Smart Black case needed... any suggestions?

Budget?
Antec sonata 2, lian li v1000b, lian li pc7 PLUS, Akasa eclipse (personally cant stand it), cooler master centurion, praetorian, thermaltake soprano, tsunami, shark, armour and kandalf or any silverstone.
 
up to about a ton say, something around soprano size, armour, shark etc too big, ( I've got to keep the missus happy, typical.) I'll take a look at the others mentioned, thanks for the reply mate :)

EDIT: the centurion 5 don't look to bad for the money...
 
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It is a very good case for the money, i am pretty sure you can get a windowed panel for them too if you want one.

The lian li PC7 plus woiuld be my (and probably yewens) personal choice for under £100
 
Normally I'd suggest you try and look past Raikiri's issues with the Akasa Eclipse as I reckon it's the best case above £75 and under £140, but you want a midi-case and I think the Eclipse could be too big.

So the Coolermaster Centurion 530 would be my recommendation, but I'd take out the blue fan at the front and fill the two 120mm ports with Akasa Ambers for the peace and quiet factor.
 
PC7 wins here.

But I would also say maybe take a look at a Thermaltake Soprano as its the right size and a ok case if you like its looks.

Ok there I said it... Oh god I said it...

But anyhow, Centurion is a safe bet, and if you like the looks of the Lian Li pc7 it is a cracker, although coming from a Xaser it might be a bit to subtle on the styling front for you.
 
Antec Sonata 2, Lian Li PC65B+ or PC7B+ would be my personal choices. Go for the Sonata if you need a new PSU and/or want really quiet computing. The PC65B+ comes with a window and has a removable motherboard tray, the PC7B+ is basically the same without the tray and window.
 
I own both the Akasa eclipse and Lian Li PC-7+ and both are excellent cases, Ive got to say though the eclipse seems better built and has a lot more features. The PC-7's front is better than the eclipse but not by miles, i personally like the eclipse front, the only thing that i don't like on the PC-7 front is the Lian Li sticker, also the eclipse has a nice bright blue power led which i think looks good. Both are excellent cases though and you wont be disappointed with either providing you like the akasa front that is.

Mark
 
Mark A said:
I've got to say though the eclipse seems better built
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I'm one of the worlds most ardent admirers of the Akasa Eclipse 62, but I do think that the Lian-Li is better built.

It's the very small things - not all the holes line up perfectly on any of my Eclipses, on one, the LHS cover takes two or three attempts to get back on and the various drive cages need some gentle persuasion to get them to sit properly.

You don't get that with any of the Lian-Li cases.

That said, the Eclipse is my favourite case upto £140, after which I swing towards the Lian-Li V1100B.

But at these cost levels, none of them are bad, some just will suit your needs better than others.
 
I'm one of the worlds most ardent admirers of the Akasa Eclipse 62, but I do think that the Lian-Li is better built.
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Its a close call, it was just a few things like the mobo tray seems really flexible on the Lian Li whereas on the eclipse its mirror polished, removable, rock solid, has holes to hide wires etc. Also the side panels on my Lian LI rattle about, if i tap the case both panels rattle about and can be pushed in with my finger. The drive cages are all riveted in so i cant see if they line up, although i know what you mean on the eclipse, my hdd cage is slightly off center so its hard to get the thumbscrews in. Love the front of the Lian Li, the buttons are sweet, and my new pioneer DVD writer matches in nicely. I like both cases a lot, the eclipse wins hands down for me but the Lian Li is also very nice and at £57 its a real bargain, ohh and BTW i got mine from ocuk on Tuesday and it has the 120mm fan at the back :) .

Mark
 
I purchased a coolermaster praetorian 730 for my new build and i think its quite smart. It has a door to cover any ugly drives and its quite nice to work with. OCUK now have the 732 in black which just has a flat front rather than a curved one which look quite nice. Th plastic thing surrounding the blowhole can be removed to make the case look nicer aswell which was good becuase i think it looks a bit tacky. Ill try shove some pics up in a mo for u.
 
Mark A said:
Also the side panels on my Lian LI rattle about, if i tap the case both panels rattle about and can be pushed in with my finger.
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Are you sure it's a real one? The PC-7 I saw was absolutely rock solid. If what you say is correct, then it would indicate that they've decided to drop the tolerances a bit to hit the low price point.
 
The motherboard trays on the PC7's flex a little bit, but it is nothing major, its just the properties of the aluminium, a braxing bar has been removed to save on weight, as it was not needed just for the tray.
 
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