Do I need to spend £90 on a case?

Criller

Criller

Criller

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7 Dec 2009
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11
Hello,

Just looking at cases for a new PC build. Looking at the various threads I see people happy with £30 cases and others happy with £90 cases. I like the look of the Antec 902 and Coolmaster CM-690 II Adv. But do I really need to spend as much as £90 for a case?

Another thread highly rated the £30 Akasa Freedom Xone so I'm confused.

I don't intend to do any overclocking.

My main concerns in buying a case are:-

1. Must have good airflow for conventional fan cooling. In the past I've bought cheap cases and suffered overheating.
2. Must accept PSU's from any/most manufacturers.
3. Musn't be too big. Normal desktop tower size, which i know leaves it quite open but it needs to fit comfortably under a desk.

What suggestions do you experts have?

Cheers

PJ
 
Cases are more of a personal choice than other components as it's the one thing that will be starring you in the face every day. It's also probably the component that you will have the longest so it's best to buy a decent one in the first place. As a rule, the more you pay the better the build quality and features although it's not always so clear cut as that. At the end of the day people can recommend a case to you but it's really only something that you can decide if the build quality, features and looks are worth the extra cost of a more expensive case.
 
If you care about things like cable management, tool-less design, water cooling options etc. then yes.

though, If you don't want spend too much on a case then you should look at the NZXT Beta Evo. TONS of great features for the money :)
 
I'm in exactly the same situation as you.

Not sure if I should spend the money on the CM-690 or go for the much cheaper Akasa (got a Akasa Zen at the moment and it has not done badly).

The thing is, I keep reminding myself, there must be a reason for the extra expense, and i'm sure most of it is to do with the construction of the case.

Also, I tend to keep my cases for a while, so my thinking now is; am I really gonna miss the extra £60 years from now?

The answer is no. So for those reasons, I think I am heading towards the Coolermaster myself.
 
will add a cheaper case in, am using nzxt m59 case (windowd one) there are so many slots for fans, the inside is painted in a nice black, and the customer service is the best ive ever had. (2 fans + tshirt for 1 shatterd fan)

thats just me, it had cable management holes, and tooless drive's also, it does feel kinda flimbsy but once its all together and sat ontopof my desk you couldnt tell. suggest you see what your needs are before you fork out on a case :)
 
The Akasa Freedom Xone is really good value, I've built two so far. It does have a lot of features not normally found on budget cases, like cable management, 140mm fans, cut out on motherboard back panel. white led fan on the front and much more.

For £30 buy it.
 
It mainly comes down to looks as well as features mainly build quality which can be less noisy than some cheaper cases.
There's perfectly good cases out there such as the akasa one you mentioned though.
 
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+1 for the Akasa.

I normally pay a bundle for cases as I keep them 5+ years (last one was 10! - still going strong, but air flow isn't up to modern standards, so relegated to spare machine) - but just for a change thought I'd try the Akasa and I am most impressed with the quality. Toolless for all but the motherboard standoffs/screws

When it arrived it was a foot down - quick request to OcUK and one flew through my door direct from Akasa a few days later.

Already put three different HSF on the CPU and am I glad it has a cutout in the motherboard!
 
I recommend the antec1200, its expensive but its big and will last for years...its also very well cooled so you can run fans on low speed settings..thus reducing the noise.
 
I'd recommend my case to anyone. Antec Mini-P180 mATX case. Used to be about £90 now you can get it new for ~62.

Mind you, it's not a floor kind of case, PSU intake is underneath and theres a door to open. Fairly low tower so its good for perching next to a monitor.
 
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