Attention Mid-Range System Builders - Updated 08/01/2015

[Skott]

That HAF 912 case is a really nice case to work with. I recently used it in a build for a family member. Although I did buy two 200mm fans for it which sorta blows the budget side of it but if you want to overclock that is the best way to go with that case. Moved the front fan to the side as well. That case runs really cool. I actually prefer the HAF 912 over the Antec 300 (another good case) but that is just me. You can find cases for $35 but you get what you pay for. Not much with only so-so cooling ability and often even less than that. At around $50 you can get some pretty decent cases if you take the time to look at the thousands out there.

I like what mfenn has done here. A simple guide to good quality parts for a reasonable mid range price that attempts to stay down as close as the $1000 point as possible. It even dipped below $1000 at one point. This is just a guide though. A person can come here and look at what he has and then adapt it to what they want/need or afford. It is a good starting point really.

Kudos, mfenn!

Now, if the manufacturers could just get them hdd prices down again that would be real sweet.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I still vote for the NZXT SOURCE 210

 

[Skott]

I still vote for the NZXT SOURCE 210

Its a good case from what I have seen and read so far. The white version of it is god awful to look at IMO but the all black version looks pretty nice. 3D Gameman has a nice video review of it. I see Amazon currently offers it for $39.99 which is an very attractive price. IMO the buyer will want to add at least one front fan as the case comes with a rear and top fan only from what I have read. I'm one of those people that feels a intake fan in front is a must though but that is just me. Definitely a case to consider.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Its a good case from what I have seen and read so far. The white version of it is god awful to look at IMO but the all black version looks pretty nice. 3D Gameman has a nice video review of it. I see Amazon currently offers it for $39.99 which is an very attractive price. IMO the buyer will want to add at least one front fan as the case comes with a rear and top fan only from what I have read. I'm one of those people that feels a intake fan in front is a must though but that is just me. Definitely a case to consider.

the black one is good all around

its a case that everyone can enjoy, i like how its clean and very straight forward.

also good looking case for an office

 

[mfenn]

Professional reviewers are not testing hundred, or even thousands of examples. Nor do they always have the consumers best interests in mind. Care to expand a little on why reviewer opinions are not too concerning? I could understand if this was a mobo we were talking about because some reviewers don't know what they are doing. But this is a hard drive we're talikng about. Its pretty simple. DOA means it didn't work. Hitachi seems to have more of that recently. If it needs to be cheaper to fit the budget the WD greens cost less and seem to have better reviews. Yes they are slower and older design but if it works......

I believe the spirit of your build is to give less experienced folks a chance to have a GREAT computer while also having a fun time putting it together. Taking a chance on less reliable kit to save $$$ can really take the "fun" out of building your own rig. I know this because it's what I do. I always buy the seconds, refurbs, cast off misfit toys. But I'm a masochist. Most normal folks are not going to put up with a problem build. They will lose patience, chuck it in a corner, call Dell, and never bother with the hassle of putting one together again. In other words, an enthusiast lost.

I hear what you're saying, especially since the build includes an SSD for fast storage. However, I don't think that the Hitachi drives are particularly unreliable by an objective measure. The problem with trusting user reviews is that there is a huge amount of selection bias. Who is more likely to take the time to post a review, somebody with a positive or negative experience? The person with a negative experience. We are lacking in data, but behardware was able to cajole at least one Internet retailer into providing return rate information. Only about 1.5% separate the best and the worst manufacturers. Once you look at the breakdown by model, you see that the Caviar Blacks and Hitachi 7K1000.C's are right next to each other.

Agreed, don't skimp on the good stuff inside. What is the budget? I looked back through and it's not stated.....I'm guessing around $1,000.-?
If so a COOLER MASTER Silencio 450 is a bit cheaper case and takes the build in a quiet direction.

Yeah, $1000 is the target because it (a) pretty commonly asked for and (b) about the least expensive that you can get a fully-featured machine (SSD, quad core, good GPU, etc.).

 

[Zee]

Hi mfenn, is your 1/21 update still a good guide to go by?

Im near a microcenter (Westbury NY) and about to start upgrading soon with a new machine that does a bit of everything (play hi res videos, some gaming, etc)

This post and the sticky (http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2138856) seems to be the best in teh forum) so a quick thank you for your research!

 

[TheStu]

Hi mfenn, is your 1/21 update still a good guide to go by?

Im near a microcenter (Westbury NY) and about to start upgrading soon with a new machine that does a bit of everything (play hi res videos, some gaming, etc)

This post and the sticky (http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2138856) seems to be the best in teh forum) so a quick thank you for your research!

If you're near a MC, then definitely get your stuff there. They have the CPU and motherboards for $40-50 off EACH.

 

[mfenn]

Hi mfenn, is your 1/21 update still a good guide to go by?

Im near a microcenter (Westbury NY) and about to start upgrading soon with a new machine that does a bit of everything (play hi res videos, some gaming, etc)

This post and the sticky (http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2138856) seems to be the best in teh forum) so a quick thank you for your research!

The guide is still current, yes. However, as TheStu says, you definitely want to get your i5 2500K + mobo at MC for a steep discount.

 

[rivan]

I'm curious about the consistent pick of the Crucial m4 over the intel drives, which at least right now are prices about the same.

Is the Crucial drive better?

 

[bkg1906]

Hey, quick question on the case. I know the Haf 912 has been the go to, with the recent review of the antec three hundred two, i'm leaning towards it instead. Opinions? I'm looking to pull the trigger on this rig in the next week. I also want to go with a 570... is this a worthwhile upgrade for the price vs performance? Thank you for your help all.

 

[mnewsham]

Hey, quick question on the case. I know the Haf 912 has been the go to, with the recent review of the antec three hundred two, i'm leaning towards it instead. Opinions? I'm looking to pull the trigger on this rig in the next week. I also want to go with a 570... is this a worthwhile upgrade for the price vs performance? Thank you for your help all.

The case isn't worth it for 20 bucks over the regular 300, or the HAF 912. I would stick with one of those. And no the 570 is NOT worth the price bump from the HD 6950.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

The case isn't worth it for 20 bucks over the regular 300, or the HAF 912. I would stick with one of those. And no the 570 is NOT worth the price bump from the HD 6950.

Preach!

 

[mfenn]

I'm curious about the consistent pick of the Crucial m4 over the intel drives, which at least right now are prices about the same.

Is the Crucial drive better?

Yes, the M4 is much faster than the 320. The Intel 510's are on par with the M4 (same controller) but are still priced much higher.

 

[mfenn]

The case isn't worth it for 20 bucks over the regular 300, or the HAF 912. I would stick with one of those. And no the 570 is NOT worth the price bump from the HD 6950.

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[bkg1906]

mfenn!! I need an update! Work your magik please! Oh and thank you. Also, with the case choices, they r all so gawd awful hideous, can you toss me a few options since you shot down the 300v2? And last question, SSD caching vs all out SSD+storage drive? I've seen some comparisons and read here and there as most saying that it's not worth it, but at the savings of almost $100 with the current OCZ Agility 3 offer, is the price/speed gain worth that premium?

 

[Skott]

mfenn!! I need an update! Work your magik please! Oh and thank you. Also, with the case choices, they r all so gawd awful hideous, can you toss me a few options since you shot down the 300v2? And last question, SSD caching vs all out SSD+storage drive? I've seen some comparisons and read here and there as most saying that it's not worth it, but at the savings of almost $100 with the current OCZ Agility 3 offer, is the price/speed gain worth that premium?

You should probably make a separate build thread, if you haven't done so yet, to discuss your own personal needs/wants. That way it keeps things from getting cluttered up here. Just keep checking back here to see what is updated. If you don't like any of the cases listed here so far then you must have particular need/want in mind. No way could anyone list all the $50 or less cases in this thread. There are so many of them. Then again you may want to go more on the case to get what you want. Nothing wrong with that option either.

 

[lehtv]

Also, with the case choices, they r all so gawd awful hideous, can you toss me a few options since you shot down the 300v2?

Try Fractal Design's cases. Minimalistic design so they won't annoy you with "bling". They tend to cost a bit more though, ATX cases from $70 to $110.

Also Corsair 400R $100.

 

[bkg1906]

Thanks lehtv, I actually really like that case you linked. I've thought about it a couple times tbh. I might pull the trigger on it though.

Skott - I honestly don't want to clutter the board when I can add a reply to a thread. Asking for an update to a thread in which that mfenn has kindly taken the time to look up deals and parts for me is hardly "cluttering" the thread. As far as cases go, it's not that I have something in mind, it's just I feel the HAF 912 is ugly as sin.

I tend to read the reviews on cases on here and toms in hopes one will catch my eye. I thought about the three hundred, but people are saying it's not worth the money in comparison to the 912. So my question was/is there another case that offers similar performance/mucho real estate that looks simple.

 

[mfenn]

Skott - I honestly don't want to clutter the board when I can add a reply to a thread. Asking for an update to a thread in which that mfenn has kindly taken the time to look up deals and parts for me is hardly "cluttering" the thread.

This board is dedicated to people posting new build threads. I don't think that using the board for its intended purpose is "cluttering". :awe:

As far as cases go, it's not that I have something in mind, it's just I feel the HAF 912 is ugly as sin.

I tend to read the reviews on cases on here and toms in hopes one will catch my eye. I thought about the three hundred, but people are saying it's not worth the money in comparison to the 912. So my question was/is there another case that offers similar performance/mucho real estate that looks simple.

I tend to agree that the 912 is very ugly, I would never use one in my personal system. However, it is a very good performer at its current price point and quite a few people like (or at least don't mind) the looks, so I recommend it. If you are looking to spend a bit more, lehtv has linked some nice cases.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Awesome update Mfenn! Managed to get, imho, a nicer case and power supply while shaving a little off the price. Came at a cost though. You had to sacrifice SLI/Crossfire to the budget gods. Totally worth it.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I picked up the NZXT Source 210 on a shell shocker deal 15% off & free shipping. Definitely worth it at that cost. It's sleek, light and has great airflow and ventilation. I did put a 120mm fan up front. It's much more quiet than my antec 300.

 

[mfenn]

I picked up the NZXT Source 210 on a shell shocker deal 15% off & free shipping. Definitely worth it at that cost. It's sleek, light and has great airflow and ventilation. I did put a 120mm fan up front. It's much more quiet than my antec 300.

Pretty nice budget case. I will add it to the alternates.

Awesome update Mfenn! Managed to get, imho, a nicer case and power supply while shaving a little off the price. Came at a cost though. You had to sacrifice SLI/Crossfire to the budget gods. Totally worth it.

Thanks!

 

[Zee]

hi can i ask you official opinion? do you think i should get the asrock in your post no matter what or do you think the B&M store at microcenter has somehting better than the asrock comparably speaking?

 

[Ken g6]

Generally, Micro Center has mobos that aren't worse and often are cheaper in a bundle. They often have Gigabytes which aren't bad, for instance. Just compare the chipsets, compare the features (SATA2/3 connectors, USB3, USB2/3 headers (for the front panel), PCIe 16x slots, and anything else you care about), and decide for yourself.

 

[crownjules]

Just an FYI but Microcenter is currently selling the CM HAF 912 for $5 less than Newegg so go there if you have one nearby.