Reccomend me a good inexspensive case?

JengoJengo Pasco, WA | USA
edited October 2003 in Hardware
Does any one know of any nice (well at least a little nice) inexspensive cases?

i found this
one but i dont know.....

does anyone know of any better ones? im looking for nice but real cheap... yeah.. im a poor boy...

:bawling:

Comments

  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    That case has piss-poor cooling, tho. I'll see what I can find... how much $$, tops?
  • WuGgaRoOWuGgaRoO Not in the shower Icrontian
    edited October 2003
    i suggest waiting for newegg.com refurbished section...... look for an chemning/chieftec case..perferably aluminum...itll be like 50 bux with shipping included...and u can throw away the psu
  • TheSmJTheSmJ
    edited October 2003
    Geeky1 had this to say
    That case has piss-poor cooling, tho. I'll see what I can find... how much $$, tops?

    Yes. Please tell us the most your willing to pay for the case. :scratch:

    Keep in mind, the old saying "You get what you pay for" will apply.
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited October 2003
    If you are into modding, that case might make a decent starting point though. Geeky's right in that the way it comes from the factory the cooling isn't too good. However, with the judicious use of a dremel tool, you could make a decent case out of it. Cut the grills off the 2 fan positions and use wire grills for starters. Then, you can cut a blowhole or 2 in the top of the case and a good intake fan in the case side blowing in around the proc/vid card area and you would have a case that would keep your rig cool.

    If you aren't into modding the case, then hold out for a refurb Antec/Chenming/Chieftec case at Newegg or maybe Directron.
  • MediaManMediaMan Powered by loose parts.
    edited October 2003
    For 50 bucks including the PSU...this one is pretty good...bordering on quite a great case.

    In my review I did not get a secondary drive cage with the sample but Koolcases did say in a follow up email that it does come with the PSU (generic) and the drive cage. :)
  • Mr_BojinglesMr_Bojingles Northern Michigan New
    edited October 2003
    I recently bought this case for a computer i built for someone. They were on a budget and it seemed to be a decent case for for only $16. Nothing to fancy. Has front usb, firewire, and a window.

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=1&submit=Go&description=N82E16811126015
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    Mr Bojingles, the only problem is that that thing STILL has crappy cooling. If he wanted to mod it, it'd be fine, but stock, I wouldn't use that for anything faster than a P3.
  • Mr_BojinglesMr_Bojingles Northern Michigan New
    edited October 2003
    Geeky1 had this to say
    Mr Bojingles, the only problem is that that thing STILL has crappy cooling. If he wanted to mod it, it'd be fine, but stock, I wouldn't use that for anything faster than a P3.

    true, but price is a major concern it seems. I admit i wouldn't buy it for myself, but if a person had only $20 for a case, they can't be too picky. It may not be the best case for keeping a ultra low cool temp or ideal for overclocking(if at all) but it WILL get the job done from a budget minded perspective.(just make sure you throw another 80mm fan in there)
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    A few dozen more 80mm fans, and I'd be happy :D
  • Mr_BojinglesMr_Bojingles Northern Michigan New
    edited October 2003
    ...or for the ultimate cheap cooling solution you can....screw your computer to a board! :D

    Hey, i have been there. Its ghetto, i know, but just to give ya another option. Plus how many cases let you hotwire your computer everytime you turn it on? :p
  • JengoJengo Pasco, WA | USA
    edited October 2003
    im probably looking to not spend more then $30, yeah, im gonna be doing some OC'ing so..
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    Keep in mind that any case in this price category is going to have to be modded to make a decent case out of it.

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-001&depa=1
    This one is better than the one you posted. You'll need to remove the fan grills (although you'd need to do that with the one you linked to, too...) but other than that, it's fine.

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-141-004&depa=1
    This one is passable. It's better than the one you linked to, but it's not as good as the first one I posted, since it lacks HD cooling, and only has space for 1 intake fan.

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-150-017&depa=1
    This is probably one of the best (if not THE best) case you'll find in this price range. 2 80mm exhaust fans, 1 side, 1 top, 1 front, plus it can cool your HD. Ideally, it'd have a few more fans in the front, or a blowhole next to the video card, but it's a decent case without them.

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-002&depa=1
    This one is the same thing as the first one I linked to, with a different front panel. Same pros/cons, and, IMO, it looks better.

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-011&depa=1
    This is another serious contender for "best <$30 case". Those 4 intake fan spaces are a good thing. It'd be nice if it had 2 more exhaust fans to match them, but it shouldn't be a big deal, especially if you use lower-flow intake fans than exhaust fans (which will also significantly reduce noise)

    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-019&depa=1
    This, too is a serious contender for the "best case under $30". It's actually probably the best choice I've found so far, since it's got 4 intake fans, 2 exhaust, and a blowhole...

    So, in conclusion, ranked from best to worst:
    1. http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-019&depa=1

    2. http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-150-017&depa=1

    3. http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-011&depa=1

    4 (tie). http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-002&depa=1

    4 (tie). http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-132-001&depa=1

    5. http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-141-004&depa=1

    6. The one you linked to.

    Basically, what you want is something with at least 2 80mm intake, and 2 80mm exhaust. More than that is good, but not really necessary.
  • JengoJengo Pasco, WA | USA
    edited October 2003
    those were some great suggestions, out of those i liked this one the best

    Case

    any other suggestions???

    Thanks!!!

    :thumbsup:
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    A couple...

    1. If you order it, don't use that PS.
    2. If you order it, loose the fan grills. The first thing you should do after assembling the system in it to make sure it'll work is to tear it down (EVERYTHING out of the case that can come out, including LEDs, switches, the PS, all of the various components, etc.) so you're left with just the chassis, and remove the fan grills. A drill with a 3" hole saw or a dremel will take care of the ones in the front, and a dremel will take care of the one in the back. You don't have to use fan grills at all (I don't) but if you want to, get the wire ones, as they're the least restrictive ones you can get. And yes, removing those stupid stamped grills will make a MASSIVE difference. I mean, look at the front grills- most of the area of the "grill" is solid steel! Removing it will make the system quieter, and it'll run cooler.

    As for case fans, if you've got some you want to use, use 'em. If not, I can suggest some, but I'll need to know how important noise is vs. cooling performance.
  • JengoJengo Pasco, WA | USA
    edited October 2003
    Well, i will probably only need 2 more (including the one that already comes with it)

    i need a good cooling fairly quiet (as long as it doesnt sound like a damned leaf blower!) :D set of fans

    oh and uhh.. they gotta be inexpensive....

    i dont really know that much price ranges when it comes to fans so maybe just find some that YOU think are cheap and good, i am really on a budget here.....

    thanks!



    :thumbsup:
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2003
    Any of the following fans would be fine (ranked from best to worst):
    http://www.bestbyte.net/Product.cfm?ProductID=884&CategoryID=8&Keyword= ***
    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-999-604&depa=1
    http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduct.asp?description=11-999-010&depa=1
    http://nexfan.com/su80x80x25fa1.html **
    http://nexfan.com/evcafan80bab1.html **
    http://nexfan.com/evcafan80bab.html
    http://nexfan.com/su80x80x25fa.html *
    http://nexfan.com/evcafan80bl.html *

    ---- OR ----

    You could go to www.bgmicro.com and pick up a few of their Aavid thermalloy fans, p/ns FAN1056 (39cfm)** or FAN1055 (33cfm). The only drawback is that they don't have any molex connectors, so you'll have to get some 3 pin - 4 pin fan adapter cables, cut off the 3 pin connector and solder the adapter onto the fan's leads, or get one 3-4 pin adapter and a few terminal strips from Radio Shack... I also don't know if these are sleeve or ball bearing fans, so...

    Anyhow, how are you going to get by with 2 fans, plus the 1 that comes with the case? You'll need at least 2 intake, 2 exhaust, and the one on the side, which is 5. In actuality, you should probably just fill all the available spaces, which would mean getting 6 fans. However, the one that comes with the case is likely to be a cheap piece of crap, especially in a $30 case, so you should probably replace it too. Which means that you should just go ahead and get 7 fans.

    *** = Look at their quantity pricing. For some reason, if you order 5 or more, they charge you MORE than if you order <5. I've dealt with these guys before, and they're OK, but their pricing policy is really weird. I suggest that if you order these fans, that you order 3 or 4, wait for them to ship that order, and then order 3 or 4 more, unless it's cheaper to eat the $2/fan price increase than it is to pay for shipping twice...

    ** 80mm fans that push close to 40cfm are at the threshold where they start to get noisy. 7 of these things in one case is definitely going to get you a noisy computer. It won't be terribly loud by any stretch of the imagination -you'll still be able to have conversations with people at normal volume with the computer on- but, it'll be louder than most computers. If you want to keep the noise down, but still have decent cooling, order two of these and use them as exhaust fans for the rear of the case, and get something quieter to use on the side and front of the case.

    * = sleeve bearings. Sleeve bearing fans are generally quieter than ball bearing fans. They're also generally less reliable. Papst's fans are sleeve bearing, and they're generally regarded as some of the best (if not THE best) fans on the market. However, that's the exception, not the rule. Sleeve bearing fans are not BAD, just be aware that if you use them, it's likely that you'll have to replace them sooner than you would with ball bearing fans. This isn't always the case tho... I've seen ANCIENT sleeve bearing fans that are still fine. However, in general, they wear out somewhat sooner than ball bearing fans do. I don't think this is a big deal, personally, but if you don't want to have to spend more money to replace dead fans in a year or two, it's probably a good idea to get ball bearings.

    ---- Other thoughts ----

    The Thermaltake SmartFan 2 is the best choice because it's capable of having manually adjustable or temperature-controlled fan speed, or just running at full speed all the time. I've got a good 60-70 fans sitting in a parts drawer, because I spent the better part of two years looking for a fan that flowed a decent amount of air but was still super quiet. Of course, I didn't find one. However, with the SmartFan2's manual adjustability, when I want more cooling, I can turn the fan speed up, and when I want something quieter, I can turn it down, which is a feature that I like a great deal, because it allows me to adjust my cooling to my tolerance for noise at any given time.

    Both of the fans I linked to on newegg have manually adjustable fan speed as well, however their range isn't as broad as the Thermaltake's, and the Enermax requires a screwdriver to adjust.

    Also, you can set up your own manual fan speed controller with parts from radioshack or an electronics store, so actually, you could do this with any fan...

    If you wanted to set up your own fan speed controller, and you wanted to spend a bit more $$ on fans, I'd get either the Delta 120x38mm, 190cfm fan that www.sidewindercomputers.com sells and use that as an exhaust fan, or two of <a href=http://www.nexfan.com/su80hicafa.html">these</a&gt; from nexfan. They both sound like angry hairdryers, but they move a ton of air, and with the fan controller, you can turn them down. However, no off-the-shelf fan controller will handle that Delta, and only the Vantec Nexus will handle the Sunon, so you'll probably want to build your own fan controller if you decide to go with either one of these monsters.

    If you build a fan controller let me (or, in fact, the entire S-M community, since I'm not all that much of an electronics expert) know and I'll try to give you a hand with that, too... the major problem is finding a voltage regulator that'll handle that massive delta fan...

    Hope the info helps... if you've got any more questions, just ask!
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