Cases to avoid?

[danhodge]

If you are reading this, after seeing my other thread, you are probably confused why i am back onto cases.

To put it simply, i can't find any of the Rosewill cases i want on any british technology sites. I tried every case, on every site listed on the 'Hardware shopping megathread' site for the UK.

So, i found these in the same price range, on Ebuyer, and i wanted to if i should avoid any of them like plague. My main concern is the first one, as i have seen a lot of high end cooler masters as well as these cheap ones, but i haven't heard of 'Casecom' before. I am also worried it looks tacky in real life:

Casecom 6788 All Black Case | Ebuyer.com
Coolermaster Elite 334U Case | Ebuyer.com
Coolermaster Elite 335U Case | Ebuyer.com

If they are all decent brands, then brilliant. My only other question is about the top yellow things on the case on this image:

How much easier do they make adding/removing parts? Because on my old case, i had all sorts of problems, like screws that had the top part broken so i couldn't remove them, and it sounds fantastic. But even after watching all the Newegg videos, i still don't understand them. Especially since they look different on these images, to the high end cases, so i am worried they are just utter crap.

Thanks a lot,
Danny

 

[Nukem]

The yellow tabs are the pieces that hold all your components in... it's a "screwless" case" that's all. As for cases to avoid. Well... Ones you don't like the look of obviously. Then I would also suggest to stay away from cases that do not have good air flow. I know Rosewill cases are generally cheaper, but why are stuck on just them? Also, what is your price range?

 

[danhodge]

Right, seems fair
I just meant like, with power supplies, people in these forums tend to stick to Antec, Seasonic and Corsair, right? So i was wondering if there is any limits to case brands too that i should be wary of.

Rosewill just seem to look like sturdier, higher quality cases (in the same way Antec cases look), and have quite high held reviews, whereas the casecom case looks like it could fall apart if i dropped a feather on it.

I don't want to go beyond £35 for a case, but since it is pretty low in comparison to the rest of my setup (i5 2500k processor, GTX 550 Ti) i may end up stretching that to £40 and going for this:
Antec One Case | Ebuyer.com

A lot of people seem to worship Antec cases, so it is a likely option.

By the way, i see you are using an i5 2500K too - does that hold you back at all, or is it enough for modern games/software?

 

[Nukem]

Antec are exactly what people want... (just like you I might add) Strong, looks good, and just plain works. I also like coolermaster cases myself. After owning quite a few in my years, they do the same thing. This one also works:

Coolermaster Elite 430 All Black Interior Mid Tower.. | Ebuyer.com

As for my 2500k... I have not had a problem yet with any game (Metro 2033, Skyrim, Fallout 3 series, etc...) or program I run. (video encoding, etc...) BUt it also does help to have a god GPU to go along with it. I had a GTX 570 that would lag slightly on ultra setting. But the 2500 never had a full load. And I don't OC it, so I know it'll work for quite a few years to come.

 

[jasonalwaysready]

cases can be a bit more lax. generally the first thing people will tell you is get one that you like the looks of. i tend to tell people to spend just a few extra dollars on them, only for the reason that you get what you pay for. i used to use cheap cases, and they were garbage after a year and prone to problems. looks cheap, and wears cheap. things dont fit on it, hinges dont go together. cut your hands open. pay a few dollars more for a well constructed case that has good cable management and a painted interior and etc. etc.

 

[danhodge]

I am thinking about going with that Antec case now. I like the simple look of it aswell - the LED's would just annoy me.

One question - how long do you think it will be until hardware starts using USB 3.0?
Because that case only has 3.0 on the front, and i will be using the front ports a lot.

If they are backwards compatible, then that is fine but if not, it complicates it a bit.

I will be getting a GTX 550Ti, which i am expecting to be able to run most games on medium, or maybe high. Would you say that is pushing it?


Jason, would you say the £40 Antec is decent quality? Painted interior was something i wanted for some reason (i just think it looks much better) and i absolutely love the 'everything at the top' layout (one of the reasons i liked the Rosewill cases so much). Also, Antec must have its good reputation from somewhere - cheap or not.

If it lasts me a few years, I will be very happy with it.

 

[Nukem]

USB 3.0 is backwards.

a 550 ti will play your games about what you'd expect

That Antec case is good. if you like it, I would say go for it then. As for the LED lights... I replaced the one I had. (I feel the same way you do in that respect) I have the Rosewill SMART ONE case, myself.

Newegg.com - Rosewill Smart One ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, Black interior, comes with three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, 1x Top 120mm Fan, Option Fans-2x Side 120mm Fan

 

[PP Mguire]

Rosewill is Neweggs in house brand sort of like how super markets have their own store brand. That is why you wont find any of them sold outside of the US.

Cases are pretty much like keyboards IMO. You get one that just simply works for you. Most cases that have a 120mm in the front and back will have decent airflow for your typical computer. There are some that are cheaply made, but I'm going to guess that 3/4 of the people buying computer cases don't haul their PCs off to LANs.

 

[danhodge]

Excellent, thanks a lot for the help!
That looks a bit like the Challenger, which i was wanting to get.

That makes a lot of sense. I really wish Newegg would deliver to the UK, they could get so many more sales... All the UK sites seem a bit less trustworthy.

Yeah, after i put the computer together, it will pretty much remain static. The only thing that will need to be durable is the power button :')

 

[PP Mguire]

The funny thing there is, you don't even need a power button to start your computer.