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Instead of reading anything anyone has said, I'm just going to ask you some questions and provide you with all the options you could possibley need, to help you find the case thats right for YOU. Never ask anyone what the best case is. Because they're all going to say something different, and then you have the fan boys.
Note: Thermaltake is the one case manufacturer I've been the least impressed with. Many claim differently but everything I and people I've known personally have bought from them, either doesn't perform nearly as well as it boasts, is poorly designed, or parts of it break because they are cheaply made.
Style:
So, what kind of style to you like?
The techy look, with a flat seamless body?
Lian Li PC-V2100
The sexy look with curves and an elegant design?
Silverstone SST-TJ105B-X
Perhapse a mix of the two? A techy look with an exotic curvy design?
Cooler Master Praetorian
Acrylic?
Sunbeam AC-9B-HUVB
Also try these:
Cooler Master Centurion
Material:
1. Do you want something durable, strong and heavy with a better life span (steel), or light and less durable, lighter and a bit better at pulling heat away from components but with a shorter life span (Aluminum). Will you perhaps modify your case later? Do you want it to outlast your current system, so you can use it again for your next system?
I myself choose steel, because I don't like how all my old aluminum cased bent, warped, or broke. I especially hated how screw holes always lost there threads, meaning I would have to buy or dig around for a larger screw. I like steel, even though its heavy to move around. I also like the fact that its easier to work with if I choose to modify my case. Others like aluminum because they feel more comfortable with a metal that pulls heat a little better away from their expensive components. Ask your self what's important to you! Don't ask someone else!
3. NEVER buy a case built with a lot of plastic. They will eventually break, they scuff easier, and the plastic doesn't look as nice a year later compared to metal. Manufacturers mostly use plastic to cheaply massproduce cases with front panal with a lot of gawdy looking shapes and vents in them, that usually appeal to little kids and people with absolutely no taste. LOL Sorry, I had to say it. I've been wanting to say that for about 5 years.
Space:
1. Drive space is something very important! This includes the 5.25" bays, 3.5" bays, and internal hard drive bays. You need to consider what kinds of components you are going to put in those areas and how many, AND if you may add more later on. It pays to think ahead. This includes DVD/CD Players, DVD/CD R/RW drives, hard drives, fan controllers, floppy disk drives, zip disk drives, hot swappable drives, water reserve tanks, secondary PSU for a TEC, power read outs (like the kind that come with the Cooler Master Real Power PSU), media bays and card readers, audio card front panels, multifunction panels, fans, hard drive coolers, etc. There are tons of things that go in those front bays, even drawers, speakers, tissue dispensers, trash bins, and cigarette lighters!
2. You also need to consider how much space the internal components are going to need, while considering air flow, wire management, and other things. What kind of cooling solution will your system use, or possibly upgrade to later on and how much space will they require? If a CPU cooler is too big for a case, it will run into the panel or panel window. Water cooling can take up a pretty fair amount of space, so if you ARE using water cooling, make sure you have a case than How long is your video card going to be and will it run into anything?
3. IF your motherboard is an extend ATX, then you need a case that is also extended ATX.
Cooling
1. Where do you need fans? If you're cooling only with air, its good to have 120mm fans as they push more air than smaller sizes while making less noise. If you plan on having a powerful video card, then it would be a good idea to have a fan over the video card in the case panel. Having an intake fan in the front, an exhaust fan in the back is also important! Its always nice to have one over the CPU as well.
Functionality & Features:
1. What kind of features do you want your case to come with?
A. How many USB connections do you need it to support in the front? Do you need audio ports in the front?
B. Many cases have drive and PCI mounting brackets that allow you to easily install components without screws. HOWEVER, many cases that have this feature are not designed well, so they are clumbsy or difficult to use, making components harder to install, or even making it impossible to install components that were designed to work with standard scew holes Check reviews before considering a case with this feature.
I myself would rather have one that only has an easy mounting system on the drives and NOT for the PCI slots. I've tried three different cases that used PCI mounting brackets and hated all three. Luckily my current case has both options for PCI mounting.
C. You're going to pay more if the case comes with a PSU, and the PSUs that come with cases suck about 70% of the time. Trust me, its better to buy a PSU that will deliver the power that you need on each rail, has Active PFC, is well built so its dependable and will last, and has a high efficiency rating. I know people who have a PSU that has gone through at least 4 systems and still works like new (as long as open it up and clean the dust out before each new build.
).
D. There are other features some cases have that make wiring easier to manage and parts easier to stow away.
E. Front panel doors are a nice option if you want the front of your case to be seamless so all the drives are hidden. However, if you buy a case that has a plastic skin around it or the front panel is all plastic, then the door will always break. If you have an all metal case, then the door will most likely not break off, but the clicker that holds it shut will eventually break if its plastic. Its better to buy a case with a metal front panel that stays closed using a magnet, as these last the longest!
2. Are extra features, upgrades, accessories and parts you can buy for you're case important to you? (Bay fitting devices, hard drive cages, cooling upgrades, etc) If so, then search using Froogle.com to find out how easy it is to buy extra parts, accessories, and upgrades for any particular case company. Make sure you know whether or not the parts you find will fit the case you like though.
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Originally Posted by Drunner611
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