is no noisier than my old 900. With the fans all on their lowest setting the case is pretty quiet.
Click to expand...

Yeah I did a build in one after a friend bought all the components and bottled out of putting it together -

DSC01520.jpg


As much as it is personal taste you are the only person I have come across who actually likes the looks. Even my mate who bought it thought it was butt ugly.

Unecessarily large too, wasted space.
 
Fair enough. Coming from the 900 some might say it is no surpise I like this one. As for the space, well, the 900 really started naffing me off with its cramped interior. I even considered the CM ATCS840, so in comparison I went for tiddler.

Still gets my recommendation as a good case, well designed, well put together with plenty of options. Worth looking at if you don't mind the looks. Plenty of people have bought the HAF and I really think that looks like a pile of the proverbial, but there you go. horses for courses.
 
I think the coolermaster dominator II Advance is a good case, Plenty of room to work in and it looks good aswell.
 
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